|Review| Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand

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Title: Snow-Kissed
Author: Laura Florand
Published September 1st, 2013 (self-pub)

Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: B

Goodreads summary:

Florand takes us to a snow-kissed Christmas cabin for this heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, forgiveness—and hope. After the utter destruction of her marriage and her happiness, Kai knew it was better to shut herself away from the world than to hurt and be hurt. Holed up in her mountain cabin, she planned to spend her Christmas alone. Until her not-quite-ex-husband shows up as the first flakes start to fall. Now should she send him back out into the cold? Or can she be brave enough to let this winter snow bind them back together?

(A novella of 34,000 words. Approx. 130 pages.)

Laura Florand has two published series but she ventured to the self-pub realm to publish this holiday novella about a marriage in trouble. So in my review of A Christmas Promise, we learned that I:

1) love the arranged marriages trope
2) I love the hate to love trope
3) I love Hardy Cates

And here is a new one:

4) I love marriage in trouble stories

Marriage in trouble stories have the capacity to be so romantic and so moving and beautiful but unfortunately, it's not a popular trope (but shout out to Making it Last by Ruthie Knox for being an excellent marriage in trouble novella that I highly recommend). So I'm always happy to find a good marriage in trouble story and Snow-Kissed certainly was excellent.

Snow-Kissed was everything I expect from a marriage in trouble story: emotional, moving, beautiful, and heartbreaking in a bittersweet way but ultimately happy and satisfying. I'm really glad Florand published this novella because it is beyond good. There is just something so unbelievably sweet about seeing a couple fall in love again and that is the case with Kai and Kurt. Also, Florand's writing is just so, so, so beautiful. She has a way with words. So not only is the story beautiful, but so is the writing.

Snow-Kissed works as novella, for anyone who has doubts. We get a glimpse of how Kai and Kurt fell in love and what tore them apart but the novella is spent on a snowy white mountain with the couple patching up their marriage. I will say though, I suffered from major deception when my Kindle told me that I had 10% left but I finished the book and the last 10% were all excerpts. I definitely thing the novella could have used another chapter to make the resolution less abrupt.

This novella is set during Christmas time and this is a vital time for Kai and Kurt. The year before, they spent Christmas separated and miserable so this time, Kurt wants to make sure he is with his wife so he doesn't get sucked by depression on such a special day.

An excellent romance, an excellent holiday read and a short quick read at 99cents, this is not a read romance fans would want to pass up!

Rating: [B] The writing is simply beautiful. I need an extra chapter but otherwise, a terrific read.

First:

The snow fell over the black granite counter in a soft hush of white.

---

Teaser:

She worked so hard to be done with tears like this. And yet their onslaught was almost comforting. Oh, there you are. I've missed you. I guess we;re not done with each other after all.

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(Review) Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

Title: Married for Christmas
Author: Noelle Adams
Series: Willow Park, #1
Published: December 1, 2013 (Createspace)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Digital galley received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: After years of dreaming, Jessica is finally getting married, but the marriage isn't exactly what she thought.

Daniel is her best friend, and she's known him all her life, but he's never gotten over losing his wife two years ago. His dream is to become the pastor of the church in their hometown, but the small-town congregation keeps balking over calling an unmarried minister. Since Daniel needs a wife and Jessica wants a husband and family, she proposes an arrangement that benefits both of them.

They can get married. They can build a life together. They can celebrate Christmas as a couple. It's fine that he doesn't love her. And it's fine that she's not exactly suited to be a small-town pastor's wife. And it's fine that she's more attracted to her sexy, brooding husband every day.

Jessica can be practical about this marriage. She knows what she's getting into, after all...

I was beyond elated when I stumbled across Ruthie Knox's post about this book a few days ago. A Christmas romance! With a marriage of convenience! Between two people who are already friends! Those are three things almost guaranteed to get me to read a book, ALL ROLLED UP INTO ONE LOVELY PACKAGE. Obviously, I needed to read it.

I am happy to say that Married for Christmas fully satisfied my rather high expectations. It was stunning. It made me swoon. It made me giggle quite a bit, because Jessica and Daniel's interactions could be quite amusing. It made me cry, because amidst the fun exchanges, there were buckets and buckets of angst. Watching as problems got resolved, as feelings were revealed? I was blubbering like a baby. Adams captured just how awkward it really would be to suddenly find yourself married to a good friend, despite thinking you were ready for it.

I loved Jessica's pragmatism and her willingness to put herself out there and go after the future she wanted for herself. She did have insecurities, but was honest about herself and her desires most of the time. And Daniel. Oh, Daniel. I do have a fondness for pastor heroes. He wasn't perfect. He had lost his first wife in a car accident two years before and still had not fully accepted that, though he thought he had. He was struggling with things he did not admit to himself or Jessica for a long time. These caused him to withdraw from Jessica, which was perhaps not the best coping mechanism. It led to tension between the two of them that had not been there before. This made for a very uncomfortable situation, given that their marriage was already unconventional. Daniel had issues to work through, and the two of them had issues to work through together. But by the end, I was completely sure about their love for each other and the fact that their marriage was solid and, despite its origins, 100% real.

This book did have a bit of theological and religious discussion - as one would expect - but was definitely not enough to classify it as an inspirational romance. There was quite a bit about the Christmas events Daniel's church was hosting. And it was great! This book really did have Christmas as an integral part of the story, and it made me very happy to see.

I was definitely a fan of Married for Christmas! It was the embodiment of several of my favorite tropes and did not disappoint at all. I will be looking forward to the next books in this series.

First:
Jessica Cameron had to propose marriage in a couple of hours, and she was a little nervous about it.

---

Favorite:
She knew he'd been comfortable financially, since he'd saved for years and didn't splurge on anything except books.

(*gigglesnort* Huh. Clearly I have been splurging on the wrong books.)

---

Teaser:
"For a rather infuriating man, you really might be the best husband in the world."
"I'm glad you recognize it."

*All quotes taken from an advance copy and may differ from final version.

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(Review) Take Me Home for Christmas by Brenda Novak

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Title: Take Me Home for Christmas
Author: Brenda Novak
Series: Whiskey Creek, #5
Published: October 29, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Lunch Break Read
Format: E-galley received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Christmas is a time for remembering. Too bad all memories aren't pleasant. Everyone in Whiskey Creek remembers Sophia DeBussi as the town's Mean Girl. Especially Ted Dixon, whose love she once scorned.

But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive. So when he goes missing, she secretly hopes he'll never come back—until she learns that he died running from an FBI probe of his investment firm. Not only has he left Sophia penniless, he's left her to face all the townspeople he cheated….

Sophia is reduced to looking for any kind of work to pay the bills and support her daughter. With no other options, she becomes housekeeper for none other than Ted, now a successful suspense writer. He can't bring himself to turn his back on her, not at Christmas, but he refuses to get emotionally involved. He learned his lesson the last time.

Or will the season of love and forgiveness give them both another chance at happiness?

Before I go into the review of the book itself, I would like to explain why I dislike the cover blurb. For one, it's misleading, implying that Sophia simply rejected Ted once upon a time. When, in fact, she was his long-time girlfriend and freaking slept with someone else. Just a tiny bit different. But my major problem is the wording of this: "But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive." I don't care how much of a bitch she was in high school. No one deserves abuse. Ever.

Now that that's out of the way, we can move onto the actual book.

I had a rather strange relationship with Take Me Home for Christmas. I came extremely close to DNFing several times (and I almost never DNF books if I've read more than 5 pages). You know why? Because NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. You think I'm kidding. I mean, the book did start with Sophia's husband dying in an attempt to fake his own death. But after that? It was a depressing snooze-fest for another hundred pages. Ted and Sophia didn't even SEE each other until 100+ pages into the story. What could have been conveyed in 2-3 chapters took 9.

But! I stuck it out. And I am glad I did! Because after they finally started interacting, things got good fast. Like, holy crap, you guys. I usually am not a fan of ex stories. In fact, I never would have requested this one, had I known (I guess that's Blurb Writer: 1, Sharon: 0?). But I am happy I did! Because that actually wound up being my favorite aspect of the story. This book was emotions galore, and it was BEAUTIFUL. It was smoking, sizzling, longing, angsty deliciousness. What it WASN'T was a story about people more in love with nostalgia than each other. And I love it a lot for that.

