Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

*Note: So, I have a thing for reading holiday themed stories.  The thing is, I generally lag behind by a month or so.  So, here I review a great story set at... Christmas.  Enjoy! ~Anne

Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Marriage of Convenience
Series: Willow Park #1

Published: 12/1/13

Reviewed by Anne

140 ebook pages

Jessica and her best friend Daniel agree to a friendly marriage.  Jessica has had a long time crush on Daniel (unbeknownst to him) and is pretty reserved socially and is despairing of finding someone to start a family with.  Daniel is a pastor who is being considered for the job to lead their small town church, but his unmarried state is a bit of a drawback for the church considering him.  Jessica talks Daniel into this marriage between friends.

So, I was really intrigued by a non-inspy book that featured people for whom religion was a large part of their life - a pastor!  I was lucky enough to get a copy from NetGalley and fired it up on my iPad one night at 11:30.  I was immediately hooked, and very emotionally involved in this book!  I was near tears - and HATE to cry while reading - but I loved it.  So I stayed up until 1:30am finishing the book, despite the fact that I'd be home alone with my four children the next day!  And I don't regret it!

The thing that had me near tears was watching Jessica truly love Daniel.  He loved her back, but it was more of a friendship love, and he seemed to be working hard to keep a boundary between them.  Then they'd have a moment where they truly seemed close, and he'd pull back and distance himself again.  Even though the story is told solely from Jessica's point of view, it seemed clear that he was developing feelings for her.  It wasn't too clear why he was sabotaging those feelings, though!  It was especially painful because his unintentional hurts seemed to pile right on top of some insecurities she was holding onto.

As a character, Daniel was very interesting.  Jessica was almost too perfect.  She was shy and not good at cooking, but, really, who cares?  She was emotionally perfect and a bit of a martyr.  It was believable to me because they were trying to apply logic to a very emotional situation, so I'll give her a pass on being an emotional Mary Sue.

There was a drawback to the single point of view of the book, and that was that some revelations about Daniel's character caught me off guard when I read them.  I really did feel like there was much alluding to them.

Despite these drawbacks, the story really worked for me.  And as the cherry on top of this emo romance, there was really well written explicit sex!  What?  Religious people who have on page sex?  I loved it!  I recommend this book and I'll be watching for more in this series!  (I'm rooting for a book about Daniel's brother, Micah!)

Snowbound with the CEO BY Shannon Stacey

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella

Published: 11/4/13

Reviewed by Anne

66 pages

Rachel has a crush on her boss, Adrian.  Adrian owns and runs a very successful construction/rehabilitation company, and unbeknownst to Rachel, he has a crush right back on her.  When they get snowed in together at a mountain resort, they spend some non-working time together, which leads to a weekend fling.

 

If I had a crush on my CEO boss and decided to have some no strings sex with each other, but then ended up falling for him, I think this is exactly how it would go down.  It's emotionally messy.  They work very well together, but when it comes to personal stuff, they stumble around and try not to step on the other's toes.  That was a little frustrating, but it felt so real!

 

The story was still that great Shannon Stacey mix of sweet and funny.  It's a quick and enjoyable holiday read that I recommend.

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar Jamison

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Secret Baby(ish), Holiday, Novella
Series: Perfect Fit, 1.5

Published: 10/1/13

Reviewed by Anne

111 pages

 

After reading Dangerous Curves Ahead, the first book in this Perfect Fit Series, I looked to see if Sugar Jamison had other books.  It turned out she'd already written this holiday novella.  I immediately requested it from NetGalley and was delighted to receive a copy of it.  When I realized it was about Dina, the toxic older sister featured in the first book, I was thrown off.  She was a total villain - someone I had no interest in seeing redeemed.  So I put off reading it.  My mistake!  It was good!

 

So, I read these two stories in order, but this novella really stands on it's own quite well.  

 

Dina is off to find her baby daddy.  She had a fling with him and when she told him she was pregnant he disappeared.  She's travelled across the country, on a bus, with her 10 month old son, to his home town.  To his family estate and mansion to track him down.  She's done a lot of maturing and changing of her ways since her baby, Dash, was born.  She wants his father to provide some security for him.

 

She's shocked to be shown in to see her ex-lover's brother and find out that her party boy baby daddy was killed in a drunken skiing accident.  Not only is the man she was looking for dead, but she's left with his brother, Ben, who she really didn't get along with the one time they met.  So it's a huge shock when Ben immediately offers to help her and Dash out.

 

"You are not taking my nephew to a cheap motel.  You will not be traveling with him on a bus.  Your destitution ends here."

 

"You're shitting me?"

"I shit you not."  (Kindle Loc 199)

 

This is the start of a wonderful holiday season.  (Did I mention this all happens in December?)  Dina agrees that she and Dash will stay with Ben until after Christmas, in order to give Ben and Dash time to get to know each other, and for her and Ben to work out an agreement for raising Dash.

