I really didn’t want to leave a bad review because I’m pretty sure if this was a movie it would be one I quite enjoyed. However, it wasn’t and that meant descriptions that sounded like a Hallmark Christmas movie but were annoying and lots of things that made little sense.

Maybe it was the mood I was in but I kept writing snarky comments on the kindle every few sentences and that means I was really annoyed since I don’t ever comment or underline anything because I just want to keep reading.

There wasn’t enough build up of the world and at the same time it was too much so it needed or more depth or none at all, the midterm doesn’t work very well.

Also, we keep being told the main character is very good and always gets to know all the people including the staff at the palace but we never see that at all and when they help her in the end it doesn’t make sense. We have heard their names before once, when we were told how international they were and how Holly enjoyed talking to them about politics in the kitchen after hours.

One more thing, what kind of religion was theirs. Because if we go by place it would be Catholic (but Catholics don’t have carol services and don’t celebrate Christmas before the 25th as it would still be Advent). It’s just confusing for no reason.

I could go on and on but I think this is enough. I wasn’t expecting this to be May favourite book of the year but this was a complete disappointment.

I just went ahead and made some of my kindle comments available. If someone was wondering what they were...

Phoebe and Matteo are a mix of sweet, salty and sexy. Ms. Wilson has a talent for exposing the best of a character at the worst of times and still allowing readers to fall in love with them. The Italian Billionaire's New Year Bride is a modern nod to the legend of fairy tale angst with a bouquet of heart and a bundle of fantasy. Cheers to new beginnings and happy endings.

***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***

Juliette Connolly has just been dumped, replaced with a younger model, and now she also has to work for Christmas. But at least she's not alone in her "misery", she has her cameraman with her...And it turns out, the house they're filming in is his.


I had high hopes for this one after the first chapter. Then it looked like this story changed authors, and my hopes crumbled into dust. The narration was rather puerile, and the story uninspiring.

The romance didn't work for me. The hero and heroine looked more like friends than lovers, and the romance was a real stretch. The protagonists also didn't appear to have much depth or layers; they were just bland. And the delivery of the deeper story underneath the premise, the story of acceptance and forgiveness, was rather heavy-handed with the added slightly paranormal angle not helping things.

One Kiss in Tokyo... - Scarlet Wilson 3.5 stars

I wanted to read One Kiss in Tokyo because of the location. This is my first Harlequin Medical Romance, and I have mixed feelings about the line. The details when Avery and Katsuko's co-worker fell ill were interesting (probably because I had just read an article about the condition), but some of the other patient / treatment episodes weren't as engaging. The jaunts around Tokyo kept me entertained, but the sudden reconciliation with Katsuko's grandmother was unconvincing.

Holly’s parents were now both dead and the hospital bills had taken all the money Holly had. This was the last Christmas in the house Holly had spent most of her life in. After this holiday season Holly would have to put the house on the market to sell she just couldn’t afford it even though she didn’t want to sell the house. Alfred was the crowned prince of Coronia and was very ill and Felix was looking for his heir as Felix was a distant relative and next in line if he couldn’t find Alfred’s daughter. Felix would do his duty if he had to but his life and work was in NYC. It turns out Holly is that lost heir. Holly agreed to go to Cornia with Felix if her identity wasn’t revealed as she didn’t feel she could lead a country especially one she had never heard of. She didn’t want any pressure on her she was stressed enough. As her whole world had changed and she had just learned she had been adopted at twenty five years old and neither adopted parent to talk to

This was an excellent Cinderella type of story and I really enjoyed it. You knew what was basically going to happen but loved the procession to the HEA for Holly. I loved how the people stood by Holly and all was explained and how the story ended. I also loved how Hollt interacted with the people of her new country especially the common man. I loved the plot, the characters, and the ins and outs of this story. I highly recommend.