"Christmas Spirits" by Isabelle Drake is a heartwarming holiday romance set in the quaint town of Hickory Hollow. The story follows Paisley Dunn, a baker who moves to her aunt's riverside mansion to start fresh. She soon discovers that the mansion is haunted by two mischievous ghosts, a pair of star-crossed lovers who are bound to the house until they help another couple fall in love. It brings home the now-famous Lucas Lee, one of LA's leading contractors; however, what Lucas Lee reconnects with instead of his heritage is the whole bizarre tradition around Hickory Holler, that being the Annual Santa Claus look-a-like competition. Sparks happen as Paisley and Lucas coincide; the ghost works its match magic.

Drake expertly created her characters and made them appealing to the audience. The determination that Paisley had to rebuild her life and the beauty of embracing the town's eccentricities created a heroic prototypical character. Rediscovering himself and switching from a city slicker into a small-town Santa Claus, Lucas became more complicated and deep as well. The ghosts were a very colorful and persistent addition that added charm to the story.

The writing style of Drake is engaging and evocative, capturing the festive spirit and the small-town charm perfectly. Her vivid descriptions and attention to detail bring the setting to life, making readers feel like they are part of the community. The narrative is well-paced, with a balance of humor, romance, and a touch of the supernatural.

This novel speaks of love, second chances, and the magic of the holiday season. It is important for community, family, and love to be strong enough to conquer any problem. The story also brings forth the idea that sometimes, the best gift one can have is a fresh start and the opportunity to find happiness in unexpected places.

Drake uses different literary techniques, including the ghosts, which become the catalyst for the plot; foreshadowing; and the dual narrative of past and present. Such techniques make the narration more vivid and interesting for readers.

Drake uses different literary techniques, including the ghosts, which become the catalyst for the plot; foreshadowing; and the dual narrative of past and present. Such techniques make the narration more vivid and interesting for readers.

"Christmas Spirits" is a lovely, heartwarming novel that very effectively captures the spirit of the holiday season. It is full of romance, humor, and a wee bit of the supernatural to bring magic to that memorable story, making it a joy to read.

I would highly recommend "Christmas Spirits" to anyone looking for a feel-good holiday romance with a unique twist. It is a perfect read for the festive season, offering entertainment and a warm, fuzzy feeling.

This charming and enchanting novel will captivate readers who delight in heartwarming, feel-good romances infused with a touch of magic. Its quirky small-town setting, brimming with festive cheer, provides the perfect backdrop for a story that delivers a delightful blend of love, laughter, and second chances. As the holiday season unfolds, readers will be swept away by a tale that celebrates the enduring power of love and the magic of new beginnings. With its endearing characters, heartwarming plot, and sprinkle of holiday magic, this book is an ideal choice for anyone who enjoys a heartwarming and uplifting read.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and I'm willingly leaving a review
It's based on the town's legend, holiday romance with friendly ghosts. I love legends! Sometimes, though, it's a bit confusing as it's one POV that reverts from first to third person. No problem when the narrator tells the ghosts' story. It was weird that Paisely/Paisley doesn't ask Lucas where the man is and Lucas forgets that the man in question gave him something for her. There is also no rhyme or reason for these 2 strangers (the woman, then the man); they bring nothing to the story. Toby was funny in his cockiness. All and all, it's a good story, fun and endearing, bringing much holiday spirits to your soul.

I've been sitting on this review for a while so I actually don't remember much about this book. Which the fact that its been 10 days since I've finished this and I don't remember ANYTHING is very telling. I did not like it while reading which I feel should be apparent since it took me like almost a full month to read an under 200 page book. It felt incredibly slow, I could not get into it and I just could not get into the writing or the story

Super cute holiday romance. Clean. If you love sweet Hallmark movies, you’ll love this cute and short read.

I got a little confused here and there because it’s dual POV and each section wasn’t labeled as to who was talking.

The Christmas festivities in a small town made this novella so adorable and cozy. Snuggle up with a cup of hot coco and enjoy.

