Christmas Quickies-- {The Heiress and the Hothead by Sabrina Jeffries} & {Christmas With an Angel by Debbie Mason}

The Heiress and the Hothead (Sinful Suitors #1.5) by Sabrina Jeffries 

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The Quick Of It: A Christmas gathering. A heated kiss. A British hero set on exposing the atrocities of mill owners. An American heroine who so happens to own a mill. Realizing you just kissed the enemy? #Priceless

Quote-tastic/Review-- it's just so...delicious!-- The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

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Sabrina Jeffries is on dock today! Long time favorite and one of my local authors! Woots! I've been dying for this one and oh it was worth the wait for Edwin and his oh so serious and practical self. I just loved these two and the little bit of fire between them...

4 stars--What Happens Under the Mistletoe Anthology by Jeffries, Hawkins, Camp and Duran

Sweet, spirited  full of saucy adventure. Jeffries, Hawkins, Camp & Duran charmed with a lovely Christmas anthology. I love Christmas stories. There's something so warm and cozy about them and the four novellas in What Happened Under the Mistletoe hit just the right spot. Each was the perfect length for a cold winters night in front of a roaring fire. The romances were quick but nicely done. A little heat, a lot of attraction and a dollop of action to keep things interesting. Nicely done!

The Heiress and the Hothead by Sabrina Jeffries

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The Quick Of It: A Christmas gathering. A heated kiss. A hero set on exposing the atrocities of mill owners. An American heroine who owns a mill. Realizing you just kissed the enemy? #Priceless

Quote-tastic/Review--I hate myself *hangs head*-- Sustained by Emma Chase

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My first Emma Chase! And I loved it! So first off Sustained is told from the hero's POV and he is a doozie of a man which made for quite the ride. Alright. So the hero in this one is a lawyer who is all about the casual screw, doing what feels good and moving on. No commitments. No mess. Ever. But he's managed to get himself landed smack in the middle of a family--the heroine and her 6 nieces and nephews who all happen to be down with a stomach bug. And he just can't seem to say no to any of them...

The Art of Sinning (Sinful Suitors #1) by Sabrina Jeffries

Oh oh! One of my favorites....an American in England and dealing with all the stuffiness of the ton. An artist, no less! Heh. It's so fun seeing one of those 'crazy American' among the ton. And The Art of Sinning...such a very good time!

The quick of it is that Yvette is in need of a husband...according to her big brother and he's decided to hire a famous painter to do up her portrait in hopes of getting her a bit more notice on the marriage mart. Though the painter in question has another idea of how to immortalize the lovely Yvette in paints and can't help but strike up a deal with her as well. One that'll bring them scandalously close together (yay) as his vision becomes reality and he helps her with her side of the bargain...a trip into the brothels.

Soooo 5 Things about The Art of Sinning.

**Pick of the Litter** Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.

But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the New York Art Institute. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”

Tiffany Girls is the heartwarming story of the impetuous Flossie Jayne, a beautiful, budding artist who is handpicked by Louis to help complete the Tiffany chapel. Though excited to live in a boarding house when most women stayed home, she quickly finds the world is less welcoming than anticipated. From a Casanova male, to an unconventional married couple, and a condescending singing master, she takes on a colorful cast of characters to transform the boarding house into a home while racing to complete the Tiffany chapel and make a name for herself in the art world.

As challenges mount, her ambitions become threatened from an unexpected quarter: her own heart. Who will claim victory? Her dreams or the captivating boarder next door?

Type: Historical Fiction
Heat: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars **Pick of the Litter**

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Breathtakingly beautiful. It's not often that a novel leaves me stunned. Where I find myself closing the book and looking around the room with tears in my eyes wondering what in the world I'm going to do with myself next because I've just read something so overwhelmingly moving I'm simply stunned trying to process all of the emotions it's ripped out of me. Tiffany Girl..joined the ranks of the elite few that left me completely spent and raised the bar to near impossible heights for any future reads. Even weeks later as I'm sitting here editing this post one last time it has me fighting back tears just thinking about Flossie and everything she went through.

To Wed a Wild Lord (Hellions of Halstead Hall #4) by Sabrina Jeffries

"Jeffries is easily one of my go to authors when I'm looking for a read I know I'll love and for a historical romance that'll delight and intrigue." ~herding cats & burning soup

Drowning in guilt over his best friend's death seven years ago, Lord Gabriel Sharpe, the Angel of Death, knows his only hope at redemption is a race against a shocking opponent.

Shrouded in darkness for the past seven years, the infamous racer Lord Gabriel Sharpe is known to accept every challenge to race thrown at him. When his next challenge comes in the form of his late best friend's sister, Virginia Waverly, Gabe is shocked. Yet she presents just the opportunity Gabe needs--marriage to fulfill his grandmother's ultimatum and ensure his inheritance. What he didn't count on was needing her love.

