Christmas Sugar by Melanie Moreland

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Title: Christmas Sugar
Author: Melanie Moreland
Series: Insta-Spark #2
Published by: Indie
Release Date: December 3, 2018
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 162
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Holiday
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2018 #LetsReadIndie Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 New Release Challenge, Lenoreo's COYER Winter 2018
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Dylan Maxwell is a busy man. His no-nonsense approach to life and business keeps him balanced—and alone. His life is bland—devoid of any kind of sweetness or light.

An unexpected business trip close to Christmas, however, brings three people into his life he never expected.

An oversharing teenager.

A lisping little angel.

A sexy, unassuming woman unlike any he has ever met. Her bossy attitude challenges him, while her green eyes melt the frost around his heart.

They draw out something in him that he has never experienced. 

Feelings. 

Are they the Christmas miracles he needs—or will he walk away from the sweetest gift he has ever been offered?

Love.

Book 2 in the Insta-Spark Series - Complete standalone reads with one thing in common - lots of sweetness and a guaranteed HEA. Instant attraction, little angst - love and happiness abounds in this series.

My Review:

3.5 stars — OK, this is going to sound really weird, but I had a strong sense of deja vu reading this book…like I could have sworn I’ve read it before.  But since it just released, I honestly don’t get it.  I wondered if perhaps it was previously included in an anthology and that’s why, but I can’t find any reference.  So either I’m crazy or…well, crazy?

This one had a lot of great things going for it, and a few things that will inevitably convince me to round down.  The story is told almost exclusively from Dylan’s POV, and I must say that I was not enchanted with the man we meet at the beginning.  He was a dick.  The problem is that we’re really not given any explanation for his attitude until way later in the story!  And I needed it earlier in order to understand him and connect with him.  As the story plays out, I do NOT understand why he reacts differently to Alex, Noelle and Seth, and it feels like a really quick turnaround.  Especially because he’s SUPER snobby and mean at other moments.  I needed more depth there, and I needed it earlier.  I don’t even remember when we finally learn about his youth, and the part Arlene plays, but it was too late by that point.

Now, saying all that, if I can ignore the cold, mean Dylan, then I LOVED the adorable, clueless, just wants love Dylan that we meet in Nova Scotia.  I loved the way he connected with Alex and her family and really wanted to belong with them.  There were so many sweet moments between him and Noelle especially that made him endearing.  So it’s kind of a case of if I can pretend the other stuff doesn’t exist, then I’m okay!

Alex was a pretty likable heroine as well.  She was strong, independent, hard-working, and caring even despite Dylan’s ath-hole tendencies.  I still don’t quite understand her mood swings, that kind of felt like a lampshade was hung on it…  And because we only briefly get in her head, I don’t feel quite as connected to her.

Their chemistry was pretty solid, even as it was quick.  I didn’t always understand it initially, but again, if I just accepted it then I enjoyed myself more.

I will admit that the plot dragged out way longer at the end than I was expecting.  It was like we got the climax I was expecting at like 70%, but then the book just kept going.  That always throws me off, but at the same time it was fun to see what basically added up to an extended epilogue, finding out what happened after the HEA.  So I kind of liked it in the end.

Noelle was super sweet, even if I do normally hate spelled out speech impediments.  Hers didn’t bother me quite as much as normal, b/c I didn’t feel like it was done for a cutesy effect, but because of her missing front teeth.  Seth was a refreshingly realistic teen, complete with mood swings.  And even in spite of that, I liked him.

So all in all it was a sweet read, I just wish we’d gotten Dylan’s background a bit earlier (and a bit more), so I wouldn’t have maintained my reservations about him.  But I’m an overthinker, so it’s not likely to bother others as it did me.