Noelle, whom nothing ever goes right for and has a permanent little black cloud following her around, meets no nonsense Kol who has his own baggage. The banter between them is hilarious from the start and so is the nickname he gives her. When their flight is cancelled, Kol volunteers to drive her to her destination since it's on his way. They get to know each other during the trip and fall into an instant lust/love forced proximity during a blizzard type relationship. This book features some heavy topics which I wasn't expecting for a Christmas book. The language and the spice (think Fifty Shades) wasn't for me, but if you don't mind and/or like spicy you'll love this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

DNF at 17%. Found the characters to be over-the-top stereotypes, the dialogue stilted and really obvious. Good luck to the author but this one is not for me!

While seemingly a cute Christmas romance, a meet-cute at the airport, a road trip to upstate NY, a snowed-in trope during the holidays, but for me I had a lot of issues. First, just how mean they are to each other in the airport down to the spice and how she barely speaks or talks and is dominated (in a good way?). I can see how this book can work for some but it did not work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Noelle is heading back to her hometown to find out what her aunt has left her in her will. She's leaving it 'til last minute and in true Christmas story style, bad weather cancels her flights.

Completely distraught, she lets out her frustration on the Captain Kol Vinter. Against his better judgement, he offers to drive Noelle to her destination, it's close to where he is going. What could go wrong?

It has all the tropes as listed in the blurb of the book: Holiday, Forced Proximity, One Bed, Opposites Attract, Return to Small Hometown, Blizzard, Afraid to Commit, Not Who I Thought You Were, Pilot, Horse Girl, Possessive Man, Sassy Girl.

Enjoyable, quick, read.

Fun festive read, the story of Noelle and Kol who meet when her flight is cancelled. he was supposed to be the pilot of that flight, so offers to drive here to where she is going. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

NetGalley book review:

If you need a great, swoon worthy, spicy book to get you in the Christmas mood then this is the book for you!

I loved every minute of reading this book.

Meet Noelle, her name may be festive but Christmas is the last thing on her mind, she’s down on her luck, having lost her job and her ex, and fighting demons from her past.
All she wants to do is get back to her hometown to settle a matter of inheritance and time is running out, enter a snowstorm which ground her flight… and a gorgeous pilot too.

Kol, one of the pilots from Noelle’s flight, cannot stand her or her attitude, but after hearing her state how she wishes she had never been born, offers her a ride to her town.
Hours in a car getting to know each other whilst the snow falls and the sparks fly. Can they make it to Saratoga in time? And will these sparks kindle a fire between the two?

This book has a lovely storyline and two characters with a lot of depth, both have suffered and have their demons to fight and Kols support of Noelle through facing her grief is beautifully written.
This book has a lot of reference to its a wonderful life which I loved.

Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Humour - 😂😂😂😂
Tears - 😭😭😭
Chemistry - 🫦🫦🫦🫦


Tropes:
- Forced proximity
- Small town
- Opposites attract

There was sooo much potential to this book but for me it didn’t hit the mark.

Noelle was unlikeable from the beginning but redeemed herself through the first 20% of the book, Kol is a dark horse as you think he’s a meany but he’s a sweetheart really.

The 40%-60% mark was just smut and it felt sudden and A LOT.

Christmas Cancellation tells the story of It's a Wonderful Life, but with a modern and steamy twist. Female main character Noelle Nichols finds herself at rock bottom just days before Christmas. Recently jobless, single, and desperate to secure her inheritance before Christmas Eve, she’s stuck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport when a snowstorm cancels her flight.

Noelle, upset by her recent troubles (the canceled flight is just the icing on the cake), wishes she had never been born. Captain Kol Vinter, a reserved non-nonsense ex-military pilot, surprises her (and likely himself) by offering a ride to her hometown of Saratoga Springs since it's on the way to his house. As they embark on a snowy road trip filled with holiday misadventures, their forced proximity reveals layers of vulnerability, humor, and undeniable chemistry. Along the way, Noelle and Kol confront their personal struggles, rediscover the spirit of Christmas, and find hope and love in the most unexpected journey.

I will preface this review by stating that this style of romance book is not one I typically read, so take my review with a grain of salt.

What I liked: I really liked the little Christmas touches Evie James included throughout the story. From on-brand names like Noelle, Kol, and even Holly to Prancer and Dasher (the horses at the end of the book), this book felt as Christmasy as drinking a peppermint latte. I also liked that this wasn't your typical fluff romance book - there was some depth and background given that explained why the characters acted the way they did; I think this helped make the characters less 2-dimensional like other romance books often are. I also enjoyed the banter between the two characters - and the grumpy/sunshine stuck in a small town dynamic was entertaining.

What I didn't like: If this hadn't been an ARC copy, I doubt I would've made it past the first couple of pages. Noelle comes across as extremely annoying and spoiled during the first chapter, which made me dislike her from the get-go. I am glad I got past that chapter, as James does end up redeeming the character by revealing her backstory. My other complaint was that the entire love story takes place over the span of a couple of days; while I think James did well developing the plot, it felt a little too quick to be believable.

Overall, while not my personal cup of tea, if you're looking for a steamy Christmas romance book with some of your favorite tropes (snowed-in, frumpy sunshine, and small-town romance) then this story fits the bill.

