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51 reviews for:
Baby, It's Cold Outside: Cinque storie d'amore
Emma Chase, Melody Anne, Kristen Proby, Jennifer Probst, Kate Meader
3.66 AVERAGE
51 reviews for:
Baby, It's Cold Outside: Cinque storie d'amore
Emma Chase, Melody Anne, Kristen Proby, Jennifer Probst, Kate Meader
3.66 AVERAGE
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars Averaged.
Searching for You by Jennifer Probst--2 stars.
It’s a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol by Emma Chase--1.5 stars.
Saving Grace by Kristen Proby--4 stars.
Safe in His Arms by Melody Anne--3 stars.
Rekindle the Flame by Kate Meader--2 stars.
I was in a really bad mood yesterday from being stuck in bed and isolated from my husband and the rest of this house (for going on three weeks now) so I decided to find a Christmas-y/romance short story collection to read on Scribd. I was expecting these stories to be more along the Hallmark lines of romance, but this drifted into rated R/rated X categories in quite a few places. I’m not big on those kinds of romance stories so all of these got pretty low ratings from me except for one. I think that almost solely came from location/setting.
Overall, they are cute romance stories that are quick and easy reads so something to fluff up your GoodReads challenge for sure. These just aren’t for me as a reader.
Searching for You by Jennifer Probst--2 stars.
It’s a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol by Emma Chase--1.5 stars.
Saving Grace by Kristen Proby--4 stars.
Safe in His Arms by Melody Anne--3 stars.
Rekindle the Flame by Kate Meader--2 stars.
I was in a really bad mood yesterday from being stuck in bed and isolated from my husband and the rest of this house (for going on three weeks now) so I decided to find a Christmas-y/romance short story collection to read on Scribd. I was expecting these stories to be more along the Hallmark lines of romance, but this drifted into rated R/rated X categories in quite a few places. I’m not big on those kinds of romance stories so all of these got pretty low ratings from me except for one. I think that almost solely came from location/setting.
Overall, they are cute romance stories that are quick and easy reads so something to fluff up your GoodReads challenge for sure. These just aren’t for me as a reader.
Review at Beverages and Books
http://beveragesandbooks.com/?p=537
http://beveragesandbooks.com/?p=537
Probst: 4, Maybe I'd read another
Chase: 3, cute vignette/Christmas Carol
Proby: 3, cute ski lodge
Anne: 2, Oh, for Heaven's sake! The heroine is the daughter of an unwed teenage mother. No character ever discusses contraception or worries that it wasn't used? Really? This is a huge red flag for me. Grrrr.
Meader: 5. Always love her, and the firefighters are going to be awesome
Chase: 3, cute vignette/Christmas Carol
Proby: 3, cute ski lodge
Anne: 2, Oh, for Heaven's sake! The heroine is the daughter of an unwed teenage mother. No character ever discusses contraception or worries that it wasn't used? Really? This is a huge red flag for me. Grrrr.
Meader: 5. Always love her, and the firefighters are going to be awesome
This book has 3 wonderful, fun and witty stories! The adventures these couples go through for their happily ever afters can be circuitous and surprising and somewhat unexpected but they do make it in time for Christmas. Enjoy this fun way of celebrating Christmas, romance style!!
Cortas historias románticas todas centradas en la navidad. Es una lectura rápida y amena. Algunas más lindas que otras pero todas llenas del espíritu navideño que vuelve a florecer en esta época del año. Mis favoritas fueron la de Emma Chase con Drew como protagonista y la de Kristen Proby y el multimillonario.
I will admit to skipping the second story in this anthology, because it is a sequel to a book I haven't read. But otherwise, I enjoyed this. The last story was by far my favorite, so I will be on the lookout for more by that author. While Christmas is mentioned in several stories, this is just as much a winter read as a holiday book.
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books for 11/3/14.
We had our first snow of the season this weekend, so it was the perfect time to cuddle up with a quilt and read this anthology. It's chock-full of reader catnip: second chance romance, enemies-to-lovers, stranded with a billionaire, sexy firefighters, new takes on classic stories and appearances from some favorite series characters--all wrapped up inside five quick-to-read HEAs. Even though some of these are part of series, they all work well as standalones.
