Only Santas in the Building

Under the Mistletoe Collection

By: Alexis Daria

Narrated by: Ruby Corazon

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially for a comic book illustrator whose late-night naughty fantasies become real in a festive and spicy short story by bestselling author Alexis Daria.

All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Alexis Daria’s Only Santas in the Building is part of Under the Mistletoe, a collection of sexy December romances to warm the cold winter nights. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.

©2024 by Alexis Daria. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Ruby Corazon brings festive cheer to this sweet and spicy holiday novella.… At the start, Corazon's voice reflects her stress, but she brightens up as Evie discovers anonymous Christmas ornament gifts left at her door—and gets delightedly flustered at any signs of her hot neighbor, Theo.… Corazon shifts into a huskier register for Theo's voice, with its hint of longing letting listeners know of his attraction to Evie even before she does. A delicious holiday treat.”—AudioFile Magazine

Light, sweet and cute

Lovely! This was cute, sweet, and light. Just about right for a one hour listen.

Cute

Cute holiday read. I enjoyed this better than the first book in the series. A little spice, a little sweet. Fun characters. Quick read.

Good narrator

Short, cute, spicy, neighbors. Obviously things move very quickly because the book is short. But the meddling neighbors are cute. The quirkiness and humor in this one was good.

I love a man who is pining

I thought all of these stories were so fun and I love a guy who is pining over a girl and when they finally get together it is magical. These are such quick stories but they packed a lot of butterflies in them.

So Cute!

This one was cute!!! Evie is a hot mess and so relatable and is getting mysterious ornaments left at her door and is not 100% sure who is leaving them but has her assumptions. She spends most of her time alone in her apartment working from home, but when she runs into her hot neighbor Theo, she always finds herself a blubbering mess around him. She decides she is gonna shoot her shot with him at the building Christmas party, and they hit it off instantly. Their banter is great and their personalities mesh so well together, and their chemistry is palpable. Their spice is great and she finds out that Theo has been into her just as long as she has been into him! It was a sweet little holiday novella with an even sweeter HEA.

I've never listened to Ruby Corazon before but she was a great Evie and did a wonderful job 👏

Instalove and holiday vibes

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
-Under the Mistletoe Book 5-

It was okay
2/3🌶️ (spice)
2/3🦋 (swoon)
4/5🎙️ (narration)

•My Thoughts•
I mostly finished this series because I just needed to complete it. This was fine - instalove but great holiday vibes and some sweet moments of swoon. I liked that the FMC was a comic strip artist! I think spice in a 60 page story is just frustrating for me. By nature of the number of pages, the spice to plot ratio is going to go up with even just one scene. I was annoyed with how the MCs fell into bed together but they redeemed it with some sweetness and depth after. Obviously, this is a personal preference and won’t bother some! Fun holiday vibes.

🎙️Narration Notes🎙️
Ruby Corazon did a fine job bringing this book to life. I didn’t have any complaints and enjoyed her accents.

The sweetest holiday romance!

This is the sweetest story on two neighbors in New York falling for each other during the holidays. So much so, that the elderly couple also living in the building helped set them up! This will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, ready to celebrate love, and Christmas Day.

Fun and Flirty Read Left Me Wanting More

🎄✨ Only Santa’s in the Building by Alexis Daria is a cozy, quick read from the Under the Mistletoe novella collection. It brings us Evie, a comic book illustrator, and Theo, her mysteriously hot upstairs neighbor. Their story unfolds in a close-knit apartment building where meddlesome neighbors, a Santa-themed Christmas party, and some festive mistletoe set the stage for their holiday romance.

Evie is single, artistic, and harboring a quiet crush on Theo, whose brief but neighborly interactions—like fixing things in her apartment—start to build some subtle tension. The older neighbors are hilariously determined to play matchmaker, and when Theo reveals himself as Evie’s Secret Santa, sparks finally fly. Their steamy moment post-party was fun, but the build-up didn’t quite deliver the level of excitement I hoped for.

🌶️ Spice Rating: 2/5
🎁 Overall Rating: 3/5

This novella was cute and festive, though a little slow-paced for my taste. While I didn’t find it the most memorable entry in the collection, it’s a charming holiday read for those who enjoy lighthearted romances with a sprinkle of spice. If you’re looking for a short Christmas-themed romance to cozy up with, this one might be worth adding to your list!

Channeling Mariah Carey’s Xmas spirit

“This is so much like my borrow a cup of sugar fantasy, I want to pinch myself.”
A frisky little gingersnap of a holiday novella, this had almost the perfect amount of sugar and spice.
Most importantly, this author clearly understood the holiday (and mistletoe) themed assignment.

“Is this where I make a joke about wanting to sit on Santa’s lap?”
Sure, things go all the way before Santa can twitch his nose.
And yes, there’s a few unnecessary F bombs.
And sure, this would have been hot chocolate perfection with duet narration.
But all I want for Christmas is a feel good holiday quickie.
Mission accomplished- let the Christmas season begin!

Fun

Cute and short. The building is an apartment where the heroine is in lust with her hot neighbor. They hook up at a Christmas party with the hero wearing a Santa hat. Some of the dialogue/thoughts were interesting like when the heroine thought: "Stuffing my stocking with your candy cane" before he does his dirty talk with the obligatory "good girl". It was fun.