Another great thing is that this book did not feature a "likable" heroine. Sophia was horrid in high school (for mostly unnamed reasons). She had cheated on Ted in the past. She dealt with depression in the wake of everything that happened with her husband. She was a recovering alcoholic, which was a constant struggle for her. She did her best to stay strong because of her daughter, Alexa. But she was human. She made mistakes. Unfortunately, by the end, she was rather sickeningly good, to provide a nice foil against the horrible person she was supposed to have been earlier in life. I kind of just wanted to roll my eyes and say, "Yeah, she's nice now. WE GET IT!" But I did like the idea behind it.

Ted was quite swoon-worthy. He made a valiant effort to not be in love with Sophia, and I applauded his efforts to try to be logical about his approach to love. Of course, he failed. Because as he spent more time with Sophia, he fell in love with her. And even if he had carried a torch for her over the years, he fell for the current her, not only an idea of her. And I believe I've already spent several adjectives describing how I felt about that bit.

Unfortunately, I did have a problem with the fact that a book called Take Me Home for Christmas contained maybe a page or two related to Christmas things. It's just so frustrating to pick up a book, rightly expecting a book with a decent amount of Christmas, only to be disappointed when there's nothing more than a couple of throwaway references.

I also had issues with Eve. She was a fabulously friendly and strong female character who was willing to stand up and help Sophia and tentatively extend a hand in friendship...until Eve started dating Ted. And then OH NO, she could possibly even be friends with Sophia. Because Sophia might make a move on Ted. Eve went from Great Side Character Whom I'd Like to Get to Know straight to Grinchy Girlfriend in 2.8 seconds. Thankfully, she snapped back out of it, but I didn't really get why it had to happen in the first place. It didn't seem to go with her character.

Now you can see why I said my feelings about this book were complicated. I found a lot of things to be either boring or frustrating. BUT I was absolutely in love with Sophia and Ted and their love story. So in conclusion, I would say that Take Me Home for Christmas is worth reading for that alone.

First:
Sophie DeBussi’s husband was gone.

---

Favorite:
“Anyway, love doesn’t necessarily make a relationship successful.”
“No, but it gives you a hell of a lot more to fight for – and it makes life far more rewarding when you win.”

*All quotes were taken from an advance copy and may appear differently in the finished book.

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|Review| A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh

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Title: A Christmas Promise
Author: Mary Balogh
Published org. Dec. 1, 1992. This edition: Oct. 26th, 2010

Genre: Historical romance
Rating: A

Goodreads summary:

A love that cannot be bought or sold proves to be the greatest gift of all, in this heartwarming classic that demonstrates once again why New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh is among the most celebrated authors of historical romance.

Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions—especially when a couple seems as well matched as Randolph Pierce, Earl of Falloden, and his bride-to-be, Eleanor Transome. Ellie brings to the marriage a vast dowry, while Falloden, though distant, is handsome, tremendously desirable, and possessed of a title most young ladies can only dream of sharing.

Yet Ellie is not most young ladies. She knows that she must honor her dear father’s dying wish for her to wed the proud earl, but she dreads a lifetime in a union without love—and how can Falloden claim to love her when he married her only for her fortune? As Christmas descends upon the Falloden manor, the warmth of the season may yet melt away the trappings of duty and wealth, leaving behind only a man and a woman destined for each other’s arms.

I came across A Christmas Promise at this blog post at Heroes & Heartbreakers. I read the post and immediately decided that A Christmas Promise would be my post-finals read and boy, was it a good decision. I have honestly not enjoyed a romance as much as I did while reading A Christmas Promise in a while. It made me laugh. It made cry. It made me swoon. As in LEGIT SWOONING. My heart experienced ridiculous things while reading this novel, y'all. Like hoooly hell, talk about sweet romance!!

A Christmas Promise is an arranged marriage story and if you know anything about me, know that I love arranged marriage stories (and I love Hardy Cates, I'll never miss a chance to give a shout out to BED *wink*), and if you want to know another thing about me, I love hate-to-love stories. Not FAKE hate-to-love where the hate is actually secret love, no, I enjoy legitimate hate turned into legitimate love and this was the case with A Christmas Promise. Eleanor doesn't know Randolph. Randolph doesn't know Eleanor and they were forced into marriage under tough circumstances. They both had incorrect assumptions about the other so they both entered their marriage unhappy and not willing to give each other a try and it was GREAT. I loved the biting sarcasm. Eleanor is a new favorite heroine of mine. That lady is TOUGH and she knew how make to make things tough for Randolph.

