Krampus and the Crone by Honey Phillips [Review]

Krampus and the Crone (Horned Holidays #1) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 4, 2020

Horned Holidays
1. Krampus and the Crone - Kindle
2. A Gift for Nicholas

Honey Phillips
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Can a horned alien warrior and an isolated woman grant two children their holiday wish for a family?

Jaelle is lonely. Ostracized by the village, like her mother and grandmother before her, she poses as an old witch in order to eke out a meager living selling herbal remedies to people who don't want to admit they need her help. When children start disappearing from the village, she is determined to find an answer to the riddle. She doesn't expect to find a massive, horned alien - one who sees through all her disguises.

Since crash-landing on K.R.S Three, Commander Krampusarian D'Marchandar spends his time working on his ship and secretly observing the other inhabitants. During his explorations, he discovers a strange, beautiful female. It is an impossible attraction - but when he sees her treatment at the hands of the other villagers, he decides she is his to protect.

A sweet and steamy holiday tale featuring two precocious orphans, a determined heroine, an unexpected hero, and, of course, a very happy ending!

Thoughts on Krampus and the Crone: I have no problem admitting I have a great, big soft spot for normally civilized aliens falling for their special someone in an unorthodox place and time. No problem at all. Frankly, Krampusarian is adorable. He might be from a technologically advanced society, but Jaelle brings out the beast in him. He'll fight tooth and claw to keep her safe and he'll be socially awkward to the extreme after.

LOVE IT!

Yup, Krampus is a little uptight when he first interacts with Jaelle. He doesn't quite know how to deal with all the physical responses her presence causes and, well, things get interesting. Plus, our dude steals a kid or two (for entirely noble reasons...kind of. I mean, he's trying to stick it to the guy who's mistreating one of them and things kind of escalate from there. And by that, I mean, suddenly he finds himself the ward of two kiddos and THAT'S JUST ADORABLE IN ITSELF because he's a pretty good dad-figure and I LIKE IT!) and ends up with a ready made family before he knows it.

As for Jaelle, she's the local witch-woman who has more than a few secrets of her own. Finding an alien hiding out on her mountain doesn't rattle her nearly as much as it could have. And, heck, he's kinda cute in his uptight, stuffy way and those horns, amirite?!?! Anywho. She's a good fit for our socially awkward alien and I like them together.

Krampus, man. Who knew he'd be such fun!