#BookReview Hot for the Holidays by Marie Force, Tamsen Parker et. al

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas! Merry Holidays!
To continue this amazing season of holiday books and cheer, check out a super sexy collection packed full of romance and sexy Santas!!

 

To begin with, I was not able to read all of the stories in this super sexy collection. I do plan on finishing it, but I figured this book deserved a review during it’s peak.

I originally picked up this book for free during a wondrous sale so I could read Tamsen Parker’s story. I’m a big fan, so of course I wanted to read about some sexy Santa/Elf play with a bit of a May/December romance. Gosh darnit, it was sexy and seriously silly. The amount of Christmas puns killed me. I’m not quite sure how she can mix ridiculously hot sex scenes with Christmas puns and make it work, but goshdarnit she did it!

Holly is home for the holidays and is working at her kinky sex play/dungeon where people hook up and play for fun. Her boyfriend is supposed to pick her up, but like most boyfriends who you go out with when you bounce off to post-secondary school, he turns out to be an absolute dick. He sends his Dad Cal instead and it’s slightly awkward. That is, until, Holly and Cal decide to have some dirty, sexy Santa-Elf play. It’s hot, it’s full of fa-la-la-la-la-la-ing puns and it’s a story I’d love to see expanded. I want to see the fall-out of Holly and her former boyfriend’s relationship SO BAD. Holly and Cal seem like a better couple anyways.

It took me a few days to read it, but not because it wasn’t good. I decided to drag it out to enjoy the fabulous-ness of Tamsen’s writing. Then, I stayed for the other stories because this anthology is so good!

In full, this collection has 13 sexy holiday stories to fill up your TBR. Some of my recent faves are apart of this collection (Skye Warren, Marie Force, & Noelle Adams) and they’re all short and sweet (or super naughty, whichever you prefer). If you are going to get anything out of this series, come for an author you’ve loved in the past and meet some new authors to binge in the future.

Five out of five stars!

Check out this marvelous book on:
Amazon.ca
Kobo
Goodreads

 

If you love sexy books, these books might make it on your TBR (take a peek!):
#BookReview For Her Own Good by Tamsen Parker
#BookReview Naked by Kay Brandt
#TopBooksList Briar’s Top Romance Novels

 

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#BookReview Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis is a fabulous romance novel.

When three sisters come back to Lucky Harbor to take over their deceased Mother’s former Inn, things go awry. The Inn is in shambles (both physically and financially) and the girls just can’t get along. We follow Maddie, a former L.A. resident who is running far away from her old job and ex, who seriously wants this Inn to get back on it’s feet. When she’s there, she almost runs over one sexy motorcycle rider who turns out to be more than what he says he is…

I really liked Maddie’s arc. She starts out as “The Mouse” and slowly works her way up to being a total bad a**. She has an attitude, knows what she wants and is working on making herself a stronger person. She absolutely deserves it after a trash of an ex. And lucky for her, Jax might be the man to help her realize love isn’t all that bad. Jax is sexy, a former lawyer and good with his hands (I mean carpentry… right?). He’s a character with lots of back story and isn’t the “perfect” man, which is why I loved him.

Oh boy! There is SO much going on in this book and I am SO frustrated it left on a cliffhanger. I need the next books in this series as soon as possible! I need to know what happens with Maddie, Chloe, Jax, Ford and every other kooky character from this series! Will Ford end up with Tara? I feel something heating up there. Will Chloe ever find romance during her asthmatic state (oh man, can I relate. I NEED HER STORY!)? Will Jax and Maddie end up happily ever after?! There’s so much going on and Jill has left me speechless!

If you like romance and drama, then this book is perfect for you! There’s a pinch of Christmas and comedy as well. Honestly, I wasn’t disappointed. I was expecting a boring, old, romance novel but I was left with an addicting, quick read that is making me absolutely desperate for more of Jill’s work. Seriously, it’s worth the read. The title is Simply Irresistible, and that’s just what this book is – irresistible.

Five out of five stars.

