Holiday Kisses is the newest Christmas anthology
being published from Carina Press. Holiday
Kisses includes stories from Alison Kent (This Time Next Year), Jaci Burton (A Rare Gift), HelenKay Dimon (It’s
Not Christmas Without You), and
Shannon Stacey (Mistletoe &
Margaritas). I’m a huge fan of each of the authors in this anthology and
was very excited to get a copy early from NetGalley.
Alison Kent’s This Time Next Year
Brenna Keating is on her way to spend
Christmas with her grandmother when treacherous roads and a skittish deer put
her car in a ditch. Riding to the rescue – literally – is Dillon Craig, a
reclusive doctor who insists she weather the storm in his cabin.
Since returning from Afghanistan where
he treated wounded soldiers on the front lines, Dillon’s made it a point to
avoid any emotional involvement. But his unexpected guest has him dangerously close
to breaking his own rules.
Brenna has a plan for her life – until
she’s stranded for three days with Dillon. Soon, the chemistry sizzling between
them forces her to re-examine her priorities. The man is gorgeous, if taciturn,
and a true hero in every sense of the word. No woman in her right mind could
resist him, and so Brenna doesn’t – even though she can’t stay…
I really
loved both Brenna and Dillon. Brenna and Dillon are both such strong
individuals, who both have a need to serve and help others. Thanks to a deer in
the road and a major snow storm, Brenna is rescued by Dillon and must wait out
the storm at his cabin. There is attraction between Brenna and Dillon from the
beginning, but with Brenna leaving the country at the first of the year,
neither knows if the relationship can go anywhere. However, even with an
uncertain future, Brenna and Dillon can’t fight their attraction for one
another for very long. Loved how fast Brenna and Dillon knew they loved on
another and they were willing to write letters, emails and talk on the phone
while Brenna worked her dream job for a year.
Jaci Burton’s A Rare Gift
With a disastrous marriage behind him,
Wyatt Kent has no interest in getting involved with any woman, let alone his
ex-wife’s younger sister. But when Calliope Andrews hires him to build an
addition onto her day care center, Wyatt can’t help but notice she’s a
desirable woman, as warm and funny as his ex was cold and aloof.
Calliope fell hard for Wyatt the first
time he walked through the door of her family’s home, and can’t believe her
sister let him get away. He’s still the star of all her fantasies, and she’s
determined to prove to him she’s nothing like his manipulative ex. Wyatt may be
all business, but Calliope sees the way he looks at her when he’s supposed to
be working…
It’s not long before Wyatt and
Calliope are keeping each other warm on cold December nights. But it’s going to
take a Christmas miracle for Wyatt to put his trust in love a second time.
A Rare Gift is the second book in the Kent
Brother series from Jaci Burton. I absolutely loved Calliope Andrews. She is
such a strong woman and knows exactly what she wants out of life and is willing
to fight for what and who she wants…which has been Wyatt Kent since she first
met him. Wyatt has just a little bit of baggage when it comes to love. Namely,
Calliope’s older sister, who happens to be his ex-wife. He quickly realizes
that Calliope is nothing like her sister, Cassandra, and finds himself having
to fight his attraction to Calliope. As soon as Calliope realizes the
attraction is mutual, she will accept nothing less than all of Wyatt. Calliope
knows they are meant to be together, and takes steps to make sure Wyatt has put
the past behind him to insure they can have a future together. Of course, Wyatt
must mess up royally first, but in the end, he shows how much he loves
Calliope.
HelenKay Dimon’s It’s Not Christmas
Without You
Carrie Anders officially broke up with
Austin Thomas when she accepted a dream job in the city. Unofficially, she
misses him and is tempted to sneak back to her West Virginia hometown to see
him. That’s why this year, she’s not going home for the holidays. Her heart can’t
take any more mornings-after where nothing has changed – and Austin has made it
clear he’s not interested in relocating.
Austin’s been waiting for Carrie to
realize she can’t live without him. But when he hears she’s not coming home for
Christmas, he decides to take action. If Carrie won’t come to the country, he’s
going to bring a piece of the country to Carrie – in the form of a Christmas
tree lot just minutes from her apartment. He’s certain daily meetings will
entice her to come home with him, this time for good.
Their attraction is as hot as ever,
but with such contrary Christmas wishes, can either of them get what they
really want for Christmas?
I love that
Austin loves Carrie so much he come to the city to set up a Christmas tree lot across
the street from her apartment. Carrie is understandable rude when he first
shows up, but still is as attracted to Austin and even gets jealous when she
sees other women hanging around him. Of course, attraction has never been
Carrie and Austin’s problem, but her job in D.C. at a museum has been. Austin
figured Carrie would work in D.C. for a while and then be ready to come back
home. Carrie loves her job at the museum and doesn’t understand why Austin can’t
see how much her work means to her. When Austin attends an event at the museum
with Carrie, he finally sees how important her work is to her, and doesn’t see
how he can fit in her life any longer. Only by compromising can Carrie and
Austin make their life together in two different cities.
Shannon Stacey’s Mistletoe &
Margaritas
Claire Rutledge still believes in
love, despite losing her husband. So, after two years, she’s not surprised by
the steamy dreams telling her it might be time to start moving on. But she didn’t
expect her friend Justin to have the starring role.
Justin McCormick has loved Claire
since the moment he first saw her, but his best friend got there first. Now
that Claire is ready to move on with her life, Justin is finding it harder than
ever to hide his true feelings. And when they both get caught up in the holiday
spirit at a party, their simmering mutual attraction boils over into a night
neither of them can forget…
Claire and
Justin have been best friends for years. Justin has been in love with Claire
from the moment he saw her, but his best friend Brendan got there first, so he
has kept his true feelings for Claire hidden for years. Claire has always
looked at Justin as a friend, but now she is seeing him in a whole new light.
Claire would be happy to act on this new attraction, and after a few margaritas
at a holiday party, she and Justin get together. Of course, he wants to blame
it on the alcohol, and not mess up their friendship. However, when they hook up
again when out on his snow plow, there isn’t any alcohol to blame this time.
Justin feels so much guilt going after his best friend’s wife, even though
Brendan is
gone. Only after talking to Brendan’s mom does Justin start to feel
like he and Claire could have something lasting.
I loved each
and every one of the stories in the Holiday
Kisses anthology. I’m a big fan of Christmas stories and add a happily ever
after to the mix and you always have a winner in my book. The release date is
set for December 5, 2011 and can be found at your favorite online bookstore.
