for the Holiday by HelenKay Dimon
M/M romance
Jonahs crush on his former professor steadily grew through grad school, morphing into a steady rhythm of feelings the very quiet professor returned.
But one misunderstanding sets these two on separate paths, When the opportunity presents itself, will Cam give Jonah his Christmas miracle I loved Jonah! He was bright, lively, and knew what he wanted, Cam was super reserved compared to Jonah, but was adorable in his befuddled attraction, Together, they were one sexy, hot mess of chemistry and feelings!
Saved by the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders
When her boss makes an unwelcome sexual pass, Christa flees into the night.
Unfortunately for her, she hits black ice and runs off the road, Lucky for her, Micah hears and comes to her aid, Micah was a little broken, but his protective streak was a mile wide and hiding a huge heart of gold! Christa may have not been what this lonely mountain man was expecting, it Christmas miracles happen when least expected!
Stuck by Ainsley Booth
Hazel and Sam have a messed up history together and running into one another years later gives them an unexpected second chance to start over.
This was sizzling, yet very sweet read! I loved the duality of storytelling with Hazel, but Sam, . . talk about owning ones mistakes! Im excited to see where this series goes next!
Delightful read
Wonderful compilation of short love stories by some fantastic authors ! Each story just perfect for a quick lunchtime read , sweet , sexy and a little bit naughty! TLDR This is a super standout anthology and definitely more than worth the money!
His for the Holiday by Helenkay Dimon: A little bit meh for me.
I found the story rushed, like Dimon took a novel and chopped out bare essentials to make a novella, I wasn't quite sure what
attracted the characters to one another to begin withI didn't see them spend any time together honestly, and then suddenly there's a big, unexpected The second half is much stronger than the first, but it still didn't quite recover for me, especially considering it leads the anthology.
Dysfunctional by Eve Dangerfield: Cute, made me laugh out loud, especially the dedication, Dangerfield does a great job in such a short space, a satisfying novella is hard to pull off!! Go Eve!
Saved by the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders: Didn't love the hero, during his POV he kept thinking about how long he's gone without sex and intimacy but in generic terms and it felt kinda meh when the heroine was thinking very specifically about him.
Another rush job perhaps Also, he The ending was very romantic and I think this would have been excellent as a whole novel rather than a novella,
Snow Angel by Tamara Lush: Ah, the childhood friends trope, not a personal fav but well done here! I was a little nervous we were going to get a very tired trope but instead Also, I cackled out loud during the climax of the novella, I had such a great time, it was very funny, Lush also gave a nice touch of intricate family dynamics, flushing out the characters while still keeping the focus on their relationship, Another great novella! The hero has two siblings and I cannot wait to catch their books next!
Grievences and Glitter by Kelly Maher: Enjoyed this a lot! A rocker/mathematician i love romance novels and a successful lawyer, some family stress and hope.
Have Yourself a Billionaire for Christmas by Tracey Livesay: I was excited to see a biracial heroine even if it doesn't quite come up until the end, unfortunately I hated the hero.
He was pretty believable but not romantic,
All They Want for Christmas by Andie J, Christopher: I love a welldone M/M/F ! This was definitely rushed but it had good enough bones that I was willing to overlook that, one of my favorites from the anthology!!
Stuck by Ainsley Booth: I'm not one for second chance romances and tbh this anthology is big on that but I loved this story! I just felt.
. . great as it was ending, very warm and hopeful, I definitely will be seeking out more from this author,
Waiting in Vain by Charlotte Stein: Here's the thing, I definitely bought this anthology just for this story, but I am almostpositive it's a rerelease, and I am equally sure I don't care! I am a Charlotte Stein stan and will be until the end of time, probably.
God, I love her writing so much!! All the feelings you just feel so wrecked in the absolute best way, Loved it! What a mixed bag, And oh, some atrocious orthographical and grammatical mistakes, signs of poor editing,
The award for the most moronic thing to say goes to the Charlotte character in Tamara Lush's Snow Angel:
"It's Decemberrd, one the longest days of the year" Pos.
No, it is not. The day is just as long as any other of thedays in the year, The daytime, OTOH, is one of the shortest, which makes the nighttime one of the longest unless you're in the southern hemisphere, which this story is not set in.
My favorites:
Helenkay Dimon: His For The Holiday
Adriana Anders: Saved By The Mountain Man
Kelly Maher: Grievances And Glitter mature romanceyo characters, with a successful professional heroine, who decides not to have kids antistereotype romance win
Ainsley Booth: Stuck liked this one more than I thought I would
Tracy Livesay: Have Yourself a Billionaire For Christmas a little bit too cliché but still good
The meh:
Tamara Lush: Snow Angel see above
Eve Dangerfield: Dysfunctional a Cinderellastory, just a bit too sweet and smooth, but I really like the writing
The nope:
Charlotte Stein: Waiting In Vain /no/ dubious consent, and I didn't see the romance between the characters they meet once a year foryears, hardly speak a word to each other, and then bam it has a oldschool feeling to it, not really modern
Andie J.
