Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars.
There's a lotta cupcakes and a lotta sex toys. I do love that there's a butch and femme dynamic that is somewhere slightly more than hinted at and less than outright named. I think that's great. I also do like a lot of the writing and I like both these authors.
Now, one of the characters annoyed me a LOT. I won't write any spoilers and I know drama has to happen for the book to have juice but dang. The drama at times was Iike..ok...but that's also personal taste as I in my real life have feelings about choices that were made. Whenever I feel strongly about a character I'm like, well the writing was good enough to suck me in and make me that passionate. So there's that.
Christmas was definitely a setting and part of it, especially with the storefront decorating. Sometimes I forgot it's a Christmas romance but usually it was there. I wanted a Christmas romance specifically so I want to mention that.

I will say the book drew me in and took me away from my world which I think a good lesfic does and these authors usually excel at doing. I give it 3.5 stars because of my annoyance with the decisions of one of the characters. The writing was 4 stars/4.5. I love these authors. Aurora Rey in particular.

The sex scenes were very good as well. Very hot. Yes.

Can't wait to read more by these authors. I will always request them on net galley. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Not sure how I feel about this one. Overall I was rooting for the two main characters, but the plot was all over the place and jumped around quickly. I was hoping for a light festive read and instead got people talking about how they need therapy (without ever actually going to therapy). Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I did not read the description properly so, after finding out what it was about, I wasn’t sure it was for me, but I loved it! It was funny, cute and lighthearted.

I loved the small town setting and thought the inner politics were accurate. I also enjoyed the sex-positivity around a trans boy and older women.

The thing that put me off a little was the pacing felt a little off. By 30% of the book, they’re more or less already together, which was way too fast, especially since Tara seemed so against the idea of Casey having her shop right next door. I think, even though this book was pretty short, I’d have liked their chase to have lasted a bit longer. It also made the middle drag a bit because nothing was really happening.

Overall, I had a good time and I’d read from either author again.

unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. The plot was choppy and all over the place. The chemistry was lacking with romance which made it hard to connect to the main characters.

This is a cosy (and slightly spicy) novel that I received as an ARC earlier last month, and I highly recommend it to everyone! It features two lesbian main characters, Tara and Casey. Tara fled her town for NYC, but returned to take over the family's bakery and turn it into an amazing cupcake business. Casey is fleeing LA after her famous ex wife threw a tantrum and left her reputation shattered. She gets to Rocky Springs and impulsively opens a sex shop right near Tara's cupcake business.
While the two start off shakily, as neither of them wants to lose customers during the busy holiday season, their bond will grow stronger and stronger.
This is novel that features two adult women (in their late 30s and 40s) who are not perfect by any means, who have loads of baggage and commit to working through it together. I found it incredibly realistic, and a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of novels that would rather focus on the whirlwind romance instead of how feasible the whole commitment would be. This is not to say that it reads like a heavy book, because it doesn't. It's funny and witty, with two personable leads and a cosy setting.

Leaving L.A. after much drama and opening an adult toy shop in a small mountain town in Colorado seems like a great idea. Although the cute baker next door isn’t so happy about kinky products being sold right next to her family bakery. But maybe the lady doth protest too much?

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Casey left L.A. with her tail between her legs. A more than messy divorce from Hollywood’s darling sees her visiting her friend Kit in a tiny mountain town. She did not expect to find Rocky Springs so charming. Casey feels excited about the next fase in her life and she is going to make the best of it. Why not there? She decides to open a classy adult toy shop to bring pleasure in all shapes and sizes to the people of Rocky Springs. The perfect location falls in her lap. It’s in the middle of of the town center next to a bakery that sells the most delicious cupcakes ever. If only the baker herself wouldn’t be so opposed to her business.

Tara left New York to try and take her families bakery to the next level. Her cupcakes are slowly winning over the town of Rocky Springs and for Tara that is just the beginning. A adult toy shop going in next door is not part of her businessplan, no ma’am! The new neighbor herself is also not in Tara’s plans, but my oh my, it’s not like she secretly wants to try out the new shops inventory with this Casey woman!

Frosted By The Girl Next Door is everything you want in a cosy and spicy holiday romance. There’s typical holiday activities like ice skating, Christmas markets and of course snow. All this is served with a side of extremely hot chemistry. You’ll be wishing for a gift certificate from Casey’s shop in no time!

