Monday, July 30, 2012

A Very Merry Christmas Anthology

Type: Contemporary Romance, One with slight paranormal
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I LOVE anthologies like A Very Merry Christmas. Lori Foster rarely disappoints and she teamed up with some wonderful storytellers for this one. Bruce and Maynard were complete mysteries for me since I've never read them before but I really loved both of their contributions and will definitely be reading more of theirs in the future. This really was a great anthology. Fun, sweet, sexy with a whole lotta heart and damn good twist in one of them I didn't see coming. If you're looking for something that will make you smile and just bring a little cheer into your day A Very Merry Christmas is the perfect thing.

Do You Hear What I Hear by Lori Foster 
Sergeant Osbourne Decker has been asked to look after pet psychic Marci over the Christmas holiday by his boss because she thinks someone is stalking her. She may be hot but Osbourne is off crazy women. And ones who think they're pet psychics and steal donkey's from nativity scenes are so on that list. 



LOVED IT! This was such a fun read and the characters perfect for each other. I loved that Marci's a little kooky and talks with animals and that she knocks him a bit off kilter and flusters the heck out of him. With pilfered donkey's, a pet psychic and two crazy rescued dogs thrown into the mix things could get a little outlandish but I love it. You never quite know what's going to come out of her mouth and Osbourne, who turned out to be an amazingly sweet hero, had some fantastic inner dialogue. It's a nice, satisfying read and pretty steamy and humorous to boot. Well done Foster!
The donkey nibbled on his butt. 
"What the hell!" Leaping a foot, Ozzie jerked around. The donkey was right there, not two inches from him, his ears laid back and his big brown eyes soulful. How had the damned thing moved so silently? 
"He's just being friendly." Marci shared that special smile that felt like a caress. "He likes you." 
Appalled, Ozzie said, "He likes my ass." And he backed out of the donkey's reach. 
"I do, too." 
No, no, no. He wasn't about to touch that one. "It'd help if you'd just be quiet, Marci." 
Unaffected by his dark mood, she laughed. "Lighten up, Osbourne. It's not my fault, or the donkey's that you have such an irresistible bod."
Bah Humbug, Baby by Gemma Bruce
A year after going through a bad break up Allison and Lee's scheming siblings have decided (without them knowing) to set them up for the holidays with a surprise getaway to a small town resort. And now the two are stuck together in a little town that's brimming with Christmas cheer an forced to deal with each other and the fact they've never fallen out of love with each other. 
I love quirky small towns and second chances at love so I really liked this one. Allison and Lee are one of those sadly sweet couples that are so good for each other but have let something come between them and can't seem to get over it. Things get very steamy and passionate right away with these two as they embrace this crazy little town and the holiday spirit. I was really surprised how things turned out in the end and got little goose bumps for a while there. This was a nice pleasant, easy read and the ending completely got me. I'll definitely be hunting down other books by Gemma Bruce. 
By Firelight by Janice Maynard
During a fierce snow storm Madison miraculously lands on Grants doorstep in the nick of time and finds herself stranded with a delicious mountain man she can't resist. 
Oh I'm really liking Maynard. Even though this was one of those instalove stories that usually put me off I totally fell for it. It takes a lot for me to go along with them so pretty impressive on Maynard's part. This was such a fun read with characters I would have loved to spend a lot more time with. Maddy and Grant had a lot of playful silly moments together with snow ball fights and dirty scrabble games. Mix in some very serious heartwarming moments and a damn lot of sexual tension that finally plays out in a delicious way and you've got a damn fine read and one of my favorite short stories to date. Loved it. 
"Sweetheart, you're the prettiest thing I've ever seen. You're a knockout, honest to God."

Her scowl was underlaid with an entirely unexpected vulnerability "You haven't even seen me with all my clothes off."

He chuckled. "I've seen a lot... and I've groped the rest."

Her lips twitched. "Does that smooth, romantic banter get you hordes of women?"
Get Your Copy:    Amazon    Barnes&Noble    

Have you read these ladies before? Have a favorite short story? 

4 comments:

  1. I like this book too. As you know LF is one of my favorite authors. I liked the other stories too. BY FIRELIGHT is one of my most favorite Christmas stories ever! I just loved it when I read it the first time & have read it many times since. In fact I might just read it again today. LOL I've read some of Janice's other books too & really liked them. And I talked with her at the Get Together and she was so, so nice.

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    1. It's gonna be one I'll reread again too Tonya. She really impressed me and boy at the end she had me crying. Glad to hear her others are good too! I've got one that I had her sign at the event but haven't picked it up yet. I'm thinking it's going to be an August read :)

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    2. I have one too that she signed. A Harlequin one & I got a t-shirt with it. Did you get a shirt? She also has a few erotic romance under the name Elizabeth Scott. I haven't read any of those though. http://www.rtbookreviews.com/author/janice-maynard

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    3. I saw those shirts but didn't snag one. I got Improper Etiquette signed. Sounds interesting. A group of girlfriends find an old how to snag a man etiquette book and set about finding their men. Says it's an erotica one. Didn't know she wrote as Elizabeth Scott. All the different names can be so confusing!

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