"I thought perhaps," he said, "you might be interested in knowing me. That perhaps we might learn to be friends."
"You want me in bed," she said, and her voice was as chilly as his heart. "Shall I go there?"

Snap snap snap, GET IT. God, I love tough heroines. She might have been too stubborn at times, but who cares! Finally, a heroine that wouldn't take any shit from the hero!

"It was hatred at first sight."

It was!! However, since this is a romance novel after all, slowly but surely Eleanor and Randolph started getting along. First they made a pact to cut out the sarcasm and agree to live together in peace since they're joined until death does them apart. It was a gradual change from the animosity in the beginning to tolerating each other to learning about each other and opening each other's hearts to love (god, what a cheesy sentence. Who am I?). I. Loved. It. It reminded me of Confessions from An Arranged Marriage which is also a super well done hate-to-love romance novel that I will forever and ever love.

Another fantastic thing about A Christmas Promise, and the reason it's being featured during this Christmas feature of ours, is that it's a story set during Christmas time. Now, it's not a story conjured up from nothing to be sold at Christmas time for the holiday romance lovers, no, this is terrific story set during a terrific time and Mary Balogh does it justice. There is snow. There is sledding. There is mistletoe. There is family and it's it's just wonderful and real. Eleanor has a big, boisterous family and they made this book (and Christmas) fun. Pretty much 75% of the book is set during Christmas time and it's MAGICAL. The white snow, and illuminating moon and the sledding and the family fun. . . magical, magical, magical.

A Christmas Promise is a fantastic romance with even magical Christmas setting that makes this novel not just enjoyable, but a classic that I will revisit again, and again, and then again. Historical romance fans: this one is for you. Holiday romance fans: this one is also for you.

I know this is a super glowing review, but I truly loved the heck out of A Christmas Promise. It's a new a favorite historical romance of mine and when I say I will revisit this book, I really will be. This  is a romance that I need to experience more than once.

Rating: [A] A new favorite romance of mine that handles my favorite tropes PERFECTLY and it's also one of the best Christmas holiday romance books anyone can hope to read. I'm in love.

First:

The Earl of Falloden glanced at the visiting card resting on the slaver his butler held extended toward him.

---

Favorite:

She was still smiling at him. She knew his thoughts. He was sure of it. Just as a husband and wife should know each other's thoughts. It was a strange, unreal moment.

---

Teaser:

He was just going to have to take her as she was. She would be damned before she would change to please him.

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Christmas Mix: You Make the Cold Disappear

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You can't have a complete Christmas feature without music! If you enjoy Christmas music but are ready to stuff your ears with fake snow just to drown out the strains of the latest pop star whining about how they gave their heart away last Christmas, this is the mix for you! It consists of a variety of songs, from slow to upbeat, none of which should be overplayed by your local Christmas station.

I originally made this mix a few years back. I've tweaked it a bit over time - particularly for posting today, since some of the songs aren't available on Spotify - but it has stood the test of multiple Christmas seasons. I can put this mix on repeat for hours on end and never get tired of it. Hopefully, you get even a fraction of the enjoyment I've gotten from it! Without further ado, may I present You Make the Cold Disappear: A Christmas Mix.




BONUS! I know some of you don't get Spotify, so I made a YouTube playlist of all the songs, as well. Even better, you actually get the acoustic version of "You Make the Cold Disappear," which I prefer over the album version. Here you go: You Make the Cold Disappear (YouTube Playlist)

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(Review) Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

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Title: Sleigh Bells in the Snow
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: O'Neil Brothers, #1
Published: October 29, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: E-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green's favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year.

Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family's resort—it's in his blood, and he can't let it fail. Now that he's got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus.

Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she's out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it's terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?

For some reason, when I picked this book up weeks after I looked at the summary for it, I was thinking it was going to be a snowbound together story. Not quite sure why I thought that, but there it is. I was prepared for something cute, fun, and sexy. And that's what I got. But you guys, I also got so much more.

