Love and Lust recs: 'Once Upon a Christmas Kiss,' 'A Little Christmas Jingle'
Once Upon a Christmas Kiss by Manda Collins
What it's about (courtesy St. Martin's Paperbacks):
When Sir Lucien Blakemore arrives at his cousin's estate for a week long Christmas party, he's shocked to see Miss Winifred Nightingale among the other guests. Employed by his neighbor back in Yorkshire, the governess with the lovely eyes has always seemed off limits, but she's visiting here as a guest—and there's nothing like a little mistletoe to make the spirits bright…
Miss Winifred Nightingale never dreamed a holiday visit with her sister would lead to both ladies spending Christmas as the local lord's guests. But the big surprise is when she finds the handsome Sir Lucien Blakemore staying there too. Their attraction between is undeniable, but will an old nemesis and a party guest bent on mischief make their first kiss under the mistletoe their last?
Why you should read it: What a fun, historical Christmas story this is. Set in another time and place, we meet Winifred and Lucian at a Christmas gathering in the country home of Lucian's friend. This story is all manners and propriety, or lack thereof. Winnie and her sister were orphaned and left destitute but were able to make livings as a governess and school teacher. While this doesn't make them "hired hands," it does consign them to a lower level of society than their wealthy friends. When someone appears to be wanting to do Winnie serious harm, she approaches her friend Lucian to ask his protection in the form of a sham engagement. He agrees, but wants a much more permanent alliance.
The story is a wonderful romance as Lucian sets about trying to convince Winnie of his true intentions, as well as some other matchmaking going on in the house party. It is also a cracking good mystery as one bad thing after another befalls Winnie. Lucian and Winnie create a list of possible suspects and one by one they are eliminated until only one remains.
It takes awhile for Lucian and Winnie to fall into bed, but when they do they really heat up the sheets!
I really enjoyed the Christmas traditions of this historical romance. Manda Collins has done her research and gives the reader a beautifully described country estate event and betrothal. I will be reading more by this talented author and highly recommend this holiday story in particular.
A Little Christmas Jingle by Michele Dunaway
What it's about (courtesy St. Martin's Paperbacks):
Women, men, stray dogs — everyone's looking for love this holiday season. Sometimes all it takes is a Little Christmas Jingle to get into the spirit ... Kat Saunders doesn't believe in miracles — though she sure could use one. She's devoted to her veterinarian business, and all she wants for Christmas is for her practice to include a no-kill shelter. But amidst all the holiday hoopla she forgot about getting the required permits...and time is running out. Just when Kat fears her dream career is DOA, a to-die-for handsome detective shows up at the vet with a desperate puppy. Could it be that Jack Donovan—otherwise known as Mr. December on the Sexy Public Servants Charity Calendar—is the answer to her prayers? He agrees to help Kat with her legal needs, and she will do whatever it takes to express her appreciation. But could this Man of the Month also end up being Kat's true love for all days? A kiss beneath the mistletoe may be all it takes to find out ...
Why you should read it: I love Christmas stories, romances, and books with dogs, so A Little Christmas Jingle hit all my buttons and did not disappoint. This is the story of two people finding love when they aren't looking for it. Jack is a cop who has taken on the responsibility of protecting animals who have been abused and stopping the abusers. Kat is a vet who has bought a veterinary practice in an upscale neighborhood and added a no-kill shelter to her facilities. Some of the neighbors don't like the shelter aspect and wage a campaign of lies and legalities to force Kat to close it down.
When Jack meets Kat at a fundraiser where he is Mr. December on the fundraiser's calendar, there is an attraction, but they part ways without doing anything about it. When they meet again they decide to do a little false advertising about their relationship to keep their mothers from pushing them to "finally" find someone.
The catalyst for their second meeting is a horrible crime perpetrated on a little puppy. Someone set him on fire. Jack brings the puppy to the nearest vet, which happens to be Kat. Now they both have jobs to do that relate to Jingle, the puppy. Kat has to try to save Jingle's life and Jack has to bring the abusers to justice.
This is a very sweet Christmas season story, despite the damage to the little dog, and has a happy ending. How they get to that HEA is a roller coaster of emotions and family interference. I loved this story and recommend it.
Becky Condit is a widow, mother of three and grandmother of 10 who reads all kinds of books, but her go-to comfort books are erotic romances. A romance novel coupled with just-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of cold milk is her idea of heaven. She reads and reviews more than 250 books a year, so you won't often find her without her Kindle in hand, but when you do, she'll probably be gardening, doing needle crafts, working in her upholstery workshop and spending time with her family.