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jbarr5's review
5.0
Small Town Christmas by Jill Shalvis, Hope Ramsay and Katie Lane
Three short stories about Christmas love in small towns.
Kissing Santa Claus by Jill Shalvis
We find ourselves back in Lucky Harbor where Sandy works at the town hall.
She's not feeling very festive as her boyfriend has walked away from her.
She was just getting into the Santa suit when it got stuck and in he walked,
Logan, Kara's ex husband. He drove NASCAR circuit and was on holiday breaks.
He keeps showing up: at her house, where she works, etc What's the chance that she will get her wish from Santa this year?
I'll Be Home for Christmas by Hope Ramsay
Matt is in town to deliver a gift to Nick's grandmother as he has passed away from the war.
Annie from church rehearsal tells him the grandmother is in the nursing home and has been
for over a year now. Nick and Annie used to date-til he went off to boot camp and she to college.
She decides to take him back to her house where there is a guest room and he's overjoyed
at viewing the lights, he can feel snow in the air in SC and he loves the smell of the real holiday tree at her house. He's got a cat with him that was nestled in the manger scene.
He is all up for decorating her tree for room and board.
Matt just wants to feel like he's home as he doesn't have one and he's lost his dog in the war.
They all get in the church van to go deliver the gift to Nick's grandmother and boy do they get a surprise.
O Little Town of Bramble by Katie Lane
Ethan loved the town all spiffed up for the holidays.
Sam, who he used to pull her pigtails, taught her to fish, and ride a horse was back in town. She had graduated from college and was now a doctor for animals.
Sam visits with her father and surprises him for Christmas and they share dinner.
A manger with live animals and people!
Good reads for holidays.
Three short stories about Christmas love in small towns.
Kissing Santa Claus by Jill Shalvis
We find ourselves back in Lucky Harbor where Sandy works at the town hall.
She's not feeling very festive as her boyfriend has walked away from her.
She was just getting into the Santa suit when it got stuck and in he walked,
Logan, Kara's ex husband. He drove NASCAR circuit and was on holiday breaks.
He keeps showing up: at her house, where she works, etc What's the chance that she will get her wish from Santa this year?
I'll Be Home for Christmas by Hope Ramsay
Matt is in town to deliver a gift to Nick's grandmother as he has passed away from the war.
Annie from church rehearsal tells him the grandmother is in the nursing home and has been
for over a year now. Nick and Annie used to date-til he went off to boot camp and she to college.
She decides to take him back to her house where there is a guest room and he's overjoyed
at viewing the lights, he can feel snow in the air in SC and he loves the smell of the real holiday tree at her house. He's got a cat with him that was nestled in the manger scene.
He is all up for decorating her tree for room and board.
Matt just wants to feel like he's home as he doesn't have one and he's lost his dog in the war.
They all get in the church van to go deliver the gift to Nick's grandmother and boy do they get a surprise.
O Little Town of Bramble by Katie Lane
Ethan loved the town all spiffed up for the holidays.
Sam, who he used to pull her pigtails, taught her to fish, and ride a horse was back in town. She had graduated from college and was now a doctor for animals.
Sam visits with her father and surprises him for Christmas and they share dinner.
A manger with live animals and people!
Good reads for holidays.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review
2.0
I'm not generally one for anthology stories. They're too short for me (I need substance!!), but I got this one because I had to know what happened with Logan after Tara and Ford got back together in Jill Shalvis' Kissing Santa Claus.
For the Jill Shalvis story, this was Jill Shalvis crammed into a tiny box. I love Jill Shalvis, but I need Jill to have lots of space and pages to let the story flow.
Logan and Sandy had some "stuff" to work out before they could get their HEA, but I guess with a Christmas short we can bypass all that messy stuff and skip right to the I love you's and want to marry you's in front of the entire town having Christmas breakfast.
That said, it was Jill Shalvis so I enjoyed it.
The other two stories we further proof that I don't like anthologies. I'll Be Home For Christmas was so rushed that I didn't feel like I could connect or care about any of the characters. And in O Little Town of Bramble I felt like I just walked into the middle of a tornado. There was so much thrown at you so fast without any time to really get a fell for why things were happening that I threw my hands up and said "whatever".
If you're looking for some quick holiday stories, this may be for you. Me, I truly need to stay away from the anthologies because they just don't work for me.
For the Jill Shalvis story, this was Jill Shalvis crammed into a tiny box. I love Jill Shalvis, but I need Jill to have lots of space and pages to let the story flow.
Logan and Sandy had some "stuff" to work out before they could get their HEA, but I guess with a Christmas short we can bypass all that messy stuff and skip right to the I love you's and want to marry you's in front of the entire town having Christmas breakfast.
