Mistletoe All the Way by Lauren Blakely: Review

What’s not to love about a Christmas romance? Yes, we see the Hallmark versions on TV. They can be repetitive and a little cheesy, but they’re also feel-good stories, which makes it the reason people keep coming back.

We can pretty much say the same thing about a Christmas romance book. It’s tough not to eventually find some sort of cheer amidst all of the Christmas hoopla. And that’s what the story is about.

Our grumpy male versus jolly female characters bring the story to life. Read on for my review.

Mistletoe All the Way by Lauren Blakely
Publisher: ‎ Atria Books
Publication date: ‎ October 6, 2026
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1668233795

OVERVIEW:
Dr. Noah Lennox lives by three holiday rules—avoid his hometown, cheerful people, and Christmas itself.

But when his beloved grandfather announces he’s retiring and handing the cherished sleigh-ride farm to either Noah or his slick cousin Stephen, the first rule goes out the window. Back home in Evergreen Falls, the veterinarian vows to fight for the farm that means everything to him. The problem is, the town doesn’t exactly welcome its resident Scrooge with open arms.

Except for one very charming holiday enthusiast. Eloise Langston, a sunny tourism bureau hopeful, needs a win to land her dream job—and to pay the rent. Her holly jolly plan? Turn the broody, broad-shouldered grump into a festive front-runner to help the town’s Mr. Holiday Competition draw record crowds.

Transforming a camera-shy cowboy vet into a small-town sweetheart isn’t exactly in her job description—but neither is falling for him.

Soon, Noah and Eloise find themselves tangled in twinkle lights, fake kisses, and one very real attraction. But with the farm’s future at stake, Stephen’s scheming, and Eloise’s career on the line, there’s a blizzard of reasons to put their feelings on ice.

Or will they fight to turn their holiday fling into forever under the mistletoe?

Mistletoe All the Way by Lauren Blakely Review

The story has so many positives packed into the book. Starting with the banter between these two main characters. Being able to write that type of conversation in a way that’s engaging and fun is truly an art.

We then get down to personalities, and the grumpy male lead who hates Christmas versus the continually jolly female main character, who has such a bubbly personality that it actually started to annoy me. I have to say it took me a bit to warm up to her, especially in the early chapters when she was manipulating him and randomly just showing up. Pretty gutsy and a bit odd.

We also have the supporting characters who did a bang-up job throughout the story. I loved the twin interactions and the cousin whom you love to hate. The grandparents and so many more added warm layers to the entire story.

Our main characters had a great connection once he started loosening up, and I thoroughly enjoyed how Blakely turned this crazy activity into their love connection.

She brought the right amount of heat, spice, emotion, and engaging conversations. You truly felt like you were watching this unfold in front of you.

I really did want a stronger ending. I feel they went through so much that the soft ending doesn’t match the buildup. Even though it’s comforting and beautiful, I wanted a little bit more romantice goo, maybe. I don’t even know.

Overall, Mistletoe All The Way is a sweet Grumpy vs sunshine, spicy Christmas romance. Blakely never disappoints.

3.5 rolled to 4 STARS!!

Disclaimer: Affiliate Links have been included – Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review, but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest, and your opinions may differ.