Christmas Spirits by Isabelle Drake is a unique and wonderful Christmas Romance in which over a few days a young man and woman meet each other in a small town. It is a sweet story of boy meets girl with a ghost curse is bringing them together. I enjoyed reading the Christmas Story and acknowledge that it’s not exactly normal for people to fall in love so quickly and it can occur.

Interesting and surprising. A Christmas story with a bit of something more. I liked it. I didn't realize it was a novella. Could have been longer.

The constant jump in timelines and first person POV to 3rd person POV made this book very difficult to follow. The story was okay but those issues made reading the book pretty frustrating.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a good book!! This one had me hooked from page one! I could t put it down. I loved the writing style of this book. I lived the characters and they had great chemistry.

This story has A LOT of potential! But, for now, I'll have to rate it 3⭐️. My biggest issue with the story was how it switched back and forth between 1st person and 3rd person point of views (especially in
the middle of a chapter). When it first happened, it threw me way off. The last few chapters were my favorite.. With the plot twists and romance going around. Overall, it was a cute & quick read.

This was just the holiday break that I needed. The story was rather thin, which is to be expected from a short story. However, I was engaged from start to finish. Thank you.

Starts out strong then it kept jumping around a bit. Had to stop and start a couple of times before the story grabbed me. Might just be me. Would recommend.

Christmas Spirits is a very confusing tale that jumps between past and present, real and imaginary, and first to third person. The constant shifting causes for a confusing plot that seems to lead no where. The main character (first person) is giving up her bakery, but the reason why is very uncertain. She doesn’t lack money and relocates to seemingly nearby Hollow Harbor to cater. We get this ghost story mixed into the novel that doesn’t seem to really apply to the main plot and is rarely referenced. We never even learn why the ghosts are ghosts - how did they die and why is it important? The whole novel is a series of interesting ideas that are not thoroughly flushed out and just become confusing.

Paisley Dunn has a bakery shop closed in her hometown. She moves to her aunt's mansion in Kentucky; she doesn't know the history of the house. It seems there are a pair of ghosts that haunt the mansion.
Lucas Lee has returned home to Hickory Hollow to reconnect with his family. He was famous in LA as a contractor. His brother has signed him up for the Santa contest which leads to a fun time.
Paisley and Lucas meet and seem to keep running into each other. They learn to break the curse on the mansion a couple needs to fall in love in the mansion. So, they set out to fake a romance.
We also learn the story of the star-crossed lovers in the book.
I loved the story, but it seems the author did not tell the whole story of the past and present.

The story starts out with a bang but I found that the longer the story went on the more convoluted and confusing it became.

Unfortunately, I found this book to be very chaotic, flipping from 1st person to 3rd person POV and switching POVs mid-chapter with no labeling or other indication. There were numerous typos and distracting gaps in the story.

This one wasn't for me. The premise was promising, but the structure of the book was very distracting.

If you enjoy a good holiday romance movie, this book is for you! I really enjoyed the main story of Paisley restarting her business, but the giant old house she wants to host her business in is haunted. It was a fun twist on a traditional holiday story. I liked our main characters and was rooting for Paisley and Lucas the whole way through! I found the romance very believable, which is always a bonus.

I did find the historical backstory that is interspersed between chapters to be confusing. Except for our two main ghosts, Charlotte and Henry, it was difficult to keep the side characters from the past straight because they are mostly unnamed. I think there was too much to the mystery for this little novella. It could easily have been expanded to a nice 200+ page novel to help untangle all the webs of the story.

If you love a good mystery, this will add to the plot for you, but know that you need to pay a lot of attention to the flashbacks from the beginning to keep the characters of the mystery straight.

This was a beautifully done romance novel and enjoyed the Christmas element to this book. The concept was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed getting through this storyline, I thought the characters had a charm to them and worked with the story. Isabelle Drake has a great writing style and am excited for more from the author.

This book is chaos, all the characters, all the POV, all the timelines, all at once.
It makes almost no sense and even the writer seems to mix up what’s going on some times and got Liam and Lucas mixed up at 93%.
The whole book bounces from one unfinished thought to the next.