The Oddest Little Mistletoe Shop by Beth Good

This is a very fast read and not just because this is such a short little tale but because it is rather insubstantial.  We are introduced to the characters but there is little to no characterisation instead the story is just rushed out onto the page to be absorbed as quickly as possible.

This makes it perfect for busy December evenings when the "me" time is sadly lacking around everything else that needs doing and you can only grab a short break for a cuppa and a read.  This is certainly a preferable option to a magazine and a couple of chapters should fit nicely into the length of a decent sized cup of coffee.  With a shallow plot that, to be fair, you know exactly how it is all going to end by the end of Chapter Two, it is easy to pick up and put down.  There is sadly no compulsion to keep on reading to see what happens or to try and connect with the characters.

There are also some glaring typographical issues here with random words appearing at the start, and in the middle, of sentences where it is clear some editing has one on to remove sections of prose but ineffectually so.  Definitely needs at least someone to proofread through before publication if not necessarily to edit it - I appreciate that is a low cost e-book but it reflects badly on everyone when you have so many errors in one novella.

I did consider giving this just 2 stars but the tale itself is entertaining enough and the length means it doesn't really get enough room to become irksome.  If you need something light and fluffy that you can dip in and out of when you are ill or just lacking in enough hours in the day this will fill that gap.  However, if you want something that at least attempts to build characters you will want to read about then please save your pennies because this book does not deliver them.

**Review originally published December 7th, 2017**