Santa Claus: Private Detective by Rebecca M. Senese

3.5 Stars

The Noel Kringle Chronicles - Book One

A fun holiday read.  Or any time of the year, really. 

Twist of the Magi by Caren J. Werlinger

4 Stars

Another story perfect for the holidays.  The tale of Penny Havers was a fun read and altogether too short. And for once, an f/f romance that isn't filled with drama and angst over being lesbian!

Two thumbs up.

Claus :Legend of the Fat Man by Tony Bertauski

4 Stars

Claus - Book One

So this was a freebie that I grabbed because the blurb sounded intriguing.  I don't normally enjoy YA focused books and tend to avoid them for the most part, but something about this blurb grabbed me. 

Boy, was I ever pleasantly surprised!

It grabbed me from the get-go.  A very interesting premise, a different - very different - take on the myths and legends of Saint Nick and Santa and his elves and the reindeer.  The way the author weaves the stories we know into this new and different narrative was delightful!  I have to admit that I think the story might owe bits to the Santa Clause series of movies as well as some of the old animated Christmas specials we watched as kids, including 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town' from Rankin/Bass Productions.  But it's all woven together with such fun and delight that you recognise the similarities and go, cool!

Don't get me wrong, there are some dark moments here, and some not very nice actions, and that's good, because I wasn't looking for saccharine sweet. 

The only thing that really bothered me was near the end when the villain of the piece, Jack (it's always Jack, isn't it?) gets all 1970s pop culture icon crazy person.  See, the story takes place in 1899 and while the elves can do alot of magical stuff, I don't think they managed time travel, so where that personality came from, I don't know.  It just felt a bit out of place.

Anyway, I couldn't put it down and the fact that it had lots of short chapters only helped the 'just one more chapter' road I was on. :)  Fun read!  And fascinating take on some of our best-loved tales.  I think I'm going to have to read the others in the series. :)

Where You Lead by Mary Calmes

2.5 Stars

I would call this a longish short story.  It was also a little frantic and frenetic, I thought.  Written in the first person, I honestly never got a feel for Pete, the main character.  And consequently I never got a feel for his partner, Carver.  Pete is a Treasury department agent and Carver is an artist. 

There was a lot of banter between the two, but I wasn't overly fond of it.  Some of it sounded a little mean-spirited and too snarky.  And I wasn't sure exactly why Pete had fallen for Carver and vice versa, aside from the physical attraction - which was mightily indulged in throughout the story.

So I was disappointed, because I like Mary Calmes' work.  And it illustrates why I tend to shy away from works of this length. 

Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare

3.5 Stars

Spindle Cove - Book 1.5

Another charming holiday read that was also a lot of fun.  Set during the Napoleonic wars, the story takes place in the space of one evening into the next dawn and is a delightful romantic and sexy tale.  

Novella in length, you don't get much time to get to know the characters and grow to like them, but the author does a lovely job of bringing them to life. I liked the both of them and honestly, wished we could follow them after the end of the tale.  

You don't need to know anything about the Spindle Cove series really, to enjoy this, so if you're in the mood for some festive sexy times, love and smidge of danger, head towards this one. 

A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Cecilia Grant

3.5 Stars

Blackshear Family - Book 0.5

The first of my Christmas reads and it was charming.  I found myself smiling much of the way through the story, even when I wanted to pinch the hero, the so very bound-by-duty Andrew Blackshear, who is the eldest of the family and so very, very, very proper.  *LOL*

Our heroine, Lucy Sharp was born to get under Andrew's skin and drive him to total distraction.  And that's exactly what she does with her impulsive and adventurous ways.  Propriety?  Not something she adheres to for the most part.  Brought up by an unconventional widower after the way-too-early death of her mother.

It was cute, it was heart-warming, it was filled with love and surprises.  I'm not fond of the cover (it's just too modern-looking for me), but the novella is a very pleasing read for the holiday season.  Check it out!

All I Want for Christmas by Clare Lydon

3 Stars

All I Want - Book One

Just not for me.  I liked the premise, woman wants a girlfriend for Christmas and goes about seeking one out, with commentary from her best friend and roommate.  She has misadventures, says clever things, does a lot of moaning and groaning about her lot in romantic life and can't see what's in front of her face.

It reads too much like chick lit for me to enjoy, really.  New Adult chick lit.  *sigh*

Now, don't get me wrong, the author does a wonderful job in her chosen genre/voice.  I just didn't like it much. 

I like my romances to have obstacles and hurdles for the couple to overcome, on their own and together.  I haven't found many f/f romances that manage to do that.  They all seem either tortured or bland. I shall continue to hunt, but I am getting a bit discouraged. 

This Christmas by Jeannie Moon

3.5 Stars

Christmas in New York Book 1

This is a charming novella-length love story filled with romance tropes which I didn't mind at all.  The heroine, Sabrina, Bree, is the single mother of an almost 10-year old daughter and the hero, of course, is the father, Jake Killen, pro hockey player. 

