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My Review:Title: 12 Christmas Romances To Melt Your Heart
Author: Catherine Gayle, Jami Davenport, Riley J. Ford, Emma Roman, Allie K. Adams, Geri Foster, Tammy Falkner, Tawdra Kandle, Chris Keniston, Katy Regnery, Jodi Vaughn, Becca Boyd
Published by: Indie
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 632
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Holiday
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:
Blurb:100% of the proceeds from sales of this anthology go to the Autism Society of America and straight into support groups for families touched by autism
Count down your Christmas holiday with a fantastic assortment of holiday romances written especially for this set. Humor, drama, suspense, and military heroes abound. Fall in love with new characters from a series you've never read and learn more about characters from your favorite author's series you've been dying to hear about.
Each book is EXCLUSIVE to the anthology and NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. Help us support a cause near and dear to each author in the set and to so many we love.
From NYT & USA Today Bestselling Authors & More!
~ Catherine Gayle ~ Mistletoe Misconduct ~ Portland Storm Series ~
He says everyone deserves a second chance. She thinks it’s high time for him to turn that idea around on himself.~ Jami Davenport ~ Hearts On Ice ~ Game On Series ~
Drawn together by tragedy and broken apart by practicality, can two lost souls find each other again during a magical holiday season?~ Riley J. Ford ~ Romance. Avalance.Love ~ Romance.Earthquake.Love sequel ~
Feisty Brooke has finally met her match when she meets a sexy world traveler on Christmas Eve. Sparks fly during their steamy one-night encounter...but has she just met the love of her life?~ Krystal Shannan writing as Emma Roman ~ The Runaway Sleigh ~ Somewhere, TX, Bachelors Series ~
Kidnapped from her front yard by Santa, a woman who hates Christmas finds unexpected joy in a holiday she swore to ignore for the rest of her life.~ Allie K. Adams ~ Merry TREXmas ~ TREX Series ~
Christmas turns to chaos when all the McKoys get together for the holidays. It takes a 12-yr-old autistic boy and his faithful companion to teach them all the true meaning of TREXmas.~ Geri Foster ~ Holiday Mischief ~ Twisted Sisters Series ~
The five Avery Sisters create a little Holiday Mischief and find romance in the process.~ Tammy S. Falkner ~ Yes You ~ Reed Brothers Series ~
You might remember them. They have two children named Reagan and Lincoln. Find out how their love story started in Yes, You. One bad boy, one good girl. The question - Who? Me? Yes. You.~ Tawdra Kandle ~ Underneath My Christmas Tree ~ Always Series ~
When two hearts ignite, the most unexpected gifts can turn up under the tree.~ Chris Keniston ~ Love Walks In ~ Aloha Series ~
Annette Deluca believes you only get one chance at the love of a lifetime. It's up to Michael Becker and his young autistic son to prove her wrong.~ Katy Regnery ~ Marrying Mr. English ~ Blueberry Lane 1 - The English Brothers Series ~
Long before the English brothers met their wives and girlfriends, their father, Tom, captured the heart of their mother, Eleanora. Travel back in time to Christmas 1981 and find out how it all began!~ R.L. Syme writing as Becca Boyd ~ As We Dream By The Fire ~ Line of Fire Series ~
Sadie never expected a handsome firefighter to crash into her living room on Christmas Eve, but when her tree catches on fire, he could save more than her life...~Jodi Vaughn ~ Christmas In Cloverton ~ Cloverton Series ~
A blizzard, a lost cat, and a little bit of Christmas destiny gives Eliza a chance with the man she's loved from afar for too long.
3 stars overall — I bought this anthology for one specific novella, but I wanted to read them all b/c I’m a holiday season reader! This was definitely a hit and miss set of novellas. I think there were a few that were really merely fan service, and so were not as enjoyable for someone who hadn’t read the rest of the books in the series. And then there were some I just simply didn’t enjoy. But I found a few gems that were sweet and perfectly Christmas-y, and I left the book I’d been waiting for til the last and it was a perfect ending. So here are my reviews for the individual stories:
Mistletoe Misconduct ~ Catherine Gayle
3 stars — For a girl that hates cheating, reading about the aftermath of it happening was hard for me…I’m about as forgiving as Elaine originally was. So there was that. And apparently I’m also ageist b/c I found I wasn’t as sucked in to the romance of this older couple. But maybe that wasn’t age so much as the story was just meh for me? I don’t know. It was nice, just not outstanding.
