Author: Tara Sivec

Item: The Stocking Was Hung
Rating: 3
Author: Jen

BOOK REVIEW: The Stocking Was Hung (The Holidays #1) by Tara Sivec

December 13, 2022 / Jen / 4 Comments

The Stocking Was Hung (The Holidays #1)
by Tara Sivec
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
What happens when your life goes to crap the week of Christmas? You invite a hot Marine you met in an airport bar to come home with you for the holidays, to distract your crazy family from the truth.

With a handsy aunt, a meddling mother, and a father concerned for the wellbeing of his daughter's eggnog, there's no chance Sam and Noel will have time to fall in love...or will they?

The Stocking Was Hung is the first of three books about The Holiday family. It's a full-length Christmas novel that will make you laugh, make you HOT, and maybe even make you say, "Awwwww" a few times.

Review:

I had so much fun reading Christmas Cliche, so I had to try another book by Tara Sivec. The Stocking Was Hung was over the top, laugh out loud hilarious. While I adored the main characters, Sam and Noel, the rest of the characters didn’t mesh so well with me. So I won’t be continuing on with this series, but I’ll still be picking up another book by Tara Sivec down the road.

I’m happy for the first time in a long time, and something about that scares the shit out of me. How could a guy I just met make me feel this way?

When Noel’s boyfriend proposed to her, she bolted. Afraid to tell her parents she “failed” at something else, she ended up bringing another guy home for the holidays. Noel and Sam met at the airport and there was definitely an instant attraction. When she suggested for him to pretend to be her ex, and to come home with her for the holidays, I was addicted. The chemistry between them was smile inducing and I was so giddy that Sam went along with Noel’s crazy plans.

He smile, her laugh, her smell, her skin…I need her. Just her. I realize how crazy that sounds when we haven’t even known each other for twenty-four hours, but I don’t give a fuck. This woman has turned me inside out in less than a day and I just. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck.

Noel was so down to earth and easy to connect with. And Sam was the sweetest guy ever. And while he agreed to pretend to be Noel’s ex, the man was not altruistic lol. He definitely had an end game of hooking up with Nicole. Their moments together had me glued to the pages and the chemistry between them was scorching hot! But the more time they spent around each other, they both started to see that there was so much more than just a physical attraction between them. I loved watching how kind Sam was to Noel, he defended and helped her. And Noel gave Sam the possibility of a true family, something he never had.

“Mom, do you have pot hanging from the ceiling?” Noel asks.
“You know your father needs it for his arthritis,” her mother sighs. “Pot—mistletoe, potato—potahto. It’s green and it’s festive, and you have to kiss under it.”

My hiccup with this story was Noel’s family. Her mom would say things so seriously it horrified me. Telling her daughter that her father doesn’t believe in oral before breakfast, that’s a little tmi for even me lol. And her dad’s analogy with milk and his daughter was just a little too awkward. So when you throw in her Aunt Bobbie’s comments, drinking and drug use, plus groping Sam…I’m sad to say I struggled. Her family was way too much for me.

I want to tell him to never leave. I want to tell him this stupid charade stopped being a charade the moment he kissed me under the pot mistletoe. I want to ask him if he’ll be my boyfriend for real and not for a fake show for my family.

But here’s the thing, Tara Sivec writes characters that are so vividly real and the story flows so seamlessly that it’s all so easy to devour. And again we got an over the top story with an adorable romance, crazy side characters and a happy ending that made me smile. It pains me that I struggled with her family, especially since I adored the main characters so much. I’m hoping the next book I pick up by her will be a much better fit.

