Kindertransport by Jennifer Childers

Title: Kindertransport
Author: Jennifer Childers
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 1-60154-522-3
Genre: Historical
Length: 254 pages
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]Heat: sweet
Reviewer: Steph Beck
Date: Jan 2, 2010



Review:
In a time of early Nazi occupation, nurse Erica Lehmeir is faced with the knowledge that the disable children in her care will be exterminated as part of Hitler’s plans for a pure and perfect Germany. Unable to accept it as fact, she must find a way to save the children and herself, should she be found out. Can she make the decisions forced upon her, and can she trust Rickard, her dear friend, when he wears his SS uniform?

There was something very special about this story. The trying times of Nazi Germany set an intriguing backdrop for some interesting characters. Jennifer Childers did a wonderful job making me wonder who the villains of the story were, something I think many faced at the time in Germany. No one was perfect in the story, but they had me pulling for them to overcome the day and Kindertransport delivered, making it a story I would recommend to anyone who enjoys historical stories. I give it five diamonds because long after I finished reading, I thought about the story and the characters. I love a good love story that stays with me after the last page is read and Kindertransport did.

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Holly's Big Bad Santa by Starla Kaye

Title: Holly’s Big Bad Santa

Author: Starla Kaye

Publisher: Black Velvet Seductions

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-980-2246-5-8

Genre: Holiday

Length: 103 pages

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Heat: spicy

Other: spanking, oral

Reviewer: Steph Beck

Date: Dec. 24, 2009

Review: When Jared left, he took Holly’s heart with him. Fifteen years later he returns to his hometown, injured and tired of running from his family. Holly greets him with a snowball. She’s angry and still hurt that he’d left with only a note of goodbye and little contact since. Jared understands her feelings, but he wants her anyway. Is his determination enough to bridge a fifteen year gap when Holly is finally ready to move on with another man in another state?

Holly’s Big Bad Santa was a great combination of sweet, maturing and some slightly naughty play. Jared was completely attractive with his bad boy demeanor and Holly was real with her anger and quirks. The secondary characters also added so much to this story, their little additions, especially Jared’s parents, giving the whole story a deeper, more meaningful feel. I give Starla Kaye’s wonderful Christmas story four candy canes and can’t think of anyone who doesn’t mind a little tiny bit of kink who wouldn’t love it.

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Mr. Jack Frost by Amy Hahn

Title: Mr. Jack Frost

Author: Amy Hahn

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Publication Date: 2008

ISBN: 1-60154-379-4

Genre: Fairy Holiday

Length: 191

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Heat: sweet

Reviewer: Steph Beck

Date: December 20, 2009

Review: Reagan Thornton isn’t happy and can’t fake it even for her two children. The Christmas season reminds her of losing the love of her life and she uses her unhappiness to erase as much of the season as she can from her family’s lives. When Jack Frost shows up at her door, reeking of Christmas spirit and winter wonder, she immediately wants to shut him out, but something about him draws her closer. Jack’s on a mission of his own. Created just for Reagan’s Christmas wish, his only goal is to make her happy but from the moment he sees her, she makes him yearn for all the things he cannot have. Can Christmas magic bring them together, or will the very magic that brought them together, set them apart?

Mr. Jack Frost is a sweet holiday story. Jack Frost himself is a wonderful character, his innocence is beguiling yet he also manages to be practical enough not to get annoying. The scenery is beautifully described, December in Minnesota the perfect backdrop for any white Christmas story. I wanted to like Reagan a lot more than I did and she kept the candy canes down to three and a half, but Mr. Jack Frost is definitely a story I would recommend to readers looking for a heartwarming, magical tale.

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Christmas in Hell by Lex Valentine

Title: Christmas in Hell
Author: Lex Valentine
Publisher: Pink Petal Books Ltd
Publication Date: Dec. 2009
Genre: Holiday
Length: 26 pages
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Heat: spicy Reviewer: Steph Beck
Date: Dec. 20, 2009


Devon can’t say she’s thrilled to spend her Christmas in Heil aka Hell, California but her boss’ family is the only one she can reasonably be with during the holidays so she goes along. Part of her negative attitude stems from being tired of being alone, but also from one cowboy in particular: Jarrod Abbott. He’s gorgeous and sweet from all she’s seen, yet she always has the feeling he doesn’t like her. When the opportunity arises to change the animosity, Devon reaches out to grab a chance for a happy Christmas with a charming cowboy.I enjoyed Christmas in Hell. It was super short but Lex Valentine managed to make a believable, heartwarming, sexy story that I think most readers will like. I give the Christmas in Hell four candy canes and know for those who need a quick break from the Christmas crazies the story will be a sweet escape.

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Season of Love by Susan Blexrud, Bill Haworth, Kate Hofman & Miriam Newman

Title: Season of Love

Author: Susan Blexrud, Bill Haworth, Kate Hofman, Miriam Newman

Publisher: DCL Publications, LLC

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-9842828-3-8

Genre: Paranormal Holiday

Length: 297

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Heat: sweet-explicit

Reviewer: Steph Beck

Date: Dec. 13, 2009

From vampires to outer space, Season of Love is a great anthology that explores love in the Christmas season.

Suspense in Mistletoe Fangs by Susan Blexrude is a great starting point when vampires celebrate. The Office Party by Bill Haywood slows down with a holiday office party turned bazaar by the building’s resident ghost. A Special Christmas Gift by Kate Hofman brings things to modern and not so fanciful times and finally in the end we head to a new world in Peace on New Earth by Miriam Newman where a new agreement for life must be made and despite their differences, two people find love.

I loved the first and last stories of the anthology immensely. I’d give them five diamonds a piece. Since it’s an anthology though, I’ll average the four stories and give the overall book four diamonds. It’s a great holiday read to get in the mood for the season and even the slower stories are well written and enjoyable. Anyone feeling the need for a little paranormal holiday boost will love Season of Love.

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Eden at Twilight by Colleen Love

Title: Eden at Twilight

Author: Colleen Love

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Publication Date: 2008

ISBN: 1-60154-502-9

Genre: Paranormal

Length: 276

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Heat: Sweet

Reviewer: Steph Beck

Date: December 08, 2009

Review: Lilly never had the sort of life most girls did. Abandoned at birth, she’s always felt alone. When the chance for the vacation of her dreams arises, she takes it and heads to beautiful Scotland. Instantly drawn by the people and setting, Lilly finds herself more relaxed and happier than she’s ever been. Leaf, the handsome and mysterious gardener does his part to make her feel even more at home. But dark things are happening and they must fight for their lives against evil elves bent on stealing Lilly.

I loved the story. After reading too many sex-filled, blow-by-blow, shock-and-screw-till-they-both-drop stories, Eden At Twilight, was a sweet, thoughtful relief. The villains were scary and the fight scenes were intense. Leaf and Lilly were wonderfully real and fanciful in the way of good paranormal fiction. I give Ms. Love’s story four and a half diamonds. I adored it and when I need a sweet yet tension-filled story, I will reach for one of hers.

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