Naughty but Nice - Donna Kaufmann (Kensington - Nov 2018)

Series: Hamilton (Book 3)

Businessman Griffin's never believed in luck...until sassy-sweet small-town baker Melody turns his world around. Except there's a catch: There's no way he'll be able to build his empire and hold on to her. His new "lucky charm" could destroy all his dreams...or make this Christmas better than he ever imagined possible...

Good story about a man who is all business until he meets a woman who teaches him how to enjoy life a little. Griffin is an Irishman who has come to the US to build a resort that is set to change the character of the small town where it will be located. Not everyone is pleased with his plans, especially bakery owner Melody.

There's more to Griffin than first apparent. He has concentrated on business and shut off his emotions because of the things he went through growing up. He never felt like he fit in and was bullied and abused by various family members. It was recently revealed that his father was adopted and Griffin has come to Hamilton to get to know his "real" family and learn about his inheritance.

Melody grew up in Hamilton, then left to become a lawyer in Washington DC. She came home to support her best friend who was dying of cancer, found she liked being a baker, and took over the bakery when her friend died. She has done her research on what happens to towns after Griffin's company "helps" them, and she doesn't like what she sees.

Griffin and Melody strike sparks off each other from the beginning. There is a definite attraction between them. I loved their first meeting, as Griffin was in search of coffee. She made her displeasure with him and his plans quite obvious there and again at the town council meeting. I liked the way that Griffin went to her shop that evening to talk to her about it and ended up staying to help. Griffin was amazed by the desire he felt to tell her things about his past, things he doesn't share with anyone. Within a short time the two of them find themselves giving in to their attraction. It was interesting to see the two of them get closer, obviously falling for each other, while agreeing to disagree on the plans for the town. Melody believes that their relationship will last only until Griffin moves on to his next project and wonders how she'll handle it when he's gone. Meanwhile, Griffin comes to realize that what he feels for Melody is much deeper than he had ever expected. I loved seeing his big moment at the end, and how his feelings for Melody had changed his views of his family. While the story never had the big conflict that I expected from the opening scenes, it ended up being a pretty sweet romance.

Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells - Donna Kauffman (Kensington - Sept 2018)

Series: Hamilton (Book 2)

Holly hates the yuletide season more than ever since she inherited her mother's Christmas novelty store, but her childhood pal Sean's determined to warm her up -- to Christmas and to him. When they uncover a diary concealing secrets involving both their families, this could be the Christmas that changes their lives forever...

Sweet and speedy holiday story. Holly was shocked when she found out that her parents had decided to retire and move to Florida. She was even more flabbergasted when her mom turned over her Christmas and antique store to her. Holly has never been a big fan of the holiday season. Born on Christmas Eve, her birthday always got lost in the holiday season. Not only that, but Christmas was an all year, 24/7 event. As she put it "When you hear the words 'Santa is watching you', it was the literal truth. There were Santas everywhere." It was bad enough that when she graduated from high school, she went to college in England and stayed there, returning home only once or twice a year. Now she has taken time off her job to come home and decide what to do with the store. Keep it open, lease it, or sell it? Within moments of arriving at the store, she encounters Sean, her high school crush, who runs the restaurant across the street.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Sean and Holly. Sean was a couple of years older and had been the popular sports star who always had a crowd of people around him. He has a large, boisterous Irish family. Holly was the quiet, nerdy, only child of older parents. She had a huge crush on Sean, but was too shy and intimidated to do anything about it. Though he'd smile and wave at her, she never felt that she was his type. Unknown to her, Sean had just as big a crush on her. He may have been popular, but always felt that he wasn't the type to appeal to someone so smart. Not wanting to risk rejection, he didn't pursue his interest. When he saw Holly arrive, he was determined not to let the chance slip through his fingers.

There are sparks between Sean and Holly from the start. Sean quickly learns about Holly's antipathy toward Christmas and is determined to show her how wonderful the season can be. Holly resists Sean's advances at first, as she doesn't expect to stay in Virginia once she deals with the store. But Sean's persistence, coupled with the sparks between them, starts to break down her defenses. I loved the sweet way he'd look out for her, bringing her meals and getting her to take breaks. Things start to heat up between them, but Holly is still not sure she's ready to risk everything by making that big of a change. The discovery of a diary containing a big secret brings them closer together as they search for the truth. I loved seeing Holly realize that staying in Willow Creek might be exactly what she needs if she can let herself take the chance. I loved the twist that gave her the push she needed.

I enjoyed the mystery of the diary. This is a continuation of the secret that made its first appearance in the earlier story, Unleashed. Sean and Holly were surprised by what they found out and not sure what to do with the information. I liked the way they worked on it together. There was an appearance by Trevor and Emma from the previous story, as they discussed the ramifications. I'm looking forward to the next story to see how it all works out.

 

This story was originally published in the anthology Kissing Santa Claus (Brava - Oct 2009)

Unleashed - Donna Kauffman (Kensington - Sept 2018)

Series: Hamilton (Book 1)

A raging winter storm and a holiday spent pet-sitting reveals there’s more than one kind of animal in the house . . .

When Emma Lafferty is hired by a billionaire CEO to watch his pets over the holidays, she expects to enjoy a quiet Christmas in opulent surroundings. What she doesn’t expect is to spend the week trapped in the mansion with Trevor Hamilton, the CEO’s sexy great-nephew—and heir—whose motives are as shady as his desire is crystal clear . . .

This was a sweet and funny story with a bit of heat to warm up the winter chill. Emma has been hired to watch over the pets and house of billionaire Lionel Hamilton. It's just the boost her fledgling pet sitter business needs. She walked away from her perfectly good, but extremely boring accounting job, but it's a slow process to build up her clientele. I enjoyed Emma's running commentary to herself as she drove through the ice storm, then once she arrived at the house. I loved her happiness at being with the animals. The dogs were adorable and the parrot was a hoot! But Emma got quite a shock when she discovered that she wasn't alone in the house.

Trevor got quite a shock too. He knew his uncle and the staff were gone but didn't know that there was going to be someone staying at the house. He had hoped to have the place to himself to find what he was looking for and get out, with no one the wiser.

The development of the relationship between Emma and Trevor is very fast. There were sparks between them from the moment they met, but there was also a real connection. It was fun to see Trevor try to talk his way around why he was there, and Emma not fall for it. There were some pretty funny scenes as he tried, and I loved the moment in the library as he finally realized he'd have to come clean. I felt for him as he explained it all to her, and loved the way that she understood how important it was to him. The attraction between them also grows quickly, and it doesn't take long for them to stoke their own flames. Trevor is fascinated and enthralled by Emma, who isn't the least bit impressed by or interested in his bottom line, something he isn't used to. Emma has a little trouble believing that rich and sexy Trevor is interested in more than just a quick fling, but is eventually convinced.

My only disappointment is that the answers Trevor was looking for were left hanging. I did get the feeling that they will come up again in the next book, so I will definitely be on the lookout for it.