Book Review: # Most Eligible Scrooge by Elodie Nowodazkij

Format: ebook
Release Date: November 24th, 2023
Age: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I feel lucky with the crop of Christmas books I’ve read this year! Usually after this amount, I’d starting to feel the itch for something different, but I’m still keen to pick up more festive books right now.

# Most Eligible Scrooge by Elodie Nowodazkij is the latest instalment in the Love in Swans Cove series, and is a lovely addition. With the events taking place before # The Leftover Bride and # Sweets for Love, we get glimpses of characters we’ve met in these other books, and it’s handled well, giving you an idea of what these characters were doing prior to their own books taking place.

As for this book specifically, it takes place just under a year after the events in the prequel novella, Once Upon a Christmas Eve. Julie has tried to move on from the events she experienced with Landon, focusing on work and her new relationship. But when she seeks shelter with Landon at his hotel, a released video of Julie just in her teddy surfaces, risking both her and Landon’s positions.

Julie comes up with a plan that could save them both – despite her long-lasting crush on him, she suggests they fake date, putting on a performance and acting deeply, madly in love to convince others Landon is more than the “Most Eligible Scrooge”.

The book is cute, full of festive cheer, and enough grumpy book boyfriend moments to make you melt. From the novella, we already have an idea of how these two feel towards each other, and what’s standing in their way, but here we get it fleshed out, and spending more time with the two characters – plus Dasher, the cat – is really a pleasure.

I admit, this is so far my least favourite of the series, but that’s not saying much as I really do love them all! It just felt like this one in particular was a little stretched out, where it didn’t need to be. But that doesn’t detract from how enjoyable it is as a whole.

I definitely think if you haven’t checked out # Most Eligible Scrooge yet or the other books in the series, you’ll want to rectify that. Nowodazkij really excels at writing these grumpy men, yet giving them all distinct personalities, and the woman are always great to read, tearing down walls and putting their feet down when the guys are acting foolish.

Honestly, for Christmas reads, so far I haven’t found a series that beats Love in Swans Cove.