Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection by Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton, HelenKay Dimon and Alison Kent

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Love!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.(Synopsis from Goodreads)

It isn’t often that I enjoy all of the stories in an anthology, but Holiday Kisses delivers. The novel contains four contemporary romances surrounding the holiday season.  This is the first time I have ever given a 5 coffee cup review to a collection of works. Each story could stand on its own, and I would gladly read the full length version.

In, This Time Next Year by Alison Kent we meet Brenna Keating and Dillon Craig. Brenna is headed to her grandmother’s house in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  This is a sentimental Christmas for her, because it might be the last she spends with her Gran. When a snow storm hits, Dr. Dillon Craig a retired solider just back from Afghanistan finds Brenna stuck in a snow bank.  The storm is raging and he takes her back to his cabin. Trapped for a few days at the cabin, the sexual tension and Alison’s desire to understand Dillon will have you laughing, sighing and shedding a few tears. This was a delightful tale that captured me from page one.

The second story, A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton introduces us to Calliope Andrews. She runs a day care center, and has had a crush on Wyatt Kent since she was fifteen.  The problem; up until a few years ago he was married to her sister. When she needs to expand her daycare, she calls Kent’s family contracting business to do the job.  When Wyatt sees Calliope all grown up, he is shocked to find himself attracted to his ex-wife’s sister. This is bad, real, bad. They had an ugly divorce and he won’t trust his heart to another woman.  Calliope is determined to show him that she is nothing like her sister. The tale that unfolds is wildly romantic and kept me up till the wee hours.

The third tale shows love knows no distance. It’s Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon is sure to draw at your heartstrings.  In this story we meet, Carrie Anders and Austin Thomas. They have been sweethearts since high school.  After college, Dillon thinks they will get married and settle down in West Virginia near his family’s business, but when Carrie accepts her dream job in Washington, D.C. and ends their relationship his world crashes around him.  Dillon thinks she will change her mind that she just needs to get this out of her system.  Six months later, he finds out she isn’t coming home for the holidays. Determined to win her back, he packs up Christmas trees to sell at an empty lot across from her apartment.  He’s convinced seeing him, will have her coming to her senses. Watching these two lovebirds figure out compromise is everything, had me laughing at their crazy antics, crying and hoping they find their happily ever after.

In the final story, Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey we meet Justin McCormick.  Justin has been in love with his best friends wife, since the three of them met. Fate, led his friend to speak with her first. He has silently stood by, through the courtship, wedding and his best friend’s death.  Clair Rutledge couldn’t have made it through the loss of her husband without their best friend. Justin has been her rock, but suddenly she is noticing, how he fills out his jeans, his smile and his lips. To make matters worse, she is dreaming about him. Watching these two handle the sexual tension, the past and each other is an emotional ride.

 Holiday Kisses offers romance, steamy love scenes and happy endings. These are the perfect stories to put you in the holiday mood. I recommend this to fans of contemporary romances. Take a moment to check out each of these authors and their other published works.  All of these stories are also available individually. Currently, this novel is only available in eBook format. This novel will be released on December 5, 2011.

I want to thank netGalley and Carina Press for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this book 5 coffee cups out of 5.

Buy here: Barnes and Noble or here: Amazon

Author's website:

Shannon Stacey

Jaci Burton

HelenKay Dimon

Alison Kent