I love it when I get the chance to read anthologies. One price, numerous authors and an assortment of pleasure are a good way to unwind. All He Wants for Christmas is a holiday read that has the right amount of temptation, holiday cheer and warmth that will get the holiday's jumping. Anthologies are great to read but hard to review because it is hard to pick a favorite. This read was no exception. Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden and Alexandra Ivy bring the dangerous dalliances that keep readers on edge.
While Katie Reus, Laura Wright and Skye Jordan supply bad boys that are enough to make any woman beg. I received an ARC of All He Wants for Christmas in exchange for an honest review. Naughty and Nice has been presented in a whole new way. Congratulations authors the big guy (SC) has nothing on you. ( )

An excellent collection of 6 stories from all of my favorite authors. The stories are set in Holly, North Carolina, where it is Christmas all year round. And of course for Christmas things get taken up a notch.

MELT FOR ME by Elisabeth Naughton - 5 out of 5 stars

Ella McKinley lost pretty much everything she had going for her on one stormy Christmas Eve. Now she is the modern day female version of the Grinch and would like to bypass Christmas altogether. She can’t wait to make enough money so that she can sell her pub Yueltide Spirits and leave Holly behind. Then Tate Kendrick rolls into town, seeking her out and hoping to reconnect. Fans of the Aegis series will recognize Tate Kendrick as the rock star who often hires the Aegis team. Suddenly things start going wrong; vandalism and break-ins have Ella wondering if Tate really wants to get back together or is he just back to take his revenge. Tate must have spent enough time with the Aegis guys because he does a pretty good job at being Ella’s bodyguard.


SWEET RAPTURE by Alexandra Ivy - 4 out of 5 stars

Looks like this is another offering from the Rapture Series. Meg Anderson has returned to her home in Holly, North Carolina after Dylan Cain breaks her heart in Las Vegas. Six months should be enough for her to get back on the road to recovery and mending her heart. Her new flower shop, Silver Bells and a new tenant will provide her with just enough distraction and the financial boost she needs to get her home back into shape. Only Dylan turns out to be her new tenant and maybe the only reason she is still alive because somebody is definitely creeping around her home in search of something.


THE SPY WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS by Cynthia Eden - 4 out of 5 stars

Jemma White is the sweet girl of Holly, North Carolina; figuratively and literally. She has been timid and gun-shy about relationships. Then Grayson Cole walks into her store, Holly Jolly Chocolatier and suddenly she feels safe enough to explore something more with him, even though he is a complete stranger. But a ghost from Grayson’s past follows him to Holly and Jemma finds herself facing off her own demons. Fast paced and full of thrills this short story will leave you a little breathless.


MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY by Katie Reus - 4 out of 5 stars

This one was a fun story which had me giggling through most of it. Nora and her younger sister Sasha settled in Holly, NC after unexpectedly inheriting a bookstore, Books and Brew. She's been Sasha's legal guardian for a few years now, so romance has been on the back burner for a while. Former SEAL Jackson O’Connor was friend zoned ever since she came to town, but the sizzling attraction between has been there right from the start. When they decide to explore their feeling further, Jackson goes AWOL after the first date. Now he may just lose Nora as well as their friendship. So just when he’s attempting to rekindle their friendship, opportunity strikes in the form of multiple break-ins at her Books and Brew. He’s got his second chance to prove to her that his feelings are sincere and she is the only one for him.


SINFUL IN SNOW by Laura Wright - 5 out of 5 stars

10 years after that fateful night Gabriel Fox walks right into Christmas Carol's Shop and Crafts coming face to face with Carol Cardini, the girl who he thinks destroyed his life. Now he is back to destroy her dreams and take his revenge. He now has the resources and the means to ruin her, something that he has worked hard to achieve over the last 10 years. But he was not prepared for her… at all. Soon he finds that he must change his plans because Carol was never his enemy. In fact, she is the only one who can save him from the black void that has become his existence.


HOME ADVANTAGE by Skye Jordan - 5 out of 5 stars

Meier Grant now an NHL superstar, was always the invisible kid back in high school in his hometown of Holly, North Carolina. Invisible to his peers, his siblings, even his parents. Nobody saw who he was and what he was capable of becoming except maybe his high school coach. 10 years later, forced off the bench to recover from an injury, he finds himself back in Holly, and not so invisible anymore except to maybe Faith Nicholas, the most popular girl back in high school. Only she’s not the same girl he knew back then. Single and solitary, focused on trying to save her late father’s legacy, St. Nicholas Hardware. She doesn’t suck up to his celebrity status like everyone else. What follows is his hilarious pursuit of Faith and her equally hilarious brush-offs until he realizes that there is more to her than just her pretty face.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Overall box set rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2

I enjoyed this set of holiday novellas. I have definitely added a few authors to my to read list as previously I had only read Elisabeth Naughton's work.

These stories all take place in Holly, North Carolina during the week of Christmas in a small town that embraces the Holiday season 365 days a year.

So, without further ado..

"Here’s to finding spies, cops, rockers, SEALs, professional hockey players and billionaires under the Christmas tree this year!" (What a great tag line they have!)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Melt for Me by Elisabeth Naughton

This was a fantastic second chance story! The title says it all! Often for me novellas are hit or miss as some times I find them rushed or I don't seem to have time to get into the story. Not so with this one. I was gripped right from the slam of the cellar door! Ella was a strong lead, I like that she listened to her heart and her head. Also it was fun to see Tate get a story as I know he was in an Aegis book a while back. He was such a sweet guy. I am very glad they got their HEA!

On a side note: I was hesitant to read Naughton's "Against All Odd" series as the whole "second chance" plot isn't one of my favourites.. however seeing how she wrote this one, makes me rethink that!

♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2 Sweet Rapture by Alexandra Ivy

This was a good second chance story, I thought the characters were developed, and the story didn't feel rushed - though at points it felt a bit too contrived for me. I loved the banter between Meg and Dylan and the gift she gave him was pretty sweet.

I know Dylan is FBI and all, but for me he seemed too high-handed at times, for someone trying to win back his girl, and there was this one part that would have been SUPER sweet had the author chosen to use a different word than she did (totally my opinion there). This was the first time I have read this author and I would try her again.


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ The Spy Who Came for Christmas by Cynthia Eden

This story had me hooked right from the beginning. I loved the instant attraction and chemistry between Jemma and Grayson. I was also happy to see that there wasn't too much sex - considering how the book starts, I thought that's how it was going to go.

Eden's writing was great, even though the relationship between Jemma and Gray happens so fast, I didn't feel that the story was rushed or lacking in anyway. I would love to read more from this author.

♥ ♥ 1/2 Merry Christmas, Baby by Katie Reus

I had a hard time picturing and getting to know these characters. They feel young, and for me Jackson didn't seem the Navy SEAL type. Some of his actions and thoughts just didn't seem to fit with the regular SEAL behaviour, just my opinion of course.

I thought the writing and "getting out of the friend zone" plot line were ok. I did like the gift Jackson gave Nora, thought it was very sweet and I would love one of those myself! I liked the sister/parent role for Nora, I think it added a good depth to her character. This was the first time I have read this author, I may give her another try if I find a good recommendation.


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2 Sinful in Snow by Laura Wright

The prologue had me hooked! Carol is a confident woman who can stand up for what she believes in. Gabriel is focused on what he wants and will do anything to get it. The two have wonderful chemistry and I enjoyed their flirty back and forth.

I really enjoyed this book..however after Gabriel’s motives are revealed, I had a hard time trusting/believing his sincerity, even after all was explained. I have a suspicion that if it was a full length book, this feeling I was left with, would have had time to change. Still, the writing was great. Wright has a humour that made me laugh out loud and I would love to try more of her books. I also liked that she had a character or two from other stories in this set make appearances for a few lines.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Home Advantage by Skye Jordan

Loved this story! It was the perfect combination of flirty, funny, and all those feel good emotions. Faith was awesome. I loved how she didn't just give in to Meier for his celebrity status. She has a great sense of humour and honesty. Meier, he is a good guy. I really enjoyed watching him get all turned inside out by Faith. I looked forward to seeing them on the page together.. their conversations were fun to read.

I have never read anything from this author before, but I will be changing that very soon!


The Epilogue was a great way to bring all the characters in a room together. I truly enjoy a small town story series, where you keep getting glimpses of the previous or future characters. Makes it feel more real and someplace I would like to go visit. One thing I am still thinking about though... the sheriff, Brad Fulton. Part of me hopes he had a good Christmas, and that one day he will find love too.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review **

Release Date: December 1st, 2015

Original review posted at: http://paragraphsandpetticoats.blogspot.ca/ ( )

This has to be one of the BEST Anthologies ever. All six authors carried all six stories through the town of Holly, North Carolina at Christmas. First, I want to LIVE in Holly, who wouldn’t unless you are a total scrooge, the entire town is Christmas all year long.

As for reviews of each book, I won’t go there, I do not do that for regular books, so you won’t get that here. But I will go into this, each author brought her best game to this anthology with the writing style that makes each uniquely special, the collection just flowed from one story to the next with no problem. The characters made appearances in each story so it tied them all together nicely. The group of friends from Holly likes to meet up at the town pub Yuletide Spirits. Each of the heroines in each story has a business in the small town when something or someone shows up to change her life on Christmas.

The Heroes.... well let’s just say that if it were my Christmas wish, I’d want one of each please. The Rock Star, Spy, Secret Agent, SEAL, Billionaire and a Hockey Player that plays for my FAVORITE team the NY Rangers!!! How could Skye Jordan know that, she is perfect!!

I laughed and giggled more than anything while reading this anthology! It is no surprise that every one of these ladies are at the top of my Author list!! Elisabeth Naughton, Alexandra Ivy, Cynthia Eden, Laura Wright, Katie Reus and Skye Jordan they were the girls that got me addicted to reading romantic suspense, and I cannot thank them enough.
( )

An excellent collection of 6 stories from all of my favorite authors. The stories are set in Holly, North Carolina, where it is Christmas all year round. And of course for Christmas things get taken up a notch.

MELT FOR ME by Elisabeth Naughton - 5 out of 5 stars

Ella McKinley lost pretty much everything she had going for her on one stormy Christmas Eve. Now she is the modern day female version of the Grinch and would like to bypass Christmas altogether. She can’t wait to make enough money so that she can sell her pub Yueltide Spirits and leave Holly behind. Then Tate Kendrick rolls into town, seeking her out and hoping to reconnect. Fans of the Aegis series will recognize Tate Kendrick as the rock star who often hires the Aegis team. Suddenly things start going wrong; vandalism and break-ins have Ella wondering if Tate really wants to get back together or is he just back to take his revenge. Tate must have spent enough time with the Aegis guys because he does a pretty good job at being Ella’s bodyguard.


SWEET RAPTURE by Alexandra Ivy - 4 out of 5 stars

Looks like this is another offering from the Rapture Series. Meg Anderson has returned to her home in Holly, North Carolina after Dylan Cain breaks her heart in Las Vegas. Six months should be enough for her to get back on the road to recovery and mending her heart. Her new flower shop, Silver Bells and a new tenant will provide her with just enough distraction and the financial boost she needs to get her home back into shape. Only Dylan turns out to be her new tenant and maybe the only reason she is still alive because somebody is definitely creeping around her home in search of something.


THE SPY WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS by Cynthia Eden - 4 out of 5 stars

Jemma White is the sweet girl of Holly, North Carolina; figuratively and literally. She has been timid and gun-shy about relationships. Then Grayson Cole walks into her store, Holly Jolly Chocolatier and suddenly she feels safe enough to explore something more with him, even though he is a complete stranger. But a ghost from Grayson’s past follows him to Holly and Jemma finds herself facing off her own demons. Fast paced and full of thrills this short story will leave you a little breathless.


MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY by Katie Reus - 4 out of 5 stars

This one was a fun story which had me giggling through most of it. Nora and her younger sister Sasha settled in Holly, NC after unexpectedly inheriting a bookstore, Books and Brew. She's been Sasha's legal guardian for a few years now, so romance has been on the back burner for a while. Former SEAL Jackson O’Connor was friend zoned ever since she came to town, but the sizzling attraction between has been there right from the start. When they decide to explore their feeling further, Jackson goes AWOL after the first date. Now he may just lose Nora as well as their friendship. So just when he’s attempting to rekindle their friendship, opportunity strikes in the form of multiple break-ins at her Books and Brew. He’s got his second chance to prove to her that his feelings are sincere and she is the only one for him.


SINFUL IN SNOW by Laura Wright - 5 out of 5 stars

10 years after that fateful night Gabriel Fox walks right into Christmas Carol's Shop and Crafts coming face to face with Carol Cardini, the girl who he thinks destroyed his life. Now he is back to destroy her dreams and take his revenge. He now has the resources and the means to ruin her, something that he has worked hard to achieve over the last 10 years. But he was not prepared for her… at all. Soon he finds that he must change his plans because Carol was never his enemy. In fact, she is the only one who can save him from the black void that has become his existence.


HOME ADVANTAGE by Skye Jordan - 5 out of 5 stars

Meier Grant now an NHL superstar, was always the invisible kid back in high school in his hometown of Holly, North Carolina. Invisible to his peers, his siblings, even his parents. Nobody saw who he was and what he was capable of becoming except maybe his high school coach. 10 years later, forced off the bench to recover from an injury, he finds himself back in Holly, and not so invisible anymore except to maybe Faith Nicholas, the most popular girl back in high school. Only she’s not the same girl he knew back then. Single and solitary, focused on trying to save her late father’s legacy, St. Nicholas Hardware. She doesn’t suck up to his celebrity status like everyone else. What follows is his hilarious pursuit of Faith and her equally hilarious brush-offs until he realizes that there is more to her than just her pretty face.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. ( )