P.S. This book is TOTALLY R rated. It has some super sexy scenes that are not suitable for your PG-13 audience. Just an FYI for anyone looking for something totally contemporary – it’s not! This book gets hot and heavy!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

Check out this book on:
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Indigo
Kobo

 

Check out some other romance novels you might enjoy:
#BookReview Tiny House, Big Love by Olivia Dade
#BookReview Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
#BookReview The Inside Track by Tamsen Parker

 

Give me a shout out on Twitter if you read this review! #briarsreviews @ReviewAlholic

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#BookReview Christmas in Silver Bells Falls by Samantha Chase

Christmas in Silver Bell Falls is a lovely Christmas love story full of snowy cheer!

This book has:
A female grinch-y writer
An “evil” grandmother leaving her granddaughter a property near Canada
Snow (it’s near Canada, obviously there would be snow)
A Christmas obsessed town
A sexy hunk
A love story
Some conflict
HEA

I love Samantha Chase’s writing ever since I discovered her a few years back. She has a smooth writing style that is easy to read and easy to get lost in. I found myself devouring this book in one sitting (when I finally had time to sit down and read it).

This book follows the typical Hallmark-style romance story that is seen throughout the holiday romance subgenre. A grinch-y person gets forced to a cute town, meets someone who is Christmas-y, falls in love, they have some source of conflict, discover something personal and share bad stories and then everyone has Christmas cheer. If you’re looking for a book that breaks the mold, this book isn’t for you. I didn’t mind it at all since I want to be in a Christmas-y mood (and I’ve been watching way too many romantic Christmas movies).

In this book, Melanie’s Grandmother who didn’t like her at all, left her a cabin up near Canada in Silver Bell Falls. Melanie is a writer and is having major writers block since she has to write about Christmas (and when you hear all about her past, you’ll understand why she’s a bit of a grinch). When she gets there, Josiah is in her house! Turns out he knew her Grandmother and the little incident is brushed off (with some pizza, of course). The two grow close to each other, learn some deep dark secrets and a motive they weren’t aware of, and develop Christmas cheer. Yay!

It’s a cute book and it’s a short read. It clocked in just over 140 pages so it wasn’t all that hard to read. Josiah and Melanie are also a cute couple (even if their romance developed very quickly – it’s definitely not a slow burn book). I’d like to read more in this series whether it’s full of merry holiday cheer or not.

I didn’t relate to the character all that much. Either way, I love happily ever after books like these. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Three out of five stars.

I found this book for free via Bookbub.

 

Check out this book on:
Goodreads
Amazon.ca
Kobo

 

If you love love stories, grab one of these books:
#BookReview The Gaucho’s Lady by Genevieve Turner
#BookReview Return to You by Samantha Chase
#BookReview Love Comes for the Bodyguard by Savannah Adams

 

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#BookReview Christmas on Mistletoe Lane by Annie Rains

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Christmas on Mistletoe Lane was an absolute GEM!

I was craving some Christmas-y goodness during the back to school blues, and this book hit the spot! Annie Rains has written one super cute novel that is a definite must read for romance lovers! Especially if you love those Hallmark Christmas movies like I do!

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane is a soft, sweet novel that moves at a fast enough pace to leave the reader breathless. It’s a PG-13 novel (suggestive sex, no sexy scenes) that is packed full of romance, angst and Christmas delights! There’s also some lovely side plots that give it the Christmas magic we all need (ex. Helping out an ill woman so her family can have a Christmas).

The kooky cast of characters were chalked full of hilarity – The Krespos, Paris (a biker Santa), Kaitlyn and Mitch are just some of the wonderful characters I fell in love with. Annie made them all lovable AND realistic. Each character had their own flaws, but they weren’t depressing. The fact that I could easily read this book and see it totally happening in real life was awesome! It felt real enough and left me hooked to every page.

Let’s get down to business here: Kaitlyn used to live in New York and be a fabulous Interior Designer. When a famous man ruins her career and shatters her, she returns to Mistletoe Lane to her Grandmother’s old bed and breakfast. Her Grandmother recently passed away and left the ownership to her and a former marine, Mitch Hargrove. They work together to get the business back up and running, and slowly fall in love… Obviously, her Grandmother had more in mind for her than she realized!

