Sandy M’s review of Mistletoe in Mayhem (Whiskey Sisters Boxed Set) by L.E. Rico
Contemporary Romance published by Entangled: Bliss 12 Nov 18

I have found a new author I know I’m going to enjoy for a long time to come. Though this is not the beginning of the Whiskey Sisters series, I don’t care one bit. I absolutely love L.E. Rico’s writing and her characters, and I look forward to reading the first two books in this series as soon as possible.

The Whiskey sisters – Hennessy, Walker, Jameson, and Bailey O’Halloran of Mayhem, Minnesota. Four women in different stages in their lives, but devoted to one another, especially since their dad passed away two years ago. They now run the family pub, with Walker taking on more duties there, and the other three either have day jobs or is amid their education. In this anthology readers are given a follow-up to the first two books – something I really like and wish more authors would do.

In Christmas Chaos you re-meet Hennessy and Bryan in the midst of planning their wedding – well, they’re going along with an actual wedding planner who is a friend of Bryan’s from L.A. Henny is determined to marry on Christmas Eve, just as her parents did, and the ceremony will take place in the same church where her folks married. Those two things are non-negotiable, so time is of the essence. But Hennessy is in for a fight on everything else, because this wedding planner is a total bitch, out to make a name for herself and ignoring everything the bride wants on her special day. While the sisters eventually catch on to Hennessy’s distress during all this, Bryan believes everything is smoothly sailing along. He only wants to marry the woman he loves, so anything she wants…

Once Bryan does realize what’s happening, the story gets even better when the entire town and then some all come together to make sure this couple has the most beautiful wedding ever, especially when they all learn that the aforementioned bitch cancels and re-routes everything already ordered for the wedding. It’s a wonderful coming together of family and friends. Love abounds everywhere in Mayhem. You’ll enjoy Janet, the pie baker; Father Romance; and the surprising twist in Jameson’s and Scott’s story. Of course, this reader would have known about that twist if she’d read the first two books in order, but doesn’t matter. This boxed set reads just fine on its own, making you want to start at the beginning to get more of these characters.

Next is Baby Bedlam, featuring Jameson and Scott. They’re engaged, and like Bryan, Scott just wants to get married and spend forever with his love. Jameson is the sister who takes care of her siblings, no matter the severity of their issues. But now she’s got to focus on herself and her life, set a wedding date and get on with her happily ever after. Between her son Jackson from a previous marriage, Henny now expecting twins, and her busy schedule as a NICU nurse, life gets more hectic and her wedding suffers. And then there’s totally unexpected news…

The dynamic of Scott’s family in this story is wonderfully done. You’d expect his relationship with his brother to be a tad more rocky after you discover their history. I really like the brotherly info and advice even before Jameson herself realizes what’s what and their future takes a swift and crooked turn from what they’d thought. Jackson is a little terror and you can’t help but love him. The interviews for a nanny for Hennessy and Bryan will make you laugh out loud – the author had me chuckling in a number of places throughout. Of course, the same secondary townsfolk are back and just as delightful as ever.

I’m so very happy I found L.E. Rico (she also writes as Lauren E. Rico) and her Whiskey sisters. These characters are clamoring for me to read the first two books very soon and I’m not going to nay-say any of them!

Grade: A

Summary:

Christmas Chaos
You’re cordially invited to the wedding of the century! Please join bride-trying-not-to-be-a-zilla Hennessy O’Halloran and her prince-in-shining-snow-boots as they finally say, “I do.” Unless a rogue wedding planner and a blizzard that takes out the entire Midwest can stop them, these two will get married on Christmas. The town of Mayhem will make sure of it.

Baby Bedlam
The town of Mayhem, Minnesota, is about to have a population explosion…and the Whiskey Sisters are getting more than they expected! While newlyweds Henny and Bryan are anxiously awaiting not one but two little bundles of joy, Jameson and Scott are focusing on planning their own perfect wedding, with only one troublesome toddler in tow. But babies have a way of arriving on their own schedules…and fate has a way of intervening in this quirky hamlet. Now, the couple finds themselves scrambling to beat the clock—and the odds—to their own happily ever after before their unexpected special delivery arrives.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series: