Pub Date: December 5, 2011
Publisher: Carina Press
Length: 103,000 words
FTC: review copy courtesy of the publisher
I read this around Christmas time, but with all of the craziness going on, I didn't get the review up in a timely manner. But for those who read holiday books year round (like me) here's what I thought of the second Carina Press holiday anthology: overall, very good, although as is typical with anthos, there were some I liked more than others.
This Time Next Year by Alison Kent
Alison Kent was a new-to-me author, but I will definitely be looking for more of her books. I loved her characters, their quirks and the dialogue. The hero, especially, was fully formed and had tons of baggage. The only thing I didn't like was that our heroine was supposed to be a nurse, but displayed very little medical knowledge. That seemed weird. Plenty of 'trapped in a snowstorm' delightfulness here.
My Grade: B
A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton
I've read Ms. Burton before with mixed results. Often her books just don't work for me, emotionally. All the pieces are there, but they just don't "click" with the emotional side of my reading. That was the case here. Calliope is the younger sister of Wyatt's ex-wife, Cassandra. Still gun-shy after his marriage ended badly, the last person he wants to get involved with is Calliope.
In this case, I liked the characters, but felt like too much was left unexplained. Maybe I missed it, but the pain/rage from Wyatt was never fully explained. The antipathy he felt towards his ex seemed a bit excessive for a marriage that ended due to "wanting different things from life." And the resolution/confrontation scene at the end of this novella felt off. No big reveal. No emotion at all, really. I liked the main romance, but the back story and conflict just didn't work for me. (Also, even though families do stupid things with names, having two characters whose names are so similar is confusing. Calliope and Cassandra should have been named something else IMHO.)
My Grade: C
It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon
Although I have a couple of her books in my digital TBR, this is the first work by HKD that I've read. Shame. On. Me. There was a big of a tug-of-war between the Shannon Stacey story and this one as to which is my favorite, and this story won. I loved her voice. I loved the characters and the plot. I loved the pacing. Everything. I even loved that there are still some issues to work out at the end. Emotionally, this one got to me. I must have bawled through at least a 1/3 of it. This is a fabulous story with intense emotion, believable conflict, and flat-out wonderful writing.
My Grade: A
Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey
I've loved everything Shannon Stacey has released with Carina. Everything. And this one was no exception. I'm a huge sucker for friends-to-lovers stories, but this had a twist with the 'best friend's girl' angle thrown in. A story of love, loss, and hope, it was the perfect ending for the collection.
My Grade: A
My Grade: B+
The Blurb:
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Love!
A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.
Anthology includes:
This Time Next Year by Alison Kent
A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton
It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon
Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey
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