 

I really enjoyed the humor in this story.  The relationship felt rushed, and not just because of the novella format.  It takes place over a couple of weeks, which is not a lot of time for them to get to know each other and fall in love.  Some things were a little too perfect - like their built in housekeeper/babysitter, but I really enjoyed the story.  

Snowbound with the CEO BY Shannon Stacey

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella

Published: 11/4/13

Reviewed by Anne

66 pages

 

Rachel has a crush on her boss, Adrian.  Adrian owns and runs a very successful construction/rehabilitation company, and unbeknownst to Rachel, he has a crush right back on her.  When they get snowed in together at a mountain resort, they spend some non-working time together, which leads to a weekend fling.

 

If I had a crush on my CEO boss and decided to have some no strings sex with each other, but then ended up falling for him, I think this is exactly how it would go down.  It's emotionally messy.  They work very well together, but when it comes to personal stuff, they stumble around and try not to step on the other's toes.  That was a little frustrating, but it felt so real!

 

It is a pretty short novella, but the story fit well in its pages.  It didn't feel rushed yet it ended well.  The main obstacle they faced seemed realistic and the way they worked through it was believable, too. 

 

The story was still that great Shannon Stacey mix of sweet and funny.  It's a quick and enjoyable holiday read that I recommend.

Heating up the Holidays

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze/Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella
Published: 10/28/13

Reviewed by Anne

303 pages

 

Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers (A) - First off, we start with Jenny, a microbiologist.  That's right, a story featuring a female scientist!  Woo hoo!  Her love interest is the physical therapist she's working with - and the conflict of interest there is very well handled.  The story is primarily about her personal journey to accept some changes in her life, and the love story is wrapped into that.  So good.  Mary Anne Rivers also wrote The Story Guy, which is one of my favorite reads of the year.  She is a new favorite of mine.  Fair warning - she writes in first person POV, from the heroine's side only.  And it works.  Very well!  I highly recommend this story.

 

After Midnight by Serena Bell (A) - Miles is in a funk at a New Year's Eve party.  He's been (falsely) accused of embezzling from a charity he runs and was subsequently dumped by his fiancée.  Then he sees Nora dancing across the room.  She is happy and full of life.  They make eye contact and she surprises him by coming over to see him. The story of where things go from there is very good!  Well written with touches of humor that made me smile.  I haven't read Serena Bell before but she going on my good list now!

 

Play With Me by Lisa Renee Jones (DNF) - So, I went into this one a bit hesitant because I associate with more suspenseful reads.  It had a strong start and I liked the heroine, but things started getting icky for me.  First our "hero" reminds one of his employees that she is "only cranky once a month."  That was almost the end for me, but I think I was hoping our strong heroine would put him in his place.  But before we know it she's essentially held prisoner for an entire day having her phone and computer and all contact with the outside world removed and no explanation given other than "there's been a breach in security and we have to follow protocol."  When our hero finally takes time to come tell her what's going on, she quits (yay her!) only to be seduced by the mere touch of his hand shackling her wrist.  Umm.  No.

 

Despite not finishing the Lisa Renee Jones story, I'd still recommend this book based on the strength of the other two stories.  This may turn out to be a favorite year after year for me!  How about you?  Do you have a favorite holiday romance?

The Scandal Before Christmas by Elizabeth Essex

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Reckless Brides #3.5
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay

Since Ian Worth has to take bride, he asks his superior officer about his situation. See, his older brother has been injured and isn't expected to recover fully. Ian is a Navy man and still active in his commission. His father the Viscount wants him to cancel his commission and marry so he can train him as the heir now. He knows he has to marry but he doesn't want his father's choice for his bride. Ian wants a quiet, unassuming girl. As he tells his superior about this, the man says he has a daughter, who is a spinster, who fits the bill. Ian is very interested. He tells himself that she needs to be pretty enough so he'll have no problem getting her pregnant.

Anne Lesley is the daughter/bride to be in question. She knows that she is plain and not pretty. She sees this possible marriage as her way of escaping her mother's over powering presence. She is very shy and doesn't talk much due to her self ego. After arriving at Ian's house, she overhears him saying hurtful but not unexpected things.

This was an okay read for me. It started off great but honestly, the setting was in the country and I prefer the city. I missed the ton and the shock value of their match it would've caused. Ian was a straight up ass in the beginning but finally redeemed himself. I don't know if I'll go on in the series as the sex scenes were kind of Meh for me.

Reckless Night by Lisa Marie Rice

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-Dangerous #3.5
Reviewed by Kay

This is a very short novella or very short story. It takes place after the novel  Dangerous Passion which I read years ago. It would be very helpful to have read that book first. It's not really a stand alone type of read.