That said, it was Jill Shalvis so I enjoyed it.
The other two stories we further proof that I don't like anthologies. I'll Be Home For Christmas was so rushed that I didn't feel like I could connect or care about any of the characters. And in O Little Town of Bramble I felt like I just walked into the middle of a tornado. There was so much thrown at you so fast without any time to really get a fell for why things were happening that I threw my hands up and said "whatever".
If you're looking for some quick holiday stories, this may be for you. Me, I truly need to stay away from the anthologies because they just don't work for me.
allie_love's review
3.0
Ok, I only read the Lucky Harbor novella... and it was alright. Not my favorite, but more because of the characters than the story itself. Logan never really stuck in my good graces so because of that, a mere three stars.
gothai's review
3.0
It was an anthology. The first is set in lucky harbor by Jill Shalvis. It was a fun story. The second was a touching one with a beautiful gift for a grandma. The third was a cute humorus one and I'll be reading that series
33p3barpercent's review
2.0
Oh, anthologies. You kill me. I never wish to buy you, but you always have one story, not very long, featuring a character that I just HAVE to know what happens to. I read it, it's totally worth it for that story, but I find myself resentful at having to pay the full eight dollars for all the stories. Why can't I pay $3-4 for the one short story I want? Ugh. I'm spoiled.
Anyway.
Of course I bought this for Jill Shalvis (who I have a proudly-declared girlcrush on). We catch up with Logan Parrish, ex-husband and current close friend of Tara (of Sweetest Thing fame). I liked Logan in Sweetest Thing. He was a bit out-of-touch, but in a loveable, oh-Logan type of way. In this short story, Logan comes back to Lucky Harbor after spending five months away, racing in NASCAR. He realizes he wants Sandy Jansen, and he wants her for keeps.
Sandy Jansen, however, is cautious. Logan isn't what is known as a "good bet". He took Tara for granted, has a job that means he has to move around a lot, and left Sandy after a fling because, known to both of them, it was just that-- a fling. Logan doesn't do Things Other Than Flings. So, when Sandy sees him again, she's not over the moon about it. Logan, in his determined way, decides he will do anything to make Sandy his.
Requisite Funny Quote:
[after shucking his clothes to do Sandy a favor and dress up as Santa for the kids]
"It's going to be cold on the pier. Don't you think you should leave your clothes on?"
Yeah, he probably should have. "I was trying to make a statement."
-pg 20
Requisite Cute Quote:
He leaned over her, his eyes telling her he could read her thoughts. "Trust me," he said, his lips so close that they brushed hers as he spoke. "Trust me with you."
-pg 28
Bonus!
He was going to work on that, on making sure she never doubted or wondered how he felt. Ever.
-pg 31
------
The second story, I'll Be Home For Christmas, was not my favorite (that's saying that democratically). Matt, a just-got-out soldier, comes home to his deceased friend's hometown in order to give his friend's grandmother her Christmas present, since Nick isn't around to do it. Matt's heard so many stories of Nick's Christmases and he just wants a little bit of that magic. After finding a lost cat, and meeting a girl who lets him stay at her house (and who happens to look like a Christmas card), Matt realizes that this is where he's meant to be.
I didn't get a romance-novelly vibe from this one. I think that's why I was so disappointed. It was cute the way that Matt didn't know what to do with his life and suddenly, this perfect place opened up and welcomed him with open arms. I didn't like the Girl in this story, and I didn't like her and Matt together. I didn't get a love/lust connection with them, despite the "bursts of heat" that you read about every other page. I was definitely getting just-friends-alerts, and that's the last thing you want to read about in a romance anthology.
-----
The last story, O Little Town Of Bramble, was a bit cuter. We've got a girl, Sam, who has just come back to the Small Town from the Big City, where she went to college to become a vet. She came back home because she's been in love with Awkward Farmer, Ethan ever since they were little. Ethan was pretty damn cute for the stereotype he was, and I enjoyed this story enough that I looked up Katie Lang's other books. The thing I hated, though, about this story is that wow... I mean, I grew up in a small town, in Northern Illinois, so we didn't have accents, but there's small-town accent and then there's a Bonanza-fake accent. The dialogue was written as if by a girl who had never stepped out of Manhattan and got her dialect education from old plays from the 1920s that relied on stereotypes. An example, you ask?
"I best be gettin' Buckwheat over to Lowell's barn."
"We sure appreciate you takin' care of the animals for the live nativity over at The First Baptist, Ethan," Rachel Dean said. "Nobody handles animals better than you do. Why, it's almost like you speak their langague. Sorta like that Doctor Doolittle feller--without the singin', of course."