Tara’s resistance towards Casey’s shop doesn’t last long and soon she is indeed sampling some of the Sweet Spot’s inventory! Casey might not have been ready to date again, she can’t resist Tara. That doesn’t make the problems of her past go away though. Casey is used to avoid conflict and doesn’t open up easily. Of course that’s where the problems begin and I absolutely sided with Tara on that. But then Casey pulls out all the stops and I melted right alongside Tara again.

A sparkly new erotic shop in a tiny little mountain town is bound to come across some resistance from the more conservative townies. There is one in particular that tries to ruin Casey’s shop. I thought she should have fought harder against this dude or at least Tara should have. I would have loved to see him publicly put in his place after the crap he pulled.

Tara’s sister Shawn loves dealing with people all day and is a star at small talk. Tara is the opposite. I really liked the mention of Tara feeling stuck in a market booth having to ‘extrovert’ all day and expecting to be drained after that.

I loved this collaboration between two awesome authors. There is even a ‘sister’ book to this one ‘A New Leash On Love’ that tells the story of Tara’s sister Shawn and Casey’s friend Kit. Two authors, two cute and spicy stories, what more can you want?

I really enjoyed the reading experience with that one. It's very hallmark, although not that Christmassy, with just the right amount of angst and humor for my liking. The banter sometimes bordered on too...cringe for me, but it never actually crossed that line. I wouldn't call it super hot but there is some spice in there. It's a good middle ground for people who don't want hot and heavy but also not closed door.

Not a 5 stars because I don't like the trope used for the 3rd act conflict. I mean, I knew it was coming but it could have been so many other, less cliché, things. Characters don't always act like the adults they are. Casey is 41 and she sometimes feel more like 21 in her relationship with Tara. I did love the Grand Gesture though, that was a good one (and, okay, pretty swoony), and I liked the beginning of the relationship with Tara coming around.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters and kind of hope the authors will write more in this universe. I want more Natalia! And more Aspen. And more of the Sweet Spot.

I wish we had seen Casey stand up to Jenkins and for that side of the story to be developped a bit more but oh well, it is a holiday romance after all. I guess dealing with the "family values" folks would taint the whole "everything is perfect in this world" vibe.

Good book overall and a pleasant reading time.

This book was sweet, but otherwise unremarkable. The "big disagreement" didn't feel like it needed to be that big of a deal and the couple didn't have much chemistry. Their flirting fell flat throughout the book and I didn't really care about any of the characters. The writing, plot, and characters didn't have anything wrong with them, the book just didn't really work for me for some reason

A very cute, sapphic holiday romance that manages to tow the line between Hallmark and Smut. This book was funny, sweet, and very, very cute. I loved the plot of Casey opening a sex shop and how both characters came to feel so positive towards that. I appreciated that the author made the main struggle something personal but that wasn't specifically homophobia. I thought the characters both grew enough over the course of the book, but I liked that they were not perfect in the end and were still on their growth journeys/ going to therapy.

I had so much fun with this book!

It was such a page-turner, keeping me invested and desperate to know what would happen the whole way through. The characters and setting were so vividly realised that I felt like I was really there, watching it all happen!

The premise is a hilarious one, that thankfully aids the romantic plot line rather than getting in the way of it. Tara and Casey’s relationship developed really naturally, while still progressing at the pace required to get together in time for Christmas (an issue I have spotted with some other Christmas romances recently!). The chemistry between them was obvious from the get-go, and I loved following them fall for each other more and more.

The storyline about the drama in Casey’s backstory was balanced really well, shaking up the story just the right amount. It felt believably outrageous, and was a fun detour from the main plot.

I’ve never read either of these authors before, but this certainly won’t be the last book of theirs that I pick up (in fact, I’m reading their other collaboration right now!). I had such a great time reading this, it was all the right levels of cosy and queer and Christmassy.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The characters were not very well developed and felt very flat, almost stock lesbians a&b. I didn't get the cosy Christmas romance I was promised, and the third act "break up" and miscommunication was so unnecessary it left me rolling my eyes.

Frosted by the Girl Next Door is one of those books that draws you in with the synopsis, but doesn't quite cross the finish line.
That's not to say the story isn't good, more that I didn't find it to be anything over and above any other holiday romance. Thus it wouldn't be something I'd be jumping to re-read.

Casey Stevens is fresh out of a notorious marriage and looking to keep a low profile in the middle of nowhere. With no imminent plans to return home, maybe now would be the ideal time to pursue her dream of owning a sex shop.
Tara McCoy is all for the stunningly handsome customer who's just walked into her cupcake shop staying around town, especially when Tara learns she wants to open a shop next door. But Tara's day dreaming looks set to implode, when she discovers the shop will be one focused on the most intimate of acts.
What follows is a mid-burn, yet insta love romance between Casey and Tara.

