Book Review: The Twelve Nights of Christmas by Sarah Morgan

At First Sight: Evie Anderson thought it was a little weird when her creep of a boss told her she could stay at the penthouse of the hotel where she worked for one night, since she had to be on-site so early in the morning. She usually wouldn't have agreed, but she had just been kicked out of her apartment and had no other place to go.

Rio Zacarelli - a successful, ruthless and super rich billionaire - has a very important deal on the making and, at the advice of his lawyer, decides to spend a really quiet Christmas away from women and other distractions, as he needs people to believe he has a clean reputation.

He wasn't counting on finding a naked woman on his bed at the penthouse suite of his hotel in London,  or to have a photographer ready to pounce and capture the moment in film. Now Rio is forced to do damage control, and figures that maybe finding Evie wasn't so bad as she could help him to project a more wholesome image.

So they are spending the days leading to Christmas together, trying to portray a happy couple for the media and for Evie's elderly grandfather. And Rio finds himself enjoying her company and everything, he just wishes she would forget it's Christmas all together. 

Second Glance: Well, I'm a little torn about The Twelve Nights of Christmas... and not only because each time I read Rio's name I kept thinking about that blue parakeet from the movie.

It's a very "Harlequin-esque" novel - you got the billionaire and the poor ingenue virgin and a rather unbelievable situation - and it works well in that format, but there were a bunch of little things that kept me from getting into the story: we aren't told why Rio hates Christmas until the last quarter of the book, same with what the mysterious "deal" he's working on. And the whole thing with Evie. What smart woman thinks "Oh, creep-o manager who tried to feel me up says it's okay if I stay in this crazy, expensive suite tonight! Good! I guess I'll sleep naked!"?

Other than that, it was a fun book and Rio did have pretty good reasons to hate Christmas, but everything to solved way too easily. 

Bottom Line: I like Sarah Morgan's style, but this one wasn't my favorite by her, I think I like her medical romance books more. But if you can suspend belief a little better than me, then this is a easy to read, quick Christmas story.

Speed Date:Under the Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

The Deal: Mia thinks that her relationship with Nick - a promising young attorney - is basically perfect, so she's shocked when a few days before Christmas she invites him to her aunt's wedding in Lucky Harbor and he says a categorical no. 

Both Nick and Mia were given way as babies but Mia was adopted and grew up surrounded by love, and eventually developed a close relationship with her birth parents (Sawyer and Tara from The Sweetest Thing). Nick wasn't so luck and he still has a hard time committing to any kind of relationship. 

Which leads to them getting into this big fight. A fight he regrets almost immediately and prompts him to follow Mia to Lucky Harbor to try to set things right. 

My Thoughts: Let me start by saying that I'm a person who enjoys novellas, okay? I think that when they are well done are wonderful little morsels of awesome.

Sadly, I don't think Under the Mistletoe was very successful. I kind of already had a sense of who Mia was supposed to be because of the previous book, but for someone who claims to be okay with the whole adoption thing, she still bases all her self-worth around 'being picked'. And Nick was said to be this very mature guy, but he didn't act like it. They are both supposed to be in the early-to-mid 20's but act like 15 year-olds often enough. Plus, the Mia from the Sweetest Thing seemed a lot more mature than this one, five years later.

It sure was nice to see the couples of the original trilogy again, but I didn't care for the main story. More than in love Mia and Nick seemed to be in lust and the way things were resolved were just... too convenient to ring true.  And Carlos? (Mia's former boyfriend-love-of-her-life? yeah, his place int he story made me go Oh, really?)

I know I love Lucky Harbor and that's probably why I'm being hard on this story. Is it horribly written? nope, but it ain't all that great either. 

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

Book Review: The 13th Day of Christmas by Jason F. Wright

The Deal: Marva Ferguson lives at the edge of a trailer park in the house she shared with her husband, there she enjoys collecting aprons (she has over 150 of them) and going about her day. Carlee Alexander just moved to the 27 homes trailer park because her family didn't do well with the turns of the economy and the lost their house. 

Carlee is a bit lonely in the trailer park, with her parents always gone working and her older brother Zach always in a bad mood. She tries to makes friends with some of her neighbors but her attempts are unsuccessful until she sees Marva across the field that separates their houses. 

