Queen B’s Decree: Under the Mistletoe is a short anthology containing five stories from Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, Alexandria Bellefleur, and Alexis Daria.
Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood: Cruel Winter With You had the trademarked Ali Hazelwood MMC, the one that is so in love with the FMC and it’s evident to literally everyone in the world but her. That is one of the many facets of my kryptonite. I loved that Marc was basically in love with Jamie from birth and that his feelings never wavered. I listened to this one as an audiobook as well, and I loved the cadence the narrator gave to the characters. I felt their emotions while listening.
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey: A giant farmer that can’t find jeans that fit was kind of a weird plot IMO, and his dirty talk felt slightly out of character. But hey, still had a fun time.
All by My Elf by Olivia Dade: This might have been my favorite of the novellas. I loved the shy, professor William who is obviously crushing on his coworker, Nina. Forced proximity works in this story to make the characters communicate and confess their respective crushes…while stuck in a van in full stop traffic.
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur: The most humorous of the novellas, Merriment and Mayhem was very low stakes. Who wouldn’t want a hot fireman to come save them from a disastrous cookie baking incident?
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria: This one had some focus on grief, as Evie is struggling with wanting to decorate her tree after her grandmother’s passing. Her upstairs neighbor Theo, is there to help mitigate the holiday sadness and support her. Another sweet story featuring mutual crushes, so sweet for the holidays.
Book: Under the Mistletoe Collection
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Plot Devices/Tropes: holiday