"It's a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol" by Emma Chase was an absolutely delightful read. Drew is hands-down my favorite male narrator ever--his snarkiness and sexiness are a lethal combination. (Check out his debut in [b:Tangled|18297707|Tangled (Tangled, #1)|Emma Chase|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375808439s/18297707.jpg|21868234] if you haven't yet--you'll thank me.) This mashup of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life was so much fun. I had way too many highlighted bits for such a short read! It was easy to believe that Drew could have lost sight of what's really important in life, and completely satisfying seeing how his life with Kate is turning out. The series characters who played the "ghosts"? Brilliant!
A favorite line:
I had almost as many highlighted lines in "Rekindle the Flame" by Kate Meader as in "Wonderful"--she's a new-to-me author, but I'll definitely be reading more from her in the future. Beck was a to-die-for firefighter hero who likes to sprinkle his seduction with Spanish (yum!) and he's definitely met his match with Darcy. After the way he ended their first relationship, he has a lot to make up for in this second-chance story. Fortunately he's up for the task--and it's such an enjoyable read.
A favorite line:
"Saving Grace" by Kristen Proby is part of her Love Under the Big Sky series. Grace, a clumsy schoolteacher, finds herself spending the weekend at a nearby ski resort to prepare for an upcoming girls' weekend with her best pals. A mistaken identity and her natural lack of grace (she tells Jacob at one point, "I think my parents named me Grace as a cruel joke") make for some very funny moments. Their HEA felt a bit rushed, though and the story definitely could have worked well expanded into a full-length novel. More Jacob-and-Grace time would have been nice. :)
A favorite scene: when Grace literally walks into a door after a kiss. Totally adorkable!
Rating: 4 stars / B
"Safe in His Arms" by Melody Anne featured fire chief Hawk and elementary schoolteacher Natalie. It had a cute premise and the hero and heroine were likable, but I found it hard to connect with their romance. Perhaps if they had had more page time and the conniving townspeople had less, it would have worked better for me.
A favorite line:
"Searching for You" by Jennifer Probst is part of her Searching For series, and the owners of Kinnections, the exclusive matchmaking agency the series is based on, make a brief appearance to match up the hero and heroine. I really liked the second chance/enemies-to-lovers plotline here and Dylan and Riley were likable characters, but somehow this story, like first in the series [b:Searching for Someday|17571266|Searching for Someday (Searching For, #1)|Jennifer Probst|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405260083s/17571266.jpg|24510895], just didn't quite make it. Possibly a longer story would have allowed us to better understand Riley's issues? The quick synopsis she gives Dylan isn't quite enough. Fans of the series will probably enjoy it, though.
A favorite line:
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
We had our first snow of the season this weekend, so it was the perfect time to cuddle up with a quilt and read this anthology. It's chock-full of reader catnip: second chance romance, enemies-to-lovers, stranded with a billionaire, sexy firefighters, new takes on classic stories and appearances from some favorite series characters--all wrapped up inside five quick-to-read HEAs. Even though some of these are part of series, they all work well as standalones.
"It's a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol" by Emma Chase was an absolutely delightful read. Drew is hands-down my favorite male narrator ever--his snarkiness and sexiness are a lethal combination. (Check out his debut in [b:Tangled|18297707|Tangled (Tangled, #1)|Emma Chase|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375808439s/18297707.jpg|21868234] if you haven't yet--you'll thank me.) This mashup of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life was so much fun. I had way too many highlighted bits for such a short read! It was easy to believe that Drew could have lost sight of what's really important in life, and completely satisfying seeing how his life with Kate is turning out. The series characters who played the "ghosts"? Brilliant!
A favorite line:
During my research, I also discovered that sociopaths and CEOs share a lot of character traits--but we'll talk about that another time.Rating: 5 stars / A
I had almost as many highlighted lines in "Rekindle the Flame" by Kate Meader as in "Wonderful"--she's a new-to-me author, but I'll definitely be reading more from her in the future. Beck was a to-die-for firefighter hero who likes to sprinkle his seduction with Spanish (yum!) and he's definitely met his match with Darcy. After the way he ended their first relationship, he has a lot to make up for in this second-chance story. Fortunately he's up for the task--and it's such an enjoyable read.
A favorite line:
They were ancient history and dredging up the whys and whats was about as useful as Matthew McConaughey's shirt collection.Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-
"Saving Grace" by Kristen Proby is part of her Love Under the Big Sky series. Grace, a clumsy schoolteacher, finds herself spending the weekend at a nearby ski resort to prepare for an upcoming girls' weekend with her best pals. A mistaken identity and her natural lack of grace (she tells Jacob at one point, "I think my parents named me Grace as a cruel joke") make for some very funny moments. Their HEA felt a bit rushed, though and the story definitely could have worked well expanded into a full-length novel. More Jacob-and-Grace time would have been nice. :)
A favorite scene: when Grace literally walks into a door after a kiss. Totally adorkable!
