A Villain for Christmas: A Snow Globe Christmas Book 4, Alice Winters

I think I died.  Deceased.  Landon has murdered me with his brand of funny and I don't even care.  So much laughing, out loud kine too, that I practically hacked up a lung.  And I'm talkin' leg-kicking, tears-rolling, ab-tastic laughter.  I think I laughed more with Landon than with Felix and I wasn't sure that was possible.  But the best part about all of this is that the story wasn't just die-laughing funny, it had feels, complications, sweetness, and vulnerability.  For me this book has everything, is everything.

The farce of a courtship is so perfect for the characters.  And August's participation in and tolerance of Landon's shenanigans are supremely entertaining.  I love their dynamic because it's the cutest evolution of a middle-school crush amplified by amazing powers and families that live to embarrass them that I could have ever hoped for.  Seriously, "Why did you do everything but talk to me?" is the most apt question in existence for August.

The more dramatic plot elements were believable in the story's world and fit quite well, and though I wouldn't really say it was unique or original, it was tackled in such a way that it felt fresh.  The resolution is a little up in the air because we don't follow every thread to its conclusion, but the story did end in a place that gave a feeling of closure for some things and a bright, open, happy future for others.  I think the level of crazy is just right as it had to match the big personalities and funnier moments without overwhelming them.

All the side characters are fantastic, from the dopey Brandon, the inappropriate Baker, to the vulnerable Lex, and the quietly tortured Nolan.  And with memorable quotes about a hairless cat's gender, how can this not be perfection?  The world was a little confusing at first because it's pretty much the world we live in today, just so many of the humans have powers and achieve notoriety on both sides of the good/evil fence.  That wasn't exactly confusing, it was a little bit more the perception I was trying to read.   All the players were a little hard to keep track of and to keep straight, but not too far into the story I was completely sucked in and figured things out pretty quickly.

It was honestly so very easy to get sucked into this world with the level of funny, feels, and dysfunctional families.  I sped through this story so fast because I just could not put it down and it's already on my favorites and re-read shelves since I'm going to be enjoying this story over and over again.

*$3.99 on Amazon!

Despite growing up in a family of villains, I’d rather curl up and read than commit crimes. When I get coerced by my brother into helping him rob a bank, I run into August, my childhood crush—also known as Chrono, the city’s greatest superhero. He’s sexy, sweet, and suddenly he’s asking me to Thanksgiving with his parents. It’s probably because he doesn’t realize that I’m Leviathan, a villain with the power of telekinesis. And I can’t tell him because he’d never forgive me and would stop doing things like cooking for me—wait, maybe that would be a good thing, since he’s a terrible cook. It doesn’t help that my parents think they’re the ultimate villains and won’t stop getting in my way, although they can’t even steal toilet paper without getting caught.

But when real supervillains (not the wannabe kind that I grew up with) start targeting August, I might be forced to show everyone who I truly am: a slightly warped and snarky man who’d really rather read a book than save anything… besides August. I’ll tear this world apart just to get another glimpse of him in those glasses and spandex suit. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe, even though it means exposing my true identity. Luckily, August still cares about me, proving that even a villain and a hero can fall in love. Hopefully, we’ll be able to save the world in time for Christmas