Christopher: All They Want For Christmas /DNF/ this story has one of the most unlikeable, most despicable heroines I've ever encountered A holiday anthology from bestselling and awardwinning authors about the games people play when people get snowed in.
. . I'm so excited to be part of this anthology! My book in this collection is a friendstolovers trope, and it's about the children of two couples I've written about in other novels Tell Me a Story and Constant Craving.
It's probably the funniest thing I've ever written, and I hope you enjoy! Sometimes with these anthologies it can be a hit and miss, There can be some really good ones stories and others hat you skip through, not this one, I read and ENJOYED every single one, I have to say though that my favorite was Stuck by Ainsley Booth, From the first with the intro and that poem so hot I was hooked and needed to know who that poem was about and how / why it was written, it was definitely the hook that reeled me in.
I loved the idea of a train meeting and then to find out, well, I can't say cause that would spoil it, but it was a great twist.
Hazel and Sam are so open and honest, it was refreshing, Great chemistry. A few of the stories in this collection elevate the whole anthology! My favorites are by Adriana Anders, Ainsley Booth, and Charlotte Stein,
Adriana Anderss Saved By The Mountain Man is an absolute gem, All the hearteyes for Micah! Her writing just plain does it for me, especially when it comes to burly mountain men, Ainsley Booths Stuck had an absolutely delicious twist I did not see coming and I ate up that story and would have read so much more about that couple.
Finally, Charlotte Stein's Waiting In Vain was more proof of her genius, She does so much with so little, especially with her take on forced proximity,
These stories all pack a ton of heat, I still cant decide which story was the hottest: Kelly Maher's Grievances And Glitter or Andie J, Christopher's All They Want For Christmas,
The other four stories were not for me for various reasons, But I'll be revisiting the rest next Christmas for sure! His for the Holiday, HelenKay Dimon cute, fairly fluffy read, though I found it hard to believe that a crush could withstand six years of separation.
Dysfunctional, Eve Dangerfield I started this one and ended up skipping it due to editing errors and a general dislike for the characters and premise.
Saved by the Mountain Man, Adriana Anders one of the highlights, and one of the few that built a new relationship, rather than relying on past connections.
Plus, I do enjoy a grumpy, secretively sensitive, loner dude,
Snow Angel, Tamara Lush sweet and slightly steamy NA romance in a ski chalet,
Grievances and Glitter, Kelly Maher okay, not terribly memorable,
Have Yourself a Billionaire for Christmas, Tracey Livesay the description and the actual plot do NOT match at all, Instead of a menage situation, a real estate mogul and a, . . charity worker I'm not clear on her actual job who've had an almost one night stand get stranded in a mountain retreat together, sexytimes ensue,
All They Want For Christmas, Andie J, Christopher here's your menage action! Plus a big helping of brooding and damaged men, The story ends before any realworld repercussions can be worked out if they could be worked out, which I'm not sold on,
Stuck, Ainsley Booth Tied for my favorite in the anthology, Believable romance, fun characters, and better writing,
Waiting in Vain, Charlotte Stein ick, it started out with some supersketchy behavior from the hero, which I personally wouldn't welcome even if I had been nursing a crush like the heroine.
Second least favorite
While I came for the story by Adriana Anders, I'm staying for this incredible mix of authors, Some that I'm already familiar with and others that I've been excited to discover,
Saved by the Mountain ManSTARS!
by Adriana Anders
I have read every published book by Anders and not once have I been disappointed.
She creates some of the best beta heroes and Micah has just become a new favorite, Micah is a scarred vet who has purposefully isolated himself from the general population, After rescuing Christa from a harrowing car accident, they are forced to spend the holiday in his secluded home while waiting out a snowstorm, Micah's characterization was perfect as his insular world is upended by a lively and thankful Christa, I was drawn into the intimate world of this couple while they navigated forced proximity and attraction, As I've come to expect by this author, the story and characters were written with emotional sensitivity while coinciding with a sweet, sexy, and fun romance,
DysfunctionalStars
by Eve Dangerfield
This was a cute romantic novella about a jaded heroine bent on not trusting a new and interested hero who has her best interest at heart.
I enjoyed the quick read, There were a few editing errors, but it didn't distract too much, I loved the final sweet and funny "dating do/don't list" shared by both Jessica and Austin, Definitely an "Aww" moment. .