Showing posts with label Lori Foster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lori Foster. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

On the Naughty List (anthology)

Image linked from Goodreads
Christmas Bonus by Lori Foster
Eric Bragg is worried that his boss won't realize that he's a desirable man. He's been in lust with the long-legged Maggie since she was nineteen, but of course that was just too young. But, just when he thought he might make a move, her father died and now she's in charge. But he's ready to make his move.
This story irked me and I kept thinking that it was old-school and that I had read it before. It's not as old as I would have thought given the character ages and the "Me he-man, I'm right" attitude of the hero (2000). Can't remember how I felt when I read it the first time but this time I flew through the pages, just trying to get done so I could read something else. Probably would have skipped if it hadn't been and ARC.

Naughty Under the Mistletoe by Carly Phillips

And... I've read this one before too! I hate when they repackage books and don't put on the cover that these are reprints. 
Antonia Larson is ready to make a play for her boss (sound familiar) but ends up kissing his twin instead. Good thing the twin, Max, is eager to be kissed.
I know this is a short story but the whirlwind romance of it didn't appeal to me. They knew each other barely 24 hours and are in "Twu Lurv"? Meh.

Some Kind of Wonderful by Beth Ciotta

Daisy Monroe, cupcake baker extraordinaire is back in her home town to celebrate Christmas. And her childhood best friend, Zach, is also back. Will visits from a few ghosts and an unexpected storm help them to reconnect in a more visceral manner?
Liked that the penpal confusion didn't last. No Big Misunderstanding for the whole story. But the ghost aspects left me cold. 

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar Jamison

I loved the first book in this series but the second book left me cold and the third, disgusted. Again, I probably wouldn't have read this story if it hadn't been an ARC. And I would have missed the story that dragged this book into three star territory for me (well, high two but I'm rounding up).
We learned about Dina Gregory in the first book. She was the mean and evil sister of that heroine and now she's getting her own HEA. I was a bit irritated by her seemingly quick turnaround ("I had a baby! I'm wonderful (and somewhat pudgy) now!"). It would have been nice to learn about more of her hardships that led to this attitude change. 
But, now she's calling on the man who impregnated and then dumped her. But he's gone and his widower brother is there in his place. And Ben doesn't want to let her go.
Again, a fast falling in love and a lot of big emotions that were dealt with impossibly quickly, but I rather enjoyed the story.