My review
I may be a Buddhist, but I’ve never been able to resist a good Christmas romance. There’s just something about the mix of Christmas magic, year’s end and people meeting (again) that is perfect for a romance story. And I got 7 times of exactly that irresistible mix with “Hot Christmas Nights”. I loved each and every story set in Australia, and I find it impossible to pick a favourite. So let me just mention what I liked most about each steamy read.
ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS by RACHEL BAILEY
A hunky, brooding author as the hero? Yes, please! I loved the first story in the set, dealing with Maddy and Samuel on their island. It was just the right mix of bitter, sweet, sensual, emotion-laden and fast-paced to make me grip my mouse tighter and tighter. The memories contrasting with the present and the haunting secret that Samuel has been hiding gave the story real power.
CHRISTMAS WISHES, NEW YEAR KISSES by MICHELLE DOUGLAS
I love animals (I have 4 dogs and 2 cats), so reading about a team of vets was a treat. I also enjoyed the whole shift from friends to lovers, it was absolutely credible. Sometimes I wanted to just pick Josh and Erin up and throw them closer together. Erin’s mother as the ‘sort of’ villain was a great idea, as was having them experiment with a holiday.
BABY, IT’S HOT OUTSIDE by LOUISA GEORGE
This story was another perfect example of how it’s sometimes better for two people to be apart and grow up and find their place in life before being thrown together again. Emma and Danny had to face each other and their tumultuous past at their friends’ wedding, and the whole set-up seemed perfect. I loved how the hero had changed, and how spunky the heroine was.
HER CHRISTMAS COWBOY by HELEN LACEY
A cowboy and Christmas? Yes, please! At first Brett and Elyse seemed an unlikely couple, but I quickly warmed to them, and their chemistry was incredibly hot. The ending was also perfect after all the yes-no, up-down emotional ride that had me on tenterhooks.
SLEIGH BELLS IN THE SAND by STEFANIE LONDON
I really liked the start of this story, it caught me completely by surprise. And the emotional background and dark past of both characters was so believable and heavy, it pulled me right in. I was rooting so hard for Neve and Damien to get their happy ending. The sparks between them were sizzling, and I loved Tilly the dog with all my heart too.
MILLIONAIRE UNDER THE MISTLETOE by KANDY SHEPHERD
Kitty-sitting on Christmas? I’d happily say yes to that – especially if that’d give me a chance to run into a hunky hero like Dylan. This story also started off with a bang and surprised me many times. I loved the dynamics between Dylan and Carly and never wanted the story to end (it did end perfectly, though).
HER SMALL-TOWN CHRISTMAS WISH by JENNIFER ST GEORGE
This story was incredibly emotional and heart-wrenching. I was constantly swinging between all kinds of emotions, and the power of the story hardly let me breathe. Giselle with her glamorous present and painful past and Jake as the simply perfect hero I’d have fallen head over heels in love with were a wonderful pairing. The story was the perfect ending to the set, lighting the dark with the rays of hope that Christmas magic can sometimes bring.
I’m giving this set 5 stars out of 5 because it was indeed scorching hot, wonderfully filled with second chances and new beginnings, past hurt overcome and small miracles happening. Out of the contributing authors, I had previously only known Kandy Shepherd’s books, but I fell in love with all the other authors too, and will definitely check out their novels in the future.
Rating: 5/5
ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS by RACHEL BAILEY
A hunky, brooding author as the hero? Yes, please! I loved the first story in the set, dealing with Maddy and Samuel on their island. It was just the right mix of bitter, sweet, sensual, emotion-laden and fast-paced to make me grip my mouse tighter and tighter. The memories contrasting with the present and the haunting secret that Samuel has been hiding gave the story real power.
CHRISTMAS WISHES, NEW YEAR KISSES by MICHELLE DOUGLAS
I love animals (I have 4 dogs and 2 cats), so reading about a team of vets was a treat. I also enjoyed the whole shift from friends to lovers, it was absolutely credible. Sometimes I wanted to just pick Josh and Erin up and throw them closer together. Erin’s mother as the ‘sort of’ villain was a great idea, as was having them experiment with a holiday.
BABY, IT’S HOT OUTSIDE by LOUISA GEORGE
This story was another perfect example of how it’s sometimes better for two people to be apart and grow up and find their place in life before being thrown together again. Emma and Danny had to face each other and their tumultuous past at their friends’ wedding, and the whole set-up seemed perfect. I loved how the hero had changed, and how spunky the heroine was.
HER CHRISTMAS COWBOY by HELEN LACEY
A cowboy and Christmas? Yes, please! At first Brett and Elyse seemed an unlikely couple, but I quickly warmed to them, and their chemistry was incredibly hot. The ending was also perfect after all the yes-no, up-down emotional ride that had me on tenterhooks.
SLEIGH BELLS IN THE SAND by STEFANIE LONDON
I really liked the start of this story, it caught me completely by surprise. And the emotional background and dark past of both characters was so believable and heavy, it pulled me right in. I was rooting so hard for Neve and Damien to get their happy ending. The sparks between them were sizzling, and I loved Tilly the dog with all my heart too.
MILLIONAIRE UNDER THE MISTLETOE by KANDY SHEPHERD
Kitty-sitting on Christmas? I’d happily say yes to that – especially if that’d give me a chance to run into a hunky hero like Dylan. This story also started off with a bang and surprised me many times. I loved the dynamics between Dylan and Carly and never wanted the story to end (it did end perfectly, though).
HER SMALL-TOWN CHRISTMAS WISH by JENNIFER ST GEORGE
This story was incredibly emotional and heart-wrenching. I was constantly swinging between all kinds of emotions, and the power of the story hardly let me breathe. Giselle with her glamorous present and painful past and Jake as the simply perfect hero I’d have fallen head over heels in love with were a wonderful pairing. The story was the perfect ending to the set, lighting the dark with the rays of hope that Christmas magic can sometimes bring.
I’m giving this set 5 stars out of 5 because it was indeed scorching hot, wonderfully filled with second chances and new beginnings, past hurt overcome and small miracles happening. Out of the contributing authors, I had previously only known Kandy Shepherd’s books, but I fell in love with all the other authors too, and will definitely check out their novels in the future.
Rating: 5/5
RSS Feed