Mistletoe Phenomenon by Serena Yates

Mistletoe Phenomenon by Serena Yates
Stars: 1.5/5

Overall:
While I was enchanted by the premise of the story, overall, it wasn't satisfying. The characters were overly emotional to the point of not feeling real. The story was cute, but left much to be desired.

What I liked
Happy ending. Everything works out and our two men find happiness, which isn't a surprise, really. The story is cute and satisfying in this regard.

Jakob. The young boy (nephew) is fun and adorable. He keeps the story moving and alive, and any forced conversations that involve him feel more natural because he's a child and is more likely to blurt what he's thinking.

There are also moments when I really feel for the characters and I empathize with them, especially Lance. I think he is easiest to relate to and feels like a real character.

What didn't work
Characters. We have two men, one is overly emotional, the other (starts) completely severed from his emotions. Obviously for them to get together emotions are involved, so Magnus learns emotions. Which worked sometimes and not others. He skipped from “no emotions” to “I love you” too quickly to feel realistic. His mental dialogue always felt stifling and awkward, and not because he was dealing with new emotions.

By the end, the phrase “chicks with dicks” comes to mind, which feels unduly harsh, but fitting. These characters are very expressive of their feelings, especially Lance, and have no problems discussing their feelings. I couldn't buy it, but that may be your thing.

Writing. The writing flopped back and forth between being adequate and pretty good, to some very awkward prose and conversation. The writing seemed to solidify better in the second part of the story, so maybe it was just “first book” nerves (unrelated to whether it was her first book).