Kiss Me For Christmas—an Anthology by Christine Bell and Serenity Woods with Riley Murphy and Ros Clarke
Publisher: Entangled Lovestruck
Release Day: December 5, 2016
On Sale for $.99 from Dec 5th – Dec 11th
Kiss Me For Christmas is a gift for you. It consists of three short stories that burgeon with the Christmas Spirit and it’s probably the cheapest and maybe the most satisfying of gifts, perhaps a pleasure to have with melt in your mouth truffles and your favorite beverage.
While all three are supposed to be romantic comedies, it is really only the first, “Little White Lie” that holds claim to that throughout its entirety. Leah has been lying to her parents. Her father has recently become ill and they have moved from Chicago to Arizona. But they worry about her being alone so she makes up a boyfriend, Michael, who then becomes her fiance; and he sounds an awful lot like her real estate partner, whom she’s been crushing on, Mick. As these things tend to happen (it’s called Murphy’s Law), her folks decide to visit for the holidays so they can meet her fiance, Michael. Oops.
In the second story, “All I Want For Christmas,” for the second year in a row, Anna, an accountant has let her hair maybe down a little too far at the annual Christmas party and she may have sung “All I Want for Christmas Is You” to Hugh Munro and they may have kissed and she is definitely hiding in her office the next day, because while she is so very, very attracted to Hugh and he makes her laugh and he makes her days better, there is no way that they could ever be together.
In the third story, “Holly’s First Noel,” (gotta love the pun) Holly’s boyfriend calls her cell while she’s teaching on the last day of school. She knows he’ll keep calling so she picks up and he tells her they’re over. She kind of falls apart, but to the rescue is science teacher, Noel. Knowing that she’ll now be alone for Christmas and feeling a little broken-hearted, Holly agrees to go with Noel to his friend’s “cottage” in Scotland that looks over Loch Ness.
I loved all three of these stories. They are all different. “Little White Lie” is the funnest of them, although even it has its moment of sadness and almost loss, but it acts as a necessary foil. Leah and Mick are so fun and sweet together.
“All I Want For Christmas” probably starts out as the rowdiest of the three, but it quickly becomes complex with Anna’s secret that she hasn’t shared with anyone. It’s sweet and Hugh is just a lovely character, thoughtful, kind and just the kind of boyfriend you want under the tree at Christmas.
“Holly’s First Noel” is probably a good combination of fun, sexy, sad, and sweet. I loved this one a great deal. While Holly is contemplating the loss of her boyfriend, Noel has his own baggage. She is quirky and has a maze-like way of talking that Noel can decipher. They balance each other and create a little steam.
I smiled as I read these stories. They are very well-written with complex characters even though they are short stories and I haven’t been able to say that about a lot of romantic short stories I’ve read, which have seemed more plot driven than character driven. These are definitely character driven and I loved the characters. All of them!
I guess the winning detail for me is that fact that you can get this anthology for a song or $0.99, forget the song. I don’t think the book retailer will listen.
This is Merry Christmas. Enjoy!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
From Amazon: Kiss Me For Christmas
rating: 
(4 butterflies and a ladybug out of 5 butteflies)
LITTLE WHITE LIE by USA Today bestselling author Christine Bell and author Riley Murphy
Leah Latrelle has landed herself in the proverbial holiday hot seat. To get her family off her back, she told them she has a fiancé. And now they want to meet him. But just when it seems her goose is cooked, her sexy-as-sin business partner offers Leah a deal she can’t refuse…
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS by Ros Clarke
Advertising exec Hugh Munro hasn’t forgotten last year’s scorching-hot kiss with buttoned-up Anna Gardner, and kissing her again at the annual office party only strengthened his resolve to make her his. If all he wants for Christmas is Anna, he’ll have to prove it…to both of them.
HOLLY’S FIRST NOEL by USA Today bestselling author Serenity Woods
What better way for Holly Jones to get over her ex than spending the holidays in solitude with the sexy teacher in the class next door? Except, there’s nothing solitary about their time together—especially not the innocent kiss that flares into much, much more…
Author Info
Christine Bell is a USA Bestselling Author of contemporary romance novels and one half of the happiest couple in the world. She and her handsome hubby currently reside in Pennsylvania with a four-pack of teenage boys and their two dogs, Gimli and Pug. If she gets time off from her duties as maid, chef, chauffeur, or therapist, she can be found reading just about anything she can get her hands on, from Young Adult novels to books on poker theory.
She doesn’t like root beer, clowns or bugs (except ladybugs, on account of their cute outfits), but lurrves chocolate, going to the movies, the New York Giants and playing Texas Hold ‘Em. Writing is her passion, but if she had to pick another occupation, she would be a pirate…or, like, a ninja maybe. She loves writing fun, sexy romances, but also hopes to one day publish something her dad can read without wanting to dig his eyes out with rusty spoons.
Christine loves to hear from readers, so please feel free to get in touch with her via the Contact Page, or find her on Twitter @_ChristineBell.
Riley Murphy writes sexy, humorous and emotional romance, happy ending guaranteed. An optimist, she believes life is awesome, people are complicated, but in a good way, and we should never stop learning. Riley currently resides in Florida with her gorgeous husband. She has two wonderful kids and one very bossy English Bull terrier. When Riley’s not working she enjoys reading, oil painting, and getting to the Sunday crossword puzzle before anyone else does, so she can fill-in all the easy answers first. If Riley wasn’t a writer she’d be an international spy with top-level security so she could have a peek at Area 51 and decide for herself if those green guys are for real. Riley loves her characters and she hopes you do too.
USA Today Bestselling Author Serenity Woods lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes hot and sultry contemporary romances with a happy ever after, and she would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies.
Ros’s first short story was published by Entangled in December 2011. Since then she has written and published six contemporary category-style romances and a further six short stories. Writing as Sophie Carr, she has also published a Regency romance.
This definitely is up my alley. Dang, I think my Christmas Wish List is going to be huge this year! 🙂