 Author: Liz Johnson Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance Pages: 256 Release Date: September 3, 2024 Publisher: Revell Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn's kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return. The inn is busy with holiday guests--including Aretha Franklin Sloan's perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha's antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney's help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is definitely not the right woman for Daniel--and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match. Cuddle up for some warm holiday cheer as New York Times bestselling author Liz Johnson explores the unforeseen consequences of meddling with mistletoe when love is on the line.
 Reviewer: Marie Edwards Johnson returns her readers to the Red Door Inn from the Prince Edward Island Dreams series. Some characters from those books do appear in this book. For that reason, I encourage readers to read the series prior to this book, as this will no doubt have spoilers. I have the books on my TBR list. I loved the opening line—“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I think most people can relate to that. As a result of trying to raise tuition to go to culinary school, Whitney is selling her baked goods at a farmer’s market. When her oven stops working, she goes to the only place she knows, The Red Door Inn, to use the oven. She ends up bartering for it, agreeing to take care of Marie and Seth’s kids and fix breakfast. Her finances also become a bartering point for Aretha, who enlists her help with matchmaking. Daniel is in town to help Aretha and the sale of her antique store that Ruby wants to acquire. Given the similarities she thinks she sees, Aretha assumes Ruby and Daniel are perfect. Yet, there is an instant attraction between Daniel and Whitney. Despite Aretha’s influence, and Whitney’s attempts, Daniel isn’t interested in Ruby. She reminds him of his ex-fiancée. It also doesn’t hurt the Daniel/Whitney relationship when Julia Mae, Marie’s daughter, connects with Daniel and helps him relax during his stay. He often sees how Whitney is with the little girl and has his own dreams. One thing he is trying to help Whitney figure out—her dream. Filled with holiday goodness, sweetness, and cooking; this return to PEI is a delightful read. It embodies the holiday spirit and sparks joy. A cozy by the fireplace read. All one needs is a cup of hot chocolate and a fuzzy blanket. I deeply enjoyed this endearing read, though it had a slightly open end. The oven story seemed like it was taken from a personal experience. About 5-7 Thanksgivings ago, my gas oven started having issues. It resulted in longer than normal cooking times, and having to re-start the oven in the middle of cooking. Thankfully, as I rent and have on-site maintenance, it was fixed immediately. I’m wondering if the author plans to return to this book, or the series again. Which I wouldn’t mind. Though I’m hoping to read the series before then. The Christian tones were light and hardly noticeable. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion. Reviewer: Raechel Helwig I am a fan of Liz Johnson's stories, and was looking forward to diving into this Christmas book - and it was just as delightful and cheerful as the cover and title suggest! Whitney and Daniel were such opposites of character but each so uniquely themselves which I loved - and I loved how they balanced each other out without any sort of friction that often comes with the "opposites attract" trope. I also really appreciated that Whitney acknowledged that she didn't really have a dream - and that was okay, and yet she was also encouraged to be herself and find what gives her passion. I also appreciated the faith message - it is always encouraging when a story comes back around to the Lord and how He works in the characters' lives. All in all, a cheery holiday read! This book was provided courtesy of Revell through Interviews and Reviews. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts expressed were entirely my own.  Reviewer: Juanita Varela What a cute read! I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting! It’s the perfect book to read for the holidays. It transported me to December where mistletoes, Christmas trees, and delicious pies await. Liz Johnson knows exactly how to enrapt the reader and never let go. Even after I swiped the last page of this book, I was so disappointed because I didn’t want Daniel and Whitney’s story to end. Daniel is a man who cannot pick up on what people are feeling, and it makes him vulnerable. I love when the main male characters are vulnerable and act like real men. These days the men portrayed in fictional books are perfect and without problems, while the female characters are your practical damsels-in-distress. But Daniel is not like those men. He has problems in his life, and it makes him feel relatable. While Daniel has problems, he is still a swoon worthy character. The side characters added to the story, making it even more enjoyable. There were appearances of previous characters from Liz Johnson’s books. This is a clean holiday read that will bring Christmas right into your life. I definitely recommend!! Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through Interviews and Reviews. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own. Reviewer: Monica Huyser Meddling With Mistletoe by Liz Johnson is a cheery Christmas read that left me looking forward to the coming Christmas season. Whitney Garrett is hoping to go to culinary school by baking and selling pies at the local farmer’s markets. Then, at the height of the season, her oven went on the fritz. Thankfully, she was able to negotiate some time to use the oven at the Red Door Inn in exchange for watching the proprietor’s children and making breakfasts for some off-season guests. One of the off-season guests is Daniel, and the other is Ruby. Both are in town to help Aretha sell her antique shop. Aretha is also something of a matchmaker as she is hoping to help her nephew Daniel find a new romance with Ruby. With that in mind, Aretha talks Whitney into helping Ruby and Daniel get together. Only things don’t quite go as planned. Meddling with Mistletoe is aptly named as there is some matchmaking that goes awry in this book. I have read all of Liz Johnson’s books—except the Red Door Inn series. This book has some ties to that series and I still enjoyed it even though I have not read that series. I enjoy Johnson’s writing style, the Prince Edward Island setting, and her characters. I enjoyed getting to know Whitney and Daniel, in particular, in this book. I liked how it all worked out in the end. There were some faith elements that flowed well as they tied Christmas into parts of the story. I thought the pacing was good. I enjoyed a couple of humorous events. I wasn’t overly fond of Ruby, so not really sad about how the book went with her character. Meddling With Mistletoe was a quick and enjoyable read. I received a copy of this book from Revell through Interviews & Reviews. All opinions are my own. Reviewer: Rebecca Maney
“The entirety of their interaction had been a bruised nose and an overflowing pie.” Sugar, spice, and everything nice aside, Daniel Franklin’s Aunt Aretha has romantic intentions up her sleeve during Daniel’s holiday stay at the Red Door Inn. Securing his future happiness by playing matchmaker. Not with the whimsical, joyful, full of sunshine pie baker taking up residence in the inn’s kitchen, but with someone else. And the catch? Aretha has dangled culinary school tuition assistance in front of Whitney Garrett’s (the before-mentioned pie baker) nose, much like the mistletoe hanging in the hallway. If Whitney will assist in her scheme. Can you guess what happens next? Of course, you can. The joy is in reading all about it in this delightfully entertaining and romantic holiday story, which involves a lot of pie tasting, Christmas lighting, sledding, kissing (under that meddlesome mistletoe) and remembering that we are never alone, for God sent “Ee-man-ee-al”… kid talk for Emanuel. P.S. - Plus, a ridiculous turkey hat thrown in for good measure! I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion. Leave a Reply. |
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