Member Reviews

Step 1: Combine Whitney, a talented yet broke baker, with Daniel, a successful yet lonely finance guy,
Step 2: Mix in Aertha, a meddlesome Aunt.
Step3: Sprinkle in some cute kiddos, a cozy B&B and a hyper-focused businesswoman.

You have the makings of a cute Christmas romance story set in Canada.

Liz Johnson is a new-to-me author, with a knack for creating a story that is fun and easy to read with well developed and relatable characters. This book is sure to be one of those holiday movies that you can enjoy all year long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell for a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

“Meddling with Mistletoe” is full of meddling, mistletoe, fears, dreams, and lovely holiday pies. What a fun story written by Liz Johnson. This story takes readers back to a beloved place in Liz Johnson’s books, the Red Door Inn; however, the story is easily a stand alone story. The characters are well-developed and feel like people you would know from just down the road. Whitney is feeling lost and unsure of what she should do with her life going forward, but working hard to bake pies to help her make money for culinary school. Daniel, a newly hired CFO, is sad, alone, and has only come to PEI to help his Aunt Aretha with the process of selling her antiques store. Aunt Aretha is a force to be reckoned with in her quest to help Daniel be happy. She is the queen of meddling in this story, and readers will enjoy following along on the results of her meddling. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, yet thought-provoking, Christmas story. Grab a cozy place to curl up with this book and settle in for a delightful trip to PEI.

I requested a complimentary copy of this book. The thoughts expressed here are wholly my own.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a cozy Christmas read. I loved everything about this book. The characters, the plot, and the way faith intertwined so perfectly through the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own*

Was this review helpful?

Lovely holiday story involving friends, children, a well intended aunt, slightly grumpy nephew, oblivious female, and a pie baker with a heart of gold. Sounds like a mish-mash of unlikely characters, but the author gently mixes things up and the result is perfection. The reason for the holiday season is not centered on things, but on values that are all too often forgotten-especially in a romance book.
As the story moves along at a gentle pace, it never drags or rushes, and always left the reader wanting more. I admit to being a little worried at how the story would end, however... You need to read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. You'll be glad you did!
I'd like to thank Net Galley and Revell for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

You can never go wrong with a cozy Christmas story. The setting of inn on Prince Edward Island is charming. I love the growth of the characters and how the author explored the theme of career choices. It's the perfect read to gear up for Christmas.

Was this review helpful?

Meddling With Mistletoe is a very well written romance. I loved the plot and the well developed characters. Liz Johnson has written another winner. I recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

From the Amazon description: Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn's kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return.

The inn is busy with holiday guests--including Aretha Franklin Sloan's perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha's antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney's help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is definitely not the right woman for Daniel--and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match.

This book is such a fun read, from the oven mishaps to Aretha's scheming to Whitney's and Daniel's budding friendship that blossoms into romance. Liz Johnson knows how to inject humor and sass into her novels and truly made this an enjoyable read.

Four Strong Stars

Revell Publishing provided the e-copy of this novel that I read. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Was this review helpful?

This book was great! I love romance books, and this one was no exception! The characters were wonderful and realistic, the plot was well written, and the setting was gorgeous. I cannot wait until this is published so everyone can read it!

Was this review helpful?

This was a sweet contemporary, Christmas novella set on Prince Edward Island. I hadn't read the earlier books in the series and thoroughly enjoyed the read. Whitney has struggled to stick with a plan and believes it's because she can't finish anything. All she wants to do is go to culinary school, and when a neighbor asks for her help with a matchmaking scheme and promises to pay the difference between her savings and the tuition bill, Whitney agrees. Little does she know that she's going to do more than bake pies and try to help Daniel and Ruby discover love. This is a sweet read that will put you in the Christmas mood.

Was this review helpful?

I recently binge-read Johnson's "Prince Edward Island Shores" series (book 1: Beyond the Tides), and was really excited to find out about/read this one!

It was a really sweet read that absolutely got me in the Christmas spirit--a nice respite from the Southern summer I am still sweating through, haha! I'm hopeful by the time _Meddling with Mistletoe_'s release date hits on September 3, the IRL weather will have taken a hint from it. :)

The characters are endearing, and the storyline sweet without being over-the-top or saccharine. A few vaguely familiar names and faces appeared, presumably from the "PEI Shores" series, but also potentially from Johnson's "PEI Dreams" series--which I must add to my TBR list. I didn't feel lost at all, thankfully, not having yet read the latter series; I think other readers would do just fine, too, without reading either series before this one. It's a good introduction to both Johnson's writing and the PEI community she's developed.

I'll also note that quilters (hi, Mom :D) will particularly enjoy the quilting subplot; it's subtle, but it's there!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This novella is a quick, entertaining, seasonal read set in Prince Edward Island, Canada. As part of a series, the book works fine as a stand-alone.

Whitney Garrett has a history of broken commitments – with sports, activities, and career choices, but not with people. Given an ultimatum from her retiring parents to create some stability in her life, she sets her sights on culinary school. The only problem is money and for that she is baking mouth-watering pies to sell at Christmas markets. Enter Arethra Franklin (no relation to the singer) who is determined to foster a romance between her nephew, Daniel, and a businesswoman visiting the island. Aretha enlists a reluctant Whitney’s help in the matchmaking scheme by promising to help her with tuition money.

While the outcome is predictable, I found the storyline charming and engaging. I particularly liked the children – precocious but amusing rather than obnoxious. Overall, this is a welcome and enjoyable start to my foray into Christmas stories for this year.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Was this review helpful?

I requested to read and review this book for free from Baker Publishing Group. This book is a cute, fun read. The setting is at Christmas time but this story can be read anywhere. The great thing about this book it can be read by anyone. Whitney has many dreams but wants to find the right the job the right thing to do with her life. Life for her has been an experience of unfortunate events. But will see find the dream that really speaks to her and is what she really needs to do? Daniel has always tried to help family when he can but sometimes it's hard. When a family member calls him for help can he really help with what they need? Aretha knows what her family needs more then they do. So when she calls Daniel home to help her with her business. She decides that she can help him find his true love. Ruby is her on business can she complete it and make her bosses happy. Can she she find happiness

Was this review helpful?

A Cute Christmas romance by Liz Johnson. The Author is new to me and I loved the book. The story takes place in Prince Edward Island Canada. Though I was born in Canada and lived there for 21 years I have never been to PEI. It sounds like a lovely place to put on my bucket list.
The winters are cold and since this is a Christmas story there’s snow and freezing temperatures. The story is filled with the Christmas Spirit, decorations and lots of delicious pies. I loved most of the characters but admit that at times I wasn’t fond of Aunt Aretha. She considered herself to be a successful matchmaker but she meddled into her nephew’s life and I found her to be irritating at times. At least she had good intentions and loved her nephew. In the end all things worked out for the best and the story was very entertaining and drew me in completely. I’m pleased to have found a new Author and I look forward to reading more books by her.
I recommend this book to readers of Christmas novels, Christian Fiction, women’s Fiction and Contemporary Romance. This book is part of a series but I read it as a standalone and enjoyed it to the fullest. This book is scheduled to be released on 9/3/24.
I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here in this review are entirely my own.

#MeddlingwithMistletoe #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

A perfect Christmas read
I really enjoyed this a beautifully written cute Christmas story.
A perfect hallmark movie
Loved the characters and their sweetness
It’s such a sweet story I couldn’t love it more will probably be one of my favourite Christmas books this year

Was this review helpful?

This story is VERY hard to put down! Liz has written the perfect Christmas romance, and YES you can read it all year long. This for me is one I would read over and over!

Whitney is struggling trying to prove to herself and others that she can pick a career and she can for once stick to it! So when she decides on culinary school she has one hurdle she needs to overcome - Cost! She sets out to bake her pies to earn the money for her tuition, but with her faulty oven she ends up needing to use the Inn's oven instead. In exchange for babysitting / cooking a few meals she is allowed to use their kitchen. Everything is going as planned until a new job is added to her plate - play matchmaker for two of the inn's guests: Daniel and Ruby! In exchange, her tuition will be paid in full! She doesn't know Daniel or Ruby, but she needs the tuition and agrees to the arrangement. But the more time she spends with Daniel the more convinced she is that Ruby isn't the right one for him . And even Daniel is starting to see Whitney as something more. But if Whitney goes back on her Matchmaking job, she loses her tuition. But worst of all, if Daniel finds out about the agreement, she will lose A LOT more... Him.

This was my first time reading a story from Liz Johnson but I love her writing style. The story is very relatable, and the romance is very believable. And my goodness... mistletoe made this story just SO interesting!

Thank you to Revell Publishing and Net Galley for my advance copy.A review was not required & all opinions are my own.

#MeddlingwithMistletoe #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

What a delightful holiday story! Christmas is my favorite holiday and Liz Johnson has created the perfect story to celebrate the season. Filled with romance, family, faith, and lovable characters, it is certain to entertain and inspire.

Whitney Garrett finds herself struggling to pay for tuition for culinary school which lands her as an unwilling accomplice to Aretha Franklin’s plan to set up her nephew, Daniel. Whitney soon discovers Aretha’s matchmaking skills are off with the match of Daniel and Ruby but struggles to find a way to get out of helping with the scheme before it is too late.

A perfect holiday read! Not only did it put me in the holiday spirit, it filled my heart with joy and laughter. It is so well written, the story came alive making me feel like I was actually there experiencing it. This is a must read!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

A Christmas romance with a cozy B&B setting, lots of holiday baking, mistletoe and meddling? Count me in! Meddling with Mistletoe is such a sweet holiday read. I always love a story with a meddling family member (aren't they just the best?), so admittedly the title drew me in... but this one was a fun twist with the FMC being brought in to aid in the matchmaking of the MMC... with someone else. (Don't worry, there is definitely no love triangle here though.) I think that made it all that more interesting and I just adored it. All the characters were well written, drawing me right into their stories. This had just the right amount of holiday cheer and felt very much like a Hallmark Christmas movie. If you're looking for a fun holiday romance, you'll definitely want to add this one to your TBR.

** I received complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Sweet story and a cozy setting with Christmas and romance.
If you, like me, can't wait for December, this is just what you need - it's just like the moives ::)

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book!!! Such a good story and great writing style. This was my first by this author and will not be my last! Such a cute cozy holiday romcom!

Was this review helpful?

Meddling with Mistletoe is a truly captivating novel that exceeded my expectations. Initially, I thought it would be a light beach read, but the author skillfully drew me in with thought-provoking questions and engaging storytelling. I was particularly impressed by Johnson's exploration of themes such as career choices, the dangers of making assumptions about others, and the importance of self-reflection. It felt as though the book was speaking directly to me.

Was this review helpful?