Review: Scrooge-ish by L.B. Dunbar

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

Time and distance changes everything. Our experience now is two strangers.

It's been a while since I've added a holiday romance to my list of year-end top reads, but the time has finally come for me to do exactly that with Scrooge-ish! L.B. Dunbar delivers a heartwarming story about second chances, moving forward, and the magic of Christmas. Forty-year-old Eva Nazar hates Christmas, and working as a manager at Ashford's, an upscale department store, leading up to and during the holidays means she can't escape the decorations, music, and everything Christmassy. Her life, though, is all about work, so when she learns about her class's twenty-second high school reunion, she isn't exactly itching to attend. But at the last minute, she changes her mind, and it's at the venue where she bumps into Zebb Scroggs--the boy she fell for the summer after graduation, and the same one who ghosted her afterwards. The former professional football player turned hometown firefighter also happens to be a single father, and falling for him (again) and for his daughter is a high possibility. But Eva not only doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas, she also no longer believes in the power of true love. However, maybe, just maybe, she could be inspired enough to believe in both once again.

I adored reading Eva and Zebb's story. It was a lighthearted romance that had a pinch of angst to it, and for a read during the holiday season, having just a teeny bit of angst is more than enough to satisfy even an angst addict like me. After all, once the -ber months come a-rolling, my need for angst is at a low, and that tends to last well into January. L.B. Dunbar gave me exactly what I craved, and I loved experiencing the journey that the main characters took together and as individuals, particularly Eva. It was easy to understand why she wasn't into the holiday season all that much, and sometimes it takes an unexpected twist of fate to force you to see that maybe the way things are no longer suffices. I don't know if I can pinpoint one thing that made this book as wonderful a read as it was. It truly was the book in its entirety--from the cast of characters to the story itself to the writing and everything in between. I highly encourage my fellow romance readers to add Scrooge-ish to their list of must-reads this holiday season. This gets five-plus stars!

Release Date: 22 November 2022

Date Read: 21 November 2022

Learn more about L.B. Dunbar.

Purchase Scrooge-ish on Amazon.