Overall Grade: B
Tropes: hate to love; enemies to lovers; forced proximity; pro hockey MMC; feisty FMC; brother’s best friend/teammate
Ilsa Madden-Mills’s Christmas Cupid is Hallmark charming with an extra helping of steam. It’s sweet and spicy and everything in between.
Let me begin with the reasons it’s a “B” read for me:
I wanted more. I would have liked some parts of the story to be filled in more. There were some places that were outlined and required more development.
There were a few inconsistencies with details in the story. I’ve read everything from Madden-Mills, and this one isn’t as “neat” as her other stories.
Here are the reasons to read it:
The banter between Madden-Mills’s characters, Iris and Kyler, is everything to love about enemies to lovers. It’s clearly their foreplay, and it sets up their chemistry while also keeping the story a funny little nibble of romance.
Ilsa Madden-Mills doesn’t fall prey to writing the oft-used trope “I can’t get hot with my teammate’s younger sister.” Instead, Iris’s brother is the one responsible for their little tete-a-tete.
Forced proximity/one bed is the go-to set-up for a Christmas novella.
Christmas Cupid is a quick little read that feels perfect for days that seem heavy. The journey she takes Kyler, specifically, on is an important one as Iris reminds him what’s important in life: community and relationships with people. In a world such as ours right now, Ilsa Madden-Mills’s Christmas Cupid is EXACTLY the read we need.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 