Sleigh Bells in the Snow was not a story about two people being snowbound together, but a family business on the brink of going under. Jackson had come home to do his best to keep Snow Crystal Resort & Spa afloat, but they were lacking publicity. That's where Kayla, workaholic and super marketing genius, came in. Jackson's grandfather was sure Kayla could not come up with a decent campaign for Snow Crystal without truly experiencing it, so Kayla was to stay on the property for a week first. Thus, Kayla decided to come immediately. After all, Kayla wanted to escape Christmas, and a secluded cabin in Vermont is the best possible way to barricade yourself away, right?

Wrong. At Snow Crystal, Kayla found Jackson's family, and they were all about Christmas. There are few fictional families I've ever loved as much as I do this one. Shannon Stacey's Kowalski family. Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family. But the O'Neils are a class all of their own. And my favorite thing about them was that it wasn't just the official O'Neils. There were a couple family friends in the mix who were clearly just as much family as the ones related by blood. As that is very much how my own family operates, I absolutely love seeing it in books. The O'Neils were close-knit and clearly loved each other, but they still gave each other a hard time and even fought sometimes. The interactions between the three brothers in particular were simply fantastic. Each character was clearly presented and unique, and while each stood out individually, they were very much a collective unit. Jackson's grandfather loved Snow Crystal and was resentful of Jackson for changing so many things. Jackson's brother Tyler was doing his best to raise his teenage daughter who had just come to live with him. We even got some sneak insight into that relationship with a little bit of their perspective, and it makes me so excited for Tyler's book. Not to mention the fact that I'm already falling all over myself with how much I want his love story with Brenna. But I digress.

Due to issues from her past, Kayla was extremely uncomfortable with both Christmas and the open affection of the O'Neil family. It broke my heart to watch her go through this. I've read a lot of books where the hero or heroine hates Christmas due to something tragic in their past, but I think this was the best handling and explanation of it that I've ever seen. Though a little dramatic, it felt authentic, and I loved seeing Kayla slowly open up and conquer her fear caused by the past.

Kayla and Jackson had some great interactions. It kind of reminded me of "The Proposal," actually, with the closed-off, workaholic city girl out in the middle of nowhere and learning to adapt and open up with the help of a very hunky guy. Even though their story basically took place over a week and thus they had pretty quick relationship development, it never felt rushed. They had great chemistry and had some butterfly-inducing almost moments, which ultimately led to things getting pretty steamy but never gratuitously so, which I appreciated. There were so many more important things to focus on! Like Jackson teaching Kayla to ski, which made me giggle:

“Want to try again?”
“Why not? I think there might be a centimeter of my body that isn’t bruised, and if I’m going to be black-and-blue I’d prefer to be black-and-blue all over. I like a uniform look.”

Or even Kayla bonding with Jackson's mother, which nearly made me cry.

Speaking of crying, I want to bawl over the fact that the next O'Neil book doesn't come out for another six months. And Tyler's book, which I'm most eager to read, doesn't even have a release date yet. But I will wait for it. Oh yes, I will.

Also, just a moment to look at how freaking cute the cover is, because it needs to be admired. Now, moving on.

You guys, I don't even quite comprehend why I loved this book so much. It was one of those times when everything just clicked. The amount of Christmas in the book was just right, not just a bit just shoved in there as a marketing technique. I loved the family. I loved the characters. The setting was positively magical. The writing was fantastic. I may not be able to fully explain it, but I can tell you one thing: This was my first Sarah Morgan book, but I can guarantee you it most definitely will not be my last.

First:
Kayla Green cranked up the volume on her favorite playlist and blocked out the sound of festive music and laughter wafting under her closed office door.

---

Favorite:
I preferred snow when it was my desktop image.

---

Teaser:
To hell with professional, it’s Christmas. People do crazy things at Christmas.

All quotes taken from an advanced copy and may appear different in the final version.

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Guest Post: April from Good Books & Good Wine on Christmas Traditions

Click on the image above to learn more about Fortnight of Festivities and enter in the giveaway!All my Christmas fanatics in the house holla at me! Besides being a fan of awkward slang and talking like a youth, I am totally a big huge fan of Christmas and am beyond pumped to be here today at The Book Barbies to tell you about one of my favorite Christmas traditions and how it got started in my life.



Y'all, I used to watch The Weather Channel on Christmas Eve while trying to fall asleep. I know that is so weird but it would always soothe me. Anyways, one Christmas Eve back when I was in high school, I traded this habit for another Christmas Eve TV experience. You see, I was flipping channels and landed on NBC where they were airing a black and white movie. I was captivated, also the lead was pretty darn good looking. (Jimmy Stewart, ILY FOREVER)



LOVE!

