Title:
Merry Christmas,
Baby

Author:
Donna Kauffman, Nancy Warren,
Erin McCarthy,
Mary Janice
Davidson,
Lucy Monroe,
Susanna Carr

Published By:
Kensington Brava

ISBN #:
0-7582-0886-3

Release Date:
October 2004

Format:
Print

Making Waves: Donna Kauffman
Burke Morgan can’t believe that his best friend, partner and only crewman of Making Waves has picked the eve of their maiden tour to fulfill his lifelong dream of sailing off the coast of Australia. The success of Burke’s new charter company hinges on having the perfect crew and chef and Dorsey Apolo is both of those things. Dorsey assures him that his oldest granddaughter, Kamala, will make the perfect replacement and once he sees her he has to agree that she is pure perfection. She does have one small imperfection that will make sailing difficult: seasickness. Good thing Burke has a special cure for that particular ailment. Ms. Kauffman uses words to set such a sensual and realistic setting that I could feel the sun and the waves as this story unfolded into a very satisfying read.

Let it Snow: Nancy Warren
Marisa Langley, weather reporter for WLPX in Chicago, wishes that this time her forecast had been wrong. The howling blizzard makes doing the weather report from the top of the building absolutely miserable. The weather is almost as cold as the shoulder that cameraman, Rob Sheridon, has been giving her the entire three months she has been at the station. When the blizzard knocks out the power and engages the lock on the door that leads back into the building leaving her and Rob stranded in the icy elements, she knows that things are going to get a lot colder. Much to her surprise, she discovers the reason behind Rob’s cold shoulder, and suddenly things are heating up in the windy city. I loved this story about two people who are fighting the attraction they feel for each other with everything in them and only the life or death situation they are placed in forces them to acknowledge the truth.

You, Actually: Erin McCarthy
Cartoonist Josh Black and Cassidy St. George have been best friends for fifteen years and for fifteen years Josh Black has been in love with Cassidy St. George. He has decided that this night, Christmas Eve, is the night that he will tell her. He has had his cartoon strip character falling in love with his best friend for the past few months hoping that Cassidy will figure it out on her own. When she shows no signs of getting the subtle hints he decides that more drastic and forward messages are needed. Cassidy refuses to let Josh draw her into a serious discussion because she does not want to hear about the woman that he is falling in love with, just like his comic strip character is falling in love with someone. In a style that is all her own, Erin McCarthy had me laughing out loud one minute and sighing contentedly the next as Josh and Cassidy stumble their way to a happily ever after. Nothing brings on the holiday spirit faster than two best friends finding love together which is exactly what happens in You, Actually.

Undercover Claus: Mary Janice Davidson
Thanks to her latest undercover assignment, police person Corrine Bullwinkle is short on Christmas spirit. Corrine has been assigned the dubious job of standing on the street corner and ringing the Salvation Army bell. She is there because a purse- snatcher has been working that area and it is her job to catch him in the act. Little does she know that she will also catch the attention of a sexy British businessman. Just like every thing else that Mary Janice Davidson has written, this is a laugh out loud, light hearted, fast paced book that will leave you chuckling long after you have finished the last page.

Silver Bella: Lucy Monroe
When model, Bella Jackson, steps out onto the runway for her turn in the spotlight she has no idea that her life is about to be turned upside down and forever changed. In her mind she is hearing the voice of her ex-boyfriend as he accuses her of being frigid. It is bad enough that he said it to her but he had to go and sell his story to the tabloids. As she prepares to walk in front of all of the people watching the fashion show she can’t help but wonder what they are thinking. Then her eyes connect with the sexy green ones of a stranger in the audience and she no longer cares what anyone else thinks because he is the only one of which she is aware. This is the first story that I have read by Ms. Monroe and I was VERY impressed. She did an outstanding job of bringing the characters to life and building the anticipation between Bella and her green-eyed stranger. I’m hoping there will be another story to come from this one involving the siblings of this couple.

Snow Day: Susanna Carr
Getting snowed in with a house full of old friends is not how Tyler Stevens and Karen Price intended to spend Christmas Eve. Now that the opportunity has presented itself Tyler is determined that she will spend the night where HE wants her to be and that is in his bed, not that of her current boyfriend, Corey. With the power knocked out by the storm and darkness shrouding the house, Karen decides that the time has come to take her relationship with Corey to the next level and finds her way to his room for the most incredible night of her life. However, the light of day has a surprise in store for Karen. I love stories where friends become lovers so this one was right up my reading alley. Tyler is a scrumptious combination of alpha and sweetness that makes for a perfect hero.

In this second holiday six story anthology from Kensington Brava we are treated to a tantalizing mix of stories and authors. I love the shortness of the stories in these anthologies because they allow for a quick reading fix in the midst of all of the holiday madness. When the hustle and bustle of the holidays get to be too much and you need a break from reality, grab a “six pack”, lock yourself in the bathroom and lose yourself in romance.



Reviewed by: Missy