“As Evie started to step through the front door, Sasha pointed upwards and squealed, ‘Mistletoe. Dan and Evie. You Have to kiss now.’
Evie stopped and turned to look at Dan, in a bit of a panic, which was definitely a mistake, because it clearly made it look as though she wanted Dan to kiss her. Which, in a very secret way, she might do, but not in front of people.”
Evie and Dan made a pact; if they weren’t married by the time they were thirty, they would marry each other. The pact was meant to be a joke, but the thing is they have feelings for each other; if only they could work up the courage to say so.
While on a group trip to Vegas, Evie and Dan find themselves waking up in a honeymoon suite, realizing that they did it. They actually got married. Suffering from a major hangover and a growing fear that they have ruined their friendship, they hope they can get a quick divorce and return to being just friends. But moving on isn’t as easy as they think. It’s become impossible to ignore the romantic feelings they have for each other. But they will have to find the courage to take that first step and say how they truly feel, or they just might miss out on a once in a lifetime love.
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I love the idea of a “Ross and Rachel” drunken Vegas wedding with a Christmas twist. But I hate to say this: I really didn’t enjoy this book. The Mistletoe Pact has a dual timeline and is told from both Evie and Dan’s perspectives. I liked the beginning of the book. I felt like I could hear Carrie Underwood’s song “Last Name” while I was reading the first two chapters that were set in Vegas, and I was excited to see what Jo had in store for Dan and Evie. I also loved the first flashback chapters, the author did a wonderful job at introducing the main characters and showing readers where everything started. Jo did a great job at laying the foundation for this book. The problem was that the story starts to jump around too much, and I had a hard time keeping up. It felt the author was trying to include too many secondary plotlines, which made the book jumbled and rushed. Many plotlines were left unfinished, which was really frustrating. I felt like I was left trying to figure out what happened to characters, relationships, or life events, because there were so many gaps.
The relationship between Dan and Evie was just okay. I loved them in the first flashback chapters when they made the marriage pact. They were so cute together and you could really see the sparks flying between these two. But then in later chapters things went downhill and the dialogue felt forced and awkward. That chemistry that existed between them disappeared and I often felt “meh” when these two were together. I don’t mind when there are some obstacles that a couple may have to overcome to be together, but the obstacles that Dan and Evie faced were often because of their own actions and because they were dragging their feet when it came to saying how they really felt.
The Mistletoe Pact is a holiday romance that starts off strong, but loses its way. It left this reader feeling lost and unsatisfied.
Thank you Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
