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awhetstine's review
5.0
I love Melanie's characters. There's no way not to connect to them with how well she describes them.
This story was very much like a hallmark movie which is probably a big reason I enjoyed it so much.
Grumpy "ath-hole" Dylan meets single, overworked mom Alex when he goes to purchase the Inn where she lives and works.
Sparks fly, changes happen, and along the way I think I fell in love with her daughter and surrogate son.
This one tugged at my heart a few times and even though it was easy to see how it would end I still enjoyed how it all unfolded.
This story was very much like a hallmark movie which is probably a big reason I enjoyed it so much.
Grumpy "ath-hole" Dylan meets single, overworked mom Alex when he goes to purchase the Inn where she lives and works.
Sparks fly, changes happen, and along the way I think I fell in love with her daughter and surrogate son.
This one tugged at my heart a few times and even though it was easy to see how it would end I still enjoyed how it all unfolded.
thesassybookworm's review
3.0
This one was sweet. A little longwinded as it started to drag towards the end, and it annoyed me that the hero kept calling the heroine "darling girl." It made him sound like a 60-year-old man, but overall it was a pleasant read.
lenoreo's review
3.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2018/12/28/christmas-sugar-by-melanie-moreland/
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.
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.
archeve's review
4.0
I usually dislike insta-love so I was really surprised that I didn’t have a problem with the insta-love aspect in this one? This book was super sweet and adorable that I giggled and “aww”ed multiple times when I read it. I liked the main characters as well as Dylan’s interaction with Noelle and Seth. The last chapter was also really lovely. However, the “life lessons” about love were kinda forced and slightly too cheesy for me. But then again, many Christmas themed romance novels and movies are cheesy, so I can’t complain much about that.
leticia_jersey_girl's review
5.0
"There are many ways to be rich in this world. Not all of them involve money. Remember that."
If anyone asked me to describe this book, the first thing I can say is that I was crying my eyes out halfway through it. Then I'd say it's sort of A Christmas Carol (my favorite Christmas story). Only you get a grumpy wealthy businessman as Scrooge, and two very loving older people playing ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. And maybe fairy godmothers, in a way.
"No one had ever smiled at me like that. Ever. It was as if she was smiling for me. Just for me."
Alex hasn't had an easy life. She has two kids and an inn she needs to care for. She values and treasures the small things in life, she knows how hard it is to go it alone, and has never allowed herself to just be herself. Hence, she's guarded, and she's so relatable it just did things to me.
"I touched my lips, wishing they didn’t still feel his touch. I ignored the voice that whispered they wanted to feel it many times over."
Dylan is an asshole, there's no way around it. He treats everybody badly, he yells at people, he's all about work and money. He doesn't care about Christmas, or family, or love. For God's sake, he doesn't even want sugar in his coffee and gets mad about it. Sounds familiar? Yes, I know. But turns out he has his own skeletons in the closet, and maybe he's not what he seems to be.
"Time—the world—ceased to exist. All that was real, all that mattered, was how she felt, how she tasted. All that mattered was that moment."
From the moment they see each other at the inn, something changes. He's there to close a business deal that may leave her out of a job and a home, and she should hate him for it. But she can't, and it all becomes more to him than just a deal at the same time. It's like it's meant to happen, and your heart just blooms as they get closer and tear each other's walls down.
Her little daughter Noelle is the sweetest thing, and her kid Seth is adorable as well - even if he does sleep a lot!
"No, Dylan," she said and sobbed into the seemingly empty room. "We didn’t want your gifts, we wanted you."
This quote marks the spot when I started ugly crying.
Once it happens between them, it's right. They can be themselves around each other, and both of them haven't been that in a while. You see the change in Dylan, you see how he starts to care (or maybe he has all along?), and you can see that Alex is giving in. However, their little bubble at the inn has an expiration date, and he has to leave to go back to his job, while she wants to stay behind. It can never work. Or can it?
The ghosts of Christmas are there to work their magic again.
"I captured her mouth with mine, kissing her deeply. I could taste her sweetness. Feel her love. She was the very best kind of sugar."
I'm all about the way a book makes you feel, and this one crushed me, in a good way. It reminded me of how good Christmas stories felt as a kid, and even with all the twists and turns of life, everything would always turn out alright in the end. Because good things happen to good people, love changes everything, and Christmas has a magic of its own.
And a sprinkle of some Christmas sugar is sometimes all you need to change your life.
I truly loved this.
If anyone asked me to describe this book, the first thing I can say is that I was crying my eyes out halfway through it. Then I'd say it's sort of A Christmas Carol (my favorite Christmas story). Only you get a grumpy wealthy businessman as Scrooge, and two very loving older people playing ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. And maybe fairy godmothers, in a way.
"No one had ever smiled at me like that. Ever. It was as if she was smiling for me. Just for me."
Alex hasn't had an easy life. She has two kids and an inn she needs to care for. She values and treasures the small things in life, she knows how hard it is to go it alone, and has never allowed herself to just be herself. Hence, she's guarded, and she's so relatable it just did things to me.
"I touched my lips, wishing they didn’t still feel his touch. I ignored the voice that whispered they wanted to feel it many times over."
Dylan is an asshole, there's no way around it. He treats everybody badly, he yells at people, he's all about work and money. He doesn't care about Christmas, or family, or love. For God's sake, he doesn't even want sugar in his coffee and gets mad about it. Sounds familiar? Yes, I know. But turns out he has his own skeletons in the closet, and maybe he's not what he seems to be.
