This was a super-hot, one night read, novella. I loved it! It gets the standard "I want to know more" ding that most novellas get because I get too attached and want to see what happens with the rest of their lives. I'm so glad that I picked it up though because I found a new author to stalk!

Once Should Be Enough looks deep (surprisingly deep for its length) look into what turns us on. Cass is about to get a lesson in kind and that everyone isn't the same. As Will convinces her to open up and let him show her how to "enjoy herself", she really starts to come out of her shell.

There are just enough tense moments where I wondered if it was going to work out to balance the sexy scenes and really give the story some depth. Nikky Kaye did a great job of putting a lot of story, romance, and emotion into such a small package.

This was just downright sexy and hilarious, in all the most perfect ways. It starts with a bang - with a "big package" that is dropped off by the ex-boyfriend. This package is just the best thing ever - in all the wrong ways. I was cracking up every time it was brought back into the story.

Full of great opportunities for our characters to re-connect, a snowstorm and a cabin are the perfect place to get it (and I mean all of it) done. There's some fun toys and lots of great one-liners. But in the end, it's still a really great romance. Just enough comflict to make it a worthwhile read, but lots of hot smexiness to make it all better.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

A book based on the storm of the century, a story that has been in the making for months, a storm that is set to change the very geography of the East Coast. I really wanted to see what this storm had in store and how our characters and their small town would weather the storm. I love survival stories, and this one seemed like it would be especially good.

Unfortunately, the storm never seemed to arrive. Well, it did eventually, but it took far longer than I expected. Instead we had a story about a couple that really shouldn't have been together, and the way they come together and then fall apart all over again. I found it difficult to like Ash or Pia, so relating to their struggle. But we still had the storm (the anticipation of which was doing a number on everyone).

But it kept taking so long for it to get here! Only the last third of the book was about the storm itself and its aftermath. Once we get to this part, I started to enjoy the story much more. There was excitement, some coming together, and some tearing apart. It really was the story of the century, with a perfect combo of devastation. It seemed to last forever, and the recovery was still ongoing. I loved this part, I really needed it to come sooner though.

As with any anthology, some were better than others, but overall this set really hit the holiday spot.

Christmas Passed is a sad story that finds a twisty way to turn happy. Brandy is severely depressed after her husband dies and her children are paying the price. It's almost as if they've lost both parents instead of one. But Ryan sneaks into her life and helps her find the bright spots, one at a time. A very touching romance that just might make your cry.

A Glory Junction Christmas is a fun read. Hannah's ex is getting re-married and it seems like she's the only one in town not invited to the wedding. Christmas just isn't as much fun when you feel like you're being left behind and left out. Josh is determined to see her happy and smile again. A sweet romance, but it didn't stand out as much as some of the others in this collection.

Moonshine and Mistletoe is my favorite of the collection, by far. The whole situation that Emma and Abe find themselves in was perfect. It doesn't hurt that she's a librarian and he's a musician. The perfect pair in my mind. I can't even pick a favorite part, because I loved all of them so much! Great mix of humor, a little excitement, and the sweetest couple ever.

An Apple Valley Christmas is another sad starting one, and it takes awhile to turn around. I loved the history of Emma's house. The house is almost a character in the story on its own. A little different than some of the stories I've read. I really enjoyed the way it turned both of our characters around and slid them together.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

If Santa Were a Cowboy got off to a bit of a slow start - but by the end I was in love. Paul and Kelly have a history, and it's one full of hurt and rejection - this gets mentioned a bit too much sometimes. I knew what happened and it just kept being said over and over. Both characters are running in their own way - running from their past. Paul just did it a lot sooner than Kelly.

But now Kelly is hoping that Paul will consider taking a bit of his past back - specifically her. She doesn't go about this in the best way, and Paul isn't afraid to let her know. There's some really great dialog and I love how into being Santa Paul gets - you can tell he really loved the tradition.

The character that stole the show though - the dog. I want her. She's just too adorable and is eventually the reason for the HEa - but I won't say too much on that. Overall, a cute Christmas story.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

For a super short story, the book delivers a great HEA moment. It's really the only moment, but I was given little bits and pieces of back story to fill in some of the blanks, which really helped me enjoy the characters more. I still wanted more though. Even a couple pages leading up to where it actually starts would have been nice.

However, there was no separation between scenes, which made it very hard to tell the POV-change, which it did fairly often for a short story. But the author had a good way with words and characters.

These two really cracked me up. They are such opposites, and you can see the opposites attract coming from a mile away, but it was done quite well. Again, the characters were all a little too extreme, but there were immediate consequences from Society which made the situations a little more believable.

Lillith is an artist, and she's proud of it. She supports other artists and writes a popular serial under a pen name. This is very important, I loved how this serial played a part in the story. At first I thought it was just another aspect to Lillith's character, but it's the way it all plays out that made it almost another character itself. Lillith is not your traditional lady by any means. She's quirky and honest, she's bursting with energy and sweeps everyone up along with her.

George is quite the opposite. He's calm and respectful, making sure his duty comes before anything and everything else - including his own happiness. But Lillith breathes life back into him and his family when Society insists she joins in at a highly-attended house party.

This house party is also another character unto itself. It's the perfect backdrop for the antics and adventures that Lillith and George find themselves caught up in. There was a good dose of humor and some very memorable moments - but then we got a little out of control. From the tail end of the house party through the very end of the book, things went too far for my taste. It was no longer a light humor, but something more forced and not as much fun.

Once the ending hits, it made up for the previous craziness a little. The way it all seems to wrap back up around itself and put the right finishing touches to the story were great.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Demons, vampires, and hunters are collide in Vampire for Christmas. This was an interesting combination of light-hearted with a bit of humor mixed with a darker paranormal element. Rafe and Shannon have been partners, hunting down random baddies - usually demons - for several years together, but now Shannon is being transferred and Rafe may never see her again. He's determined to show her his true feelings before she leaves - hoping he can convince her to stay with him.

Enter demon. And not just any demon. This one reminded of Slimer from Ghostbusters - only with a much worse attitude. While dangerous, the demon was a bit comical with his ooze and overall grossness. Heaton was able to use this to set up some really great scenes for Rafe and Shannon to interact and give them a chance to really open up to each other.

The biggest thing standing in their way is Shannon's past and her prejudice against vampires in general. She has a good reason, but she still isn't sure about bringing her guard down around Rafe even though they have been partners for years.

I enjoyed this story a lot - especially the demon, he's going to stick with me for awhile. I had a hard time really getting into Shannon's mind though. She ws closed off to the point that even as a reader it was hard to see into her, and I wanted a little more of that.

Another great story from Mia Ross - she is the ultimate queen of Contemporary Inspirational Romance. Returning to Oaks Crossing to visit the girl of the Kinley family, Erin is setting off on her own to set up a new pet shot in town. When she goes to see the space she might be buying she's surprised to find out it's owned by Cam (he's equally surprised). They haven't really seen much of each other since they tormented each other in school.

But life has changed both of them, although it does take them a little bit of time to realize this, but old impressions can be hard to change. Gradually, their lives begin to intertwine more and more. The best thing about Mia Ross's romances, is that I could see them happening to anyone, anywhere. The couples come together so naturally that that you just sit back and enjoy a very pleasurable ride.

Now, things aren't all sun and roses. Every relationship will have its bumps, misunderstandings, and differences. Those are all present as Cam and Erin discover their new feelings for each other and learn their way with each other.

This is one book in a series that are all centered around the Star Inn. This one seemed like the perfect place to start with an introduction to the Inn, it's family, and the town of Heywood. And it was a great place to kick off.

This story starts off on a roll with Amanda returning to clear up her father's estate after his death. She's a big city girl that's always on the go. When she runs into her old crush, Anthony, she's in for quite a surprise. Not just because he's hot as all get out and seems genuinely happy to see her (at least at first), but his appearance is the first in a string of lies that begin to unfold.

Now, I won't be giving too much away when I say that Amanda is about to find out that pretty much everything she heard after she moved to the city about her hometown and family was all lies. Really big lies. She is perfectly devastated and confused, her reaction was everything it should have been. But Anthony doesn't really buy it. Why didn't she come see for herself, or call, or something.

Eventually the two find their way through the sea of lies and come up with a reason for why they were told to her. I really really really didn't buy the reason. None of it felt right, and they even admitted that they were just guessing. But it threw a hole into the story that I had a hard time getting out of. I kept going back to "why?" And I never got an answer that seemed even remotely believable to me.

I've already dove in to the next books in the collection. I'm excited to see what happens at the Star Inn this holiday season.

**This book was received in exchange for an honest review**