holiday

Snowbound with the CEO BY Shannon Stacey

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

18471927

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella
Published: 11/4/13
Reviewed by Anne
66 pages
 
Rachel has a crush on her boss, Adrian.  Adrian owns and runs a very successful construction/rehabilitation company, and unbeknownst to Rachel, he has a crush right back on her.  When they get snowed in together at a mountain resort, they spend some non-working time together, which leads to a weekend fling.
 
If I had a crush on my CEO boss and decided to have some no strings sex with each other, but then ended up falling for him, I think this is exactly how it would go down.  It’s emotionally messy.  They work very well together, but when it comes to personal stuff, they stumble around and try not to step on the other’s toes.  That was a little frustrating, but it felt so real!
 
It is a pretty short novella, but the story fit well in its pages.  It didn’t feel rushed yet it ended well.  The main obstacle they faced seemed realistic and the way they worked through it was believable, too. 
 
The story was still that great Shannon Stacey mix of sweet and funny.  It’s a quick and enjoyable holiday read that I recommend.

Heating up the Holidays

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Heating Up the Holidays 3-Story Bundle

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze/Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella
Published: 10/28/13
Reviewed by Anne
303 pages
 
Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers (A) – First off, we start with Jenny, a microbiologist.  That’s right, a story featuring a female scientist!  Woo hoo!  Her love interest is the physical therapist she’s working with – and the conflict of interest there is very well handled.  The story is primarily about her personal journey to accept some changes in her life, and the love story is wrapped into that.  So good.  Mary Anne Rivers also wrote The Story Guy, which is one of my favorite reads of the year.  She is a new favorite of mine.  Fair warning – she writes in first person POV, from the heroine’s side only.  And it works.  Very well!  I highly recommend this story.
 
After Midnight by Serena Bell (A) – Miles is in a funk at a New Year’s Eve party.  He’s been (falsely) accused of embezzling from a charity he runs and was subsequently dumped by his fiancée.  Then he sees Nora dancing across the room.  She is happy and full of life.  They make eye contact and she surprises him by coming over to see him. The story of where things go from there is very good!  Well written with touches of humor that made me smile.  I haven’t read Serena Bell before but she going on my good list now!
 
Play With Me by Lisa Renee Jones (DNF) – So, I went into this one a bit hesitant because I associate with more suspenseful reads.  It had a strong start and I liked the heroine, but things started getting icky for me.  First our “hero” reminds one of his employees that she is “only cranky once a month.”  That was almost the end for me, but I think I was hoping our strong heroine would put him in his place.  But before we know it she’s essentially held prisoner for an entire day having her phone and computer and all contact with the outside world removed and no explanation given other than “there’s been a breach in security and we have to follow protocol.”  When our hero finally takes time to come tell her what’s going on, she quits (yay her!) only to be seduced by the mere touch of his hand shackling her wrist.  Umm.  No.
 
Despite not finishing the Lisa Renee Jones story, I’d still recommend this book based on the strength of the other two stories.  This may turn out to be a favorite year after year for me!  How about you?  Do you have a favorite holiday romance?

The Scandal Before Christmas by Elizabeth Essex

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Scandal Before Christmas (The Reckless Brides, #3.5)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Reckless Brides #3.5
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay

Since Ian Worth has to take bride, he asks his superior officer about his situation. See, his older brother has been injured and isn’t expected to recover fully. Ian is a Navy man and still active in his commission. His father the Viscount wants him to cancel his commission and marry so he can train him as the heir now. He knows he has to marry but he doesn’t want his father’s choice for his bride. Ian wants a quiet, unassuming girl. As he tells his superior about this, the man says he has a daughter, who is a spinster, who fits the bill. Ian is very interested. He tells himself that she needs to be pretty enough so he’ll have no problem getting her pregnant.

Anne Lesley is the daughter/bride to be in question. She knows that she is plain and not pretty. She sees this possible marriage as her way of escaping her mother’s over powering presence. She is very shy and doesn’t talk much due to her self ego. After arriving at Ian’s house, she overhears him saying hurtful but not unexpected things.

This was an okay read for me. It started off great but honestly, the setting was in the country and I prefer the city. I missed the ton and the shock value of their match it would’ve caused. Ian was a straight up ass in the beginning but finally redeemed himself. I don’t know if I’ll go on in the series as the sex scenes were kind of Meh for me.