Bright Winter Lights & On a Night Like This by Liz Maverick

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Title: Bright Winter Lights
Author: Liz Maverick
Series: Winter Nights #2
Published by: Audible Originals
Release Date: December 1, 2022
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Andrew Eiden, Emily Lawrence
Length: 3 hours and 33 minutes
Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Source: Audible Premium Plus
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2023 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Light up your heart this holiday season as two old flames get a second chance at love…

Billionaire businessman Adam Bosch decides to bring a date to the family Hanukkah party this year in hopes of getting a break from his mother’s matchmaking. Trouble is, his busy schedule hasn’t left much room for romance. Since he’s always remained cordial with his high school sweetheart Sara Schwartz, he gets back in touch and asks her to be his plus one. And if he’s being honest, it’s a good excuse to see her again…since he’s never quite forgotten her.

Sara’s a successful designer with a close circle of friends and a thriving business—so what if her love life is non-existent? When Adam resurfaces and asks her to pose as his date after all these years, she thinks it’s a ridiculous idea. But he’s charming, persuasive…and too cute to resist. Before long, they rediscover the spark that first brought them together. Will their holi-date turn into lasting love?

4 stars — I relistened to the first one before diving in to catch up on this series, and this one was just as cute as that one.  I don’t think I initially noticed how low steam these ones are, but honestly I don’t actually care.  I like all steam levels, and this one was all about the tension and the connection.

Sarah was a pretty fun heroine.  She has a bit of sass, and is a bit quirky.  I wasn’t always impressed with the way she handled the Eliot situation, but if I’m being honest?  I totally would have done the exact same thing.  She could be a bit stubborn in her need for independence and not wanting to accept help, but we did get to see her grow on that issue, even in such a short story.

Adam was pretty adorable, I loved that he sort of exacerbated a situation to reestablish a connection with Sarah and his old friends.  I appreciated how hard he tried not to step on Sarah’s toes, even as he desperately wanted to rush in and fix things.

The past situation was interesting.  I lean more towards understanding Sarah et al’s reactions more than Adam’s, because, you know, lack of communication.  But I do also appreciate that teenagers are stupid sometimes, and situations are more complicated than they might appear.

It was fun seeing the two of them flirt with one another, and dance around how “fake” the relationship was.  Yes, definitely some communication issues, but given it was a novella, things just didn’t last long enough to really irk me that much.  And I wanted them to work out.

These novellas are seriously fun.  Even if I don’t understand all the Jewish references, I absolutely love being thrown into them — from food, to decorations, to traditions, to family dynamics…it’s kind of awesome.

Can’t wait to see how Eliot fares in the next one!

I just realized I never mentioned the narrators, but since I don’t remember anything, that’s usually a good thing! 

Title: On a Night Like This
Author: Liz Maverick
Series: Winter Nights #3
Published by: Audible Originals
Release Date: November 16, 2023
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Dara Rosenberg, Andrew Eiden
Length: 3 hours and 34 minutes
Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Source: Audible Premium Plus
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2023 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 Finishing the Series Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Best-selling author Liz Maverick is back with this cozy, captivating holiday rom-com about finding love where you least expect it.

After a broken engagement, Cher decides to leave heartbreak behind by signing up for a holiday house swap. For the next few weeks, she’ll ditch sunny California to spend her first Hanukkah in New York City, a time of snow-covered sidewalks, festive store windows, hot cocoa, and...cute neighbors?

As Cher is moving into her temporary new apartment, Eliot is moving his ex’s belongings out, and he soon finds himself offering to play tour guide. He’s nursing a broken heart too, and spending time showing the beautiful traveler around is exactly what he needs. There’s nothing more magical than jaunting around the wintry city together with no expectations...until he starts hoping for more.

With the holiday of lights—and the sparks of attraction—setting their hearts aglow, will they find a way to bridge the distance? And when the past comes calling, will their first season together be their last?

4 stars — I left writing this review for a few days, so of course that means it’s going to be lackluster!  I think this one was my favourite of the 3 so far though, it felt like it had a little less angst or something.  No strange other person in the middle, b/c I don’t count the exes.  It was just really cute, goofy and fun!

I enjoyed Andrew Eiden’s narration as always, and Dara Rosenberg was pretty solid in her narration as well.  Occasionally her Cher felt a bit…more neurotic than I was expecting?  I’m not sure.  But not enough to take me out, just surprised me.

I was worried that Eliot was going to be maudlin or angsty, but honestly he was far enough along getting over his heartbreak, that it didn’t play as big a part as I was expecting.  And while there was some drama from Cher’s side, it was also not as crazy as I was expecting — just enough to give tension, but not so much that I got frustrated.

And these two were just so much fun together.  I loved how they connected with one another, and complemented each other.  I love that Cher brought out this fun side to Eliot, and the dates were just cute and fun and adorable.

So yeah.  This is such a fun little series of novellas, and I love that there is a notable Jewish aspect to them, so you really feel like you get to know a bit about holidays and traditions, etc.  I really hope Tamara gets her story next!