After some IMDBing and some googling, I found out that the movie was It's A Wonderful Life and you guys I became something of a fan that night. Flash forward to the next year, and I am wandering downstairs even though, you know, that's where Santa is, when I find out my mom is watching It's A Wonderful Life at the same time I am. So, I stay downstairs and we end up watching the movie together.



Every year after that, when I have been home, I have always watched It's A Wonderful Life on TV on NBC on Christmas Eve, even though I totally have the DVD and yes, it does get play through out the year. There's just something so magical to me about George Bailey coming to accept and cherish his lot in life and realizing just how important he is. And yes, you guys, I sob every single time when they collect all that money to help George. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I can't help it. I love it.



ALL OF THE SOBS OF HAPPINESS YOU GUYS

Have you seen It's A Wonderful Life? Is watching it a tradition in your household too? If not, what are your Christmas Eve traditions? Let me know in the comments -- I am so excited to learn about you!

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog, April! It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorites, too.

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(Review) Big Sky Christmas by C.J. Carmichael

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Title: Big Sky Christmas
Author: C.J. Carmichael
Series: Coffee Creek, Montana, #4
Published: October 1, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Stash in the Glove Box
Format: E-galley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Jackson Stone will always be grateful to the Lamberts, who took him in when he was just a kid. But since the accident that killed his foster brother, Brock, he stays away from the family at Coffee Creek Ranch. Especially now that Brock's former fiancee, Winnie Hays, is back in town with her little boy.

The simmering attraction between them may surprise Winnie, but Jackson fell for her at first sight years ago. Loyalty and guilt require he keep his distance, even as their feelings blossom into love. In the end, it's his own conscience Jackson must master. But with the help of the Lamberts, can this Christmas be a time of healing and a new beginning?

When I first read the blurb for Big Sky Christmas, I knew I absolutely had to read it. Let's see how many of my favorite tropes it has. Christmas romance? Check. Long-time crush? Check. Forbidden love? Check. Potential for major angst? Double check. How could you go wrong?

Well, unfortunately, it did.

First of all, there was the secondary character overload. Holy crap, but there were a ton of people. Yes, I jumped into the middle of a series, but it's a romance series, not A Song of Ice and Fire. I should have been able to navigate it without needing a character diagram. I basically just gave up and decided to stop trying to keep track, because it was a waste of time and energy. Most of them weren't even necessary. But the book opened in a wedding where EVERYONE was, and all the introductions were made at once. No, thanks. Eventually, I caught on to two or three who were important, and that was enough for me.

Then we have the main(?) story: the romance. Jackson was Winnie's dead fiancé, Brock's, foster brother, and he had been pining for Winnie for years. Surprisingly, Jackson and Winnie didn't have nearly as many hang-ups about this as I would have expected. Given that this was the case, I am glad they didn't drag it out too long. Because the excuses they did have not to get together were about as thin as a sheet of paper. It would have dragged otherwise. But their relationship progressed - at least in the beginning - at a pretty good pace. But then came even more obstacles.

Now, you might be confused regarding the question mark in the paragraph above. Wouldn't the romance be the main story of the romance novel? You would think. And yes, it was in a way. But in reality? Every single thing revolved around one very obnoxious and annoying old woman named Olive, Brock's mother/Jackson's former foster mother and apparently the devil incarnate. Nearly every bad thing in the book could be traced back to her, and 98% of the drama in the story was influenced by her in some way or another. And I didn't freaking care about Olive or her opinion, and I didn't really get why anyone else did, either.

There were some positive aspects to the book. Winnie's son was adorable, and it was great to see Jackson interacting with him. They had a couple scenes that made me smile. The small town atmosphere was charming. I liked Jackson's foster brothers. Jackson and Winnie's love story was believable. Overall, the story was cute, if a little frustrating and fairly underwhelming. I would recommend reading the others in the series first, which would no doubt help with the character overload.

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(Review) Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis

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Title: Merry and Bright
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: September 24, 2013 (Kensington)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: Paperback, borrowed from the library

Summary: Jill Shalvis is back with a collection of three endearing, sexy, and yuletide-filled short stories.

