Tabs’ review of You Had Me at Christmas by Karina Bliss, Stephanie Doyle, Laura Florand, Jennifer Lohman & M. O’Keefe
Contemporary Romance published by Karina Bliss, Stephanie Doyle, Laura Florand, Jennifer Lohmann & M. O’Keefe 17 Oct 16
This self-pubbed holiday anthology features contemporary holiday romances with marriages in trouble, lonely souls, desperate road-trips, heartbreaking reunions, and family struggles. It’s a nice anthology with some really great authors. One story was a complete knock out of the park for me. One story had frustrating editorial issues. I’d consider this a mixed bag, but for a price of $0.99, it’s easily worth the gems in the mix.
Play by Karina Bliss
In this marriage-in-trouble story, Kayla and Jared Walker have been married for seven years, have two young children, and are coming off of a rough year in their marriage after a major change in fortune. Previously, Kayla had been the family’s primary earner and Jared a stay-at-home dad and struggling musician. After Jared’s successful turn on a reality competition show leads to him becoming a member of a popular rock band, things have changed.
The marriage-in-trouble trope can be tricky to pull off, because exploring marital problems is not exactly a barrel of fun. It’s nice to see Jared admit early on that letting fame get to him and being a selfish jerk, essentially, is a problem he needed to resolve. It’s also nice to see Kayla sit down with a friend and work up a list of things she needs in order to be happy and make plans to get them, rather than just trying to suffer in silence and go with the flow anymore. In addition, she finally comes to a place where she can be honest about her insecurities and how the new lifestyle exacerbates them. I feel like this story struggles a bit to get off the ground, but it hits its groove, Kayla and Jared make real progress that sets them back on course, and then the story sails on through. It’s a solid novella, and I really need to go back and read the first book in this series now.
Grade: B+
One Naughty Little Christmas by Stephanie Doyle
The complete knock-out-of-the-park story in this anthology? Oh, it’s totally this sexy and adorably sweet tale about two people over the age of forty navigating the incredibly frightening dating world and finding their unlikely match. Kate and John both have their reasons for being reluctant to wade into the dating pool but are prodded by friends to download a popular dating app. A little messaging on Christmas night leads to a ridiculously sexy text exchange. Can they turn one sexy encounter into a real relationship, though? Of course they can! But their baggage is real and dating is terrifying, so the road’s not easy. It’s eminently satisfying, though. This story is sexy and sweet and is, just by itself, worth buying the whole anthology for.
Grade: A
Twelve Kisses Until Christmas by Jennifer Lohmann
This story involves two strangers unexpectedly joining forces on an impromptu road trip. Marc Murkowski is a software developer wandering aimlessly from one ski resort to another, trying to distract himself from his current state of affairs. Selina Lumina is a waitress in a small Idaho town, who desperately needs to get out of her current living situation. When Marc and Selina have a chance encounter at the diner she waitresses at, traveling to Salt Lake City together seems like a convenient, though somewhat crazy, solution to both of their problems.
Unfortunately, Marc spends quite a bit of time during their trip being a petulant man-baby. I was on board with him at first, because he just finished a big project and is feeling adrift, but he just keeps looking backward and not progressing, pestering his former partner, and making a general nuisance of himself. He also says mean crap to Selina when she gives him a little dose of reality and is pretty much a general buttface. Selina’s an interesting heroine who is in a tough situation and is making steps to move forward and out. It ‘s nice to see her take what she wants and go for it, but the woman could certainly do better than Marc. The hero sunk this story for me.
Grade: D
Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand
This story has been released previously as a stand-alone novella. It’s another marriage-in-trouble story, but it’s much sadder than the first in the anthology. Multiple miscarriages have left Kai heartbroken and grief stricken and it’s taken a near irreparable toll on her marriage to Kurt. She’s completely shut down and left him without a word. When a subtly interfering mother and a snowstorm forces them into proximity with each other, it gives them a chance to open up and heal together.
I read this when it first came out in 2013 and it’s a very heavy, emotional, tear-jerker of a novella. I felt like it was a powerful story but may work better for people who can connect with it on a personal level. It was too heavy for me to embrace and resonate with, but, as always, everyone’s mileage varies.
Grade: B
Christmas Eve: A Love Story by Molly O’Keefe
This story takes place over six non-consecutive Christmases and finds childhood friends Tina and Dean growing up, going to college, starting careers, dealing with their considerable daddy issues, and ultimately coming together. Tina and Dean’s chemistry is palpable and they totally mesh when they’re together. However, the frequent separations of a year or more in between their interactions gets frustrating pretty fast, and the fact that they live in the same small town for large swaths of the story but only run into each other on Christmas Eves seems unrealistic. It felt to me, as a reader, that things should have worked out for them quite a bit before they actually do.
The formatting of this story is also frustrating. When time jumping is critical to the story, having the timestamps at the beginning of chapters be accurate is important. I gave up trying to figure out the timestamps after a six-year gap in the text was an eight-year gap in the timestamps and then a two-year gap in the text was a one-year gap in the timestamps. This is something that should have been caught in editing and that really hampered my reading experience [NOTE: review copy was an ARC]. This story had potential but was overshadowed by problems.
Grade: C-
Overall Grade: B
Summary:
What’s better than a little romance at Christmas?
Five romances at Christmas!
Snowbound friends become lovers. Enemies discover they mean far more to each other than they ever dreamed. A marriage in trouble is saved, and strangers find connection in delicious encounters… It’s Christmas, and everything is possible.
A gift to you. Five beloved Contemporary Romance authors bring feel-good magic to the holidays in this specially-priced box set.
PLAY by Karina Bliss
a Rock Solid romanceRock star Jared Walker is within reach of career glory…but his marriage is in the pits. Determined to save it, he talks his wife into holiday dates with only one rule: they must pretend they are strangers.
But when he discovers what Kayla really wants for Christmas, will he be able to give it to her?One Naughty Christmas Night by Stephanie Doyle
Workaholic Kate never expected to find herself looking for love online on Christmas night. Then John appeared on her screen and her whim to escape loneliness turned into the hottest sex of her life – even if it was via text. John knew Kate was too classy for his ex-con ass, but he was about to learn that Kate knew how to fight for what she wanted. And she wanted more of him.
Twelve Kisses Until Christmas by Jennifer Lohmann
Escaping her abusive father and small hometown to follow her dreams takes money Selina Lumina doesn’t have. After a millionaire software developer offers her a ride out of town, she has to decide whether to follow her aspirations or take a chance at love. Could a snowbound night on the road turn into a Christmas miracle?
Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand
(previously published as part of the Snow Queen Series)After the utter destruction of her marriage and her happiness, Kai knew it was better to shut herself away from the world than to hurt and be hurt.
Holed up in her mountain cabin, Kai plans to spend her Christmas alone. Until her not-quite-ex-husband shows up as the first flakes start to fall. Now should she send him back out into the cold? Or can she be brave enough to let this winter snow bind them back together?
Christmas Eve: A Love Story by Molly O’Keefe
(previously published in the Sweet Talk Anthology benefiting Diabetes research)Growing up in the mountains of Wyoming Trina and Dean had been childhood friends until the bitter feud between their families drove them apart. When the magic of Christmas Eve tips the star-crossed lovers together year after year, will they be able to make sure this holiday is not their last?