"Time—the world—ceased to exist. All that was real, all that mattered, was how she felt, how she tasted. All that mattered was that moment."
From the moment they see each other at the inn, something changes. He's there to close a business deal that may leave her out of a job and a home, and she should hate him for it. But she can't, and it all becomes more to him than just a deal at the same time. It's like it's meant to happen, and your heart just blooms as they get closer and tear each other's walls down.
Her little daughter Noelle is the sweetest thing, and her kid Seth is adorable as well - even if he does sleep a lot!
"No, Dylan," she said and sobbed into the seemingly empty room. "We didn’t want your gifts, we wanted you."
This quote marks the spot when I started ugly crying.
Once it happens between them, it's right. They can be themselves around each other, and both of them haven't been that in a while. You see the change in Dylan, you see how he starts to care (or maybe he has all along?), and you can see that Alex is giving in. However, their little bubble at the inn has an expiration date, and he has to leave to go back to his job, while she wants to stay behind. It can never work. Or can it?
The ghosts of Christmas are there to work their magic again.
"I captured her mouth with mine, kissing her deeply. I could taste her sweetness. Feel her love. She was the very best kind of sugar."
I'm all about the way a book makes you feel, and this one crushed me, in a good way. It reminded me of how good Christmas stories felt as a kid, and even with all the twists and turns of life, everything would always turn out alright in the end. Because good things happen to good people, love changes everything, and Christmas has a magic of its own.
And a sprinkle of some Christmas sugar is sometimes all you need to change your life.
I truly loved this.
prags's review
4.0
For full review - Christmas Sugar on The Inked In Book Blog
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
Christmas Sugar is the story of Dylan Maxwell and how he falls in love with the woman who’s father – in – law’s bed & breakfast he’s buying. It is the sort of story that gives you the warm fuzzies when you read it. So very wholesome and heartwarming.
What I love most about this story has to be Noelle. She is such an adorable little girl who steals your heart from the moment she enters the story. She’s such a sweetheart and the bond she instantly forms with Dylan is all heart. She immediately makes a place for herself in Dylan’s heart and we see a lot of those two together, which makes me really happy. Her lisp, her non stop chatter, her cute antics – all make you fall for her and do so quickly. I really adored her.
Then, there’s Alex. She is such a strong character, I absolutely admired her. She was once a girl with so many dreams, but she had to give it all up to look after her injured father in law and his inn when her husband died in an accident that left her FIL in a wheelchair. She works round the clock to provide for her little family. I admire her so much for doing what she does. She could have easily turned away from it all, but she didn’t. Makes me look up to her. But, beneath all this, she yearns for love, for companionship. And when she gets it in Dylan, well, it makes her so very happy and I absolutely love that.
And, of course, we have Dylan. Dylan, who cares for exactly 2 people in his life, who doesn’t believe in relationships, whose only goal in life is to become richer than he already is. But, all that changes when he meets Alex and her family. He goes from an arrogant ass to a caring and understanding man, who just wants the best for his family. It was such a delight to see him like that. The change him as he realized he liked these people, when he realized how much he loved them. What makes him even better is that he wasn’t portrayed like a perfect man. He made so many mistakes and there were so many times when he said things because he was angry and then came to regret them. It made him more humane. I loved that.
All in all, Christmas Sugar was a short and sweet story that is kinda perfect to kickstart the holiday season!
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
Christmas Sugar is the story of Dylan Maxwell and how he falls in love with the woman who’s father – in – law’s bed & breakfast he’s buying. It is the sort of story that gives you the warm fuzzies when you read it. So very wholesome and heartwarming.
What I love most about this story has to be Noelle. She is such an adorable little girl who steals your heart from the moment she enters the story. She’s such a sweetheart and the bond she instantly forms with Dylan is all heart. She immediately makes a place for herself in Dylan’s heart and we see a lot of those two together, which makes me really happy. Her lisp, her non stop chatter, her cute antics – all make you fall for her and do so quickly. I really adored her.
Then, there’s Alex. She is such a strong character, I absolutely admired her. She was once a girl with so many dreams, but she had to give it all up to look after her injured father in law and his inn when her husband died in an accident that left her FIL in a wheelchair. She works round the clock to provide for her little family. I admire her so much for doing what she does. She could have easily turned away from it all, but she didn’t. Makes me look up to her. But, beneath all this, she yearns for love, for companionship. And when she gets it in Dylan, well, it makes her so very happy and I absolutely love that.
And, of course, we have Dylan. Dylan, who cares for exactly 2 people in his life, who doesn’t believe in relationships, whose only goal in life is to become richer than he already is. But, all that changes when he meets Alex and her family. He goes from an arrogant ass to a caring and understanding man, who just wants the best for his family. It was such a delight to see him like that. The change him as he realized he liked these people, when he realized how much he loved them. What makes him even better is that he wasn’t portrayed like a perfect man. He made so many mistakes and there were so many times when he said things because he was angry and then came to regret them. It made him more humane. I loved that.
All in all, Christmas Sugar was a short and sweet story that is kinda perfect to kickstart the holiday season!
talknerdybookblog's review
4.0
No strong representations of diverse characters or minority identities.
Overall: 4/5 stars
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing each other away
• Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine
Possible Triggers:
• Heroine's husband died in an accident, her best friend died from an illness and she was mugged in Toronto, in the past
Ending:HEA
Overall: 4/5 stars
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing each other away
• Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine
Possible Triggers:
• Heroine's husband died in an accident, her best friend died from an illness and she was mugged in Toronto, in the past
Ending: