Summary

I fell so in love with the sweet, steamy, quirky Christmas romance. I laughed, I cried, I made weird faces while reading (no, seriously, at one point my spouse asked me “what’s the expression for?” haha!)

One of the key things that makes a book a favorite for me is feeling like I want to hang out with the characters, and I’d REALLY love to hang out at El Escape Azul with the amazing staff there. Cozette is such a fun and quirky heroine, and I definitely would like to be best friends with her, please!

The chemistry between Cozi and Nico is apparent from the moment they meet, and it just gets better as the book goes on. Nico helps Cozi embrace that not every partner will want her to dim her sparkle, but a lot of her introspection and growth is hard-won by her own efforts. I love a good girl power, I don’t need a man growth arc, don’t you?

In addition to the amazing chemistry between Cozette and Nico, and the friendships Cozette builds among the resort staff, the world-building and story-telling is lush and rich and really made me long for warm sandy beaches and bright, darting tropical fish. Maybe that’s because, like Paul and Linda, I’m in Minnesota in December – brr! Don’t sleep on this amazing tropical Christmas romance!

This is the first book in the Simona Island series and can be read as a stand-alone. The epilogue gives a little taste of what to expect for the next book, which will be about Xia! I am very excited and can’t wait! It’s the perfect escape if you’re somewhere very chilly and want to dream about someplace warm but still stay in the holiday spirit.

Review

I fell so in love with the sweet, steamy, quirky Christmas romance. I laughed, I cried, I made weird faces while reading (no, seriously, at one point my spouse asked me “what’s the expression for?” haha!)

One of the key things that makes a book a favorite for me is feeling like I want to hang out with the characters, and I’d REALLY love to hang out at El Escape Azul with the amazing staff there. Cozette is such a fun and quirky heroine, and I definitely would like to be best friends with her, please!

The chemistry between Cozi and Nico is apparent from the moment they meet, and it just gets *better* as the book goes on. Nico helps Cozi embrace that not every partner will want her to dim her sparkle, but a lot of her introspection and growth is hard-won by her own efforts. I love a good girl power, I don’t need a man growth arc, don’t you?

In addition to the amazing chemistry between Cozette and Nico, and the friendships Cozette builds among the resort staff, the world-building and story-telling is lush and rich and really made me long for warm sandy beaches and bright, darting tropical fish. Maybe that’s because, like Paul and Linda, I’m in Minnesota in December – brr! Don’t sleep on this amazing tropical Christmas romance!

This is the first book in the Simona Island series and can be read as a stand-alone. The epilogue gives a little taste of what to expect for the next book, which will be about Xia! I am very excited and can’t wait! It’s the perfect escape if you’re somewhere very chilly and want to dream about someplace warm but still stay in the holiday spirit.

A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.