Manuel and Victoria are a married couple living on a tropical island somewhere. They are very devoted to each other and happy. Their life is pleasant and safe which is a huge thing for them, especially Manuel. See, Manuel is really Vicktor (Drake) Drakovich and Victoria is really Grace. They had to change their names due to Drake's former occupation. He was an arms broker/dealer. A very successful and feared one. He faked his and Grace's deaths after an assassination attempt.

Grace throws Drake a birthday party with some new friends on their island and it goes very well. Drake wants to get Grace a Christmas gift that she'll enjoy. She doesn't care for flashy expensive things, so it is difficult for Drake to pick something. He finally decides on a trip to Sydney where he has never been involved with the arms trade before. He feels it will be safe for them.

I leave the story ending for you to read if you like. I love Lisa Marie Rice and enjoyed the epilogue of Drake and Grace. There's a juicy sex scene and a dramatic ending that Rice writes so well.

Share Me by Olivia Cunning

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild
Series-One Night With Sole Regret #0.5
Reviewed by Kay

This novella is a prequel to the series One Night With Sole Regret.

Lindsey and Vanessa are attending a charity benefit concert for a little girl with cancer in their hometown in Idaho. It is being given by Sole Regret, the rock band. Both of the girls are big fans of the band. Lindsey has a crush on the band in general but two of the rockers are on her "fuck-it" list. What this means is she'd get a free pass to sleep with them if she had the chance, no matter what her relationship status was at that time. Needless to say, due to their obsession with the band and the weather, she gets her chance.

This was a B rating for up until Lindsey slept with every member of the band, the tour bus driver and her best friend. I love Olivia Cunning and I love this series, but this one was kind of skanky for me. The "Eww factor" was huge for me with this. I will continue to read this series and can't wait for the next book due out in April.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I wanted so badly to finish this book in time to review it for St. Patrick's Day!  And then Spring Break happened.  Well, first the preparing for Spring Break and the four children I'd have home all day happened.  At that point I thought, "Well, I'll just finish the Jill Shalvis story and review that one."  Then school actually got out and my reading time disappeared.  So I didn't even finish the one short story!  I'm so sorry!  But, hey, I'm half way through the Jill Shalvis story and really enjoying it!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'll tell you about my favorite Irish character ever.  Roarke.  Yeah, I know, you probably already know Roarke. 

Naked in Death, featuring Eve Dallas (tough New-York-City-of-the-future homicide detective) and Roarke (I'm-so-rich-one-name-is-enough.)    How awesome are these two?  The 26th book in their series was released last month!  But I think it's not enough to read these books.  You need to listen on audio.  I feel like I'd recognize these characters if I heard them talking in another room.  The narrator is awesome.  The stories are awesome.  Roarke's Irish accent is awesome. 

So, if you need an excuse, hey, it's St. Patrick's day.  Get yourself an audio copy of Naked in Death and find something productive to do* while you listen, because if you're like me, you'll just want to keep listening, listening, listening.  


*things I do while listening to the In Death series: laundry, house cleaning, sewing, quilting, crocheting, walking, exercising, driving around town.  I've been known to drag out my to-do list just so I can listen longer!

Dirty Girls' Top Christmas Reads

I love a good Christmas story.  I got a list of Kay's favorites and put together this list of the Dirty Girls' favorite Christmas romances.  Our list ended up heavy on the contemporary and historical. If you have other favorite holiday romances, please add them in the comments!

 

Contemporary

Only Us by Susan Mallery - This is the sweet story of the veterinarian and and a pet groomer set at Christmastime in the town of Fool's Gold. (Kay)


Home for the Holidays by Sarah Mayberry - I don't konw if I've ever read a Sarah Mayberry book I didn't like.  This is one of my favorites.  The instant dislike between these two is very believable, which makes their journey all the sweeter. (Anne)


Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey (this novella is part of the Naughty and Nice anthology)  I loved this Carina Press Anthology.  My secret confession is that I very excitedly bought the Carina 2011 anthology, Holiday Kisses, and I have yet to read it! (Anne)


Lone Star by Josh Lanyon (part of the Men Under the Mistletoe anthology)  This is the novella that introduced me to Josh Lanyon, and started the Adrian English Glom of December 2011.  (Anne)

Historical

A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore - This is a story of second chances and what a person truly deserves. (Kay)


Scandal of the Season by Christie Kelley - A fun story of a woman posing as her enemy's mistress and her shock at her delight in it all. (Kay)

A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Ember
Kink Level-None
Series- Fool's Gold #10
Reviewed By Kay

This is the story of Evie Stryker and Dante Jefferson. Evie is the lone female sibling in the male dominated family of Strykers. She has been on her own since the age of seventeen with no real sense of family. Dante is her brother's business partner with no real sense of family either. The difference is that Dante at one time had it and Evie never has.

I have waited for this book and I have to say I was disappointed. The story was Susan Mallery's usual effort and I was engaged with both characters but on a hotness level, nothing! No on screen sex? What's going on Susan? Reading about them falling in love and their individual healing was good but simply not enough for this smut reader.