Silent Night

Twisted Holidays #1

by M.L. Philpitt

People are greedy, and Christmas intensifies this to sickening heights. Most don’t need the stuff they ask for—but I do. Which is why, while families enjoy their holiday cheer and traditions, they don’t see me slip in and out of their homes, snatching their possessions.

This house should be like all the others. I’ve watched and planned. When the residents announce a last-minute vacation, it becomes entirely too easy. In, out, and it’ll be over.

Until it isn’t. Until she catches me in the house. But this isn’t the first time she’s seen me.

She thinks it’s a coincidence. I say it’s fate. And now, I understand why people get spoiled during this time of year.

Because now, there’s one more thing I want to steal. One thing I’m growing too obsessed with, too greedy for to release.

Her.

Genres: Christmas, Dark Romance, Holiday, Novella, Romance, Dark, Spicy

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2024

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author M.L. Philpitt writes both dark romance and paranormal romance. When she’s not writing made-up realities, she’s reading them. She lives in Canada with her four pets and survives life with coffee and an obsession with fictional characters, especially the morally grey kind. By day, she masks as a therapist, and is still waiting for her Hogwarts letter so she can be sorted into her Ravenclaw house.

Reviews

[Yana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is actually the worst thing I’ve ever read

[rouss♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

౨ৎׄ ˖ ݁𖥔💀 ݁𖥔˖ . ─── 2 0★ 〬𓂂 ׄ

I just finished Silent Night, and honestly, it wasn’t what i expected. The story has a good concept, but it feels rushed and lacks proper development. Too many things happen so quickly that they barely make sense, and i couldn’t connect with the characters the way i hoped.

The stepbrother was a disgusting character and incredibly hard to tolerate; his attitude and behavior were so unbearable that i couldn’t understand how Hayley put up with him for so long. This made it even harder for me to connect with the story and her decisions. On top of that, many important events felt resolved far too easily, leaving more questions than answers. I also noticed that the author repeated certain ideas or phrases multiple times (though not throughout the whole book), which pulled me out of the reading experience.

As for the spicy scenes, while there are some intense moments that capture attention, they aren’t enough to make up for the overall flaws in the story. I wish they had been better integrated into the narrative instead of feeling somewhat disconnected from the rest of the development.

In summary, this book just wasn’t for me. I’m giving it 2 stars because there are some redeeming ideas, but i feel the story needed more space to grow and make a stronger impact.




౨ৎׄ ˖ ݁🖤🥀 ݁𖥔˖ . 🎄🖤 pre-read :
─── started on December 17/2024♡───
───finished on December 19/2024♡───

[➦Paulette & Her Sexy Alphas · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Twisted Holidays)
M.L. PHILPITT


Saint has always despised the Christmas holidays, and for good reasons… in his eyes, it was unfortunately the day he was born, and every one of his twenty-six years on this planet, not one of them holds a positive memory. Adding to the fact that it was the very day that fifteen-year-old Saint got kicked out of the foster home that he was in. Ever since that day he has been a drifter living Day by day town by town.


The Grinch snuck into people’s homes to steal Christmas cheer.
Saint’s gonna sneak into yours to steal you…
Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas…lock your windows.
Or don’t.
No one’s judging.

This was the perfect quick holiday novella




This one is for the romance readers who crave a bit of darkness this holiday season……… Happy reading see you on the other side

[౨ৎ emily ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

first half like a 1 ⭐️ and second half 2 ⭐️ because it didn’t have all AS many cringe Christmas lines as the first half,

. I think the nick name Sweet girl is ruined for me.

here are some of the cringe lines for your entertainment or lack thereof:

“It’s okay, my sweet girl. I gave you a taste of danger and that’s why you were hoping I’d come to finish the job.

”pet over her core” What is she a dog? lol

“From my pocket, I take the bow and place it above her hood.” So she’s a car now ? LOL

”petting her clit” AGAIN? woof woof lol

”Her head lifts up, her arms shaking as rapture overcomes her.” Annnddddd now he’s god (I can’t make this shit up)

There was tons more just cringy ass christmas stuff that made me laugh and just want to curl up and die but alas I made it through. The last 30 percent really wasn’t terrible but 70 percent I wanted to pluck my eyes out lol

Also this is suppose to be a dark romance, but honestly the way that man spoke with his christmas lines … things like
visions of sugarplums visiting her dreams rather than me. JUST BADDDDDD LOL

This had a small stalker aspect so I’m thinking that’s why it’s considered dark romance and the guy is slightly morally grey or “tried to be” lol

2.5 ⭐️ overall and i’m being pretty gracious lol

Literally seeing this review a year later and laughing my ASS off

[Bookshelf🧸ྀི ⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ྀི · Rating 4 out of 5]