BOOK REVIEW: Christmas Cliche by Tara Sivec

January 8, 2021 / Jen / 6 Comments

BOOK REVIEW: Christmas Cliche by Tara Sivec Christmas Cliche by Tara Sivec
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

‘Twas the week before Christmas
and all through L.A.,
Allie Parker’s famous twin sisters
were driving her cray.
She fled to the mountains
with a hostage in tow,
hoping to sleep through the holidays,
which were a sh*t-show.
A crash in a blizzard,
and a hot mountain man,
definitely wasn’t part
of her evacuation plan.
Santas, and stockings,
and creepy nutcrackers too,
everywhere she looks,
it’s a crazy Christmas zoo.
But there are hugs, and smiles,
and a beautiful view,
kisses and laughter,
and no time to be blue.
Maybe this family,
with their hot mountain man,
will make this a Christmas
Allie can actually stand.

Review:

Christmas Cliche was laugh out loud hilarious and filled with all the cliches. Celebrities, snow storms, sexy mountain men, best friends and tons of Christmasy vibes filled the pages. So if you’re looking for a Christmas story that is lots of fun, with romance in the pages, then take a look at adding this one to your tbr.

I just wanted to get away from the chaos and not think about Christmas. Was that too much to ask?

The prologue jumped 17 years into the past, when Allie’s life was simpler, and she still loved Christmas. But in present day LA, there was nothing heartwarming or loving about the holidays. Her twin sisters had a reality TV show. Christmas Eve was to be filled with an over the top celebrity party and lavish items. It felt like they were living the life of the Kardashian’s, but even crazier. And Allie was in charge of it all. Dealing with her superficial sisters and their constant schedule and needs, seemed overwhelming. So when the straw finally broke the camel’s back, Allie bolted with her best friend in tow to West Virginia. To where she used to spend the holidays with family, when she was younger.

**“This isn’t Christmas magic. It’s just insane. I’m insane. I’m seriously thinking about never, ever going back to California after only being here for four days.”
I laugh, and it comes out a little high-pitch and hysterical.**

I adored Allie, she was kind and down to earth. But everyone seemed to have a preconceived notion of who she was. Even the man who ended up rescuing her. Jason was the sexiest mountain man and Allie and Jason’s meet cute was one of the funnier ones I’ve read. It was so smile inducing and unique lol! And I loved Jason too. He was helpful, loving, sweet and oh so thoughtful. The two of them together were perfect. It didn’t matter that she was only supposed to stay at his parents bed and breakfast until her cousin came back home, after the holidays. It felt like they were meant to be together forever. So there was definitely an insta-attraction mixed with insta-love. And let it be known that I don’t like insta-love, but in this cliche filled story I enjoyed it so much.

“You were adorable half-dressed for a blizzard, and when you had to borrow one of my sister’s ugly Christmas sweaters,” he tells me honestly. “But you’re goddamn stunning when you’re relaxed and laughing, and I think being here in my family’s Christmas wonderland has something to do with it.”

The side characters rounded out this story so well. I loved Jason’s sister and mom, who had more game then him ha. His relationship with the both of them warmed my heart. And I loved how they played such a big part of story. But the one who continually stole the spotlight was Allie’s best friend, Millie. She was a celebrity who was over the top ridiculous and such a good friend to Allie. I’m pretty sure I said OMFG out loud a hundred times because of Millie. She shocked me! Her observations, random comments and questions killed me! Sometimes she was too much, but it was impossible not to love her. Especially as we saw her learn about life as the story progressed, heaven help her lol.

“That was so cliché.”
**“This whole thing is cliché,” Millie complains, leaning over on the couch to whisper to us. “Can we just get to the part where you guys profess your undying love for each other?”**

Christmas Cliche was an over the top story filled with humor, friendship and love, cliches and all. Even the titles of the chapters were hilarious. It almost felt like a crazy, outrageous Hallmark movie, that was definitely not PG lol. So I was surprised that the sexy moments weren’t descriptive. But I enjoy books with our without them, I just wasn’t the hugest fan of the location when it did happen….you’ll see what I mean lol. But all in all I enjoyed this book so much! Plus that ending was perfect! I’ll definitely be checking out Tara Sivec’s other books!