Posts Tagged With: Holiday – Christmas

Book Review: Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Snow Angel Cove
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Series: Haven Point #1
Heroine/Hero: Eliza Hayward/Aidan Caine
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Available at:  Harlequin HQN, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Nothing short of a miracle can restore Eliza Hayward’s Christmas cheer. The job she pinned her dreams on has gone up in smoke—literally—and now she’s stuck in an unfamiliar, if breathtaking, small town. Precariously close to being destitute, Eliza needs a helping hand…for her sick young daughter’s sake as well as her own. But she’s not expecting her holiday hero to almost run her down with his car!

Rescuing Eliza is pure instinct for tech genius Aidan Caine. At first, putting the renovation of his lakeside guest lodge in Eliza’s hands assuages his guilt—until he sees how quickly he could fall for her. Having focused solely on his business for years, he never knew that what his life was missing was Eliza and her little girl. But is he willing to risk hoping for a yuletide romance that could lead to forever?
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Paper Cuts and Mistletoe by Jackie Nacht

Reviewed by Nikyta

Paper Cuts and MistletoeTitle: Paper Cuts and Mistletoe
Author: Jackie Nacht
Series: Holiday Jobs that Don’t Suck #3
Heroes: Kipp/Jesse
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 42 pages
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Release Date: December 15, 2012
Available at: eXtasy Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Who thought paper cuts and sabotaging Christmas lights could bring two men together?

Kipp is having one hell of a time after graduating from college. Subbing jobs are pretty inconsistent and desperate times call for desperate measures. He finds himself working as a gift wrapper at the department store in the mall during the Christmas season. Kipp can freely admit that he sucks at it but needs the cash to stay in his tiny apartment. Then he sees Jesse working at the mall, the guy he grew up with but never had the courage to talk to. Can these two finally connect after all these years? Is this nightmarish job going to give him the best present of all…an opportunity to get to know the crush he’s had most of his life?

Authors Note: This book may be read as a stand-alone, story but for better reading enjoyment, you may want to read secondary characters, Xathan and Chaddrick’s story in Full Disclosure on Black Friday.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Let It Snow by Heidi Cullinan

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Let It Snow
Author: Heidi Cullinan
Series: Minnesota Christmas #1
Heroes: Frankie Blackburn/Marcus Gardner
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 228 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The weather outside is frightful, but this Minnesota northwoods cabin is getting pretty hot.

Stylist Frankie Blackburn never meant to get lost in Logan, Minnesota, but his malfunctioning GPS felt otherwise, and a record-breaking snowfall ensures he won’t be heading back to Minneapolis anytime soon. Being rescued by three sexy lumberjacks is fine as a fantasy, but in reality the biggest of the bears is awfully cranky and seems ready to gobble Frankie right up.

Marcus Gardner wasn’t always a lumberjack—once a high-powered Minneapolis lawyer, he’s come home to Logan to lick his wounds, not play with a sassy city twink who might as well have stepped directly out of his past. But as the northwinds blow and guards come down, Frankie and Marcus find they have a lot more in common than they don’t. Could the man who won’t live in the country and the man who won’t go back to the city truly find a home together? Because the longer it snows, the deeper they fall in love, and all they want for Christmas is each other.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Guest Reviewed by Ami

Maybe This Christmas (O'Neil Brothers, #3)Title: Maybe This Christmas
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: O’Neil Brothers #3
Heroine/Hero: Brenna Daniels/Tyler O’Neil
Genre: M/F Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Available at: Harlequin, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: This winter, ex-skiing champion, reformed heartbreaker and single dad Tyler O’Neil has only one mission—making sure his daughter, Jess, has the best Christmas ever. The fact that his best friend, Brenna, is also temporarily moving into his chalet at the overbooked Snow Crystal resort is a delicious distraction he’s simply going to have to ignore. Theirs is the one relationship he’s never ruined, and he’s not about to start now.

Ski pro Brenna Daniels knows all about the perils of unrequited love—she’s been in love with Tyler for years. But living with him is absolute torture…how can she concentrate on being his friend when he’s sleeping in the room next door? Then when Tyler kisses Brenna, suddenly the relationship she’s always dreamed of feels so close she could almost touch it. Could this be the Christmas her dreams of a happy-ever-after finally come true?
Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

J.L. Merrow Week Review: Keeper’s Pledge

Reviewed by Heather C

1Title:  Keeper’s Pledge
Author: J.L. Merrow
Series: Midwinter Manor #2
Heroes: Philip/Danny
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 116 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 30, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A sequel to Poacher’s Fall, set four years later, in 1926.

Landowner Philip Luccombe has been enjoying a passionate relationship with young poacher turned gamekeeper Danny Costessey for four years now. Danny’s love has brought him out of the shell he retreated into when his first lover died after the Great War. But this Christmas, visitors to the manor threaten their happiness. Philip’s young cousin Matthew is artistic, vivacious, and flirtatious: just the sort to remind him of his long-dead first love—and to emphasise the social gulf between Philip and Danny.

But the worst danger comes from much nearer home. An old flame of Danny’s is discovered in incriminating circumstances, forcing the lovers to keep their distance for fear of being tarred with the same brush. Meanwhile, Danny’s younger brother, Toby, has grown to resent the connection between his brother and the lord of the manor. Danny wants to do the right thing—but that could divide the lovers forever
Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

J.L. Merrow Week Review: Poacher’s Fall

Reviewed by Heather C

1Title:  Poacher’s Fall
Author: J.L. Merrow
Series: Midwinter Manor #1
Heroes: Danny Costessey/Philip Luccombe
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 65 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 30, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: One snowy night just before Christmas, 1922, poacher Danny Costessey rounds off a night trapping rabbits by climbing a tree to fetch some mistletoe for his mother—only to fall and break his leg. Taken to the manor house to recover from his injuries, Danny meets the reclusive owner, Philip Luccombe. Village gossip has it Luccombe went mad during the war, but Danny soon realizes he’s simply still mourning his late lover. As friendship grows between them, Danny starts to fall for handsome, shy Philip.

Danny’s lively nature, roguish good looks, and ready laughter enchant Philip, and he finds himself being drawn out of his shell whether he will it or not. But when Danny tries to move beyond friendship, Philip panics—and his rejection threatens not only their happiness, but Danny’s health.

This is a revised and expanded version of the story previously published under the title of Pleasures with Rough Strife. Everyone who has purchased a stand-alone copy of Pleasures with Rough Strife from the Dreamspinner website (ie not as part of the Mistletoe Madness set) will be able to download Poacher’s Fall free!

Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Shifting Shadows: Tales From the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs

Reviewed by Heather C

Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy ThompsonTitle: Shifting Shadows: Tales From the World of Mercy Thompson
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 464 Pages
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Available at: Ace, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

About the Book: A compilation of 6 old and 4 new stories from the world of Mercy Thompson plus 2 outtakes.

Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Sleigh Bells in the Snow
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: O’Neil Brothers #1
Heroes: Kayla Green/Jackson O’Neil
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Available at:  Harlequin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, iBooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  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?
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment