Hello, and welcome back! I’m still trying to dig out from under the enormous stack of review books on my desk that I’ve been dying to get to while trying to keep my head above water with my current job and the long drive each day to get there and back. I probably haven’t mentioned it here in a long time, but I miss my bookstore. I miss it a lot. The remaining area bookstore where I have to shop (as the other one had such horrid corporate people I’ll never give them a penny of my book money) is not so hot in the romance department, or, frankly, in the receiving/merchandising, as very often I have to ask for the new releases on release day (or, worse, after release day), and sometimes they’re still in boxes in the stock room. They never did get some of the other fall releases I had on my shopping list, which means eventually I’ll have to order them from an online retailer. This makes me sad and very worried about bookstores and those readers who love the feel of new books in their hands.

Fortunately, I can still get my hands on many new books each month, and I’m going to enjoy that for as long as I can. This time out, I have the anthology (Brava, received from publisher) with stories from Erin McCarthy, Donna Kauffman, and Kate Angell, all set around Christmas. McCarthy kicks things off with “Blue Christmas” and Blue Farrow doing her best Scrooge imitation when she has a wintry accident that puts her in a tiny motel along the highway with the sexy Christian Dawes who may just change her mind about the season. “Santa in a Kilt” from Kauffman has Kira McLeod butting heads with Shay Callaghan on Kinloch before the holidays, and she’s determined to get her Scotsman. Angell’s “Snow Angel” traps Allie Smith in Aiden Dutton’s department store on Christmas Eve and gives him the chance to win the woman who stole his heart three years ago on a ski fling. This collection is a fantastic way to get into a holiday state of mind, no matter when you read it. Blue doesn’t have any real, concrete reasons for her dislike of Christmas, but I love Christian, who is not only sexy, but persuasive. Kira is a terrific heroine, and Shay couldn’t possibly resist her. And Allie and Aiden are fabulous; I loved their struggle to find a happy ending. I’m borrowing four of Cupid’s five arrows for this one.

Until next time, happy reading!

Erin McCarthy

Kate Angell

Romance Novels Forum