This matchmaker side of the story was actually really cute! Sure, it’s a trope that is used often but Annie used it well! There were so many little hints along the way that pushed these two lovebirds together, and I’m so glad this book ended WITHOUT a cliffhanger. The story felt finished, but I’m sure Annie will be able to continue their story in part in the sequels.

I really enjoyed this book. Mitch was a “broken” man who slowly finds his way back to his home town (and into a new job, post-Marines). On the other hand, Kaitlyn was a strong-willed woman who’s working on getting stronger. Having these two together, bumping heads a bit, was a fun story! I definitely want to read more by Annie Rains in the future, especially this series! She makes a story full of ups and downs, but still utterly positive!

Five out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

Check this book out on:
Goodreads
Amazon.ca
Indigo
Kobo

 

Looking for some more romance books? Check out some of my other reviews:
#BookReview Tiny House, Big Love by Olivia Dade
#BookReview The Gaucho’s Lady by Genevieve Turner
#TopBooksList Briar’s Top Romance Novels

 

Give me a shout out on Twitter if you read this review! #briarsreviews @ReviewAlholic

And like me on Facebook for more urgent updates! @BriarsReviews on Facebook

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#BookReview Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis

Hot Winter Nights was a romantic heist full of Christmas cheer.

To start off, I didn’t enjoy this book was much as I wanted to and I solely blame it on exam season. Unfortunately, I still need to read my worries away during exam time and typically those books don’t cheer me up as much as they normally do. Jill Shalvis is an excellent writer and the thought behind this book is amazing!

This book is in the Heartbreaker Bay series. I have dabbled in Jill’s other novels, but not Heartbreaker Bay yet (it’s on my list, don’t you worry). I saw this book at a local used book store (in perfect condition) and figured I might as well pick it up. I loved the last books I read by Jill so this would be a natural choice for me.

I found this book to be way more suspenseful than the average romance novel. It was super intriguing though. I really enjoyed following along with a story that I wasn’t quite sure how it would end (the suspense part, not the romance. The romance was super predictable, as romance normally is). If you are going to read this as a standalone, go right on ahead! I found this book easy to jump into and I didn’t need to know about the previous characters. I’m sure I would have liked this book more and understood it more if I had read the previous books, but don’t you worry about it! You’ll be just fine.

Molly and Lucas are cute and hilarious at times. They may or may not have slept together right before the book starts, and that causes a fair bit of chaos between the two of them. The duo also work together, which makes things more interesting. When a Santa Clause may be stealing money from his elves, they go on a little mission to figure out what the mystery is behind the missing money.

The plot was definitely Hallmark-esque and my gosh, I loved it. It was awesome! I did think the book was a little longer than it needed to be, but it was still fun. To top it all off, this book is definitely an R rated, sexy book with hella chemistry. Totally worth it if you love sexy romance and want a dash of Christmas cheer. It’s more sexy than Christmas-y though (not Hallmark in that sense…).

I loved that this book was a HEA romance. That’s the type of reader I am so I totally adored the little epilogue that made sure I knew my new character friends had a great time in the book.

For my final statement, I will say that the titles of each chapter were hilarious and full of Christmas puns. I think that added a pinch of awesomeness to this story.

Three out of five stars.

You can find this book on:
Amazon.ca
Indigo
Kobo

 

Fill up your Christmas wishlist with some of these other wonderful romances:
#BookReview Tiny House, Big Love by Olivia Dade
#BookReview A Love Thing Anthology by Laura Kaye & More!
#TopBooksList Briar’s Top Romance Novels

 

Give me a shout out on Twitter if you read this review! #briarsreviews @ReviewAlholic

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#BookReview Merry Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown

To begin with, I mistakenly picked this book up thinking it was a continuation of another lovely cowboy series by Carolyn Brown. While I might have been disappointed that I picked up the wrong book at a charity book sale, it was still a real joy picking up ANOTHER series by Carolyn Brown! This book itself is not a disappoint my any means!

I love ooey gooey romances especially with cowboys and Christmas. Who doesn’t love a good Christmas story?! Especially in Summer (which is when I initially read this book). I wanted something light, fun and cute and this book fit the bill! Lucky me!

