Jill Shalvis

Who needs mistletoe? Most people wouldn’t think of a bad Santa case as the perfect Christmas gift. Then again, Molly Malone, office manager at Hunt Investigations, isn’t most people, and she could really use a distraction from the fantasies she’s been having since spending the night with her very secret crush, Lucas Knight. Nothing happened, not that Lucas knows that—but Molly just wants to enjoy being a little naughty for once . . . Whiskey and pain meds for almost-healed bullet wounds don’t mix. Lucas needs to remember that next time he’s shot on the job, which may be sooner rather than later if Molly’s brother, Joe, finds out about them. Lucas can’t believe he’s drawing a blank on his (supposedly) passionate tryst with Molly, who’s the hottest, smartest, strongest woman he’s ever known. Strong enough to kick his butt if she discovers he’s been assigned to babysit her on her first case. And hot enough to melt his cold heart this Christmas.

A Heartbreaker Bay Novel

Hot Winter Nights

Briar's Reviews

Hot Winter Nights was a romantic heist full of Christmas cheer.

To start off, I didn't enjoy this book was much as I wanted to and I solely blame it on exam season. Unfortunately, I still need to read my worries away during exam time and typically those books don't cheer me up as much as they normally do. Jill Shalvis is an excellent writer and the thought behind this book is amazing! 

This book is in the Heartbreaker Bay series. I have dabbled in Jill's other novels, but not Heartbreaker Bay yet (it's on my list, don't you worry). I saw this book at a local used book store (in perfect condition) and figured I might as well pick it up. I loved the last books I read by Jill so this would be a natural choice for me.

I found this book to be way more suspenseful than the average romance novel. It was super intriguing though. I really enjoyed following along with a story that I wasn't quite sure how it would end (the suspense part, not the romance. The romance was super predictable, as romance normally is). If you are going to read this as a standalone, go right on ahead! I found this book easy to jump into and I didn't need to know about the previous characters. I'm sure I would have liked this book more and understood it more if I had read the previous books, but don't you worry about it! You'll be just fine.

Molly and Lucas are cute and hilarious at times. They may or may not have slept together right before the book starts, and that causes a fair bit of chaos between the two of them. The duo also work together, which makes things more interesting. When a Santa Clause may be stealing money from his elves, they go on a little mission to figure out what the mystery is behind the missing money.

The plot was definitely Hallmark-esque and my gosh, I loved it. It was awesome! I did think the book was a little longer than it needed to be, but it was still fun. To top it all off, this book is definitely an R rated, sexy book with hella chemistry. Totally worth it if you love sexy romance and want a dash of Christmas cheer. It's more sexy than Christmas-y though (not Hallmark in that sense...).

I loved that this book was a HEA romance. That's the type of reader I am so I totally adored the little epilogue that made sure I knew my new character friends had a great time in the book.

For my final statement, I will say that the titles of each chapter were hilarious and full of Christmas puns. I think that added a pinch of awesomeness to this story.

Three out of five stars.

b.andherbooks

Exactly the kind of book I needed to read right now. Just Christmas-y enough to justify the title and cover, but not dependent on Christmas cheer bullshit plus a super-hot and supportive male hero who believes in the heroine and defends the heroine's choices and decisions.

Molly Malone is tired of being the administrative assistant for Archer Investigations and is ready to start taking on her own cases, but her protective brother and her boss keep deciding she isn't ready. When they refuse to take on a case involving a Bad Santa swindling his elves from their fair cut of bingo proceeds, Molly decides she'll take the case on her own.

To make matters a bit more delicate, she also has to contend with the fact she spent the night in the bed of one Lucas Knight, one of her colleagues, and he doensn't remember anything. She tucked him in after he didn't realize the potency of a pain pill and a shot of booze (he's recently recovering from a GSW) and he thinks they may have done more than just sleep. Molly is intrigued that Lucas doesn't seem to be upset that they slept together, just that he doesn't remember.

Now he's also decided he's going to be her partner on the case of the Bad Santa and while she knows she could do it on her own, she's definitely okay with having more time with Lucas, even if she's a bit embarrassed by the tiny elf costume she needs to wear.

What ensues is a fun, kind of dangerous caper with a delicious and supportive man who'll do anything for her, even if it means falling for her at the same time.

Loved Molly and Lucas as a couple and it was so great seeing Shalvis at her prime. There are so many great comedic moments and I love all the sexual tension. I was a bit dubious about the premise of Lucas waking up in Molly's bed and not being able to remember the night (especially in light of recent news), but the situation is handled in a great, non-creepy way.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that I can always count on Jill Shalvis to give me all the swoony sighs I desire when I read. I was a little apprehensive going into Hot Winter Nights, not because of the storyline or characters or anything, but because I wasn't sure I could get into a holiday-themed read when it's still in the upper 80s here. Turns out, I had absolutely nothing to worry about it. I just turned up the AC and lived vicariously through the characters, pretending it's closer to Christmas — and a heckuva lot cooler — than it really is! Escapism, am I right?

Molly and Lucas's romance was delightful. It was the perfect mix of best friend's sister (or brother's best friend, depending on how you look at it!), office romance and friends first. Molly was strong and feisty and totally relatable. Lucas was swoony and sexy and protective. They were both pretty bad ass, to be honest. I enjoyed their, ahem, unconventional start partially because I enjoyed how Molly kept leading Lucas to believe they slept together and he forgot it. I thought it illustrated the playfulness between them perfectly. But, at the core of all of this were two characters who just fit together. They had A+ banter and chemistry. It was easy to root for them. 

Hot Winter Nights gave me the swoons and the sexy times I need when I read, along with a good dose of suspense as Molly and Lucas worked to figure out the Bad Santa case. The setting was delightful, as always, and I enjoyed seeing several of my favorite characters from earlier in the Heartbreaker Bay series again. It was a really fun read. One I can totally see myself rereading once winter is actually here and I'm in the mood for all the holiday romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


FAVORITE QUOTES

"The kiss started out as a diversion, but ended up something else entirely."

"Love isn't pretty and romantic. You know that, right? Love is just stumbling through life with your best friend."

"Sorry, but when a woman says 'first of all,' you should run hard and fast because she's got research, data, charts, and is about to destroy you."

Chantale

I have enjoyed this book very much. It is very well written and it is one of those books that didn't take me long to read because I just couldn't put it down. 

I can't wait to read the next book.

Hot Winter Nights A Heartbreaker Bay Novel

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