Georgia Beers

Fiona Riley

Maggie Cummings

The Christmas season sparks passion and love in these stories by award winning authors Georgia Beers, Maggie Cummings, and Fiona Riley.

All I Want for Christmas

Lucia Correa

All I Want for Christmas
Three Novella collection written by Georgia Beers, Maggie Cummings and Fiona Riley

Overall, 4 Stars, because of the strength of Georgia Beer’s story.

5+ Stars for Georgia Beer’s Triple Dog Dare. Another excellent story by Beers. In lesser hands the common trope of going home for Christmas with a fake girlfriend would be nothing special, but this was wonderful. Add a slow burn romance and this story made it on my annual Christmas story re-reads list. Heck, I’m going to read it again before this year is up, for sure.
Sasha Wolfe is the owner of a very successful real estate company and is the single middle daughter in her family. Her recent widower mother, Maggie, her older sister, Melody and younger sister, Cat still live in the small town where they grew up. Tired of the three of them asking her when she was going to get a girlfriend, Sasha did the next best thing. She made one up aka “Jennifer”. For months she had been appeasing them by telling them about Jennifer. Only her skeptical sister Melody saw through Sasha and insisted Jennifer was fake. “Well, Melody said, if she is real then bring her for Christmas. I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!” Without thinking, Sasha agreed to bring Jennifer. Now she just had to find a girlfriend, named Jennifer. Sasha must’ve been good that year, because she recently met her neighbor, Kennedy Davis who agreed to play Jennifer. Kennedy, is an actress, teaches Drama at the community college, is active in LGBTQ organizations and is in a financial bind. So Sasha told as much family info and facts to Kennedy (aka Jennifer) on the long drive home. It was a slow burn romance for the couple and for the family. But how long can they keep up the subterfuge? Kudos for the excellent epilogue.

Note: Sasha is also in Georgia Beer’s latest novel, 16 Steps to Forever which features her friends, Macy and Brooke who make a cameo in this story.

3.5 Stars for Maggie Cummings’ Hustle and Bustle, the second story in this collection. The story begins in early November and Hannah Monroe is setting up her booth in the annual Christmas Park Holiday Market in New York City. The Market runs from November thru to Christmas. Hannah owns Gaia’s Glow, a natural skin care company. She doesn’t have a storefront so she sells online and at various retailers. So she hopes her booth will bring in new customers. NYC cop, Toby Beckett has been assigned the Holiday Market and it suits her as she enjoys walking this beat, amongst the shoppers, venders and helping to keep them safe. Their meet cute happens in the first days of the Market when a teen shoplifter Toby was bringing in for questioning, crashes into Hannah’s booth. Toby returns later to apologize to Hannah for any damages the teen may have caused. And so begins a sweet friendship to lovers romance. But how will they solve the problem that Hannah normally lives in Hudson, NY, hours away from NYC? I liked one year later epilogue.

3 Stars for Fiona Riley’s A Christmas Miracle, the final story in this collection. Mira Donahue owns the bar, The Mirage, which has been voted the best bar in Boston. One of the busiest times of year is the Christmas holidays, which brings in many private party bookings. Unfortunately for Mira, her events coordinator, Kelly is out on Maternity leave earlier than expected. Leaving Mira to coordinate the various Christmas parties along with managing the bar. Although, Kelly left Mira detailed notes and information for each client, Mira felt overwhelmed, add to the fact that Mira HATED Christmas she was not a happy camper.
Courtney Rivers on the other hand LOVES Christmas. She is an administrative assistant at her company and is thrilled to be assigned as this year’s Christmas Party coordinator. She’s hoping if it goes well, she would be hired to the Events Coordinator position that is currently open. As luck will have it, because of a cancellation she was able to book The Mirage. Mira and Courtney clash over Courtney’s party plans to impress her boss. Will Courtney be able to perform a miracle and change Mira’s attitude towards Christmas? Throw in “stranded in a snowstorm” troupe, anything can happen.
It’s frustrating that I can’t explain exactly why, but I felt this was the weakest of the three stories.

 An advanced readers copy was given to me by Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jude Silberfeld

4.5⭐️ – These are novellas so get ready for things to go fast. No worries though, Georgia Beers, Maggie Cummings and Fiona Riley are talented writers and the romance feels real but never rushed.

I enjoyed all three stories and I love how they fit together. They’re very different, both in tone and level of heat (Fiona Riley has not been dubbed Queen of Steam by accident) and balance each other really well.

Georgia Beers gets the ball rolling with Triple Dog Dare, and it’s a beauty, probably one of my favourite Christmas novellas ever. And, seriously, who doesn’t like a Christmas fake romance novella?

Sasha (Brooke’s boss in 16 Steps to Forever) has been lying for months to her mother about having a girlfriend but when her older sister dares her to bring her non-existent girlfriend to their mother’s for Christmas, Sasha can’t resist proving her wrong. Even if she’s right. Lucky for her, her very attractive neighbour, Kennedy, is an actress and needs money. Who better than a gorgeous woman who is totally Sasha’s type to play her girlfriend for a couple of days? Really, what could go wrong?

