Holiday Temptation

September 5, 2016
This trio of light stories emphasizes renewed faith in love as three women cope with the approaching holiday season. In Hill’s fumbled “A Gift of Love,” a part-time theater instructor in New York has trouble trusting men after her divorce, until she falls for the guy at the counter of her favorite coffee shop. Though the story could do with more depth, a couple of steamy scenes keep things moving along. Rochon’s “Holiday Spice” has Miranda, a freelance photographer from the Midwest, bumping into Kyle, a handsome brewer, in Istanbul. Rochon incorporates less of the unusual setting than one might hope, but the mystery of Miranda’s past is well developed, and sweetness and spice keep the story enticing as Miranda helps Kyle heal his family ties. In the best of the three stories, Jackson’s “From Here to Serenity,” personal chef Essie finds a job and love aboard a yacht owned by business mogul Ross. The pacing of the romance is effectively balanced with Ross’s fear of commitment after losing custody of his four-year-old-daughter in a divorce, and Essie’s lack of confidence in relationships and skepticism about Ross’s world of wealth. This makes for a provocative lead-up before the two fall for one another and rediscover family and love.

Professional women at personal crossroads find love in three contemporary holiday romances.In Hill's A Gift of Love, drama professor Traci Long catches the eye of sexy barista Noah Jefferson. Traci is rebuilding her life after leaving an abusive ex and doesn't trust men, or herself. She can't quite put her finger on why Noah is stalled out on his dream of opening a cafe-style club, but Traci's "tired of being afraid of my own voice, my own wants, and living on the edge with the belief that if I say anything, ask for anything, want anything...I'm going to pay some kind of price." When the other shoe drops, it's revealed that Noah has his own trust issues. Traci's emotional journey steals the show in this sweet, romantic tale. Christmas is front and center in Rochon's Holiday Spice. Freelance photographer Miranda Lawson is on assignment in Istanbul just before Christmas, a holiday that reminds her of the devastating tragedy that's cast a dark shadow over her life. When she meets fellow American Kyle Daniels in the Spice Market, the attraction is immediate. Kyle has to work hard to break down Miranda's resistance to vulnerability and connection. In Jackson's From Here to Serenity, opposites attract with sexy intensity. During a holiday cruise to Miami on his yacht, real estate developer Ross Montgomery clashes with his new personal chef Essie Bradford's "Zen, no judgment, live in the moment" lifestyle. Essie has a checkered romantic past and trust issues, but Ross' larger-than-life workaholic lifestyle presents a bigger barrier to love. With a short page count, Ross' transition isn't very credible, but Jackson writes the spiciest scenes of the three novellas.A sweet, sexy, and satisfying trio of novellas. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2016

Three unlikely couples heat up the pages in this sensual trio of holiday romances by three of the genre's most noted authors. An aspiring playwright and a barista who is more than he seems learn to trust their hearts in Hill's passionate "A Gift of Love"; a chance meeting in Istanbul's spice market turns into something more for a Christmas-phobic photographer and techie craft brewer when the fates and the weather get into the act in Farrah Rochon's affecting "Holiday Spice"; and a hard-driving real estate mogul hires a health-conscious chef to improve his diet and lifestyle during a business trip aboard his yacht and gets more than he bargained for in K.M. Jackson's pert "From Here to Serenity." VERDICT This engaging anthology transports readers to destinations throughout the world in tempting stories that are sure to light up the holidays. Hill, Rochon, and Jackson live in Brooklyn, the New Orleans area, and Ardsley, NY, respectively.

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