Christmas with the Recluse by Victorine E Lieske

From Goodreads:

When Charley gets sent by her father to appraise a mansion full of antiques, she gets a surprise when she arrives and the owner is cold and mean, and doesn’t want anything to do with Christmas. And even worse? It’s not really an appraisal job at all. He just wants her to clean out his mountain of junk from his garage. But Charley makes it her goal to show him that Christmas is a special time of year. And as time goes on, she sees his frozen heart start to thaw.

Alexander has been dealing with the guilt from his wife’s death for two long years. It’s time to move past, so he hires someone to help rid his garage of his wife’s memories. But when she arrives, she’s not at all what he was expecting. And even though she’s a bit crazy, she helps him find his Christmas spirit once again.

My Take:
*sigh* I really enjoyed this one. It had a faint Beauty and the Beast feel to it without being Beauty and the Beast if that makes any sense. Alexander is mean and grumpy because he's been alone too long, but Charley knows how to light up a room with her positive outlook on life.

Lieske did a great job rounding out her characters personalities so they felt real. The supporting characters were also wonderful. One of the things I really appreciated is that Alexander didn't change overnight. During the ten days they spent together he made progress, but he did slip up. This is realistic. People don't completely change years of habit simply because they want to. And he did want to.

I loved Charley's spunk and forgiving nature.  She was sweet and caring, hiding the hidden depth of her understanding behind her age.

I give Christmas with the Recluse a 4.5 and Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

Love, Snow, and Mistletoe: Four Sweet Christmas Novellas

Since this is a collection, I'll post the blurb from Goodreads in black, and my comments in red for Christmas!

From Goodreads:

Her Fake Christmas Date BY VICTORINE LIESKE

Jennifer uses an old friend as an excuse for why she can’t go on a blind date. She doesn’t know he’s been secretly in love with her since grade school.

This was fun and cute. Jennifer doesn't know how much she hurt Shane years earlier, all she remembers is the good times they had and how nicely he's grown up.

A Holiday Rescue BY TAMIE DEAREN

Despite her fame as an author, Amy is all alone at Christmas. Stranded in a snowstorm, she's rescued by a handsome stranger. Can shared cocoa lead to love?

There was a lot going on in this short. It all works, but it could have benefited by several thousand more words to wrap up/round out some of the side plots. Enjoyable, but I wanted to know if the photo Amy stared at on her laptop that she paid $35 for was really Max or just someone who looked like him, and why was Damon so nasty crazy then perfectly fine? It's like a lot of drama was built up around him for no reason. And why was the Matt guy from NetShows so set on getting the contracts signed so fast? If he was SPOILER ALERT related to Max, it seemed like he would have been a nicer guy, so was it all Damon? 

Anyway, the romance part was sweet, with both of them fumbling around thinking the other one had a significant other, or no interest, or whatever, but some of the other stuff pulled my attention away from the romance. Cady was awesome though. 

A Second Chance for Christmas BY MICHELLE PENNINGTON

Grace planned to spend December moving into her new apartment and getting ready for Christmas with her daughter, not falling for her neighbor, Sam--whose heart she broke years ago.

I loved that Grace was so stubborn about trying to do things on her own, but also smart enough to realize she couldn't. Sam was a dream come true. Even though he could have turned his back on Grace he didn't. This story probably had the most heart-twisting moments for me. Grace had been through the wringer, making it hard to think there might be a happily ever after available for her. I liked that we could see her struggling with it. 

The Billionaire’s Perfect Match BY ANNIE HOUSTON

Heading up large corporations is tough on your love life. A trip home throws high school friends Aurelia and Lander together and sparks fly. They each have everything, except love.

This was a cute twist on the billionaire trend. We get not one, but two billionaires! I love that Aurelia is successful and rich in her own right and has the same concerns about people dating her money that Lander does. But most of all, I love how after years apart, they fall right back into being best friends with the extra bonus of chemistry. 

This was a fun, fast Christmas read. I enjoyed all the stories and felt the characters were all well-developed. I'd definitely recommend it this season.

I give this collection a solid 4 and Clean rating.

Rating Guide

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

Stone Cold Sparks by Cami Checketts

From Goodreads:
A stone cold firefighter, lifelong secrets, and the vivacious woman who won’t give up. Abi Newell is feisty, fun, beautiful, and has date offers every night of the week. She gave her heart away to Stone Ryland when they were teenagers and that was the stupidest decision of her life. Though Stone is the perfect fit for her—kind, patient, and steady—he’s also shut himself off to everyone, including her. She’s accomplished best-friend status with her dream man, but winning his heart may be a hopeless quest.

Stone has been deemed Stone Cold by his firefighting buddies for good reason—he has the remarkable ability to put his feelings on the shelf while dispassionately dealing with the situation at hand. Too bad Stone’s buddies don’t know the truth. A truth Stone will fight tooth and nail to keep hidden. Abi is his one weakness, but Stone can’t let anyone into his heart or his well-protected secrets will be discovered and destroy not only Abi, but his deceased wife’s memory as well. Can Abi break through the ice surrounding Stone Cold’s heart, or will she be forced to give up on her lifelong love?

My Take:

This was a quick easy read that only took a couple hours one day. Checketts takes us back to Park City for another one of the firefighter's stories. Stone has a reputation for being cold as ice, but Abi knows better. She can see through to his pain even if she doesn't know the true source. Abi thinks Stone still hasn't gotten over the death of his wife seven years earlier. He'd only been married for six short months, but he lost his wife and their child in a car accident.

What Abi doesn't know could also ruin Stone's chance of finally being with the one woman he's always loved. No spoilers, because the reader knows fairly early that Stone married their mutual friend Virginia to save her from her father's wrath because the fourth friend in their group, Jace, abandoned her when he learned she was pregnant with his baby. All his misguided attempts at doing the right thing, at keeping promises for the dead for the sake of integrity almost drives away Abi for good.

I loved Abi's persistence, but I also felt her heartache. Every time she tried to save herself by walking away but returned because she couldn't live without Stone in her life. Stone's pain is real too, even if you want to smack him up side the head.

Checketts does a wonderful job tugging at emotions until you finally get to exhale with the happily ever after. A wonderful journey through the pain of love.

I give Stone Cold Sparks a 4 and a Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on screen sex

R--swearing (F bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

The Christmas Girlfriend: A Return to Snow Valley by Taylor Hart

From Goodreads:
He needs a date for Christmas. She needs money for a dream. Maybe they'll both get a Christmas miracle!

The handsome and kind, Mike Hamilton, doesn't want to go back to his hometown, Snow Valley, to attend his sister's wedding and spend Christmas, especially since he didn't tell anyone he got dumped two weeks ago. So when he discovers a girl standing on a roof praying, running to the top to join her doesn't feel that desperate. Too bad they both fall and she accuses him of trying to kill her.

Aspiring singer and songwriter, Zoey Harper, doesn't know who this guy is -- but she doesn't need his help. When he offers to pay her to be his FAKE girlfriend to get him out of a little situation, she immediately says no. But when she finds herself without a job, without a car, and with no money to go try out for The Voice and fulfill a life-long dream, she agrees! But ONLY kissing. And only pecks on the cheek!

She doesn't know how she finds herself making out with him to keep his ex-girlfriend at bay, then cannonballing into the hot springs on his property and spilling all of her secrets. And who would have guessed that her favorite person would be his grumpy grandpa? Her lonely heart doesn't know when things started to change between she and Mike--when he ran up on the roof to save her or when she finds herself singing a song for him in front of his whole family.

When their lies fall apart, they are left with a choice--forget the past five days or get the Christmas miracle that could change their lives forever.

My Take:
I've missed several Snow Valley stories, so it was wonderful to return. Years have passed since Janet Snow got her second chance by marrying Michael Hamilton. This story is about their son Mike who is attending Harvard law because he feels he needs to prove himself. He's miserable and lonely, but he's about to meet the best thing to ever happen to him. Zoey's more than down on her luck. She's clinging to the past and a supposed broken heart from losing her husband a year earlier.

Here's what I liked:
~Even though this is a story where one person was married before, they didn't come out of a bad marriage. I also liked that Zoey loved her husband and all the potential of their future, but in the end, they only knew each other and were married a short time--most of which they weren't even together. In a way, this makes it easier for me to believe in her falling in love again quickly and so deeply.
~I loved Zoey's spunk. Even when she felt so broken and defeated inside that spark kept her moving forward.
~I loved that Mike really did have a hero complex. He wanted to help Zoey from the moment he ran up that snow mound to the roof to the very end.
~It was a joy revisiting Snow Valley and some of my favorite places--Big C's, the hot springs, remembering the tree lighting at the hospital, it was all a fun trip down memory lane like returning home after being away too long.