Hearts On Ice ~ Jami Davenport
3 stars — I think I might have enjoyed this one more if I’d read the previous books featuring these 2 characters. Not that you had to to understand the books (there was sufficient background). I just didn’t feel invested in the characters. But then again, that’s hard to achieve with a short story anyways. Also, the one word steamy scenes (they made quick fun love; they made slow love) was kind of startling (disappointing — I’d rather have fade to black). I wonder if it’s always like that in her books.
Romance. Avalanche. Love. ~ Riley J. Ford
2 stars — Uh no. Didn’t enjoy the characters at all. I’m just not a forgiving kind of reader, and the hero’s behavior in the relationship was just atrocious (well, maybe not quite that strong of a word, but I can’t think of a better one). I was also not a fan of his recklessness. So when you don’t like the characters, there’s not much left, you know?
The Runaway Sleigh ~ Emma Roman
3.5 stars — I was a little bit thrown by the heroine at first…that much anger and bah-humbug was kind of hard to fathom. But otherwise I thought the story was quite sweet, and for a short story it had some good things going for it. Peter was adorable.
Merry TREXmas ~ Allie K. Adams
2.5 stars — first things first, for an anthology that’s named 12 Christmas *Romances* to Melt Your Heart, I kind of expect a romance you know? And there definitely wasn’t one in this short story. I think this one was geared towards readers of Ms. Adams series, b/c for the life of me I could not keep up with all the different characters, and even the shifting POVs.
Holiday Mischief ~ Geri Foster
2.5 stars — Another book with multiple POVs that I didn’t understand, and only a hint of romance near the end. I just didn’t feel it that much. There was a lot going on, so the plot wasn’t quite as clear. The “Father” was quite the jerk too.
Yes You ~ Tammy S. Falkner
3 stars — Had some uber sweet moments, but then mixed in some volatile moments that I was less sure of. Everything happened kind of quick, but that’s the nature of short stories…
Underneath My Christmas Tree ~ Tawdra Kandle
3 stars — a bit of a different take on a romance, with the girl wanting the no strings sex and the guy holding out. I liked that even in a shorter story we could see the relationship sort of building over time. I wish we’d been told what happened in Trent’s past that had him taking a break, but I guess that’s why there’s another story for them coming.
Love Walks In ~ Chris Keniston
4 stars — OK, this one was just all sorts of sweetness and “awwwww” and laughing at the sassiness of Annette. Loved how Annette and Mike interacted with each other, and thought the glimpse into life with an autistic child was well done (not that I would know, but you know). Ended a bit abruptly though…or at least I wasn’t expecting to turn the page and have it be done.
Marrying Mr. English ~ Katy Regnery
4.5 stars — Oh yes!! This was the book I bought the anthology for in the first place, and Ms. Regnery didn’t let me down. The chemistry between the characters was phenomenal — gah, I wanted more! And Eleanora was delightfully sassy and strong willed. Even though it was a fast romance, it didn’t feel that way b/c of all the time they spent together. I found myself laughing and sighing and all sorts of goodness. The great thing is that even though this is a 2-part story, this story ends off with a satisfying enough ending that you don’t *need* to read the 2nd part…though if you’re like me, you’ll want more. I also LOVED the tiny bits of fan service with the hints of where the boys names came from. Can’t wait to read part 2!
As We Dream By The Fire ~ Becca Boyd
4 stars — sweet and slowburning!! At first I wasn’t sure about Sadie, but I warmed up to her. She and Hudson had some great little bits of banter, and I could feel the feelings starting to develop. 🙂
Christmas In Cloverton ~ Jodi Vaughn
3…maybe 3.5 stars — Cute characters, fun “pushed together” situation. It had all the makings of a Lenore book, but I just ended up losing it nearer to the end. Could be my attention just wandered for other reasons. Still, I did like it…
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