When in December was such a cute, fast read! I loved it! I love a good second chance and this did not disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Kendra Mase for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When in December is a story about Poppy and Aaron. Poppy is a junior interior designer on the brink of promotion, thrilled to be leading her first solo project. Soon she finds out it’s far from ready for her and will come with obstacles and delays.

Aaron is home early from a physical rehabilitation treatment center and is not happy to find out his sister has hired a design firm to update his cabin. Aaron has dealt with several losses and would prefer to shut out the world and get back to the Army.

This has a sweet second chance element to it that I enjoyed. I liked that both Aaron and Poppy had emotional and physical aspects to contend with and overcome.

The one thing that seemed a little abrupt to me was when it was getting spicy and suddenly faded to black, just felt like it really caught me off guard and pulled me out of the story a bit.

This book had me hooked.

I really liked Mase's writing. I thought the writing style was good and the pacing done well. I also really enjoyed the characters. They felt well developed and realistic.

If you want solid romance When in December delivers. This book had everything: funny, sad, sweet and heartfelt. Poppy and Aaron were perfect for each other. I liked their relationship a lot. It felt very real and romantic. I am also a sucker for grumpy x sunshine trope so these two definitely did it for me. This is a slow burn but it is so worth the wait.

A lovely romance read that I would recommend!

This was my first time reading a book by Kendra Mase, and I absolutely loved it! While the beginning felt a bit slow and it took me a few chapters to really get into the story, the plot was adorable and left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. I especially enjoyed the dual POV, which gave great insights into both Poppy and Aaron’s backstories. I'll be recommending this book to everyone I know, and I can’t wait to read more from Kendra Mase!

What a cute cozy Christmas read! It has all the good stuff. Grumpy/Sunshine. Forced Proximity. I'd definitely read more from this author. Get a cup of hot chocolate and give it a read.

This sparkling Christmas romance has it all! There’s a holiday design contest, a mountain cabin, a troubled war vet, a spunky designer and a dog. Kendra Mase weaves these elements into a heartwarming story that will keep you turning the pages. Decorator Poppy Owens is determined to win a promotion and turn a supposedly unoccupied cabin into a gorgeous Christmas retreat. Aaron Hayes is the vet, staying at the family cabin while healing from injuries and grieving the death of a friend. The last thing he wants to deal with is Poppy’s cheerful optimism. The last thing she wants are the memories of her passionate, unrequited high school crush on Aaron. There are no surprises here. You know the cabin will be decorated, Aaron and Poppy will overcome their difficulties and love will triumph. It’s Christmas, after all. Enjoy! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Kendra Mase for this ARC.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

What to Expect:
••» Forced Proximity
••» Grumpy x Sunshine
••» Slow Burn
••» Opposites Attract
••» High School Crush

This book was a solid read—funny, heartfelt, sad, and sweet, all rolled into one. The story centers around Poppy, a bubbly, optimistic interior designer tasked with renovating Aaron’s cabin. The catch? Aaron has no idea about it and is *not* happy when he finds out. He’s fresh out of the military and dealing with some heavy grief, and his brooding, gruff demeanor didn’t exactly win me over at first. Aaron’s the classic damaged hero, convinced he doesn’t deserve anything good and pushing everyone away.

While the ending was a bit predictable, there were definitely some sweet moments along the way. If you’re into the grumpy hero and sunshine heroine trope with plenty of personal growth, this one’s worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kendra Mase, the author, and the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op team for the ARC opportunity.

I had high hopes for this one based on the blurb but it didn’t quite live up to them. Yes it’s festive and set at Christmas- loved the cabin and festive activities- but the first half of the book felt too long and like it needed a good edit, too many words that didn’t add anything to the story.

I really wasn’t a fan of Aaron at all until later in the book, I thought he was really nasty to Poppy and that made it hard to root for him and their relationship.

Overall an ok read and certainly Christmassy if that’s what you’re looking for.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The chemistry between Poppy and Aaron is undeniable, from the start you are shown the many different sides of both MCs.
Poppy, a young interior designer wanting to prove her worth to her boss and Aaron, an ex military man with some deep pain.
These two overcome the initial tension and unease and fall fast into a friendship/situation-ship to avoid their obvious but at the time unwanted feelings for each other.
Secrets are kept and revealed and their relationship just grows, all while trying to maintain ‘professionalism’ between them.
These two are destined to be together and after a brief time apart are able to come together and make each other very happy.
Overall a very good read and would recommend !

