Reviews
*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* “Heating Up the Holidays” is a collection of three novellas, each written by a different author: “Play with Me” by Lisa Renee Jones - Kali Miller moved to Las Vegas for the job of her dreams. But when the job doesn't come through, she’s forced to seek a temporary job agency and ends up as the executive secretary of Damion Ward, a casino CEO. Damion is arrogant and very demanding, but Kali is not intimidated and pushes back. The attraction between them is immediate and intense but, besides the fact that they are boss and employee, there is still a mystery surrounding Damion and that Kali, as the good journalist she is, can’t help investigating. There’s clearly more than meets the eye in regards to Damion but is that a good or a bad thing? I really liked this story, the relationship between Kali and Damion is funny to follow because neither one backs off, and it’s very hot but unfortunately it takes place around Thanksgiving so there’s nothing christmassy about it. “Snowfall” by Mary Ann Rivers - Jenny Wright is a young scientist who has moved to another town to pursue her career, only to find out she has a degenerative disease that will eventually leave her blind. To try to delay the sickness' progress, Jenny starts doing occupational therapy and divides her days between the consultations and her work at the lab, while her nights are spent having cybersex with the man who used to live on the house she is currently living in, but that she’s never met. Eventually she also gets involved with Evan Ford, the therapist that is treating her. And, although that was the author’s intention, I never really felt she was torn between them. I couldn't relate to Jenny, she bored me to death and I honestly couldn't tell what Evan saw in her. I liked him a lot better, but I seriously question his taste in women. Honestly, I understand that Jenny sees the world differently from the common of mortals but, to me, that didn't make her special, it made her boring. It got to the point where I started to wonder that maybe if she did go blind, she would become more interesting. This story had so much potential... Sadly the way it is told made her boring and it got to a point where I didn’t even care how it ended any more. I just wanted it to finish. “After Midnight” by Serena Bell – This was my favorite story of the three and, curiously, it’s also the most christmassy. Nora Hart and Miles Shephard meet at a party on New Year’s Eve only a few minutes away from midnight. And the connection between them is so strong they can’t even wait for the clock strikes to kiss. But right after the kiss Miles has to leave the party running and, having had no time to even introduce each other, they lose track. After almost a year, a friend of Miles gets in touch with Nora (who, in the meanwhile, had tried everything she could to try to find her mystery man) and convinces her to call Miles. Nora does and they resume the relationship right where they had left it, although only on the phone, since Miles lives in another town. But it’s not only the distance that separates them. They’ve both been burned before in previous relationships and they have issues to overcome. Will their relationship be strong enough to surpass midnight this time?