I liked the small town holiday setting vibe, the spicy scenes, and that the narrative is explicit in being sex positive and trans inclusive. The choice of mature women and trans folk as some of the sex shop's customers does not go unnoticed. I would love the chance to know more about Aspen, as the character was a great addition to the storyline.

However, where the plot fell short is firstly, Tara is too quick to move from objecting against the idea of a sex shop next door, to agreeing with the proposal. Particularly when the discontent between her and Casey is essentially the initial crux of their journey together. A similar point can be made for one of the town's inhabitants, who starts out as the obvious antagonist for Casey's character, yet randomly fades off the page for most of the plot before suddenly re-appearing.
Secondly, the introduction of Casey's ex-wife and the subsequent miscommunication with Tara (where Tara doesn't afford Casey any opportunity to explain herself), is the type of saga I'm just not a fan of. It reads as Casey still being under the thumb and pandering to her ex because of how it may "look" if she doesn't. Added to that is Casey clearly not being enough to warrant the opportunity to explain her actions to Tara; which is what you'd expect to happen between two adults. Whilst the resolution of their angst is sweetly touching, and a unique take on the "12 Days of Christmas", it still felt overshadowed by the communication breakdown.
I think the authors went down the wrong path in search of the angst/third act break up inspiration. I will say that I'm not a fan of the whole miscommunication trope and where it is used as a point of conflict in plots, it has to be perfectly executed with a super relevant and realistic need for it.

So there you have it, whilst I'm biased in my ability to really root for this sort of storyline, I probably enjoyed Frosted by the Girl Next Door sufficently to give another book from each separate author a whirl at some stage.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun holiday romance! The enemies to lovers aspect didn’t last very long but since their opposition made Tara unlikeable, I found I didn’t mind the quickish change of heart. I didn’t realize until partway through that this had two authors; both POVs worked really well together.

It had those cozy small town vibes with plenty of queerness, which I always love. Both Casey and Tara were complex, with genuine emotional hurdles they had to work through together, which made the ending all the more satisfying.

This was definitely a cute little sapphic holiday romance. I personally think it was cute and enjoyable to read but there wasn’t anything that really stuck out to me and that’s why I gave it 3 stars. It’s still cute though!

Thank you to Aurora Rey, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, for me, this was a DNF at nearly 50%. I went into this book expecting a cute and spicy WLW Christmas romance (my own fault?), but I felt as though Christmas was an afterthought of this book which was very dissapointing.

I had a very hard time connecting to the characters. They felt too similar in their dialogue and actions that I couldn't keep track of who was who. The two main FMC also spent way too much time "finding themselves" and rehashing old traumas for me to be able to get into the "cozy vibe" I was hoping for.

If this book had been portrayed as a small town, WLW, contemporary romance where the characters were better developed I may have enjoyed it a bit more but sadly this book just wasn't for me.

I absolutely adored this book. It felt so much deeper than the average holiday read, and it's the first holiday book I've given 5 stars!

Firstly, the chemistry between the two love interests was palpable, and jumped off the page. Not only is their dynamic and banter the absolute best, but the steamy scenes are amazing! So well done!

I also enjoyed how emotionally in depth the book got toward the end, and how all the characters navigated relationship problems.

Overall, such a wonderful read that is light hearted but also emotional and wintry! I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a holiday romance with amazing chemistry, and has a deep plot with character depth.

This was a cute holiday romance! It had me blushing and laughing out loud. This is perfect to add to your December TBR! And truly anytime of year because it was magical.

2.5 ⭐️. wow, I didn't think that a book about a s*x shop could be so......dull. these characters had such potential and I feel like the momentum went nowhere. I did LOVE the little mountain town vibes and holiday cheer.

ty to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an ARC.

I felt like there wasn't much of the holiday theme within this book and that it wasn't the main focus even though it is marketed as a holiday romance. I also felt like the plot of the story was a bit all over the place at times and so I found it hard to keep up with the story. I found the miscommunication so frustrating but it is one of my least favourite tropes so that is understandable. I didn't feel a connection between the characters.

A small town holiday romance? Yes please! The MC moves to a cozy small town and wants to open a LGBTQ friendly (love this), classy and accepting sex shop. One of her neighbors, a bakery, isn’t happy about this. Of course, opposites attract so naturally there is a lot of chemistry. This book has plenty of spice but is also sweet.