The Plight Before Christmas: Deluxe Limited Edition: An Un-EX-pected Sugar and Spice Christmas Romance (Holiday Hijinx)
From the internationally bestselling author of The Ravenhood Trilogy, a heartwarming, hilarious, un-EX-pectedly spicy, second chance holiday romance with all the feels for readers of Meghan Quinn, Julie Murphy, and Tessa Bailey!
**DELUXE LIMITED EDITION FEATURING GLITTER GLOSS, STENCILED EDGES, AND DESIGNED INTERIOR**
The last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I didn’t get—and I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happiest Christmas EVER.
When Mom insisted that we all gather at my grandparents’ ancient cabin for a family Christmas, I fully intended to get into the holiday spirit with the help of the three wise men: Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, and Jim Beam. But those boys did nothing to offset the shock of seeing my EX on our doorstep the first day. Apparently, Santa missed the memo, and this elf is pissed.
Stuck for a week with the man who obliterated my heart nearly two decades ago, I did the only thing I could do and put on my game face, thankful for the home advantage.
I knew better than to drink that last cup of eggnog.
I knew better than to get tongue tangled beneath the mistletoe with the only man to ever break my heart.
I knew better than to sleep with Satan’s wingman on the eve of the Lord’s birthday.
I could blame the nog. I could blame the deceitful blue eyes, angelic hair, and panty-evaporating smirk . . . but mostly, I blame Eli because he always knew exactly which of my buttons to push. I foolishly thought I might turn my inner Scrooge around, but this year’s festivities went up in flames. Leave it to the ghost of my Christmas past to be the one to light the match.
Fa la la la la, la FML.
The Plight Before Christmas is a full-length, second-chance Christmas romance filled with Kate Stewart’s distinctive humor and heart—and most definitely on SANTA'S NAUGHTY LIST!
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Omg! I loved, loved, loved this book so much, that I read it in one day. I couldn’t put it down! The angst, the yearning, the slow burn, all wrapped up in a Christmas bow. I can’t tell you how many times my heart ached because I could feel the fmc’s pain, but in the end, she got the answers she was looking for and he definitely had a valid reason. Aside from the heartache, there were some laugh out loud moments, for me, as I could easily picture everything playing out. I love the author’s writing style and will be reading more of her books. I can’t wait!
The Plight Before Christmas wraps second-chance romance, family nostalgia, emotional healing, and hot spice inside a crowded mountain cabin. Kate Stewart gives Whitney Collins the holiday nightmare of every romance reader’s dreams. Her college ex-boyfriend arrives at the family Christmas gathering nearly two decades after breaking her heart. Whitney wants peace, alcohol, and distance from Eli. He arrives ready to confess everything he should have said seventeen years ago.
Whitney reaches her late grandparents’ cabin after a brutal few weeks. She has broken her toe, ended another disappointing relationship, lost a deserved promotion, and watched her car die in the driveway. Christmas with her family should offer comfort. Eli standing on the doorstep destroys her plans.
Whitney and Eli shared an intense college romance before he ended their relationship dishonestly. Their reunion begins with hostility, painful memories, and an attraction hot enough to melt every patch of snow surrounding the cabin. Eli appears cold and confrontational at first, but his tenderness emerges quickly. His connection with Whitney’s family also makes it much harder for her to dismiss him as the man who abandoned her.
I usually find prolonged miscommunication between adults frustrating. In this story, Whitney and Eli’s separation made sense once their history was revealed. Eli carried grief, anxiety, and family trauma that he did not know how to explain as a young man. His choices still caused lasting damage, but the novel allowed both characters to repair the pain instead of using his suffering as an easy excuse. Their adult conversations created space for accountability, forgiveness, and real healing.
Eli’s decision to use their forced proximity to declare his love was exactly the sort of Christmas hijinks that I wanted. He knew Whitney deserved answers. He refused to leave the cabin without showing her how much he still loved her. Whitney resisted for a respectable amount of time before giving both of them what they had been craving. Her surrender led to my favorite parts of the book. The spice was passionate, sexy, and perfectly suited to two people catching up on seventeen years of lost time.
The Collins family gives the romance an adorable holiday backdrop. Their traditions, arguments, schedules, decorations, and crowded-cabin antics capture the warmth and irritation of spending Christmas with people who know every version of you.
Kate Stewart’s writing balances festive humor with genuine emotion. The Christmas setting adds nostalgia. The cabin is filled with old memories, family history, unresolved tension, and the possibility of beginning again. I could easily picture the novel becoming a Netflix holiday movie with a naughty twist.
The Plight Before Christmas offers a heartfelt reunion between two adults who finally possess the maturity and courage their younger selves lacked. Pick this up if you enjoy second chances, forced proximity, chaotic family gatherings, emotional confessions, and generous spice.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.