Sugar and Spice

September 4, 2006
Sweet is the word for this anthology from four top Kensington writers. Barton's contribution, about two strangers snowed in after a Tennessee storm, is the steamy standout. Michaels creates a paean to childhood disappointment, but the romance gets short shrift. Fluke's near-innocent tale of two teachers is clunky, but the dessert recipes make up for it. Jump's office romance gives the collection a kick, with fiery writing.

October 15, 2006
Sweet or spicy, serious or lighthearted, the stories in this delectable Christmas collection have it all. A successful L.A. architect finds love when he heads home to help his grieving father reclaim their neglected Virginia Christmas tree farm in Michaels's fun-filled The Christmas Stocking; a reluctant young widow and a reclusive former army ranger put their pasts behind them and slay a few ghosts while snowbound in the Smokies in Beverly Barton's poignant Ghost of Christmas Past; a pair of teachers fall in love during Christmas vacation at their boarding school with six creative children homeless for the holidays in Joanne Fluke's witty, recipe-laden Twelve Desserts of Christmas; and a secret Santa scheme puts sizzle in the season in Shirley Jump's sassy urban romp, Twelve Days. These novellas are as deliciously satisfying as cocoa and cookies on a snowy day.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.