⊹₊⟡⋆ 4.3⭐️ ❆𖢔𐂂꙳
────୨ৎ──── 💚❤️X🖤🥀

This novella is so good!!🎅🏼SAINTTT🥵is so hot!!! His name might be saint but he is NO SAINT!!😮‍💨😏It was Christmas related with too much spice🌶️! Hayley and saint ended up their story so cute!!🥺🫶🏻I loved how they met at first when they were really young and accidentally met up again!🤭I would highly recommend this bc it’s almost Christmas and gurll it’s dark!!😍👏🏼😮‍💨

Tropes:
🎄stalker romance
🎄Touch her and die
🎄Holiday romance
🎄Christmas smut
🎄Daddy vibes
🎄Dark romance

Favourite Quotes:

❤️ “If anyone, your stepbrother or otherwise, even considers harming you, I’ll hunt them the fuck down, Hayley. I don’t care if I have to travel from one end of the country to you, I’ll always protect you. Even though I can’t keep you, you’re mine now, and I protect what little I can call mine.”

💚 “He was trying to hurt her, so I’ll hurt him. It’s as simple as that.

❤️ “You’re safe,” “He’ll never go near you again. No one will ever hurt you, sweet girl. Not if they want to live.”

💚 “Hayley is mine. On the streets or in this house, against a gang or against one asshole stepbrother, I’ll always fucking protect her.”

❤️ “December twenty-fifth has always been a shitty day for me. It’s my birthday, and no day before meeting you has ever been truly worth living.”

💚 “You mean, this whole time, it was your birthday too? You never said anything!”
“Didn’t have to. My wishes already came true.”

❤️ “I was about to steal, hid me, and then robbed from me.” “Robbed fr⁠—” “You reached your little, innocent hand into my chest, twisted, and ripped my heart out, keeping it for yourself”

💚 “You stole Christmas that night. You stole me. Now, you’ll have to keep me.”

[itsjessamess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I get it

[Tia Toro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really picky when it comes to Novellas since they are so short - but I absolutely loved this one.

It’s literally short, sweet & a little spicy 🌶️ 🖤

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

╭ ✦ •
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 ⊹
╰ ✦ •

Hmm, this wasn’t bad.
for how short this was i liked how the characters had depth to them
Honestly wouldn’t mind a longer story with these two!

_________________________________
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[Alina Syrotiuk]

Я не очікувала чогось неймовірного від цієї новели, тому впринципі вона мені сподобалась🙃

Сейнт - 26 років.

Хейлі - 18 років.

Сейнт виховувався у прийомній сімʼї, поки одного дня його не викинули на вулицю виживати самостійно. Він не знав що робити і щоб вижити почав красти різні речі, а потім прокрадатися в будинки заможних людей. Сейнт ніколи не залишався на довго в одному місці, завжди переїжджав щоб крадіжки ніколи не звʼязали з ним. Понад все він зневажав Різдво і багатіїв, які на це свято показували всю свою жадібність.

«Ніхто й ніколи не зізнається в жадібності, бо вважали б її вадою і не хотіли б з нею асоціюватися, але жадібність - рушійна сила людських вчинків. Ніхто давно вже нічого не робить просто так. Завдяки їй багаті залишаються багатими, а бідні - бідними. Кожен живе по-своєму: або прагнучи кращого, або сподіваючись зберегти все як є.»

Хейлі молода дівчина з забезпеченої сімʼї, яка завжди звʼязується з «поганими хлопцями» в надії врятувати їх чи виправити. І коли одного разу після сварки з батьками вона повертається додому та помічає в кабінеті батька незнайомця, дозволяє йому вкрасти все що він захоче та піти безперешкодно.

Це було легке чтиво, хоч і зазначають що це дарк роман — для мене це «лайтова версія». Так головний герой з сірою мораллю, для нього не проблема вбити заради захисту коханої, так він одержимий і сталкер (в якійсь мірі) - після цього всього, те що описали в фіналі видалось якось дуже ванільно😅
Враховуючи кількість сторінок звісно любовна лінія розвивається дуже швидко, але інколи це не проблема а навпаки плюс. В даному ж випадку, я не відчула хімії між головними героями.
Тому ставлю цій новелі 3/5⭐️ (все ж кілька цитат я виділила, і з деякими думками головного героя згідна)

[Lisa Diamond-Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this!! This was the perfect quick holiday novella I needed!! I loved Saint and he stole and melted my black heart. The spice was great!! Is it realistic.... no but it's a book and I loved it!!