There's not a lot of real angst as Bree and Jake readily admit their past and the fact that their feelings haven't died.  Well, not to each other of course.  We need a bit of conflict!  The electricity between them is still there.  Their daughter, Charlie (Charlotte), has inherited her mother's looks and her father's hockey talent.  She loves her mom and she quickly comes to love her dad.  Her one wish for years has been to have her father back and whatddya know, this Christmas it happens!

We have Bree's parents who are suspicious of Jake at first and Bree's crew of girlfriends who have her back.  There are the obligatory confrontational scenes between them and Jake.  There is also an obligatory ice-skating scene.  A father-daughter dance.  Some not-really-needed bullying at school and a side sort-of plot concerning the local lighthouse that I thought could have been built upon more.

All in all, it was a charming read but I found myself wishing there had been less introspective inner-dialogue and more action.  And maybe a little more conflict?  Bree was a little too nice for me, I guess.  *LOL*  Anyway... a sweet holiday read. 

A Little Bit Naughty by Farrah Rochon

3.5 STARS

Moments in Maplesville - Book 2

This is the second novella in the Moments in Maplesville series and it was as entertaining as the first. Now, I know I'm supposed to be reading my holiday stories, but I got fooled into thinking this was another Christmas story. Well, fooled... I didn't pay enough attention. *LOL*

Anyway, we meet another pair of charming main characters, Jada (a bestie of the heroine of the 1st book) and Mason, a couple who have known each other since high school and disliked each other since high school.

While it might seem that the enemies to lovers happens awfully quick, I'm reminded of the day way back in time, that John Goldie (who was just a guy in my class) said something innocuous to me and I was instantly in love. *LOL* So I'm willing to give Jada and Mason a pass.

The author seems to have cut down on the fanatical use of descriptors in this book - YAY! But I realised that whatever happened to Jada to 'pique her interest' went directly to her nipples. SO many nipples. Nipples galore. Too many effing nipples. *LOL* Honestly, there are other ways/responses that women feel when they get turned on.

So yes, this was an entertaining read and I'll probably read more in the series should the chance arise. And once again, this is a story about POC written by a WOC.

A Perfect Holiday Fling by Farrah Rochon

3.5 STARS

Moments in Maplesville - Book 1

Farrah Rochon is an author I see mentioned many times in my Twitter feed by the romance authors I follow, so I figured it was about time I checked her out.

A Perfect Holiday Fling is the first of the Moments in Maplesville novellas which seem to all circle around holidays, and I found it quite enjoyable and perfect for the Christmas season.

I liked the characters, but as always, I bemoan the fact that there just isn't enough time in a novella to really get to know them, but what we do g

et is pretty good. I enjoyed the instant chemistry between the two MCs as well as the fact that Stefan's young 5 year old nephew wasn't perfectly precocious as so many kids in romances tend to be.

My one problem with this book was that the author likes her descriptors a little too much for my taste. Adjectives abound all over the place. Now I'm all for giving the reader a picture, God knows, but I often felt as if I was being inundated with colours and textures and brand names and all kinds of other stuff.

But I did like the book. :) Perfect read for the holiday season.

And for those that search them out, this is a book written by a WOC and about POC.

Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift by Jennifer Ashley

4 STARS

Mackenzies & McBrides - Book 4.5

This was a very enjoyable, sexy, holiday novella that had SO much crammed into its 165+ pages that it fairly made my head swim!  But in a good way.  :)

All the Mackenzies are here with their wives and their children and the place is rollicking.  There are so many instances of sexytimes, all of them lovely and steamy.  We have babies being born and kisses being stolen.  And we have the lovely Lord Ian, who is such a wonderful character, seeming to be the one holding it all together.

Great fun read and a good reminder to me that I have to find the others!  *whispers*  I've only read the first one, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, and it was really, really good.

Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins

3.5 STARS

Glass Tidings is my first Christmas read this year (an advance read from Riptide) and it wasn't bad at all.

I would have liked to give it a higher rating, but I found I had a hard time really warming up to the two main characters. For me they were just missing that 'something something'. YMMV of course! I think I just wanted more from them, y'know?

One HUGE positive for me was the mature age of the characters. Gray is in his 40s and Eddie is 28. I am SO over NA romances, so this was a big deal for me.

So, yeah, good way to start off the Christmas reading season. :)

Glass Tidings is also available as part of the 2016 Holiday Charity Bundle from Riptide.

Rebound Remedy by Christine D'Abo

3 STARS

A cute generic contemporary holiday romance. I really liked one of the main characters, Owen, the bar owner but the other MC, Cole, left me cold. I didn't dislike him, I was just rather meh about him.

All in all, I didn't dislike the book, but I didn't love it either. I think it could have been a lot more with a little work.