Holiday Haters 3
Author: Teshelle Combs
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Length: 59 pages
Format: Digital, Via Kindle
Genre: Rom Com
Started: 03/07/2024
Finished: 03/08/2024
*Took less than 2 hours to complete, but I didn’t start reading Cracked until 10:30pm that evening.
Tropes: fated, opposites attract, grumpy-sunshine, strong female lead
Content Warnings: This is a comedy so we’re poking fun at people and situations, but none of this is real or how the author actually feels about humanity. This story contains cupcakes, a bit of spice, and a lot of goddess energy. Oh and stabbies. Be warned.
For transparency’s sake, I received Cracked: An Easter Story (Cracked) as an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) and my review is honest and unpaid/unsponsored.
PLEASE NOTE: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD
Cracked follows Stella’s POV as she journeys through her days as a strong, fear-inducing, awe-inspiring, Goddess of Spring and Earth, feminist lawyer. Based on her personality, I think the best (and obvious) pet choice for Stella would be a hedgehog. They’re cute and cuddly when they want to be, but can also cause pain and chaos whenever they please. Although this is a novella, it’s clear that there are things we don’t know about Stella and that we will slowly be granted more and more of her story. We’re also left awaiting a boss battle with Odin looming.
Stella has a driver, Grace, who is a chaotic baddie and I quite enjoy her. She’s mildly unnerving in her possibly inhuman nature with her affinity for the stabbies, but she’s a vibe. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and likes her men significantly older. Theo is Stella’s steamy love interest and the bakery owner. He’s a dreamy, scrumptious, yes-man who does anything Stella tells him to. We’re a stan for this submissive sweetie in this household. Lastly, I’ll introduce you to my favorite Cracked character: Clove. He’s a little old man hippie who spews nonsense, plays the ukulele, and is currently caught in Grace’s sights. He’s so sweet, poetic, and silly – I just can’t get enough!
As always with the Holiday Haters, I absolutely love the villain’s breaking the barrier and speaking directly to the reader. I love the high-stakes, the silly, and the sultry combinations of these stories so much. They’re short, salty-sweet bites of goodness that I cannot wait to glean more of as the holidays pass. Yes, they’re interconnected. And yes, Tess uploads bonus scenes to her Patreon and plans on annual installments around each villain’s respective holiday. There are EASTER EGGS (Is Theo’s bakery the one Felicity frequents?! Summer and Stella are related?!) throughout Cracked about both Suckered and Frosted – it’s absolutely not required to read the other two Holiday Haters stories before this one, but man do I love the tie-ins!!
Honestly, as soon as I know Tess is writing a new book, I IMMEDIATELY place my pre-order. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – Tess is stuck with me as I love literally everything she writes and cannot foresee that changing. Absolutely a must-read author (she could release her grocery list and I’d support her at this point lol). Her works are always riddled with affirmations to live by and Cracked is not an exception.
XOXO
La Biblio-Fille 