Review: Steamy Winter Romance x 3!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 19, 2013
I love Christmas stories. There is nothing better than cosy winter times and romance. With three short stories in one you are in for a festive treat.Reindeer Games by Jessica Clare 3 Stars.This was a fun, quirky story set around a reality TV show. Luna signed up with images of sunbathing and lazing on a desert island but instead she got frozen temperatures in Alaska. To make matters worse she started off on the wrong foot with fellow contestant Owen and he turned the rest of the team against her.Luna was soon voted off and cooped up in the cosy Loser Lodge but she seen the plus side of being booted off, that was until her solitude was interrupted by Owen. They started out as mortal enemies but soon the ice began to thaw and the temperature rose, in the bedroom at least ;)I liked the original storyline of the survivor show, I think it would have been great as a longer story to get more plot development and to get a better handle on the characters. They just got together and then the story ended with that being said Reindeer games is a sweet, winter read that will leave you warm and cosy.Unwrapped by Jen Frederick 4.5 Stars.I am a huge fan of the Woodlands series so I'm greedy for any extras I can get my hands on! Unwrapped is a little bonus about Noah and Grace from where Undeclared finished, even though we know their future via Unspoken and The Charlotte Chronicles if you have read them, it was great to get a little snippet of their lives and witness how a certain scene took place in their relationship.Noah has always felt inadequate in relation to being Grace's partner. Grace's family comes from money and Noah has convinced himself he needs to provide Grace with more than he can. Of course Grace wants the exact opposite, having Noah's love is priceless to her.This was a lovely story with a great message behind it. Noah was so wrapped up in himself and what he believed Grace wanted that he almost compromised the person he was in order to achieve his version of success. It took Grace's reassurance and love for Noah for him to realise what they had was more than money can buy.For being a short story so much was packed into Unwrapped, we got a better insight into Noah and why he felt so insecure about his financial status, we got to meet Grace's family and I was intrigued with her cousin Lana and definitely want more from her in the future and there was just the right amount of sexy times. Noah and Gracie were hot together!I am a fan of Jen Frederick and her writing and this was a really good short story. It even had the sweetest ending for lovers of The Charlotte Chronicles, I was left with teary eyes and a smile on my face. If you like the Woodlands series or if you just love sweet Christmas reads then Unwrapped is a good place to start.Sound of Snow by D.S. Linney 3.5 Stars.From the offset Sound of Snow is more adult romance than New Adult in my opinion, it has a grown up feel to it and both main characters are well established in life, it's just their love lives that are failing miserably. This was a very sweet, romantic tale. It could be viewed as a tad mushy and maybe clean cut and perfect but for the holiday season isn't that sometihng we love to read about? In this situation it worked.Maria or 'Ria' as she is known, meets a handsome stranger called Gabriel one night at a hotel bar and with her straight talking she gets exactly what she wants: him. Of course the next morning, overwhelmed with her feelings Ria runs without as much as a good bye or a phone number. Gabriel can't get Ria out of his mind as she is the first woman he has felt anything for since his wife passed away.Six months on and Gabriel gets the shock of his life when the new nanny arrives and it is none other than Ria. But of course there are hurt feelings and obstacles in their way but nothing being stranded because of a snow storm can't fix. Ria and Gabriel help each other heal. Ria helps Gabriel mend his strained relationship with his children and Gabriel proves to Ria that she is worthy of unconditional love.This was my first book by D.S. Linney, I did like the characters she created. Ria was a sweet girl and Gabriel was hot, the smexy times would melt the ice for sure! And as I mentioned it is a real sickly sweet love story but perfect for this time of the year to curl up and read with a hot chocolate.Snow Kissed would make the perfect Christmas gift for romance lovers or indeed for yourself as a quick holiday read! ~Ava*I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book.*