Marva invites Carlee over and the two of them strike a friendship that quickly turns deep and full of love, and it doesn't matter that Marva is about eighty and Carlee only 10. Together they make their days more bearable. 

Even after some really bad news hit Carlee, her family and Miss Marva almost all at once. Not that Carlee or Miss Marva are ready to give up, specially with Christmas just around the corner. 

My Thoughts: I'm not sure what I expected when I requested The 13th Day of Christmas but what I found was a really sweet and touching story about friendship and Christmas. 

Marva and Carlee were a little lonely but they find love and comfort in each other and that sort of ripples over to the rest of Carlee's family, particularly to her brother Zach who's having a really hard time with the move and with life in general. 

The situation in which Carlee and her family find themselves was pretty sad but also realistic -her father's construction business went under and they lost nearly everything and they are now living paycheck to paycheck. They try to keep it together for their kids but it's hard and they struggle. 

The story does have a tread of sadness running through it but it's not bleak so I found it very touching and it made my heart squeeze and my eyes tear up. There is also a nice message even if it's a little on the religious side it wasn't overwhelming. 

My one complain is that Carlee sounds a bit younger than she's said to be.

The 13th Day of Christmas is a really good Christmas read, but you don't have to wait until then for it to be enjoyable. Also, this is general fiction so it's not really for little kids or for adults, and there is no romance. But I still liked the story anyway. 

Speed Date: An Outlaw's Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

The Deal: Not wanting to go home and settle down at the family ranch, Sawyer McKettrick took his cousin Clay's up on his offer to become the new sheriff of Blue River, Texas (which used to be Clay's job), but he wasn't expected to be shot at upon arrival or the freak snow storm that left him strandled at the town's school house and under the care of Piper St. James. 

Originally from Maine, Piper only came out west because her cousin - and only living relative - Dara Rose convinced her to, so she became the new Schoolmarm, only to slowly realize that she was actually better off back in Maine. The only thing better in Blue River is the closeness to Dara Rose and her daughters. 

Now, she's saving for a return trip home and trying to survive the harsh winter. But then, to top it all off, she finds a stranger half frozen in her doorstep, a stranger that puts in danger not only her reputation but also her heart. 

My Thoughts: For the last couple of years, ever since Christmas Brides, I always look forward to Linda Lael Miller's Christmas story of the year but this time I wasn't quite as charmed with An Outlaw's Christmas as I was with A Lawman's Christmas last year. 

I think that I just didn't feel like I got to know Sawyer or Piper all that well, so I had a hard time believing them together. 

However, the book did had some very nice character and it was good to check in with Dara Rose and Clay, and their friends. It was a sweet book but I kind of expected a bit more since I had enjoyed the previous Christmas stories so much. 

An Outlaw's Christmas comes out September 25th, 2012

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

Twas the Night by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes and Trish Jensen

It takes someone special to plan a wedding in Maine during winter and expect people to just come, but George is just that someone special to three best friends - and orphans - Sam, JD and Stan. Growing up, it was George who got them out of many a tight spot and became their father figure.

But when Sam Merrick's plane out of Philly gets grounded due to a snowstorm, he's forced to join the Santa Brigade - a group of senior citizens dressed up as Santa on a mission to spreed cheer to homeless shelters up and down the Northeast - since their bus is pretty much the only vehicle that seems to be able to make it to Maine by Christmas. First unenthusiastic, Sam quickly warms to the idea of joining the Brigade when he learns that his former girlfriend, Reba, is with them.

JD - a.k.a Kevin Wilder- is a former cop turned bounty hunter, who's on a quest to capture Callie Brandt, but with snow falling hard all over the northeast, JD quickly discovers that the only way to get her to a police station is to take her into the Satan Brigade bus with him. Only that then he starts to get to know her... and like her.

Stan -a former NFL start quarterback - was picking up park ranger Dana Freeman as a favor to George, but snow caught up with them too and they joined the Santa Brigade as well, as something blossomed between them.