I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read. I give The Christmas Girlfriend a Clean rating and solid 4 stars.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex
R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

Unexpected Gifts by Elena Aitken

From Goodreads:
Christmas represents everything Andi Williams is supposed to have, and doesn't. Running away to a remote mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies, sounds like the perfect way to escape, until a mix-up finds her sharing a villa with sexy, rough around the edges, Colin Hartford.

Colin's determination to enjoy the holiday he’s missed for the last five years, sweeps Andi into a season of joy that she’s not sure she’s ready for. Can Andi open herself up to everything the holidays have to offer... including love?

My Take:

Good story, PG-13 This story had lots of nice moments. Andi's pain is believable, and yet it has been long enough that she's ready to move on and experience love again. Even if she didn't know it. I loved how Colin wanted to help her enjoy Christmas again as well. However, like one of the last books I read, I wish he had decked the ex when he had the chance. There isn't much else to say. :)

Note for cautious readers:

Although they never did the deed, clothes came off at one point. I only had to skip half a page to get pack to the story though.

I give this one a 3.5 (mostly because I had to skim to remember the story for this review) with a PG to PG-13 rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

 R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

One To Keep by Ev Bishop

Ha! I love a romance that's filled with humor. We start off with Sophie and Jesse in the same bar sitting alone and toasting themselves for deciding to be single forever. They've both had too much too drink, and even though neither of them are casual one night stand kind of people they try. And they both chicken out. I really liked that.

They spend the next few days getting to know each other, riding quite the roller coaster of attraction and irritation with each other. There's a lot of baggage for them to work through, but I felt the story line flowed smoothly and believably.

You'll find Sophie refreshingly honest, even when she's confused about her own emotions. Jesse is alternately sweet and frustratingly "man" when he's trying to figure out his own deal.

The only character that confused me in this story was Stella. She started off nice and then had a night of total witchery if you know what I mean. It was the classic "I like him so I'm going to sabotage you" routine and it was so obvious I don't think Sophie should have fallen for it.

Anyway, I'd give this a movie rating between PG-13. They don't, but there's foreplay that's more than PG. The story itself gets a solid 4 from me.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
 R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

Christmas Down Under by Marion Lennox

From Goodreads:
Sarah’s committed to her stellar modelling career in New York, but there’s an obligation she needs to fulfil. Harold was a Grandpa to her when she needed him most. Now all Harold wants is one last Christmas in his beloved Waratah Bay Homestead. Sarah’s not that so hot on baking and Christmas seems a bit… challenging… but she’s prepared to fly half way round the world to give it a try.

The only problem is, Harold no longer owns Waratah Bay Homestead. Farming tycoon Max Ramsey owns it now and he doesn’t like company, he doesn’t like Christmas and most of all, he doesn’t like Sarah.

When the two clash, enough sparks ensue to light a Christmas tree. How many enemies does it take to cook one Christmas turkey?

Previously titled Christmas at Waratah Bay

My Take:
I'm getting in the Christmas mood! I picked this one up for free from BookBub. It was a sweet and touching story that pulled on many different emotions. Sarah is a wonderful character. She's full of love for Harold, light and goodness for everyone else. She's a hard worker and not afraid to take on things she has no clue about--turkey and Christmas dinner being a good example. I enjoyed the fact that she didn't feel the need to correct Max's wrong idea about her in the beginning. She wasn't there for Max, didn't care what he thought of her, all that mattered was Harold and giving him one last Christmas.

Even when Sarah started liking Max, Harold was her focus. She simply found room in her heart to include Max and his family in her goal to provide a Christmas to remember.

Max's change of heart happened slowly as well. At least as slow as possible for a few days time in the book. I liked this. He didn't immediately fall in love and change who he'd been for years and years. He struggled with letting people in, even though he wanted to let Sarah in. It took Sarah's strongly independent spirit to finally break through his walls. She was strong enough on her own. She didn't need him to fix everything for him. In the end though, they both realize that everything could be wonderfully better and more fulfilling if they were together.

I enjoyed being in a different setting for Christmas--no snow and a day at the beach. It was a refreshing change. This read was also clean. I give Christmas Down Under a 4.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure