A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson Simon & Schuster (Oct 2012) | Paperback, 404 pages Contemporary Romance | Chick Lit When I picked up A Winter Flame, I was hoping for a really warm, romantic Christmas read, especially after all the rave reviews I’d read when deciding whether to buy or not. Unfortunately A Winter Flame wasn’t my cup of tea at all. Both leading characters were very irritating; Eve because she acted like a 12 year old towards Jacques instead of a grown women, and Jacques because he acted like a pompous…
GEMMA’S TOP 10 CHRISTMAS MOVIES Every person and family has a collection of films that sum up this season. They may have some sort of personal message, or you could just relate to them. Whatever the reason, I wanted to share with you my top ten Christmas movies. These are usually put on in the background, while I wrap up my presents. (10) CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (2008) Another Tim Allen film, but this time a slightly more adult affair. What I love about this film is the light hearted…
Vampire for Christmas by Felicity Heaton Dark Rose Publishing (Nov 2010) Kindle Edition, 78 Pages Paranormal Romance I have a thing for vampires and if a certain Bones or Edward came knocking on my door Christmas day, it would be the best day ever! With Vampire for Christmas I was expecting the same elation however, I must admit I was a little disappointed. Vampire for Christmas is written from the point of view of both the main protagonists Rafe and Shannon. Shannon is a demon hunter for an agency and her partner,…
Sweet Magik by Penny Watson (Klaus Brothers #2) Wild Rose Press (Nov 2011) Ebook, 302 pages Paranormal Romance Yes, that’s right.. this is an adult book and one of the main characters is the son of Santa! As I hadn’t read the first in this series I was rather dubious as to how this was going to pan out, but it actually worked quite well. Oskar Klaus is a snowboarding, green haired, heavily tattooed hunk that people tend to treat as eye candy and something of a playboy instead of taking…
Mistletoe Cowboy (Spikes & Spurs #5) by Carolyn Brown Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2012) | Ebook, 352 pages Western Romance Carolyn (aka BCC), knowing my soft spot for sexy cowboys, asked me to read this as part of our SmeXmas event. One look at the cover and I was drooling like a kid with her nose pressed against the window outside a candy store. All the elements were for a really hot, sexy read. A hot stud of a cowboy and the firecracker granddaughter of the former owner, stuck in the cabin during…
All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello (Fate with a Helping Hand #1) | Self-Published (Aug 2011) Kindle, 200 pages | Contemporary Romance All I Want for Christmas is You opens to a little girl Kristen sitting on Santa’s knee asking for a daddy for Christmas. This Santa is unlike any Santa you’ve ever met as he wants to help this little girl get a daddy. I want to meet a Santa like this, one who can make the impossible possible. Santa turns out to be Kyle, a single, young, good looking,…
No Mistletoe Required by Jeanette Murray Carina Press (Nov 2012) | Ebook, 71 pages Contemporary Romance Here’s the thing, I love Christmas, I love romance and I’m not adverse to a nice dose of cheese. No Mistletoe Required has all three in spades. It’s a light, quick Christmas read, but at the same time it does have a slightly sad undertone. Our hero and heroine are in charge of setting up a grotto for sick children in hospital when they meet. But, Dan our hero suffered a terrible tragedy at…
A Clockwork Christmas (Anthology) by Stacy Gail, P. G. Forte, Jenny Schwartz, J. K. Coi Carina Press (Dec 2011) | Ebook, 353 pages Steampunk Romance A Clockwork Christmas is a collection of steampunk tales all a bit heavy on romance rather than on steampunkiness. CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET by Stacy Gail Cornelia Peabody is a master thief but everything comes undone when Professor Cuddington confronts her in her own home and attaches a device on her wrist that will kill her on Christmas day if she doesn’t retrieve the Faberge egg that she…
The Spirit of Christmas by Liz Talley Harlequin (Nov 2012) | Ebook, 288 pages Contemporary Romance If you want a sweet read for Christmas then you cant go far wrong with The Spirit of Christmas by Liz Talley. Its cute and lovely, although smacks a little ..(ok..on reflection, a lot) of the Dickens Classic, A Christmas Carol. Add to that you get two love stories for the price of one! Mary Paige Gentry is running late! She has to be at the family christmas party, now, but she still has the…
Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish (Windham #4) by Grace Burrowes | Paperback, 404 pages Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2011) Historical Romance Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes is a great historical romance for the holiday season, filled with lust, scandal and Christmas spirit. We begin with Wilhelm Charpentier, otherwise known as ‘Vim’, being unable to acquire a room in London and offered a room at Lady Sophia Windham’s ducal mansion. This initial meeting yields no indication of either individual’s social status, with Vim presuming that Sophie is merely a housekeeper, as the rest…
Darn Good Cowboy Christmas (Spikes & Spurs #3) by Carolyn Brown | Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2011) Paperback, 378 pages | Western Romance Darn Good Cowboy Christmas contains two elements every woman should have in her books at least once a year – cowboys and Christmas! This was just my type of festive treat! Set in small town, ranching Texas, it’s the third book in Carolyn Brown’s Spikes and Spurs series. I’ve read books two and three, but not the first and I personally didn’t think that it mattered. Brown portrays a fun and cosy community…
Bah, Humbug! by Heather Horrocks Word Garden Press (Sept 2011) | Kindle, 96 pages Contemporary Romance I selected Bah, Humbug! for one of my Christmas reads, as this year I’m lacking the whole Christmas spirit. I love the meaning behind Christmas but dislike greatly the cost, especially as this year is going to be my tightest one yet, so yes bah, humbug! is very apt. Bah, Humbug! is told from the third person view point as we follow Kyle, an author who hates Christmas and who’s using his struggle to meet a deadline for…
A GIFT FOR ALL SEASONS (Summer Sisters #2) by Karen Templeton PUBLISHER: Harlequin RELEASE DATE: 16th Oct 2012 FORMAT: Ebook, 224 pages GENRE: Contemporary Romance Hiring Patrick Shaughnessy to landscape her new inn was strictly a business arrangement. Until April Ross got to know the war-scarred single father
and his irrepressible little girl. Patrick made it clear he wasn’t looking for romance. Neither was April. But could she make him see that some risks were worth taking? The lively, widowed blonde might be the most tempting woman Patrick had ever known, but the returning vet knew a…
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbour (Friday Harbour #1) by Lisa Kleypas | Piatkus Books (Nov 2010) Paperback, 320 pages | Contemporary Romance This was such a lovely story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and devoured it quickly. My only real complaint was that it was too short and I would have loved to have read more about the main characters. It has a sad beginning when Mark’s sister dies and he is given custody of his six-year old niece, Holly. As a bachelor, he doesn’t know the first thing about children, but…
Hi Guys! Hope you’re having a great weekend. Here’s the low down on what happened at BCC this week… 30 SHADES OF ZOMBIE GUESTS Lynn Messina: Does Writing Romance in Zombie Fiction Differ to Writing Romance in Other Genres + Enter to Win GIRLS’ GUIDE TO DATING ZOMBIES (ends 30/11/12) Kirsty McKay: Wondering What to Do With Your Life? (If you still have one) + Enter to Win UNDEAD & UNFED (ends 30/11/2012) Lia Habel: Immortality Scares the Bejeezus Out of Me + Enter to Win DEARLY BELOVED (ends 30th Nov 2012) Rhiannon…