-pg 62
They say things like "Shore ain't!" and "The medicine Doc Mathers prescribed don't work a lick". Gah. But that's just a pet peeve of mine. After I got over it, it didn't pull away from the story.
Two stars because I only liked the Jill Shalvis, and not even that much. I most definitely wouldn't pay full price for this one, and probably not even half price. See if you can find it at the library if you must, but, honestly? You're not missing anything if you pass this one up.
Anyway.
Of course I bought this for Jill Shalvis (who I have a proudly-declared girlcrush on). We catch up with Logan Parrish, ex-husband and current close friend of Tara (of Sweetest Thing fame). I liked Logan in Sweetest Thing. He was a bit out-of-touch, but in a loveable, oh-Logan type of way. In this short story, Logan comes back to Lucky Harbor after spending five months away, racing in NASCAR. He realizes he wants Sandy Jansen, and he wants her for keeps.
Sandy Jansen, however, is cautious. Logan isn't what is known as a "good bet". He took Tara for granted, has a job that means he has to move around a lot, and left Sandy after a fling because, known to both of them, it was just that-- a fling. Logan doesn't do Things Other Than Flings. So, when Sandy sees him again, she's not over the moon about it. Logan, in his determined way, decides he will do anything to make Sandy his.
Requisite Funny Quote:
[after shucking his clothes to do Sandy a favor and dress up as Santa for the kids]
"It's going to be cold on the pier. Don't you think you should leave your clothes on?"
Yeah, he probably should have. "I was trying to make a statement."
-pg 20
Requisite Cute Quote:
He leaned over her, his eyes telling her he could read her thoughts. "Trust me," he said, his lips so close that they brushed hers as he spoke. "Trust me with you."
-pg 28
Bonus!
He was going to work on that, on making sure she never doubted or wondered how he felt. Ever.
-pg 31
------
The second story, I'll Be Home For Christmas, was not my favorite (that's saying that democratically). Matt, a just-got-out soldier, comes home to his deceased friend's hometown in order to give his friend's grandmother her Christmas present, since Nick isn't around to do it. Matt's heard so many stories of Nick's Christmases and he just wants a little bit of that magic. After finding a lost cat, and meeting a girl who lets him stay at her house (and who happens to look like a Christmas card), Matt realizes that this is where he's meant to be.
I didn't get a romance-novelly vibe from this one. I think that's why I was so disappointed. It was cute the way that Matt didn't know what to do with his life and suddenly, this perfect place opened up and welcomed him with open arms. I didn't like the Girl in this story, and I didn't like her and Matt together. I didn't get a love/lust connection with them, despite the "bursts of heat" that you read about every other page. I was definitely getting just-friends-alerts, and that's the last thing you want to read about in a romance anthology.
-----
The last story, O Little Town Of Bramble, was a bit cuter. We've got a girl, Sam, who has just come back to the Small Town from the Big City, where she went to college to become a vet. She came back home because she's been in love with Awkward Farmer, Ethan ever since they were little. Ethan was pretty damn cute for the stereotype he was, and I enjoyed this story enough that I looked up Katie Lang's other books. The thing I hated, though, about this story is that wow... I mean, I grew up in a small town, in Northern Illinois, so we didn't have accents, but there's small-town accent and then there's a Bonanza-fake accent. The dialogue was written as if by a girl who had never stepped out of Manhattan and got her dialect education from old plays from the 1920s that relied on stereotypes. An example, you ask?
"I best be gettin' Buckwheat over to Lowell's barn."
"We sure appreciate you takin' care of the animals for the live nativity over at The First Baptist, Ethan," Rachel Dean said. "Nobody handles animals better than you do. Why, it's almost like you speak their langague. Sorta like that Doctor Doolittle feller--without the singin', of course."
-pg 62
They say things like "Shore ain't!" and "The medicine Doc Mathers prescribed don't work a lick". Gah. But that's just a pet peeve of mine. After I got over it, it didn't pull away from the story.
Two stars because I only liked the Jill Shalvis, and not even that much. I most definitely wouldn't pay full price for this one, and probably not even half price. See if you can find it at the library if you must, but, honestly? You're not missing anything if you pass this one up.
witandsin's review
2.0
Originally posted on Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-small-town-christmas-by-jill.html
“Kissing Santa Claus” by Jill Shalvis
I’ll admit right off the bat that I’m in love with Jill Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor series. So when I saw that Logan Perrish – who failed to win his ex-wife’s heart back in The Sweetest Thing – was getting a story of his own, I had to read it.
“Kissing Santa Claus” is a wonderful holiday treat. Logan fell hard and fast for Sandy without even knowing it. It’s only after spending five months away from her that he realizes he can’t live without her, so he returns to Lucky Harbor, intent on proving his love to Sandy. Who can resist a sexy man willing to pull out all the stops for the woman he loves? Not me. I do wish that “Kissing Santa Claus” were a bit longer, especially since I’d have liked to read about Sandy and Logan’s initial fling. Nevertheless, “Kissing Santa Claus” is an entertaining story with a dash of Christmas cheer and a healthy dose of sensuality that will likely please Lucky Harbor fans.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Hope Ramsay
A handsome military man rescuing a stray cat? That’s pretty much all you need to capture my interest. Hope Ramsay’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” starts of sweet and has some incredibly touching moments throughout the tale, but it falls short as a romance. There’s chemistry between Matt and Annie, but Ms. Ramsay never capitalizes on it. In fact, just when I thought that something might happen between them, the story ends, leaving me an unsatisfied reader. This is the first story I’ve read by Ms. Ramsay and I liked her writing style enough that I’d read a different book by her even though “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” didn’t do much for me.
“O Little Town of Bramble” by Katie Lane
Friends become almost-lovers just in time for Christmas in “O Little Town of Bramble.” There was something just a bit “off” about Katie Lane’s story. It’s a contemporary romance, but the people and the town of Bramble feel like they fell out a sixties television show – in other words, the dialogue and incidents came across as staged. This made it hard to connect to the characters, even Ethan and Sam who were just a little too perfect to feel real. Ethan’s a small town farmer who never got to live out his dreams and Sam’s the little sister he never had who comes back to town all grown up and transformed into the woman he desires above all else. I liked both Ethan and Sam – in fact, I liked everyone in Bramble – but I wasn’t able to connect with them. There are some truly cute moments in “O Little Town of Bramble” but on the whole the story just wasn’t for me.
Small Town Christmas has a touch of spice and a whole lot of sweet, making it a charming anthology overall. Not all the stories were to my taste, but Jill Shalvis’s “Kissing Santa Claus” was a delight and readers who are looking for more Christmas than romance in their reading might enjoy “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “O Little Town of Bramble” more than I did.
“Kissing Santa Claus” by Jill Shalvis
I’ll admit right off the bat that I’m in love with Jill Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor series. So when I saw that Logan Perrish – who failed to win his ex-wife’s heart back in The Sweetest Thing – was getting a story of his own, I had to read it.
“Kissing Santa Claus” is a wonderful holiday treat. Logan fell hard and fast for Sandy without even knowing it. It’s only after spending five months away from her that he realizes he can’t live without her, so he returns to Lucky Harbor, intent on proving his love to Sandy. Who can resist a sexy man willing to pull out all the stops for the woman he loves? Not me. I do wish that “Kissing Santa Claus” were a bit longer, especially since I’d have liked to read about Sandy and Logan’s initial fling. Nevertheless, “Kissing Santa Claus” is an entertaining story with a dash of Christmas cheer and a healthy dose of sensuality that will likely please Lucky Harbor fans.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Hope Ramsay
A handsome military man rescuing a stray cat? That’s pretty much all you need to capture my interest. Hope Ramsay’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” starts of sweet and has some incredibly touching moments throughout the tale, but it falls short as a romance. There’s chemistry between Matt and Annie, but Ms. Ramsay never capitalizes on it. In fact, just when I thought that something might happen between them, the story ends, leaving me an unsatisfied reader. This is the first story I’ve read by Ms. Ramsay and I liked her writing style enough that I’d read a different book by her even though “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” didn’t do much for me.
“O Little Town of Bramble” by Katie Lane
Friends become almost-lovers just in time for Christmas in “O Little Town of Bramble.” There was something just a bit “off” about Katie Lane’s story. It’s a contemporary romance, but the people and the town of Bramble feel like they fell out a sixties television show – in other words, the dialogue and incidents came across as staged. This made it hard to connect to the characters, even Ethan and Sam who were just a little too perfect to feel real. Ethan’s a small town farmer who never got to live out his dreams and Sam’s the little sister he never had who comes back to town all grown up and transformed into the woman he desires above all else. I liked both Ethan and Sam – in fact, I liked everyone in Bramble – but I wasn’t able to connect with them. There are some truly cute moments in “O Little Town of Bramble” but on the whole the story just wasn’t for me.
Small Town Christmas has a touch of spice and a whole lot of sweet, making it a charming anthology overall. Not all the stories were to my taste, but Jill Shalvis’s “Kissing Santa Claus” was a delight and readers who are looking for more Christmas than romance in their reading might enjoy “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “O Little Town of Bramble” more than I did.