3/5 Review: On the Naughty List by Lori Foster, Carly Phillips, Beth Ciotta, Sugar Jamison

 

The most wonderful time of the year is back with On The Naughty List, bringing perennial favorite holiday stories from Lori Foster and Carly Phillips, along with two Christmas stories that delighted readers a year ago. This sexy anthology will make you want to give your heart to Christmas again and again…
Lori Foster has two co-workers plan a Christmas party side-by-side-and discover a love worth celebrating in Christmas Bonus
Carly Phillips explores a "mistletoe moment" when a no-nonsense lawyer intent on seducing her boss meets his twin instead--and gives him a scintillating kiss that leaves him begging for more in Naughty Under the Mistletoe.
In Sugar Jamison's Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas, former wild child Dina Gregory returns home to New York to find the father of her young son. Instead, she finds his stuffy older brother, Ben. Ben can't help but admire her tenacity—and her bold beauty. Could it be that Dina has reignited his Christmas spirit?
Beth Ciotta brings two friends who, after years apart, together at home for the holidays. They don't seem to have much in common anymore, but when the two get stranded together during a blizzard, they are forced to reexamine if they are better off as "just friends"? Or could it be that true love was there all along? in Some Kind of Wonderful.

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So this book has 4 novellas in it, and I feel as if I should rate them separately so I accurately review the entire book. So here goes!

 

Christmas Bonus by Lori Foster 5/5

Lori is just amazing,  what can I say, she takes two characters and can tell you a short story that makes you beg for more! The story was well written, believable and very enjoyable for me. And of course the sex scenes are just the right amount of steamy for a romance novel. Definitely a must read for any Lori Foster fan!

Naughty Under the Mistletoe by Carly Phillips 2/5

I was excited to read this novella cause I've heard Carly's name come up in a list of favorites from my friends. Sadly Im afraid this story fell flat for me. It had potential in the beginning as a cute fling type of story. But as the story progressed I felt like she was trying to cram weeks or months for dating/getting to know you feelings into one night. The sex scenes were also lacking and hard to imagine, they just seemed too fake to me. She also made a few mistakes and some things just didn't make sense. And worst of all... the word Love was thrown around less than 12 hours (you read that right) of meeting each other. 

Some Kind of Wonderful by Beth Coiotta 4/5

This story was written very well, and had me anticipating what was going to happen next. The main characters made me laugh and I enjoyed the sexual tension between them, the reason I only gave this one a 4 is because there was absolutely no sex scenes. Like none... one minute he's taking off her shirt, the next she's waking up.... what!? This is supposed to be a sexy romance novel! It needs those scenes! 

 

 

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar Jamison 5/5

This story had big potential for me being a single curvy mom myself, and I wasn't let down! Both characters were written well and while both had "flaws" neither were overly dramatic about them. The relationship flowed very well and I found myself hoping everything would work out exactly how I pictured it in my head! All aspects of this story were written well, yes, including the sex scenes! 

 



Review: In the Mood for Love Beth Ciotta

THE ONLY THING BETTER THAN A SURPRISE FLING…

Sugar Creek, Vermont, is a world away from Los Angeles for high-powered, media-obsessed Harper Day. When she took the job doing publicity for the Cupcake Lovers, she never expected to be won over by the town’s old-fashioned charms. But that was before she moved into the Victorian vacation home of her dreams and fell in with a man whose good looks and irresistible ways are anything but small-town…

IS FINDING TRUE AND LASTING LOVE. Sam McCloud is a widowed father of two. He and bossy, big-city Harper appear to have nothing in common… though the attraction they feel toward one another cannot be denied. But will their romance last longer than the day’s headlines? There’s more to Harper than meets the eye, and as it turns out, she needs to get married—fast. Little does Harper know that family-man Sam will do whatever it takes to keep her in Sugar Creek—even if that means taking matters into his own hands. And never letting her go…in the fourth novel in the Cupcake Lovers series, In the Mood For Love.

Beth Ciotta delivers one deliciously sweet treat with this book. I'm so glad to have come so late to the Cupcake Lover's party because it means that I get to read all the previous books in this series with absolutely no wait time -- lucky me. The characters and the idyllic town of Sugar Creek, Vermont were so very welcoming that I honestly want to move there right now. I so wish this was an actual town and not the fantastic workings of the author's imagination. I believe we could all use a support group like these interfering and loving friends and family. I wish Adam had his own full length story, because I just know that there is so much going on behind the scenes with him. I also want to see his brother settle down with the right woman. And I believe we know the perfect woman to find his perfect woman. This is a lovely story and Sam McCloud is like a fantasy come to life and is ideal for the spunky Harper Day. If you're looking for a story that will leave you smiling even days after you've turned the last page, pick this one up.