Christmas has never been hotter than in this sizzling new anthology featuring novellas from three top romance authors: Lori Foster, Karen Kelley, and Dianne Castell.
The Christmas Present by Lori Foster
Series: Brava Brothers (Book 3)
Beth Monroe wants revenge on her cheating fiancé, and Levi, the cheater's best friend, is happy to oblige. But holiday cheer takes on a whole new meaning as their one-hour tryst stretches on. . .and on...
Sweet, intense friends to lovers story. Brandon, Levi, and Beth have been friends for several years, at the same time Beth and Brandon have been engaged. That engagement came to a screeching halt when Beth discovered Brandon cheating on her. Furious, she ran to Levi, looking for a little revenge sex. It was just going to be one night, but the fire between them was so intense it lasted the whole weekend. Beth was so freaked out by what she felt and did that it sent her running home to her family, with Levi hot on her heels.
I loved Levi. I loved how he showed up and made it clear to everyone that he was determined to win her. He'd been in love with her from the beginning, but she was his best friend's girl. He couldn't help but notice everything about her, and that attention to detail came out in their friendship over the years. I loved watching as he talked his way past her walls and showed her how much he cared. The biggest obstacle was the fact that he hadn't actually said the words of why he wanted to marry her.
I loved Beth, too. Though her motive for sleeping with Levi wasn't the best, it did show that she trusted him. Her freak-out at the intensity of their connection was understandable, as she went from being engaged to Brandon to realizing that she may have been in love with Levi all along. It was a lot for her to process, and being near Levi made it impossible for her to think. I liked the scene in the hotel room where he promised to back off physically but used the time to remind her of how many good times they'd had together. Though Beth finally admitted her feelings to herself, she still wasn't sure why Levi kept saying he wanted to marry her. Without those three little words, she wasn't about to chance making another mistake.
There was a hilarious scene involving the ex-fiancé, who showed up stinking drunk to try to get her back. I thought both Levi and Beth were remarkably restrained in dealing with him, especially Levi. He did redeem himself quite nicely at the end, both in his words and actions, and being the catalyst that broke through that last barrier between Levi and Beth.
I also enjoyed the parts that Beth's family played. Though her brothers were protective, they also recognized that Levi loved her. I liked how they supported him. I also loved the conversation between Beth and the women in her family. They helped her break free of her embarrassment and see the truth of how she felt. There were also sweet scenes between each of the couples, which makes me want to read their stories, too.
It's a Wonderful Life by Karen Kelley
Series: Southern Heat (Book 3.5)
Hollywood hottie Jeremy Hunter is spending Christmas researching his upcoming role. But going incognito as a preacher in a tiny Texas town brings wicked temptation in the form of beautiful Bailey Tanner...
Fun story. Jeremy is an actor whose antics have gone just a little too far. He was in danger of losing his next role, one that he really wanted because it was different than anything else he'd done. However, the studio was doubtful that he could pull off the part of a preacher. So he went undercover as a traveling preacher, riding his Harley through Texas. When he stopped to eat in Two Creeks, he ended up hurting himself and had to stay in town, and had to maintain his preacher façade. Not easy to do when all he wanted was to get much closer to Bailey.
Bailey is a fourth-grade teacher who was drawn to Jeremy from the moment she set eyes on him. It was her flirtatious wink that caused him to fall and sprain his ankle. This left her feeling guilty, so she invited him to stay in her guesthouse until he was healed.
The development of their relationship was fast and fun. The sparks between them were hot from the start, but both fought them hard. Jeremy, because he's pretending to be a preacher, and what he wants to do doesn't fit the persona. Bailey, because she believes that he's a preacher and therefore above what she has in mind. I liked how Bailey showed Jeremy around town and got him involved in things like the local Christmas play. Though at first, Jeremy was more interested in seeing how well he could fool the town, it didn't take long for him to realize that he liked them. Added to his acceptance at Bailey's family dinner, he started to feel an unfamiliar emotion - guilt. When the sparks between Jeremy and Bailey turned combustible, Jeremy freaked out at the effect it had on him and ran. But try as he might, he couldn't forget Bailey or deny the effect she had on him. I ached for Bailey when she found out the truth and didn't blame her at all for some of the things she said. I had to laugh at how they were reunited. The ending was pretty sweet. I really liked Jeremy's appearance in front of the town. Seeing him bare his soul in front of everyone was emotional, and I liked his big moment with Bailey. The epilogue was great, and the tagline was the perfect cap.
I liked the secondary characters of Bailey's siblings and friends. I liked Wade's super-protectiveness and Bailey's reaction to it. The family dinner was fun, and I liked how the family members drew Jeremy in. Their effect on Jeremy was eye-opening for him, just seeing what a normal family was like. I also loved how they all rallied around Bailey when Jeremy left, and their willingness to go after him. Their part in bringing them back together was hilarious. I will have to go back and read their stories.
Home for Christmas by Dianne Castell
Series: O'Fallon (Book 4)
LuLu Cahill is having a terrible Christmas, until she heads home to O'Fallon's Landing, where jilted groom Sebastian Moore is going through with his pre-wedding holiday bash. All he needs is LuLu to fill in for the bride...
My least favorite of the three stories. Lulu went home for Christmas, broke, pregnant, and dumped by her fiancé. In a mood, she was hanging out in the town gazebo, mentally grumping about all the happy people she saw. There she encountered a man she called "Handsome" escaping his own problems. Sebastian was supposed to get married on Christmas Eve, but his wedding was canceled. But with family in town, the festivities were going on anyway. Thanks to an immediate and intense attraction between the two, they had a "quickie" encounter right there in the gazebo. They then went their separate ways, not expecting to see each other again.
The next morning, Lulu was working her shift at the diner when in comes Sebastian, shocking her into dropping a tray full of dishes. There went any hope of keeping their knowing each other a secret. Another encounter later in the day, with the sparks flying between them, set them up for matchmaking hijinks from Sebastian's family. Because of it, Sebastian and Lulu try their own matchmaking efforts to take the heat off them, all the time finding it impossible to keep their hands off each other.
As the story went on, the truth came out about the end of Sebastian's engagement, showing him as protective but clueless. That same clueless attitude kept him from admitting his growing feelings for Lulu. Meanwhile, Lulu was avoiding thoughts of a relationship with anyone, as she believes she has "bad man karma" because all the guys she's been with have left her. The whole craziness with the matchmaking setup was funny, but not really believable in the romance department. Lulu and Sebastian declaring their love after only about 36 hours was stretching things.
On the positive side, Sebastian liked Lulu just the way she was. She complained about being "fat," but Sebastian reminded her she was pregnant. I liked his attitude when her ex showed up, and he was there to back her up when she told her family about being pregnant. Lulu was just kind of fun. She tends to blurt out whatever is on her mind creating some amusing moments. I liked her determination to be independent, though it did create an obstacle between her and Sebastian.
I liked the families. I read the original O'Fallon books about ten years ago, so I don't remember much about them, but seeing them years down the road was nice. I liked their support of Lulu, and also that they liked Sebastian.
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