Author: Avery Conner
Genres: Dark Romance, Novella
Published: 16 December 2024
Pages: 80
Format read: Epub
Triggers: Murder, Death, Violence, Mentions of SA, please check your triggers
Quick Thoughts: I absolutely loved the idea behind the plot of this Novella and would love to see it made in a full length book!
This book was an ARC and given to me for free.
All reviews are entirely honest and my own opinion.
Rating:
Characters:
Plot:
Spice:
Mistletoe, murder, and an unforgettable Christmas Eve.
One night. One target. Two killers.
When Ethan and Harlee meet at a Christmas gala, sparks fly—until both realize they’ve got their eyes on the same target.
Driven by different motives, they enter a twisted competition where the lines between rivalry and desire blur as time runs out, both eager to finish what they started.
But only one can claim the ultimate prize…
Who will it be?
This was such a fun holiday read! It is relatively short, so it’s perfect as a bit of a palate cleaner. The story is very simple: We have an assassin and a killer, both doing their jobs for entirely different reasons. And gosh, do I love the reason that either of them have for doing their job!
Deadly Holiday Kiss could be called cute, in a way. Well, that might not be the correct word, but I can’t think of any good words to describe it. The book definitely isn’t cute, or wholesome, or adorable. But it definitely felt all three of those at moments. Even with all the killing going on in the background.
A thing I especially liked in this book was how we were following one single target. Normally you follow a bunch of targets, but this was not the case with this story. And I think that Deadly Holiday Kiss definitely profited from that. It is a short novella, only 80 pages long. There was not much room for character development and plot. So by keeping it simple, the book felt really balanced.
Avery Conner has a fast paced writing style, and we all know by now that I am a sucker for that. Some sex scenes felt like they came a little bit out of nowhere. I would have liked just a chapter more plot versus the spicy scenes. But that is just mostly a personal preference. Though I couldn’t help but feel like some of the scenes were a little disjointed due to the sudden happenings and the sudden switches. A little slower would have been nice. And let’s be honest, I don’t say that very quickly with my love for fast paced writing styles.
Personally I thing that this book would greatly benefit from being a full length book. The characters had enough depth and development to keep it interesting, and the plot had just enough detail to keep the book going without derailing the whole thing. Yet, with such interesting characters, like Harlee and Ethan, I would love a full length book.
Who knows, maybe in the future?
If so, then I definitely want to read it!
Good bits
Bad bits
- Nice balance character vs plot
- Fast paced writing style
- Quick read
- Loved the backstory of our Female Main Character
- Both MMC and FMM have a strong personality
- Focusses on one target, and the plot benefits from this
- A little disjointed at times
- Some sex scenes came out of nowhere
All with all, Deadly Holiday Kiss was a very fun read! The characters were interesting, and the plot was very well balanced. I wouldn’t mind seeing a full length book on these two. If you’re into darker romances and like your Main Characters deadly, then this might be the read for you!