Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Friend or Mistlefoe 
AUTHOR: Arielle Zoelle
PUBLISHER: Sarayashi Publishing
LENGTH: 198 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 18, 2022
BLURB:
The only thing worse than Mingo not living out his Christmas rom-com fantasy is having his sworn enemy be the one to make all his holiday dreams come true.
I’d rather roast my chestnuts over an open fire than spend a single second around Marley. So when that grinch shows up at my apartment to hang out with my friends over Christmas break, I’m ready to deck his halls, if you know what I mean.
After he starts an argument with me, I take advantage of the mistletoe hanging above us to end it with an impulsive kiss to shut him up, once and for all. But I make one crucial miscalculation: Marley kisses to win, and I refuse to lose.
Now, I want to jingle his bells and make it a white Christmas. It must be a holiday miracle that I went from hating a guy to wishing he’d plow me like the snowy roads.
Can we call a truce long enough to make it a not-so-silent night?
Friend or Mistlefoe is a standalone novel in the Sunnyside universe. This comedic enemies to lovers gay romance is full of holiday cheer and naughty Christmas banter. If you love cute sweetness, sexy fun, and no angst stories that will make you laugh and swoon, you’ll enjoy this festive HEA without cliffhangers.
REVIEW:
Mingo’s friends arrive at his place after they are done with the semester. They are all grad students. When Carmine shows up with Marley, Mingo’s enemy, things go a bit haywire. Marley and Mingo are extremely competitive and Mingo hates how everything about Marley is so perfect. He’s smart, handsome, also competitive about academics. But when he swings into Mingo’s holiday pun and fun territory, well all bets are off.
In an effort to shut Marley up, Mingo kisses him under the mistletoe. This leads to some hate sex – except Mingo likes it WAY too much. All this dislike has clearly been three years of foreplay. The UST is off the charts. Their chemistry in the bedroom is on fire! Despite all their protestations, these two are perfect for each other.
I will admit that I am a sucker for a good pun. This one is chockfull of them! Holiday ones at that 😉 I really want a few of the hilarious holiday mugs described in this story. I haven’t read any other books in this universe, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying this story so it works as a standalone. The borderline hate sex was very entertaining. These two really do use their fighting as foreplay 😉 Even the cat (with the perfect Christmas name) loves Marley despite Mingo’s wishes. This story is told from alternaing POVs so we get to know both characters and how they really feel about what’s happening between them. It’s a quick, fun and sexy read with a happy Christmas vibe. If you’re down for the enemies to lovers with a super sweet epilogue of an HEA, this one is for you 🙂
RATING: 
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