A Christmas To Remember by Hope Ramsay, Molly Cannon, Marilyn Pappano, Kristen Ashley, Jill Shalvis

The Basics:
A Christmas To Remember by Hope Ramsay, Molly Cannon, Marilyn Pappano, Kristen Ashley, Jill Shalvis
Forever Yours
Romance
Published December 3, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Curl up with this heartwarming Christmas collection!

Jill Shalvis, Dream a Little Dream: Melissa has kept every man at a safe distance-especially firefighter Ian, a sexy friend with sexy benefits. But Ian secretly longs for more. Luckily, 'tis the season for giving love a chance . . . 

Kristen Ashley, Every Year: Holidays don't come easy for Shy and his brother, Landon. But with the magic of Christmas, along with a little help from Tabby and her family, the Cage brothers are about to get the gift of a lifetime . . . 

Hope Ramsay, Silent Night: Down on her luck and evicted from her apartment, single mother Maryanne hopes to start over in Last Chance. When the snow begins to fall, it looks like her baby might literally spend Christmas Eve in a manger. And Maryanne might celebrate the holiday with a handsome stranger. 

Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas: Lincoln is a bachelor who's set in his ways-until a professional organizer dressed up as Mrs. Claus changes his life, one tip at a time. . . 

Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas: War widow Ilena doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. But when a new doctor blows into town with the winter wind, will she get her secret Christmas wish?

Plus: Excerpts from upcoming novels!

Why I picked up this book:

I was hoping for a collection of short, sweet romances set around the Christmas holidays.

My thoughts:

So I didn't quite get what I was hoping for - this is a collection of five new short stories and five excerpts from upcoming novels by each author. This is clearly stated in the blurb so I have no one to blame but myself for failing to realize this.

Now, normally, I avoid excerpts because they're almost like an insta-buy for me - once I've engaged with a story, I have to see it through! (Unless I really, really dislike it...).  

But because I wanted to be fair, I read them all. And I've already forgotten some of them, unfortunately (or fortunately for my wallet!). A couple did make an impact though - Kristen Ashley's excerpt is actually the love story that leads into the short story included in the collection.

So a pet peeve of mine or a quirk or whatever - does anyone else not want to go back and read about how a couple came together once they've already read about the couple being a couple? Does that make sense?  If I pick up a book in the middle of the series, whichever couples are already paired off in that book, I never go back to re-read their stories. I've already seen them together, so it's... almost as though I've been spoiled? Except, of course, we all know what the end of a romance novel should result in, so have I really been spoiled beyond normal genre expectations?  Anyways, it's one of my eccentricities, I guess, that I very rarely go backwards. So though I did like the short story from Ashley, and I do want to read *Landon's* story, and I am a little curious about what happened between Tabby and Shy... Okay, I'll admit, I may end up picking this one up - though Tabby's use of the phrase "the bomb" really drove me crazy.

The other excerpt that stuck out for me was from Marilyn Pappano and finished off the series. It ends on a really low note, and while I'm sure in the book it is from, it's a great first chapter, it was a really poor way to end a Christmas collection. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, and a lot of pity for the heroine in the last book.

The Bottom Line:

Overall, the short stories in this collection were a mixed bag. I liked "Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas" and "Dream a Little Dream" the most. I wasn't really wowed by anything in this collection. Not all of the excerpts were Christmas themed, and as I said above, the last one ends on a really low note. I wasn't left with that feel-good romance feeling nor with a boost to my Christmas spirit.

If you're looking for a sampler of upcoming books, this might be a good choice. You get a chance to see how these authors handle the short format and then a peek at a longer work. But if you're hoping for a Christmas collection, I don't think you'll be satisfied with this.

2.5 stars
For fans of any of these five authors, contemporary romance, teasers for upcoming novels.

Her Sexiest Mistake by Jill Shalvis

The Basics:
Her Sexiest Mistake by Jill Shalvis
Forever Yours
Romance
Published November 5, 2013
** Note that this is the ebook version.


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
Mia Appleby finally has the life she always wanted. She's escaped her trailer trash childhood and built a nice life for herself with a marketing job and a cute, little condo. But no matter how much baggage she's ditched from her past, she still hasn't managed to shake her greatest weakness-men. So when her new neighbor turns out to be single and oh-so-sexy, Mia's worried she's playing with fire . . .

Kevin McKnight can't get enough of his gorgeous neighbor, but after one amazing night, she's already showing him the door. Something tells him this is the way she handles most men. But Kevin is far from your average guy-and he's ready to prove it to Mia. When a blast from her past shakes up Mia's life in a major way, will she stick with her self-sufficient solo act . . . or take a chance leaning on Kevin's strong shoulders?

What worked for me:

I have a weak spot for 'hot for the neighbour' romances. Usually these start where the attraction has simmered to a boiling point - well, in this book, that boiling point is pretty much the minute they meet!  There's some sizzling chemistry in this book, and Shalvis doesn't skimp on the sex.

There's a ton of character growth in this novel, and that's surely a good thing. I can appreciate that there were different motivations and directions for people to grow in - whether it was their professional life, and maturing into adult responsibilities, or their personal life, learning to open up emotionally or to relax attempts to control everything. There's some really strong subplots apart from the central romance - particularly the development of a relationship between Mia and her niece, Hope.

What didn't work for me:

I thought this was a really uncomfortable read. Mia was put under an incredible amount of stress - her emotional limits tested by the unexpected bond with Kevin, the arrival of a niece she had never met before who proceeded to act out in a way that put more tension on already tense workplace situation....  There was so much on her plate, and everyone seemed to expect so much from her, I felt really bad for her.

I also didn't like that Kevin was set up as the guy who knew it all. It seemed to be that he was always in the right, where Mia never was. This created a really unequal relationship, one that made me very uncomfortable. Yes, it was good for Mia to break out of her emotional shell and learn to connect to people again, I simply didn't thrill to the way in which it was done.

It also felt a lot like Mia was Kevin's fixer-upper. That he really *didn't* love her the way she was, but instead had to improve her. My heart broke every time she wanted to be enough for him, and wasn't.

Bottom line:

I've read Shalvis before and really enjoyed her work - this definitely didn't live up to my expectations. The discomfort caused by the inequality in the relationship between Kevin and Mia, and the position that Mia was put in really made it difficult for me to connect with this novel.

3.5 stars
For fans of contemporary romance, of fix 'em up plots.