The Bright Side of Christmas

Holly Ridge, Book 1

De: Morgan Elizabeth

Narrado por: Erin Mallon, Ryan West

From #1 Amazon best-selling author of Tis the Season for Revenge comes a new steamy, small-town grumpy sunshine romance!

What to expect:

• Grumpy sunshine dynamic and banter
• Feuding neighbors
• She's the outgoing town sweetheart who helps everyone
• He's the grumpy songwriter who moved to the small town to disappear
• He hates Christmas, she's the head of the decorating committee

Wren King is the one person in town everyone can rely on: need someone to watch your kids? She’s got it, you deserve a night off! Want five dozen cookies for a bake sale? Call up Wren; she loves to bake. Holly Ridge’s sweetheart is always available to help, even if it leaves little time for herself along the way.

But this holiday season, it’s ramped up to the next level. As her first year as the head of the decorating committee, a title she inherited after her grandmother passed away, she’s determined to make it the best and brightest year Holly Ridge has ever seen. A bigger festival, decorations on every possible inch of town, and, of course, more lights. Who cares if she’s tired and worn down? She can sleep in January. Christmas only comes but once a year, after all.

Adam Porter moved to Holly Ridge in search of peace and quiet. As a well-known songwriter with writer’s block, he’s hoping a sleepy small town will be the perfect place to find his inspiration and write again. The problem? He hates Christmas. This year, he’s hoping to hide away in the small town, avoid Christmas completely, and write the next big hit by the New Year.

Unfortunately, when he tells his new next-door neighbor, Wren, that he has no plans to decorate his home and thus threatens to break a sixty-year tradition in the town, a battle of decor ensues. As the season progresses and Wren becomes increasingly determined, Adam remains steadfast in his conviction that nothing will make him enjoy the holidays.

Definitely not his sunshiny neighbor, who is convinced she has enough holiday cheer for the two of them.

©2025 Morgan Elizabeth (P)2025 Morgan Elizabeth

Felt like a Christmas Hallmark movie

Book Review: The Bright Side of Christmas by Morgan Elizabeth

This was my first book by @authormorganelizabeth, and I absolutely loved it! I was so happy to have been selected for this ARC opportunity - thank you, @houseofheartslit!
It truly felt like stepping into a Christmas Hallmark movie - festive, heartwarming, and full of charm.
The story between Wren and Adam had such unique chemistry.
Wren, the one everyone can count on, loves helping others and spreading holiday cheer, while Adam, a songwriter escaping his past and battling writer's block, wants nothing to do with the season. He's in Holly Ridge for peace and quiet — definitely not twinkle lights and Christmas carols!
Their worlds collide in the sweetest way, and watching their connection grow made me smile the entire time. It's cozy, romantic, and everything I love about a holiday read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A grumpy songwriter meets the town’s sunniest Christmas elf, what more could you want?! Wren and Adam’s feuding-neighbors banter is adorable, and their slow shift from “absolutely not” to “okay maybe” gave me all the cozy holiday feels. Sweet, fun, and full of small-town charm 🎄💞

Holiday love

Loved everything about this book! I loved both main!! I will definitely be reading this seasonally!! And will be purchasing the physical copy

Cute story!!

The story is cute and the characters likeable. My issue with the audiobook specifically is the narrators. I felt like they were trying to hard to be breathy. It didn't come off as a natural speeaking pattern to me. I did, however, like that the female narrator read the female parts and the male narrator read the male parts. Most books I listen to don't split the narrators like this. If you need a pretty light-hearted holiday read, this might be for you.

Cute story but weird epilogue

The story was cute but the epilogue included a very crass sex scene that was as sort of out of nowhere. Just didn't add anything to the story and felt thrown in for the sake of it.