Rating: 4 stars / B
"Safe in His Arms" by Melody Anne featured fire chief Hawk and elementary schoolteacher Natalie. It had a cute premise and the hero and heroine were likable, but I found it hard to connect with their romance. Perhaps if they had had more page time and the conniving townspeople had less, it would have worked better for me.
A favorite line:
One of Natalie's worst faults, or at lease what she felt was one of her worst faults, was that she'd get so lost in her own head she'd tune out the rest of the world. A vivid imagination was great when you were teaching young children, but not so great when trying to hold normal conversations with other adults.Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+
"Searching for You" by Jennifer Probst is part of her Searching For series, and the owners of Kinnections, the exclusive matchmaking agency the series is based on, make a brief appearance to match up the hero and heroine. I really liked the second chance/enemies-to-lovers plotline here and Dylan and Riley were likable characters, but somehow this story, like first in the series [b:Searching for Someday|17571266|Searching for Someday (Searching For, #1)|Jennifer Probst|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405260083s/17571266.jpg|24510895], just didn't quite make it. Possibly a longer story would have allowed us to better understand Riley's issues? The quick synopsis she gives Dylan isn't quite enough. Fans of the series will probably enjoy it, though.
A favorite line:
"What about you?" she practically squealed. "You need clothes."Rating: 3 stars / C
He arched a brow. "I'm comfortable being naked. Do you have a problem with that?"
He noted the high flush of her cheeks and the hungry stare. Oh yeah, he had her good. "Yes, I do," she said primly. "I can't concentrate."
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
‘Riley was spit and vinegar, smart and sassy, and he wanted her. Under him. Over him. In his house, and his bed. Tonight.’
In Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Kate Meader, and Melody Anne, We are lucky enough to get five amazing short stories by five equally fantastic authors. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Emma Chase and Jennifer Probst, having followed each of their bestselling series since the beginning. But I’ve also read and loved Kristen Proby, Kate Meader and Melody Anne, so having them all here in one anthology is a romance reader’s dream!
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‘Riley was spit and vinegar, smart and sassy, and he wanted her. Under him. Over him. In his house, and his bed. Tonight.’
In Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Kate Meader, and Melody Anne, We are lucky enough to get five amazing short stories by five equally fantastic authors. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Emma Chase and Jennifer Probst, having followed each of their bestselling series since the beginning. But I’ve also read and loved Kristen Proby, Kate Meader and Melody Anne, so having them all here in one anthology is a romance reader’s dream!
Read More
Searching For You (Searching For Bk 2.5) by Jennifer Probst
I am the first person to tell you about my issues with the last book in this series (I really didn't like it) but I picked this anthology up for a different author and figured I'd read all of the novellas anyway. Well let me start by saying I loved this one. When I say loved, I mean it was one of my favorites. That's hard to say because I really enjoyed the whole book.
The novella (which can be read without the other books in the series) follows reunited frenemies from college. Riley was Ms. Perfect in college, perfect grades, perfect future, and all around stick in the mud. Dylan was the perennial party boy who managed to get straight A's anyway. They hated each other so much they wanted each other. Years passed between college and a blind date set up by Kinnections (matchmaking agency). When Riley gets stranded at Dylan's home they try to decide if maybe "so wrong it's right" works for them.
This is a series that requires you to suspend disbelief a little since one of the matchmakers can sense soulmates via touch. They set up these two without the 'touch' but wonder if they've made a mistake since the couple are opposites in every way. Well it's funny because they really are not so different after all.
The story is one of those great 'stranded in a snowstorm' reads and I adore those. I love how close it requires the hero and heroine to become since there are no others stumbling around interfering. All conflict typically comes from the couple, not the external world.
While the story was a tad rushed, it worked for a cute holiday story. I loved the discussions the two had as they discovered appearances weren't always what they seemed back in college.
3 Stars
It's a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol (Tangled Bk 4.5) by Emma Chase
I'll start by saying I have read none of the series...at all. I've heard of the Tangled series but I've never managed to sit down and actually read about Drew and Kate (can you say on my 'to read' list?). This story asks you to suspend disbelief since it hybrids "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol". It did it well.
Drew has to work Christmas Eve but sees nothing wrong with leaving his family to the holiday in order to make money. Kate, his wife, is upset how he disregards her and their son's feelings. When Drew heads to the office he encounters his guardian angel and later three spirits (?) who show him Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Can he learn the errors of his ways before it is too late?
The story itself followed a predictable pattern. It's a romance and for those of you who have seen these movies, know how those end. So in the end of course things would work out. What I loved was how they used spirits who were people he knew. From his niece, to his sister, to a frenemy, Drew encountered those he knew as he experienced what had, is, and could have happened. Yes, that's right, in a twist Drew doesn't see his future but rather what would have happened if Kate and him had not met.
It was a fun story and it made me want to read the series. This time I will.
3.5 Stars
Saving Grace (Love Under the Big Sky Bk 2.5) by Kristen Proby
I tried Ms. Proby years ago during the Seattle series but couldn't get through it. So I was not optimistic about this one. I was wrong. It was a really fun story and I loved the level of realism injected in the end.
Grace is a klutz and her friends sign her up for ski lessons before their weekend in Aspen. There she mistakes the billionaire owner for her ski instructor and he is completely willing to play along. As Grace learns to ski and Jacob pursues her relentlessly, they banter playfully about his British accent. It was a lot of fun to read. Their interactions were flawless.
I really loved how they both had insecurities. Grace really didn't like being lied to or manipulated (who would?) but Jacob always worried people liked him for his money. With Grace he got to experience a relationship first and then she found out. It gave him the opportunity to see she liked him versus his billions. A typical plot but it worked well in the short novella.
I always dislike how some novellas end after a few days romance and everything is sparkles and rainbows. Real life is not like that and I have trouble getting over it. In this case we get a glimpse of long-term romance for those of us who need a little more realism in our stories.
3.5 Stars
Safe In His Arms (Unexpected Heroes Bk .5) by Melody Anne
I've never read Ms. Anne before and I'm not quite sure how I felt about this one in the end. The story was a typical like for me with a teacher moving to a new area and the landlord. I was ready for hot, hot, hot and I was ready for the charming small town. Unfortunately it didn't deliver for me. I never really felt the romance worked. It seemed a little forced. Also, what was up with the matchmaking elders. They hired a woman in order to marry off one of the bachelors. Who does that? If it had been me, I would have been upset as the teacher to find that out even if it had worked for the best.
In my opinion, this was the weakest of the bunch. It's wasn't bad just not up to par with the others. I felt the story struggled a bit and while it was a stepping off point for a new series, it didn't endear me to it if we are going to have matchmaking elders running around willy-nilly.
2.5 Stars
Rekindle the Flame (Hot in Chicago Bk .5) by Kate Meader
Okay so this was the one I wanted and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved Ms. Meader's "Hot in the Kitchen" series and cannot wait for the Fireman series next year. This is the series jumping off point about a group of foster siblings and their work with the fire company. In this one we have reuniting lovers after a bad breakup.
Years before Beck, the foster kid from the wrong side of the tracks, broke up with Darcy, Miss Rich, for reasons unknown to her. Seven years later they reconnect and begin a flirtation during the short time Darcy will be in town. Darcy is still upset about the boy she loved breaking her heart and making decisions that changed her life just as her father continues to do. Beck never felt good enough for Darcy and even now questions if he's good for her. It was only when he discovered how her life had changed so drastically, did he see a real future for them.
I loved the romance so much and it actually reminded me of one of my favorite authors. Lauren Dane wrote these books about tattoo artist (two of them with a new series forthcoming) and I was reminded of them in such a good way. In this case Miss Rich had become an inked, tattoo artist instead of a trophy wife. I loved that so much and I loved how Beck saw her as beautiful with her ink and vulnerability.
I was actually bummed how short the story was in the end. I could have seen this one being a full length novel with Darcy dealing with her family a little more and watching Darcy and Beck navigate their happy relationship. Instead we got introduced to some of the upcoming heroes/heroines of upcoming books.
I have the series on my 'must read list' and I think you should too!
4.5 Stars
The Anthology:
I really enjoyed this anthology and eagerly recommend picking it up. It's a great way to read 'new to you' authors and also find some fun, holiday stories.
3.5 Stars
Published by Pocket Books
October 28, 2014
544 Pages
Provided by--NetGalley
Honestly I only got it for the Tangled story and thats the only one I have read. It's a typical addition to the series that gave me a chuckle or two but didn't really add anything to the characters or overall story.