I'm sure it came as a surprise to absolutely no one that I was salivating over this book. Even though I'm not always a fan of short stories - I prefer the more long, drawn out variety - Jill Shalvis can simply do no wrong, and I want to read everything she writes. And what's a Christmas elf to do when one of her favorite authors puts out a Christmas collection?

Read it, of course!

And I did. I sped through this book pretty quickly! The fact that it is broken into three different stories makes it seem to read faster than a normal book of its size. I'm going to go ahead and break it down by story, because the three were completely separate. They had no connection whatsoever, aside from the fact that they all took place around Christmas.

The First Story: "Finding Mr. Right"

This first story sucked me right in. It was about a chemist named Maggie who always went for guys who were exactly like her: intelligent, motivated by work, and not overly romantic. So due to some encouragement by her sister, Maggie decided to go after something different: a night with Mr. Wrong. And who should be there to be her Mr. Wrong but Jacob, the sexy architect she'd crushed on in high school.

This was a really cute story with a surprising bit of mystery/adventure thrown in. In fact, aside from the fact that Maggie was a very different sort of narrator, the whole thing read very much like a Stephanie Plum novel. Entertaining, sexy, and a very quick read, "Finding Mr. Right" was quite the fun way to spend a morning.

The Second Story: "Bah Handsome!"

This second story had a rather interesting premise: B&B owner Hope had taken a loan out from her (very pre-epiphany Scroogeish) step-brother, and his (adorably geeky and yummy) solicitor was there to assess whether or not it appeared she would be able to pay it back on time. And then he got snowed in. One of my favorite tropes!

Unfortunately, this one shared quite a few elements with the first story and thus failed to stand on its own feet. With some stronger editing, I think it could have been really good. But it was a little weak, and reading it right after the first story kind of felt like reading the same thing over again with different names. And quite a bit more snow. It was cute, though.

The Third Story: "Ms. Humbug"

The third story was about Cami, a strictly by-the-rules woman who was annoyed by no one more than Matt: hard-working office playboy - and recently appointed mayor/Cami's boss.

I think this was probably my favorite of the stories. Due to the length of the story, their relationship had to progress rather quickly. But although it did feel a tad rushed, I believed it could happen. Matt and Cami had known and respected each other as fellow hard workers for a while, even if Matt did set Cami's teeth on edge. In a fun trope change-up, though, it wasn't mutual! Matt knew he pressed Cami's buttons, but he had always been intrigued rather than put off by her. They also had some fabulous chemistry, which is hard to create in the space of only 80 or so pages. I could also see how some people might be put off by Cami as a narrator, but I really liked her character and seeing the story from her perspective.

These stories weren't anything ground-breaking, but they were definitely enjoyable! If you're looking for some entertaining holiday reading that doesn't take itself too seriously, this collection is a fabulous choice.

First
For two months, Maggie Bell walked past him every day on her way out of the office, and every day she took in that tall, leanly muscled body, those incredibly well-fitted Levi's hanging low on his hips thanks to his tool belt, and forgot everything else just to take it all in.

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Favorite
It was the right thing to do, the polite thing to do. Thank-you-for-the-perfect-sex cookies.

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Teaser
He couldn't have been more stunned if he'd just been hit head-on by a moving freight train. He'd just had the best sex of his entire life. On the ground. In the great outdoors. In the wilds of Colorado. In the snow.

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Fortnight of Festivities 2013: Books for Everyone on Your List

Welcome to the second annual Fortnight of Festivities! Fourteen days of Christmas fun, books, movies, music, and a giveaway! First up, I wanted to do a gift-giving guide. I've seen several over the past couple years, and they're always so fun! So I decided to make one. I tried to cover lots of possibilities, from fathers to hipsters to Janeites. Enjoy!

Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Ulysses by James Joyce
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn

All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release by Philippe Margotin
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Pride and Prejudice (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) by Jane Austen
Among the Janeites by Deborah Yaffe

George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade & Don Yaeger
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Doctor Who: The Vault: Treasures from the First 50 Years by Marcus Hearn
The Hobbit: Deluxe Pocket Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean
Now, for the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I showed you what books I would treat myself to for Christmas, but what about you? What book would YOU choose to buy for yourself? Or, even better, what book would you like to win from the giveaway? Bonus question: Are there any difficult gift recipients you'd like to see on next year's list? Let me know!

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