10.24.2013

Heating Up The Holidays | Book Review


STATS:Ebook, 378 pages
Expected publication October 28, 2013
Loveswept

Description From Goodreads:As leftover turkey and stuffing give way to stockings and little black dresses, this tantalizingly sexy eBook bundle offers up holiday-themed novellas from a trio of beloved romance authors. Lisa Renee Jones gives a dedicated reporter and a powerful businessman a chance to count their Thanksgiving blessings in Play with Me; Mary Ann Rivers presents Snowfall, the story of a woman who confronts a life-changing event—hopefully with a special man by her side—just in time for Christmas; and in Serena Bell’s After Midnight, an explosive New Year’s kiss leaves two strangers wondering whether they’ll ever see each other again.

PLAY WITH ME by Lisa Renee Jones Kali Miller has spent three years reporting fluff stories, waiting for the article that will launch her career to new heights. When she suddenly finds herself forced to take a job as an executive secretary at a Vegas casino, Kali meets the subject of what will surely be a shocking exposé: her boss, Damion Ward, the arrogant and undeniably sexy CEO. But after Damion invites her to help him plan a Thanksgiving charity event, Kali begins to see another side of the man. And when she surrenders to the exhilarating tension simmering between them, Kali hopes her story will have a happy ending.

SNOWFALL by Mary Ann Rivers Jenny Wright can’t get enough of her erotic conversations with someone she knows only as “C.” Flirting online helps Jenny temporarily escape confronting the changes to her life as she slowly loses her vision. Jenny’s occupational therapist, Evan Carlisle-Ford, is helping her prepare for the challenges ahead, but the forthright, trustworthy man can no longer ignore his growing attraction to his fiercely intelligent client. Now Jenny must choose between the safe, anonymous “C”—or the flesh-and-blood Evan, whose heated kisses can melt snow faster than it can fall.

AFTER MIDNIGHT by Serena Bell The clock is ticking down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, and all Nora Hart and Miles Shephard can think about is kissing each other—even though they met just minutes before. Then, as fast as Miles enters Nora’s life, he’s gone . . . and she never even gets the name of the man she thinks might just be “the one.” One year later, Nora and Miles are reunited. The chemistry between them is just as strong as they remember. But Miles broke her heart once before—and this time around, Nora’s not sure whether she can give love a second chance.

My Thoughts:
First of all, I have to say that I am totally in love with novella's right now. This book is a collection of three and I loved them all.

Play with Me takes place around Thanksgiving. Kali is struggling, both professional and personal, and has recently moved to Las Vegas for a job that didn't happen. She goes to the job placement center in hopes for a temp job to her by. She is sent to work as a secretary for CEO of a group of casinos, Damion. From the moment she meets him, she thinks that he is sexy and powerful, but also hard to understand.
There are security issues and business problems with the casino that led to a mystery for Kali to piece together. She isn't sure who to trust but her relationship with Damion is heating up.
After helping him plan a Thanksgiving poker game for charity, she begins to see so many different sides to Damion but worries how everything will work out.
I really loved the story of these two. The forbidden workplace relationship, the back story to each of the characters, and their trust issues. My only complaint is that it seemed to go on hyper speed the last few pages and seemed a little rushed. But totally worth a read.

Snowfall is the Christmas story of the collection. It is the story of Jenny. She is a Seattle native working on research in Ohio. She has recently been diagnosed with an eye condition that means she will progressively go blind. I have a friend with this same disease so I had a very soft spot for her. I wanted to see her deal with her challenges and come to peace with what was happening to her.
She is in occupation therapy and her therapist, Evan, seems to be becoming more than just friends. She isn't sure what to think about this. She also has an online friend. They have never met in person but they have steamy conversations at night. They have agreed to meet on Christmas Eve' Eve.
But as Jenny gets closer with her therapist she is trying to figure out who to pick. She has to make a decision about which man is right for her. Or does she?
I liked the story of Jenny and Evan. I had the ending figured out long before I got there, but seeing how the author worked it all out was worth it. It had a few twists and turns that I didn't expect.

After Midnight takes place around New Year's. It is the story of Nora and Miles. I think that out of the three stories, it is the most relatable and believable as a whole.
The two meet on New Year's and share a kiss but don't get each others name. The kiss is one that Nora can't stop thinking about and she thinks that he may be her soul mate.
Of course, they are reunited forced to deal witt their trust issues and betrayal. Both handle them in a different way and we have see if they can meet somewhere in the middle.
This was a great story and I recommend it wholly.

Over all, Heating Up the Holidays is a great read. I love that it is three separate novellas in one book. It is perfect for the upcoming holiday season with romance and mystery packaged up perfectly.

It is important to note that I received this Kindle edition as a courtesy from Loveswept via NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

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