Read-A-Book Goal Realized

I met my January goal to read one book. Actually I read two, but one was for research so I won’t bore you with the details of that one. I promised to share my thoughts on my book-a-month reads, so today I am posting about the anthology HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS which hit the New York Times Best Seller List. In addition, I will tell you a little about the special guest I’m having here on Monday February 8!

HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS
I usually don’t read anthologies because the stories are too short for me. It always seems that I’m just making friends with the characters when the story ends, but I was thrilled to find this was NOT the case with this book. I’m not sure how they did it, but these four authors spun some very hot paranormal romances that had great depth. I was truly impressed.

The Vampire’s Ball by Angela Knight, an author I have never read before, surprised me. It was full of magic, self revelations, and a final battle. The depth of the characters is perfect, from the heroine, Kat, who is a kickboxing instructor that is frantically afraid her mother might give in to her ever-present depression, to the hero, Ridge, the hot vampire, with an over reaching need to protect after losing a loved one in a magic war. Even Lancelot, who is combination knight and vampire and Kat’s long lost father, has a few demons hiding in his proverbial closet. A completely engaging read. I particularly liked the garage that transports high end vehicles to the magic realm. Very cool. http://www.angelasknights.com/

A Little Night Magic was written by Allyson James, one of my favorite authors. This is a story about Jamison, a shape shifter, and Naomi, a florist with a deaf child. When the story opens, Jamison walks back into Naomi’s life after having disappeared for two years. Naomi is not happy, but her daughter is thrilled, and Jamison is determined to stay. We also meet Coyote, a drifter who is actually a god, perhaps the god of chaos, who does his best to help in his odd sort of way. This story handles everything from Jamison discovering he is a shape shifter, to Naomi’s angst about being accepted by Jamison’s Native American Grandfather, to the town’s celebration of the Ghost Train. There is a great battle between a skinwalker, a changer, a god and a human and if you don’t know what all of those are then you need to read this book. What’s even more exciting is that Allyson tells me this story sets-up a whole series of romances. I can’t wait! http://www.allysonjames.com/

Sweet Enchantment by Anya Bast is an escape into the world of the Seelie and Unseelie Tuatha Dé Danann. Bella is a high placed Seelie in the court of the Summer Queen and Ronan is an Unseelie mage who has been living in the Summer Queens court, but is about to be executed. The problem? Bella and Ronan had fallen in love decades earlier and he ended the relationship before they had even kissed. Yet, Bella comes to save him by offering him marriage which he turns down. The two find themselves dealing with a witch, staying in an hourly rate motel, escaping into the Boundary Lands, and bargaining for their lives before the Queen, all while Ronan is determined to find a way for them to be together. This is a “love sacrifices all” and “love conquers all story.” Truly an enjoyable read. http://www.anyabast.com/

A Christmas Kiss is by the well known erotic romance writer Lora Leigh. This story’s tension and thrill is based on the fact the hero, Hawke, a member of the Wolf Breed Compound, has decided that Jess is his mate and there is nothing that will stand in his way of having her. Neither Jess’ own guilt, or the person trying to kill her, or Hawke’s own community will keep him from having her, and have her he does. The great part of this story is the belonging theme as Jess is accepted back into the very community she once betrayed. Trust me, you’ll accept her too. By the way, Laura has a slew of “breed” stories published if you’re looking for more. http://www.loraleigh.com/

GUEST NEXT WEEK
I’m thrilled to have inspirational romance writer Kim Watters joining us next week to talk about her new release from Steeple Hill (Harlequin), ON WINGS OF LOVE. She handles an interesting topic in this romance with a heroine who delivers life-saving organs and a gruff charter plane pilot with a dog. One lucky commenter next week will win Kim’s gift. For more on Kim go to http://www.kimwatters.com/html/newest__release.html and be sure to stop by next week and leave a comment.