From the first time they talk, the connection between Sasha and the younger woman is there. As usual with Beers, it’s not overstated, it just is. It’s organic. Kennedy is smart and funny and yes, she needs the money but that’s not her main motivation to agree to Sasha’s bound-to-fail plan. She genuinely wants to help. The story is told in first person from Sasha’s point of view, which allows the reader to fall in love with Kennedy in real time, as we only see her through Sasha’s eyes. I absolutely love Kennedy and Sasha together, and I also really enjoyed the whole family dynamics. 5⭐️

Maggie Cummings’ Hustle & Bustle tells a very different story. Hannah and her best friend and business partner Priya are in New York for the winter holiday market, where they’re showcasing their organic beauty products. As they finish setting up their booth, Hannah stumbles into Toby, one of the cops working the market. Hannah never thought she could fall for a cop but life is full of surprises and so is Toby, who doesn’t fit any of Hannah’s preconceived ideas of New York police officers.

The first words that come to mind when I think of Maggie Cummings’ novella are gentle and cute. Hannah and Toby are both shy, each in her own way. They ease into what both think is friendship, both wary of hoping for more as they live in different cities, but it steadily does anyway and of course, they’ll work it out, in their own mellow way. 4⭐️

Fiona Riley brings up the rear with A Christmas Miracle. Why am I not surprised hers is the novella featuring a Grinch? Mira – yes, you’ve met her in Bet Against Me – hates Christmas, all the more so as it’s also her birthday (she’s not happy having to share it “with a fat man in a red suit”). This year especially, everything seems to conspire against her: her best friend and events coordinator is going on maternity leave and for the first time since she was born, her mother won’t be there either. Enters Courtney, a lover of all things Christmas. Courtney is hoping to be promoted to the events department of her company and organizing this year’s holiday party should help prove she’s worthy of the promotion. She has booked Mira’s bar, Mirage, Boston’s hottest bar, but despite sizzling chemistry as soon as they lay eyes on each other, Courtney and Mira disagree on the party plans. Not for long, however, as Mira can’t resist Courtney’s enthusiasm and joyful enjoyment of fake snow and garlands and the way she morphs from innocent to flirty in a blink. Add a snowstorm and let Christmas magic do its thing… A Christmas Miracle is light and sexy and the perfect way to conclude this anthology. 4.5⭐️

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Megan Cooper

If you're given the choice of watching 3 Hallmark Christmas movies back to back or reading BSB's "All I Want For Christmas" novella anthology - pick the anthology. Don't get me wrong - I"ve lost more than a few Sunday afternoons watching a marathon of feel good seasonal movies. But if you want something that reflects your own idea of feel good seasonal joy and romance - BSB has delivered three sweet, funny and just cheesy enough to satisfy that need for a sugary sweet HEA complete with mistletoe and jingle bells that I think everyone needs this year. 

Triple Dog Dare by Georgia Beers is a smart and snappy take on fake date trope when Sasha succumbs to sibling rivalry and agrees to bring her (fictional) girlfriend home for the holidays. Enter Kennedy - her next door neighbour who happens to be a drama teacher and, surpisingly gorgeous and single. This has all the fun you'd normally find in a fauxmance and the overlay of the rather sweet and poignant sub-plot around Sasha's family dealing with her father's death the year before gives this a nice balance. Ms Beers creates two particularly engaging characters and some memorable secondary characters in a novella - not an easy thing to do. There's a fantastic chemistry between the mains - and the romance moves fast but stays pretty PG. It's sweet and sassy - and I could see it on Hallmark or Lifetime quite easily.

Hustle and Bustle by Maggie Cummings is a bit of a slower burn romance than the other two novellas- but remember this is a Christmas romance, so it still moves at a good pace. This is a friends to lovers romance between police officer Toby and vendor Hannah at a New York Christmas Market. There's a strong sense of New York and Cummings builds the romance between the two starting as friends (who are attracted to one another) and building from there - with lots of pushing from Hannah's friend.

Christmas Miracle by Fiona Riley is pretty much what you would expect from Ms Riley - a smart and steamy story with some off the charts chemistry and lots of great banter. This is a bit of a whirlwind romance but there's enough development of characters that you can't help but be invested in their relationship. Courtney is planning her office Christmas party as a means to land a position as an event planner. When she walks into the bar she's booked for the party and starts up a ridiculously flirtatious conversation with a woman at the bar. Of course, the Mira is actually the bar owner and a bit of a grinch - but the insta-attract makes her start to reconsider her ambivalence around Christmas. There's a nice contrast with Courtney's absolute love of Christmas and Mira's humbug attitudes and you know damend well that a conveniently timed blizzard will give the two the chance to finally send some uninterrupted time together. There's a nice build of character and plot that makes this fun and flirty - and definitely not PG. 

The three novellas are a great little treat to read over the holiday season - quick reads that give you all the things you want in a Christmas romance. Are they a bit cliche - sure. But have you never seen a Hallmark movie - they hit the mark and will make you smile as you take another sip of eggnog.

Renee

In Triple Dog Dare by Georgia Beers, Sasha Wolfe has been talking up her new girlfriend to her overbearing mother for months, and when her skeptical sister dares her to invite this new squeeze over for family Christmas, Sasha accepts the challenge. After all, how hard can it be to bring your nonexistent girlfriend home for the holidays? In Hustle & Bustle by Maggie Cummings, Hannah Monroe is ready to dazzle customers with her pop-up shop at NYC’s winter holiday market. NYPD beat cop Toby Beckett, who just wants to protect and serve, barely notices the spirit of the season until events keep pushing her into Hannah’s path. In A Christmas Miracle by Fiona Riley, Mira Donahue’s bar, Mirage, is the hottest Christmas party venue in Boston, despite Mira’s secret: she hates Christmas. When self-described Queen of Carols Courtney Rivers books Mirage for her company’s holiday party, she clashes with Mira over the plans. Then a freak storm strands them in the bar, and more than miracles abound.

All I Want for Christmas

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