This was a hard pass for me after the first chapter from the male point of view. Smut is not a topic I am a fan of. Wish that had been more clear and I never would have requested this book.

This book had its good parts and its weird parts...
4 stars i gave it but really it was a 3.5 and it was bc of the strange parts, the author kinda did Vol (Mr Captain_ a bit wrong is some of this book. I really liked him until they got to the weird spicy part in the book, things went strange and I was not a fan of it.
Noelle was a bit much also, she had so many good things going in her life and yet she kept only looking at the negative.
I did like most of this book and the characters were good for most of the book also. But there were just areas that I couldn't like or enjoy. It just didn't feel like part of the same book I guess.
I am glad to have gotten the opportunity to read this book.

This is a festive "It's a Wonderful Life" adjacent book that does pack a festive punch along with a sprinkle of road trip romance, close proximity, and irritants to lovers.

Unfortunately, the MMC doesn't seem to like women and has a bit of a "I like her because she's not like other girls" vibe. After the first on-page sex he has an orgasm and then doesn't reciprocate, which is a surefire way to ruin the vibe in a romance. He also initiates kink without informed consent or even a vague discussion with the FMC.
The heroine isn't particularly likeable, and the connection that the two main characters have seems tenuous at best.
I can see that there are others who really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't quite what I wanted out of book.

With main characters having names like Noelle and Kole, how could I not love this book!

Noelle is having a rough life, but one adventurous drive with a gorgeous stranger changes everything. The banter and the spice in this book were absolutely top tier!

Noelle’s life is in shambles after the passing of her late aunt, loss of her job, ex-boyfriend who is an epic jerk, and getting stranded on Christmas Eve Eve. Along comes a broodingly handsome pilot to fill a void that Noelle didn’t even know she was needing in all the right ways. This Christmas story was way more deep and meaningful than I could have ever imagined going into this ARC read, but I totally felt every emotion during my time reading. Grief is a beast to conquer, and everyone grieves in their own way at their own pace but some need that little encouragement to get them through their tough times. I adored Kol and Noelle’s story and journey to happiness, and the only downfall was that I wanted more. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, but overall it was a great holiday read that I would recommend to all my fellow romance loving fellow readers. #netgalley #arc #forcedproximity #smalltownlove

Super cute holiday read. Noelle is full of sass and Kol has a gruff edge. I love when a book can make me feel all the feels and this book delivered.

This review will contain spoilers.

I really like Kol as a character. He is someone I would want in my life. He was sweet and supportive and all the things.

I felt like the spice took over the plot for me in this book. 5 chapters in a row were individual spicy events. I don't mind spice, but I prefer the plot to take the front seat. This book was turning into smut. but some people are totally fine with that.

The biggest concern I had is something I hope will change with the release of the book. I had a hard time with the formatting. I tried changing settings multiple times but the type felt like it was a picture, gray on a darker background. I had to adjust my eyes constantly from the top of the page to the bottom of the page. Then, it was right handed aligned. and many paragraphs left one or two words on the top of the next page so I had to go back to read those 2 words and move on. I also stopped reading because of the formatting. I do hope this is just because it was an arc and will not have that in the release.

Every story has an audience and even if I may not have been the perfect person for it, it will be liked by others.

I had high hopes for this of a fun holiday read. The main character is really whiny and this just never grabbed my interest.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

This book was adorable and i really enjoyed the christmas feel it had to it. The relationship between our main characters definitely happened very quickly but i feel like the chemistry and connection between both of them makes up for that. Noelle has quite a bit of grief that she is slowly working through and i really liked that Kol helped her as much as he could with it. The banter between our main characters was top tier and i loved it so much. This was a cute spicy book and im excited to see what else this author writes.

This book is cute but Noelle needs therapy as soon as possible. I also struggled to understand the logistics of a flight being cancelled but still getting to the town before teatime!
Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

Noelle Nichols must make it back to her small hometown for the most important deadline of her life. She’s jobless, newly single, and desperate to claim her inheritance before Christmas Eve—or risk losing everything.

When a snowstorm throws Noelle’s plans into the kind of madness only New York winters and canceled flights can bring, she lets loose on the wrong man: Captain Kol Vinter, the tough, ex-military airline pilot who’s suddenly in her way—and, annoyingly, the only person who can help her get home.

Christmas, strangers, a snowstorm and a road trip across the country - this started off a charming, wholesome Christmas tale and halfway through did a full 180 into a sexy romance novel.

It was good, the setting was great, the characters even better and I loved the glimpses into their pasts. I thought it could have done with slightly less raunch, but I may have been so caught up in the idea of a sweet Christmas read that it took me by surprise. The raunchy parts were well written - there was just.... a lot of it.

I loved the small twist with the inheritance and the softening of both characters as they became more comfortable with each other and dropped their facades. Can't wait to read more by Evie James.

2.5⭐️ I was excited for my first holiday book of the year, but this was not for me. I felt no attachment to our main characters - truly did not care what happened to them. I think a big problem for me was being too close to the niche hobbies of the MC‘s. Grew up a horse girl, now fly planes, and a lapsed catholic. nickname was meh, forced proximity felt forced, and didn’t really feel the connection of the relationship.