I was surprised at the way this anthology was written, all three stories were so deeply interwoven that the authors, rather than separating them, told them in alternating chapters, each from one of the men's perspective; so it reads like one single story even though its written by three authors, and each one of the men has it's own voice but the story flows seamlessly. I liked it.

The story was funny and sexy and the characters felt very real, it was a lovely contemporary story aside from being a lovely christmasy read.

I think I liked Sam's story the most, maybe because he was the first one of the three friends that I met, maybe because I liked Reba the most as well, but over all, it was so nice to read this story on Christmas morning, cozied up in bed and nursing a cold - even with the general sickly feeling I had, 'Twas the Night cheered me right up.

The Christmas Brides by Linda Lael Miller

The Christmas Brides is an anthology containing two stories by the same author: A McKettrick Christmas and A Creed Country Wedding. So I'm going to take a moment to summarize each story.

A McKettrick Christmas.
Fresh out of Normal School, Lizzie McKettrick is finally going home to Indian Rock to teach in the town's school and be close to her family. She's also bringing home a friend whom she hopes will become so much more. But the travel is starting to show her his true colors, and when catastrophe strikes, only Dr. Morgan Shane - a virtual stranger she can't help to trust - can ease her fears and help her over come.

Will they survive? will they be home for Christmas?

A Creed County Wedding
Juliana Mitchell is close to destitute and with four children to take care of. A teacher in a now closed 'Indian school', she kept four of her chargers: two of whom she hopes to send home to the family they were taken from, and two orphaned toddlers she can't bring herself to just let go. When her last resort plea for help falls through, Juliana is forced to accept the kindness of Lincoln Creed - a lawyer and local rancher - who offers them a place to stay. Lincoln happens to be looking for a governess or a housekeeper to help care for his young daughter Gracie (whom he fears is a bit lonely since her mother's passing), and maybe even a wife if he fails to find the first two.

He instantly likes Juliana, but he isn't sure if it's wise to let her stay at the ranch. Lincoln loves his daughter and loved his wife, but isn't sure if he wants to risk his heart again.

-
Okay, I loved both stories. They were fun, sweet and Christmas-y. I was surprised McKetrrick Christmas was so engaging since half of the story takes place in a stranded train, but I liked both Morgan and Lizzie and her extended family, that story had a touch of outright magic that I liked. Creed Country Wedding was cute in different ways (kudos to Linda Lael Miller because even though both stories were by her, I didn't feel like I was reading a repeat). I loved Gracie and the other children and the sweet story between Juliana and Lincoln - had a couple of issues with the story over all, mostly felt it solved itself too quickly but it's an anthology so I'm willing to overlook it.

Also loved the format of only two stories - usually with anthologies is 3 or 4 stories, which often leaves me feeling like everything happened too quickly, but with this format more of a story developed, which I liked.

Highly recommend it, specially with Christmas around the corner.

A Wife for Big John by Lauri Robinson

After seeing to her sisters' happiness for ten years, Dani Jones decides it's time to strike out on her own and finally make her way to California, to be reunited with the man she promise to marry all those years ago.

However, the first stop in her route to California is the house of Big John Thompson. John runs a wood mill and hired 'Daniel Jones' to cook for his lumberjack camp. Great was his surprise when - upon returning from a river drive - he found Daniel was really Danielle and that she was currently in his home taking ownership of his kitchen, quite enamored of his stove.

At first, John doesn't want her to stay, but her delicious cooking and sunny disposition soon have him wishing she would never leave.

I found A Wife for Big John a quick, funny read. It's a sweet story and I loved both Dani and John. Dani is sweet and caring, and she spends most of her time cooking and you can tell that she loves it and loves that other people like her food. John is a big man with an even bigger heart, who reluctantly falls in love.

The book is set in Minnesota in 1893, and I liked seeing little glimpses at what life was in those days. And I loved each time Dani spoke of how much she loved the 'modern' kitchen, she was just adorable. The story, over all, it's a lovely read and very nice for Christmas time.

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Mark Nolan's life plan didn't include children or a family. Not after the wreck his own childhood was. But when his sister Victoria is killed in a car accident, Mark has no option but to take on his six year old niece Holly, and try to do his best by her. To do so, Mark moves into his brother Sam's house in Friday Harbor (located in the San Juan Islands), knowing he can't do it alone.