O loved this book. It was funny, strong, sad, emotional, loving and sweet. It really makes you feel all the emotions.
I was captivated by the story and the pace was just perfect for me.
This book has a lot of my favorite tropes and scenes:
- High school secret crush
- Forced proximity
- Grumpy / sunshine
- Enemies to lovers
- F**** it moment
The story is about Poppy, and interior designer that is trying to prove herself on her job and here comes Aaron that was sabotaging her. He is the damaged hero that doesn´t believe that he deserves anything good and pushes away everything good.
It’s a book that approaches serious themes but in a verry graceful way.
Quotes:
“I was the big bad wolf. She was little red knit socks, walking straight into my den.”
“Worthwhile”
“You’re home”
Overall: perfect book for someone who likes a grumpy hero and a sunshine heroin, with a lot of personal development and growth.

The writing sparkles with wit, and the exploration of vulnerability and healing through creativity is incredibly moving. Poppy’s journey of self-discovery amidst the turmoil of her professional and personal life is a refreshing take on romance. As layers are peeled back, you can’t help but root for these two to find their way through the wreckage and into each other’s arms. All in all. this is a delightful blend of charm and emotional depth, perfect for anyone who loves a story where love transforms not just the heart but the very spaces we inhabit. I couldn’t put it down!

A cute and cosy read that got me very excited for winter. A great read if you’re a fan of grumpy x sunshine and a bit of forced proximity. I’d definitely recommend and can’t wait to reread closer to winter!

Well this was a cozy cute one! One could technically argue it was a second chance romance AND an enemies to lovers trope. And just who doesn’t love a two for one special? I’ll tell ya- Nobody! This book got me super excited for the holidays. The cabin described in the story is picturesque. The only travesty reading this book was that I couldn’t do it snuggled up next to a fireplace because it’s still too dang hot! But I digress…

Poppy is an interior designer and has been tasked to do a home makeover on a cabin in the woods. A big promotion is on the line, so she needs this project to go as smooth and fast as possible. Insert Aaron. He is home early from deployment and has no clue his sister made all these arrangements for his home. So naturally he is incredibly annoyed by Poppy’s constant presence (until he isn’t) and the fact that his house is a literal construction site. Oh and clearly the hippocampus function of his brain is failing him because he has forgotten that he went to high school with Poppy and kissed her! Only she hasn’t forgotten…So this forced proximity is just too good to be true folks!

This was a perfect palate cleanser for me. This is not for everyone though lol. The book reminded me of indie published romances from way back in the day like 2012-2017 era. It’s under 300 pages, grumpy sunshine, and forced proximity.

Poppy is determined to finish the cabin and get her well earned promotion. Aaron is determined to keep Poppy out of his cabin and life. What starts as a negative experience transforms into something different. This book creates a love/hate warm Christmas vibe with all the feels.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of When in December by Kendra Mase

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for the ARC!

When in December (294 pages) drops on October 8th, and honestly... it was just meh. Not terrible, not amazing, just kinda there. You know those books you read when you’re in the mood for something easy and light? This is one of them. I wasn’t mad about it, but if I’d never read it, I wouldn’t have missed out.

✧ Grumpy x Sunshine 💕
✧ Opposites Attract 💖
✧ Forced Proximity 💗
✧ Grieving MMC 🖤
✧ Slow Burn 🔥
✧ Workplace-ish (renovating his cabin) 🛠️

Poppy is this bubbly, optimistic interior designer hired to renovate Aaron’s cabin, but he had no clue about it and was not thrilled when he found out. Aaron’s dealing with some serious grief after leaving the military, and his brooding, rude attitude didn’t exactly win me over. He even calls Poppy a <i>homemaker</i> in a not-so-cool way. 😒 But, as these stories go, he eventually comes around and sees that Poppy’s actually fantastic at her job. Classic slow burn.

Poppy had a huge high school crush on Aaron and they even shared a kiss back then, but he doesn’t remember her at all! The grumpy x sunshine dynamic is cute, but it didn’t have the zing I was hoping for. The ending was pretty predictable, and while there were some sweet moments, the story didn’t offer much that stood out.

Overall, it’s a decent read if you like these tropes, but don’t expect it to be groundbreaking. It’s one of those books that’s fine for a light read but might not stick with you.