Christmas Cupid by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Dec 1

Dec 1 Christmas Cupid by Ilsa Madden-Mills

To start off the 12 Books of Christmas, we have an enemies to lovers Christmas rom-com. Happy Holidays!

Iris has lost her Christmas spirit and hopes a few days away will help reset her. Kyler is just looking to get away from all the pressures and problems of being a professional hockey player. What neither of them expected was to find themselves snowed in a cabin, alone, together. As tensions rise, Iris and Kyler must decide if it’s cabin fever or if there’s something real between them.

Off the bat, the reader gets why the love leads are looking to escape Christmas. Iris is escaping from a failed relationship of Christmas past and Kyler is running from a sports injury that he knows requires surgery. So the reader feels for Iris and Kyler suffering during the holidays.

Where some of that feeling dies down for me is with Iris. She comes across as a spoiled, bratty, princess who doesn’t know how to rough it in anything less than a five-star hotel. It made me dislike her character and wonder why Kyler would find her attractive.

However, Iris turns it around for me with the way she handles Kyler. She sees right through all his bluster and knows when to push and when to use a gentle touch with him. And I like how Kyler doesn’t take any of her shit, but isn’t a total asshole towards her. Both leads learn how to lean on and push the other when necessary.

The two balance each other really well and have excellent chemistry, even when their insecurities intervene, threatening to tear them apart, there’s still a strong connection between them. And it’s that connection that propels the reader through the story.

There are a few things that didn’t work for me. There are moments where the scenes move too quickly, not giving the reader enough time to enjoy the characters and their wonderful chemistry. Also, the back and forth of do they, don’t they like each other did drag the story a bit in the beginning.

Overall, this was a good read that I could find myself enjoying again. Christmas Cupid is a 3.5 out of 5 stars.