These love stories are PG-13 with a dash of sex. It’s not erotica, but it does have about half of page of sexiness. It’s your typical romance stories with lots of fluff, lots of cute comments and happy endings! There’s no cliffhangers and no nasty drama!

In this book, Fiona and Jud are our leads. Fiona ran far away from home to be a career woman and her marriage didn’t work out. So here she is, back at home during Christmas time, and she runs into Jud. He helps her out during a little car accident and they find out that both of them are staying together in the same house! They end up spending the Christmas season together with Fiona’s family, Jud’s family and lots of friendly neighbors!

Fiona and Jud have a lovely friendship that develops into one steamy romance! Their ending is also one for the romance books, but what more can you expect from Carolyn Brown?

I felt like this book was just long enough and had just enough romance and action. The drama was sweet, the family moments were lovely and it was everything I could have wanted. I can’t find much wrong with it other than the fact that I messed up reading the wrong series! I would have loved to start at book one so I felt more connected with the rest of the family. That being said, you don’t need to read the rest of the series to pick this book up. It’s an easy read that you can jump into. Carolyn fills in all of the background information that you need.

I’d highly recommend this book to my romance lovers out there! This book is sweet and easy to read! It’s packed full of a lovely family and community that makes me yearn to move to Lucky Penny Ranch myself. Despite being almost three hundred pages, the book was so addicting and I flew through it super quickly.

Overall, super cute and super fluffy! I need more books like this in my life right now!

Five out of five stars!

P.S. I picked this book up at a charity book sale and I’m kind of curious how a book that isn’t reviewed much on Goodreads is in my small hometown. It was very shocking to find Carolyn’s book and I am PUMPED that I found a few of them! I guess someone in my city has good tastes!

 

Check this book out on:
Goodreads
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Indigo, Chapters, Coles – Canadian Retailer

 

Check out another book you might enjoy:
#BookReview Something Like Love by Sara Richardson
#BookReview Fly With Me by Hudson Lin
#TopBooksList Briar’s Top Romance Novels

 

And give me a shout out on Twitter if you read this review! #briarsreviews @ReviewAlholic

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#BookReview Gabriel’s Redemption by Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel’s Redemption is the third book in the Gabriel’s Inferno series by Sylvain Reynard.

The first two books in this series were real hits – they were dramatic, full of suspense and tension, and romantic. This book, on the other hand, was mostly full of sex scenes and Gabriel demanding that Julia have a baby.

In all honesty, I really wanted to like this book. I love Sylvain’s writing style and have fallen in love with his words. His stories are smooth as silk and feel like a master class in writing. But, this time around I felt like Gabriel was a giant jerk and Julia was putting up with it. Gabriel wanted a child and Julia didn’t, so they had a child. A woman was hitting on Gabriel and tried to woo him away, and that story line just… ended? I wanted to see more than it just suddenly end. It felt like it could have not been included and the story would have ended the same. Paul pining after Julia was also a story line that didn’t go very far. Rachel wanting a baby also felt like it was cut short. The entire ending felt suddenly rushed too! It felt like there was a lot of wasted potential.

I still loved the writing and I felt connected to this story. I like Gabriel and Julia’s story so I felt like I needed to know how it ended. There’s going to be another book in this series so I’m curious to see how Sylvain will make that story go. This book literally felt like Sylvain was answering some reader’s prayer to continue the story, but didn’t pack the punch that the last two books did. It was just a very long epilogue.

The highlights of this book are as followed: Julia’s Dad’s story arc, Julia’s lecture, the beautiful scenery described and the love story continuing.

That being said, I still liked it. All of the hype built up for this book was probably why it fell so hard for me. My expectations were way too high. This book is the honeymoon for Gabriel and Julia, not the finale. I truly hope the next book finishes off some of the storyline Sylvain opened up. Especially since this book was just one giant cliffhanger.

Three out of five stars.

P.S. The Superman and Lois Lane comments were really funny but felt out of place. I came for the love story and stayed for the comic book references.

 

You can find this book on:
Amazon.ca
Indigo
Kobo

 

Check out some other books you might enjoy:
Quick Book Review: Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard
Quick Book Review: The Shadow (The Florentine #2) by Sylvain Reynard
#TopBooksList Briar’s Top Romance Novels

 

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