Love for the Holidays
by Noelle
Adams, Samantha Chase, Rachel Curtis and Zoe York
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BLURB:
From fake relationships to secret affairs to best friends falling in love, everything changes at Christmas.This holiday bundle includes five stories, from steamy to sweet, including two new, exclusive stories from New York Times bestselling authors.HOLIDAY HEAT by Noelle Adams - After being hit with heartbreaking tragedy, Carrie has thrown herself into a hot, secret relationship with Matt. With Christmas approaching, she realizes she might want even more from her sexy, damaged artist, but the boundaries around their relationship make anything deeper than sex impossible. A new, steamy romance.MISTLETOE BETWEEN FRIENDS by Samantha Chase - Lily and Cam have been friends all their lives, and their relationship has never been romantic. But when they pretend to be dating so they can spend the holiday with their families in peace, they realize their fake romance might actually be real. A new, sweet romance.THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE by Samantha Chase - Spending the night trapped by a blizzard in a romantic Christmas cottage with the man she's loved for years has Lacey wondering if fairy tales really do come true. A sweet romance.EIGHT CHRISTMAS EVES by Rachel Curtis - One Christmas Eve, Cyrus Owen, the over-indulged teenage son of a wealthy businessman, finds ten-year-old Helen on the side of the road. Eleven years later, he is desperately in love with her. This is how it happens... A mostly sweet romance.WHAT ONCE WAS PERFECT by Zoe York - For Laney, the worst part of returning to her hometown for Christmas is confronting Kyle, the man who broke her heart twelve years ago. When they rediscover their perfect chemistry, Kyle has to convince Laney to let him back into her heart. A steamy romance.
Excerpt
From Holiday
Heat by Noelle Adams
“Why is it so
hot in December?” she wailed, forcing herself past a faintly tender pull at the
sight of his sated eyes and relaxed body.
“Heat wave.
Some sort of tropical front. It’s moving up the east coast, from—”
“Oh, shut
up.”
Matt’s lips
quirked at her grumpy tone, but he didn’t continue his discourse on the
unseasonable December weather.
She shouldn’t
enjoy his company so much. She shouldn’t like him. She certainly shouldn’t
trust him with her body—or anything else.
There was no
future with him. He’d told her the first night they met that a real
relationship was impossible for him, and nothing about that had changed.
Being with
him wasn’t anything like being with Henry. It didn’t feel safe and familiar,
even after three months. She had no delusions about a future with Matt. She
never would have had sex with him at all if there had been any possibility of a
future.
“Next time,
I’ll pick the hotel,” he said, his eyes resting on her with a gaze that was
almost soft.
“No, I told
you before. When you’re involved in a sleazy affair, then you pick a motel
that’s appropriate for the occasion.”
He cocked an
eyebrow, obviously amused. “Is that what we’re doing? Having a sleazy affair?”
“Of course.”
“Neither one
of us is married. I’m not sure ‘affair’ is the correct term.”
“Of course it
is. You don’t have to be married to have an affair. It just needs to be
secret.” No one knew that Carrie was regularly screwing Matthew Lynch, and she
intended to keep it that way.
“I see.” He
looked eminently unconvinced. And still amused. And definitely superior.
“Don’t be an
ass.” When he opened his mouth to respond, she spoke over him. “You know
exactly what ass-like behavior I’m referring to.”
Since that
first night, they’d gotten together at least once a week for sex, although
recently they’d been getting together more often.
My Review
4.5 Sweet Stars!
Yup. This bundle is definitely takes you on a sweet romantic ride.
HOLIDAY HEAT by Noelle Adams 4.5 stars!
Both Matt and Carrie experienced unspeakable tragedies in their lives. So while they both were attracted to each other, neither is looking for a deeper commitment. They both agreed to a consensual affair. It was hot, it was illicit but most of all, it was just purely physical. I loved how their relationship went from being physical into something more than both of them expected. Matt was a wonderful hero. He was damaged physically and emotionally but slowly, you see him change and this sweet wonderful man just sweeps Carrie off her feet. I love the chemistry between the two characters and their banter was awesome. The pacing of the book was spot on. Although this is a novella, it felt like I was actually reading a full length book. It was perfect. This is definitely my favorite of the five.
MISTLETOE BETWEEN FRIENDS by Samantha Chase 4 stars!
Mistletoe Between Friends is a friends to lovers story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Lily and Cam have been best friends for so long but they never had any romantic feelings for each other. That is until they had to pretend to be involved to discourage their families from setting them up with other people. It was here that their feelings started to change.
What I loved about this story was that the hero wasn't your typical hero. Cam is a geek and he's adorable. He's socially awkward and Lily, his best friend is the only who he truly feels comfortable with. Lily is adorable. She's not ditzy by any means but she's fun and she's the perfect foil for Cam.
THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE by Samantha Chase 3.5 stars!
This is another friends to lovers story with a dash of magic. Lacey has been in love with her best friend's brother, Ean, for a long time. When she was 14, she confessed her feelings to him only to be rejected. Ouch! 12 years later, they meet again, this time as maid of honor and best man to his sister's wedding. The sister, Ava, has this fanatical belief about the family cottage bringing eternal love and together to the couple who stays there. So she enlisted the help of her maid of honor and best man to prepare the cottage. Sparks started flying. A physical relationship ensues but with some Christmas magic, Lacey and Ean did finally learn to find their happy ever after.
I liked the chemistry between the two. And again, Ean is not the conventional romance hero. He's a little bit geeky but he's awesome. Lacey, whose dreams of happily ever after was shattered by Ean 12 years ago, was practical and no-nonsense. I liked her practicality and levelheadedness. My only issue with this story was Ava. I guess I have no patience for drama queens but hey, she did indirectly brought them together, so I guess that's a point in her favor.
EIGHT CHRISTMAS EVES by Rachel Curtis3.5 stars!
This was yet another friend to lovers story between Helen and Cyrus. Cyrus met Helen when she was 10 years old in the middle of road when the car she was flipped. She was on her way to her new guardian after her old one died. As it turns out, Cyrus is the only son and heir of Helen's new guardian. At first their relationship was more like that of a brother and sister. But over the course of eight Christmases, their relationship grew into something more.
I quite enjoyed this one. I loved Helen and Cyrus. The way the story was told in both Cyrus and Helen's POV was satisfying. My only problem with it was it dragged for me a little bit maybe because I couldn't wait for them to get together. Plus Cyrus was digging his heels with his reservations about their age and that they're practically family. That put a damper on my ratings a bit but overall, still a wonderful read.
WHAT ONCE WAS PERFECT by Zoe York4 stars!
A second chance at love story between Laney and Kyle. Years ago, Kyle broke her heart and she walked away and never looked back. Years later, Laney found herself back in her hometown and Kyle is set on winning her back. They have a lot of issues to work through and Laney wasn't too keen on getting her heart broken again. But Kyle was persistent.
What Once Was Perfect was perfect in every way. I love this trope and this book delivered on all levels:the writing, the characters, their chemistry, the dialogue, etc. I was happy when they finally acted like adults and resolved their issues. Kyle's character was wonderful. He learned from his mistakes and he went out of his way to fix them. Laney was stuck in the past and it took a long time for her to get over her hurts. Some of her issues are understandable, some are not. But in the end, they did get their HEA and that's all that matters.
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