Review: LOVED IT! CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS GROUP OF AUTHORS!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2013
Whenever I purchase any anthology, I assume there will most likely be a mix of varying quality books. Some may be very good and others only average. I'm happy to report that all three books in the Heating Up The Holidays 3-Story Bundle were great reads. All were well written, had plenty of steam, and showcased three great authors. While the title calls this a "Holiday" bundle, all of the books would be appropriate to read at any time of the year. I don't consider any of these novellas as primarily holiday stories.Play With Me by Lisa Renee Jones"I'm inside you, he repeats."I know," I pant. "Believe me, I know."He frames my face, forcing my gaze to his. "Say it.""You're inside me.""Where I plan to stay."Lisa Renee Jones is an author that is a "sure thing" for me. Whether I'm reading some of her older books or her newer releases, I know I can expect solid writing and a steamy romance and this novella didn't disappoint. Play With Me is the type of romance I tend to gravitate to. Sexy, rich businessman, used to getting what he wants begins working with his new very smart, very capable and beautiful assistant...Cliché? Yes! Enjoyable? Totally! Play with Me was short and steamy, a 4 star read.SNOWFALL by Mary Ann RiversI have to be honest, I would have picked this bundle up regardless of the other books because I'm a Lisa Renee Jones fan. I likely would have gotten this book and let it linger on my kindle along with the other countless books I am trying to get to. The fact that Mary Ann Rivers was a participating author shot this straight to my "MUST READ AS SOON AS I DOWNLOAD" list. That is not an exaggeration. I read The Story Guy a few weeks ago and fell in love with this author's writing style. The Story Guy actually is one of my top reads for 2013! I was more than excited to see that Snowfall was included with this bundle. I was curious to see if this second book by Mary Ann Rivers would be as good as I remembered The Story Guy being. Would I feel that magic again? Yes, Yes, Yes!I don't want to give too much away regarding the actual storyline. I will say it's smart, tender, and the author does a wonderful job of letting the chemistry between the two characters build and develop. I've read over 600 books in the last two years and only two first kisses stand out as totally memorable. I've just added one more!I feel his grunt in my mouth, and ____, ____, he rakes his hand into my hair all the way and he pulls it, hard. I think he's fisting it, and he sucks in my lip and bites it while he pulls, greedy for me, hot for me, and I feel another sound in his throat, so low I can't hear it, and every time he comes for my mouth between breaths he gets me where he wants me by that fist in my hair, the sting washing tight, icy-hot goose bumps over my spine, into the crease of my ____, my God, and then pulsing with dark, dark pins and needles all through the slick swollen mess of myself, my ____.Whoa! That kiss happens while the two main characters are sitting at a table in a restaurant. The make-out scene that happens in the car later, totally hot. Oh yeah, there's also the computer instant message sexting thing that happens earlier in the book as well....yep, totally Hot!I simply adore this author.  I loved this novella and can't to read more from Mary Ann Rivers!AFTER MIDNIGHT by Serena BellI wasn't familiar with Serena Bell, the author of the third book until reading After Midnight. I couldn't help but wonder as I started this third novella if this would be the weak link of the bundle, the one story that was just average. Nope, it was all good! I really liked the characters in this story.  Nora is confident, smart, and sexy. She's also a lot a fun and somewhat crazy, but in the best way. Unfortunately, this is a combo that I don't run into in a lot of the romances I have read. I also liked Miles. After being accused of a white color crime at his workplace, he lets the accusations basically devastate his life. The story reminded me of the immense power that we give others to shape who we are and how we feel about ourselves. It also reminded me that we can control how we let others people's actions affect us.  That sounds pretty heavy and the stories actually not. I think I was just affected by the feelings of guilt and embarrassment Miles experiences even though he hasn't done anything wrong.  I loved the following line:If you listen to the wrong voices, it can be very hard to hear your own.The story has plenty of steam including a pretty sexy session of phone sex. Score! I was impressed with Serena Bell's writing and definitely plan on checking out what else she has available.Overall impressions:I loved this compilation and recommend it to all lovers of the romance genre. I feel like I got a little bit of everything and all of it was well written. Definitely a 4+ STAR book overall.Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review