But how well can two single men raise a little girl? Well, they are certainly going to try.

Maggie Conroy moved to Friday Harbor to start over after the death of her husband nearly 2 years before. In the island, she owns a magical toy shop, which enchants Holly and starts to bring her back from the sad place she fell into by missing her mom despite loving her uncles very much.

Mark doesn't believe in magic but he can't help to notice how Maggie connects with Holly. He can't help to notice Maggie herself!

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor it's a pretty straight forward story and I really liked it for it. I wouldn't really call it a Christmas story, but it was sweet just the same, more of a chick lit story rather than a straight-romance.

Still, there is a lovely relationship that develops between Maggie and the entire Nolan family. All of them are hurt and a bit afraid of love (Maggie and Holly because they have lost loved ones, and Mark, Sam and Alex (youngest brother) because most of their lives, family meant trouble rather than comfort). But they eventually give life another chance and that's always lovely to read about.

It's a short book, though. Or at least it felt very short to me and I wanted more (more info, more back story, etc), but I know that I'll see these characters again in Rainshadow Road, the second book of this series, which will be out in 2012.

Favorite Quote: "A good conversation always involves a certain amount of complaining. I like to bond over mutual hatreds and petty grievances.” - Maggie.

1/3

Story of my Life (EE #1) - Christmas Edition.

Story of My Life - Especial Edition - On Christmas!

Here in my country we don’t have the Thanksgiving tradition as in the US (and Canada, I found out watching How I Met Your Mother), so we save our giving thanks for Christmas. So, here I am. What I’m a grateful for as 2009 draws to an end?

Well, I got a wonderful family - stick around, you’ll hear plenty of them in upcoming SOL’s. My sister might be a bitch on wheels half the time but when push comes to shove, she always sticks around. I also happen to be my parent’s beloved baby, who even at the advanced age of 25 remains theirs to spoil (and trust me, I AM A SPOILED BRAT), but more than that their love is upon me. Plus, there is my extended family, aunts and uncles and so many wonderful cousins – my cousin-but-really-more-like-a-sister Betty, in particular.

I also have an awesome most excellent dog! Name’s Rocco Albert Lampone and technically he’s my sister’s dog but see, until a couple of years ago I had my own dog, his name was Kero Boulis Daidojui (Bola for short) and he was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been around. Daddy originally got it for both my sister and me, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Bola was mine, sadly a couple of years ago, Bola died and since then Rocco sleeps in my bedroom, like Bola used to do. He might not care one whit for any order I give him, and did destroy my favored pair of Sylvester slippers, he might listen to Boo more, but when I get back to my house from school or work, is his wagging tail that lets me know I have a home.

Friends! That’s another thing I’m very grateful for. There are my real life friends, Vi in particular who has been my best friend since Prep School, when we got talking one day because even though we didn’t have a math teacher during the first few weeks, we both always got early to school anyway. She’s crazy, but she understands me. There are also my E-friends, like Niradj and his girlfriend, whom I’ve been close to for almost eight years, there is Lauren and Stella whom I still keep contact with since we met in a message board Ages ago. And Kylie too, who next to Vi might be one of the few people who actually knows who deeply neurotic I am. And so many others.

There is YOU, and everyone who’s reading this. When I began to blog about books, I never thought it would stick, see, I’m not real good when it comes to finishing projects, since I lack ambition and my competitive inner bitch is usually smothered under a thick blanket of laziness, it’s easy for me to give up.

But I haven’t and in big part that’s thanks to you – and to the Bloggiesta, who forced me to get back on track.

And I’m also thankful for my Bearsie, the teddy bear that has been source of amusement, comfort and love since I saw him under our Christmas three, 23 years ago. He has been pillow, international traveler and keeper of all my secrets. Might be old and his fur not what once used to be, but he’s still sitting right next to me always.

Well, that’s me! What about you?

PS – Happy Xmas/Holidays/Winter Break!

Yet Another Layout Switch

Hello everyone!

As you can see I've done a layout switch in honor of Christmas, it's very early still so I might switch it again sometime soon.

This background is courtesy of Scrap-E-Blog

Hope to bring you more reviews soon!