[KellyJ1028 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a quick read, something dark/spicy for Christmas with stalker vibes, you’ve found it!! While this was VERY spicy 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️, I really loved the story of Saint & Hayley .

[Chrissy Santillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never want to hear a man call any woman “sweet girl” I learned that during this book.

[Tarynla☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s got touch her and die mixed with Christmas vibes. Was there a lot of cringey lines from the MMC..of course. But we can move past it this time.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a lot of fun! Since it’s a novella, I went in with pretty low expectations. I usually struggle with shorter stories, though I’m trying to get better about that.

I loved both MCs and thought they were perfect for each other. The MMC’s backstory was heartbreaking, and I related so much to the FMC that she honestly felt like me on the page.

For a novella, the story flowed really well and the ending was nicely done. It did feel a bit repetitive early on, but that eased up as the characters and story developed. Overall, I really enjoyed this and think it makes a great holiday romance with a touch of suspense.

[Vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREEDY….



“Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas...🎄
lock your windows.
Or don't.
No one's judging”


I read this novella on a whim and I enjoyed it. It was a dark romance but ended up being sweet. It was also quite romantic when we got to the end. That last line was the cherry on top 😂

[natka_bookish_life · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
did i liked it~ yaaas!
did i need much muuuch more ~ YAAAS!
definitely was too short for me and the world!
but it was so well written reading this was such a pleasure i can’t even!

[Destiny Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
This was honestly just a spicy, good time🔥
I love that the MMC gave classic grinch vibes.
The overall storyline was super fast paced for being a novella, & kept me on the edge of my seat !!

[Kelsey R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay but I love Saint

[Kyla Tate 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never read a stalker romance but I oddly enjoyed it. Good amount of spice & drama

[cátia · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was fun i guess, i wanted to know saint's back story a little bit more but yeah it's a short spicy Christmas novella so i get it! i liked the characters liked that hayley that first time let him steal with no care in the world like go you and saint was fun the whole novella was fun actually it gave what it needed to give sooo nothing out of this world but still entertaining

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was on the high side of 3 stars closer to 3.5 only because I wished it was more fleshed out and longer.

I liked the concept a lot. Saint is basically a modern day Grinch and in this book he’s stealing from Hayley’s parent’s house on Christmas. Also he hates Christmas! Hayley is all too willing to let him have things she thinks her parents have too much of but Saint not only steals their presents but Hayley’s heart too. This was very short and spicy. It was mostly smut but it was still enjoyable. There’s more sex scenes than anything and I do wish their relationship was more fleshed out. The epilogue is Saint going to get his girl after a month of being apart so we don’t see their future at all. It’s very HFN. Still liked it though.

NO CHEATING OR SCENES WITH OP
NO OW DRAMA
OM DRAMA (Hayley’s creepy stepbrother wants her and makes it known)
NOT REALLY A BREAK UP BUT THEY DO SEPARATE THIRD ACT AND ARE APART FOR A MONTH AND A HALF
HFN

[Neapolitan670 📚🖤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s was a real quick Christmas read. A different take on a stalker who’s extra curricular activities lead to this and other, shall we say nefarious and spicy activities 🤭

I really enjoyed this storyline, like something I could relate to…not that I’m a stalker or am I? Not that I am a thief or am I? Not that I have been homeless or have I? See it’s quite relatable 🤫
Their interaction was lovely, and let’s face it consequences have actions and Bentley deserved his imo, I maybe slightly unhinged myself though, so feel free to ignore me 🫥

[Milica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ but they’ve both in desperate need of therapy just like me💀

[Beth Roger aka Katiebella_Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very little plot

He breaks in and she wets herself for him. Eye roll. Let's just get naked for the robber. Dumb and pointless not even very good writing. But no spelling errors and good grammer so that gets a star!

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little stalker moment from a criminal that breaks into houses? Sign me up.

It was a wild ride this one. I think if you’re looking for a little bend to reality with a criminal with a grinch complex, this would be right up your alley.

Saint is hardened by his childhood and on the streets for a chunk of his adult life. He steals from the wealthy in order to have money to live when he meets this girl who not only protects him, but helps point him out to which gifts have the most value so he can eat and have a warm place to stay.

It was a spicy novella that was just a fun read around the holidays. Would I invite Saint to steal from me? Maybe. But he’s a sweetie deep down so don’t judge.

[Tyler Kruchkywich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a dirty lil read 🙈

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rtc

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

"You stole Christmas that night. You stole me. Now, you'll have to keep me"
Spicy and dark take on a Christmas novella.

[Joy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good. I wish this was a full book not just a novella because I could’ve read way more about the two main characters. Dark Christmas romance mixed with the grinch?! Yes please 🤤🤝