[ARC Review] The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
In her first holiday novella, Chloe Liese gives us everything we could want in what is sure to become a holiday favorite: representation, spice, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn goodness. . . it's all done so well and I could have easily devoured another hundred pages of Gabriella and Jonathan's story.
Gabriella Di Natale co-manages Bailey's Bookshop and turns up the holiday cheer to 100 every year. Her co-manager, Jonathan Frost? Well, he brings the bah humbug. In a silent competition to be the better employee ever since Jonathan was first hired on a year ago, Gabby hates how her co-manager can have such a boorish personality while having such a nice body. Gabby's neurodivergent brain just can't read him. But the bookshop is in trouble and they will both have to put their differences and misunderstandings aside if Bailey's Bookshop is going to survive after the holiday season. As Jonathan and Gabby get closer and start seeing each other for who they truly are, holiday miracles will abound as opposites attract and love blooms in the magic of a bookstore.
I found so much to love about The Mistletoe Motive. First of all, if you've ever read a Chloe Liese book, you know how her fabulous writing just flows off the page; her signature writing makes its fabulous debut in the holiday romance genre, and this novella gave me plenty of feelings. The structure of the novella was also great; Liese includes a Christmas song at the beginning of each chapter to help set the mood of each chapter. I think the songs are all so very fitting, and would definitely recommend listening to Liese's playlist while reading to give the novella that extra special touch.
These characters are everything. Gabby has autism, and Liese brilliantly crafted Gabby to represent who a person with autism is while balancing the strengths and the lows of living (and thriving) with a neurodivergent brain. Never once did I feel sorry for Gabby, despite the many challenges she faced. She is definitely a character who shows how beautifully creative a neurodivergent person can be, and I love such positive representation in these pages. I felt this novella speaking to me as it was revealed that Jonathan has T1 diabetes. As someone who has been T1 since I was five, I felt every bit of grumpiness and every moment Jonathan came across as rough or rude. It's often hard to put into words how having high or low blood sugar can make you feel, but Liese did a wonderful job painting those emotions and explaining it to a non-diabetic (both to Gabby and the reader). I don't often run across romances where the main character has diabetes, and that representation was so powerful. Liese definitely thought everything through, from keeping candy stashes everywhere for emergencies to what to do with the pump tubing during spicy times. Both Gabby and Jonathan represented their challenges so well, and I loved how their autism and diabetes were portrayed as both challenges and strengths in their growing relationship.
The Mistletoe Motive is a slow-burn romance, but once we get there? Whew. Liese turns up the fire between Gabby and Jonathan, and the tension and desire was palpable. But as much as I loved the spicy scenes, I loved that Liese didn't conveniently forget the challenges both Gabby and Jonathan faced during these scenes. Autism and diabetes don't just magically go away in the bedroom, but all too often I feel like authors forget about invisible illnesses once the lights are off. But not this author, and not these two main characters. I absolutely loved how much attention Jonathan paid to Gabby's touch and smell sensitivities. And likewise, I loved the care that Gabby took around Jonathan's pump and tubing. It was just all so very well done and thoughtful.
I loved Gabby and Jonathan as characters, who they were and what made them who they are today. I loved how well the grumpy/sunshine and enemies-to-lovers tropes played together in this holiday novella. The slow burn was so good, and the spice was above and beyond what I was expecting.
I couldn't put The Mistletoe Motive down, and I highly recommend this Kobo Original holiday novella for both fans of Chloe Liese as well as those new to her writing.
A huge thank you to the author, Kobo Books, and Valentine PR for providing an advanced copy of The Mistletoe Motive.
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Release date: 12/1/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: Valentine PR
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