{"id":77737,"date":"2025-01-28T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T17:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=77737"},"modified":"2025-01-28T07:34:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T12:34:07","slug":"review-the-sleight-before-christmas-holiday-hijinx-2-by-kate-stewart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=77737","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Sleight Before Christmas (Holiday Hijinx, #2) by Kate Stewart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cRide or die, no fucks given, make out on a whim, Thatch and Serena in the house.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

5 stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n

A laugh-out-loud funny, yet emotional read that is both entertaining and all too real. This is such a great read!<\/p>\n

This is the second book in the Holiday Hijinx<\/i> series, a follow on from the fabulous The Plight Before Christmas<\/a>\u00a0It\u2019s the story of Thatch and Serena (Serena is the sister of Whitney from the first book), and we\u2019re revisiting Christmas with the whole Collins family. But you can read this one as a standalone (just don\u2019t miss the first book because it\u2019s a phenomenal read).<\/p>\n

Thatch and Serena have been together for over 20 years. They are married with two kids, and they are losing touch with each other. On top of that, their kids are out of control \u2013 spoiled and entitled to the point where action needs to be taken. At the end of their ropes, they decide the time has come to get harsh, and as they head off to spend Christmas with the family, they\u2019re determined to get their lives back under control.<\/p>\n

Marriage has its phases, and after two decades and counting with Serena, I know this truth all too well. I live it and very intentionally endure it because the hard-earned sweet spots are so fucking worth it.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s another wild adventure with the Collins family, and I so loved being back in this world. This is a fantastic bunch of characters who are so well written, they care for each other deeply, and their dynamics are so much fun as they joke, drink and laugh together. They are funny and they have so much fun, and their shenanigans had me laughing out loud. We get to explore the different relationships between them all, and I loved their closeness and their love for each other.<\/p>\n

But oh, how my heart ached for Thatch and Serena! Their kids are most definitely a challenge (horrifically so), and combined with the fact that they\u2019re losing touch with each other, they\u2019re in a really challenging place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss you,\u201d he whispers.
\n\u201cI miss you, too,\u201d I whisper back. \u201cI swear, Thatch. I feel like I haven\u2019t seen you in weeks.\u201d
\n\u201cSame\u201d.<\/i><\/p>\n

I want that smile back. The one that says her whole life is in front of her. And more importantly, a smile that says my wife has the life she wants.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story of Thatch and Serena\u2019s past is told in flashback as they reminisce on their life together. Their beginning is definitely not what I was expecting, and it adds so much depth to the book, and to their journey as we learn who they were and how they came together.<\/p>\n

Thatch stole my heart as a husband and father wanting to be there for all of the people in his life. He loves fiercely, and he hurts deeply, and I felt everything right along with him throughout the story. It\u2019s a rough road they\u2019re both on, but through it all, past and present, their love and passion for each other just shines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve changed probably half a dozen times in our marriage, and I\u2019ve fallen in love with every single version of you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I laughed and loved through so much of this book, but there are scenes that are hard to read, and God, I felt so much! Kate Stewart knows how to wrench your heart, and she puts you through it in this one. But it\u2019s real and it\u2019s relatable and it\u2019s worth every minute of heartache to watch Thatch and Serena, and their kids, find their way through it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust remember when times get hard, when your problems are blinding you, that you\u2019re on a floating planet in the middle of a vast galaxy filled with the unexplainable, and the only thing holding you to it is an invisible force you can\u2019t see.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s funny and emotional, sexy and romantic, and it\u2019s achingly REAL. I loved this book.<\/p>\n

5 stars.<\/p>\n

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Holiday Hijinx<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Plight Before Christmas<\/strong>
\n*2021 FAVE*<\/strong><\/span>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sleight Before Christmas<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate\u2019s title, Drive, was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice awards for best contemporary romance of 2017. Her works have been featured in USA TODAY, BuzzFeed, and translated in five languages.<\/p>\n

Kate is a lover of all things \u201980s and \u201990s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Author Page<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Kate\u2019s Newsletter \u2013 Get a FREE book!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more awesome reads on our\u00a0Kate Stewart Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy: \u00a0Amazon Review \u201cRide or die, no fucks given, make out on a whim, Thatch and Serena in the house.\u201d 5 stars! A laugh-out-loud funny, yet emotional read that is both entertaining and all too […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":77408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,49,65,9,29],"tags":[1601,333,48],"class_list":["post-77737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-feeeeeeels","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-holiday-hijinx","tag-kate-stewart","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Sleight-Before-Christmas.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-kdP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/77408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}