Gabby, a manager of a cosy independent bookstore named Bailey’s Bookshop, is on the autism spectrum, loves spreading holiday cheer, and recommending holiday romance novels. Gabby’s nemesis is her co-manager Jonathan, who gives off major Scrooge vibes and is always looking for ways to make cost-cutting and modern changes to Bailey’s. With a new franchised bookstore in town and Bailey’s sales at an all-time low, the owners are looking at closing or downsizing in the new year…so Gabby proposes a competition with Jonathan whereby whoever sells the most books before Christmas wins and the loser resigns. But, as Gabby and Jonathan work together to save the bookshop, Jonathan’s chilly exterior starts to melt and Gabby develops a strong sexual attraction towards Jonathan, which she finds shocking as she is demisexual. To add to the confusion, Gabby’s anonymous online friend, whom Gabby chats with daily and has romantic inclinations towards, agrees to meet in person after the holidays.
The Mistletoe Motive is an enemies to lovers/grumpy with sunshine new adult holiday romance novella that includes open door intimacy and an own voices story. The Mistletoe Motive definitely reminded me a lot of Liese’s popular Bergman Brothers series (which is one of my favourite new adult romance series), so if you liked The Bergman Brothers or other holiday romances like Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey, Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert, and Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, then I highly recommend that you add The Mistletoe Motive to your TBR list! The Mistletoe Motive deals with themes such as change versus tradition, appearance versus reality, communication or lack there of, love and heartbreak, fate versus freewill, strengths and weaknesses, fear of failure, and working-class struggles, plus it also refreshingly features an inter-abled relationship and demisexual representation. I think that the moral of this story is that you shouldn’t let negative first impressions permanently colour your judgements of a person.
The Mistletoe Motive is a short (just under 200 pages) and sweet romance filled read with holiday antics that you could probably read in only a couple of sittings. In addition to being drawn to the bookish cover art, I loved how the main characters were bookworms and that most of the plot was set in a bookstore as well as when Gabby explained that books helped her to make sense of the world and better relate to people. My favourite part of The Mistletoe Motive was the reference to beloved Disney bibliophile Belle (from Beauty and the Beast): “carrying Gabby toward the newest feature of the store: a sturdy wooden ladder that glides across the built-in bookshelves. It fulfilled Gabriella’s fantasy of recreating Belle’s moment in Beauty and the Beast”.
The playlist included in the book, whereby a song is listed before each chapter, was very fun and it added an extra “Christmas-y” element to the story. Furthermore, each song captured the vibe of the accompanying chapter and sometimes the song made an appearance in its accompanying chapter. Lastly, I really appreciated the epilogue included at the end of the novella which takes place post Gabby’s happily ever after.
On the con side, the story was almost too short. In my opinion, there was too much competition and bickering between Gabby and Jonathan at the beginning of the novella and there wasn’t nearly as many spicy scenes as I was expecting given the amount of spice in Liese’s Bergman Brothers novels. Lastly, I thought that the identity of Gabby’s anonymous online friend was obvious, so I was very frustrated that it took Gabby so long to figure it out.
Overall, I thought that this was a short, fun, and festive holiday read that I would definitely recommend to fellow romance lovers.
The Mistletoe Motive is a Kobo Original, which means that you need to download the free Kobo app before you can purchase and read this book.
Will you be picking up The Mistletoe Motive? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the author of THE BERGMAN BROTHERS series comes a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers holiday romance, perfect for fans of THE HATING GAME and YOU’VE GOT MAIL.
He loathes the holidays. She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.
With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime’s worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby’s deceptive ex won’t quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she’s called her cold-hearted enemy?
Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.