Type: Historical Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

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You know that feeling when you're right on the verge of tears and your throat gets all tight? Well, I spent a damn good portion of the 359 pages of To Wed a Wild Lord feeling just like that as Gabe and Virginia deal with a horrible loss from years ago and find love in the last place they'd ever expect it. These two had me all over the place and just touched my heart completely.

The Master (The Game Maker #2) by Kresley Cole (@GalleryBooks)

Rich, irresistible politician/Mafiya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his…complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint.

Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she’s hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door.

After their mind-blowing encounter burns out of control, the lovers crave more. If they escape the deadly threats surrounding them, can Maksim overcome his past—to offer Cat his future? Only then will she tempt him with what he really wants: her, all tied up with a bow.

Type: Erotic Romance
Heat: 3.5 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

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*pants* Cole...totally had me swooning <hard> over a mob boss and an escort as the two hooked up, flipped each other's worlds upside down and had a battle of wills all while having oodles (and omg I finally got to use oodles) of toe-curlingly delicious sex. Oh yes. Cole will have you fanning yourself and begging for more!

So. The quick of it is that Maksim is an escort hobbyist but his current, erm, date, had to call in sick and Cat ended up taking her place. She's desperate for money so she can escape her past and one night in Maksim's bed...will get her well on her way to a new life in another city. But he might just decide to keep her instead. Ahhh. Yes. Lots of sexy angsty deliciousness abounds! (did I mention that already? lol)

It Happened at the Fair (It Happened at the Fair #1) by Deeanne Gist

Gambling everything, including the family farm, Cullen McNamara travels to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with his most recent invention. But the noise in the Fair’s Machinery Palace makes it impossible to communicate with potential buyers. In an act of desperation, he hires Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading.

The young teacher is reluctant to participate, and Cullen has trouble keeping his mind on his lessons while intently watching her lips. Like the newly invented Ferris Wheel, he is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor, and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground, or will he be carried away?

Type: Historical Fiction
Heat: 1 out of 5
Rating: 4.5-5 out of 5

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Gist is one of those authors that just leaves me rather speechless--in an absolutely amazing and astonishing way. Blows me away and leaves me a whole bundle of emotions. And I love it! It Happened at the Fair was no different as two young individuals put everything they have on the line during the Chicago World's Fair in hopes of changing both their own futures and the lives of others.

How to Reprimand Your Rock Star by Mina Vaughn

Thea is a star basketball player at UConn on track to be Rookie of the Year. That is, if she can stay focused on the game. Lately that hasn’t been going so well, as her knee has been bothering her. But that’s not the only thing on her mind…

Ever since rock star Keaton Lowe surprised her in the girl’s locker room, Thea can’t stop thinking about him. On top of his status and enticing ways, he seems to know everything about her. But some of his actions cross the line, and Keaton needs to be punished. Will Thea keep her head in the game, or get distracted by her other favorite pastime—reprimanding her rock star?

Type: New Adult, Erotic
Heat: 3.5 out of 5--light BDSM
Rating: 3 out of 5

Amazon | Goodreads

Well that was cute! How to Reprimand Your Rock Star was a fun little jaunt as a young basket ball star runs into a sexy rock star and the two heat things up while getting to know each other and realizing they might just have a little kink between them. Ooo la la!

Review/Quote-tastic (69)-- A pox! How the Scoundrel Seduces by Sabrina Jeffries

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Okay so the set up. These two--Tristan and Zoe--drive each other batty. They've rubbed each other wrong from pretty much the first second they met and lordy the two can get at each other. It's so dang fun to watch. Anyways. I thought these two were kinda funny...

DNF: Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper

When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.

But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

Type: Contemporary Romance/Light para
Heat: None by the time I quit
Rating: DNF

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And can't believe I'm saying this but I ended up calling it quits on Better Homes and Hauntings. I usually love Harper and her quirky characters/storylines but just couldn't get into this one at all.

Fair Play (It Happened at the Fair #2) by Deeanne Gist

Saddled with a man’s name, the captivating Billy Jack Tate makes no apologies for pursuing a man’s profession. As a lady doctor at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, she is one step closer to having her very own medical practice--until she doctors an imposing man who threatens the fulfillment of her dream.

Hunter is one of the elite. A Texas Ranger and World’s Fair guard specifically chosen for his height, physique, character, and skill. Hailed as the toughest man west of any place east, he has no patience for big cities and women who aspire to walk in a man's shoes.

But the abandoned baby Hunter discovers at the Fair finds him teaming up with the good doctor to give the foundling a better future than the slums of Chicago, where the children play on flea-infested, garbage-strewn streets. AS Billy and Hunter fight for the foundling's welfare, their hearts warm to the precious child--and to each other. Soon their concern grows to encompass the Nineteenth Ward's burgeoning population of street children. In the interest of fair play, Billy and Hunter let nothing stand in their way as they labor to build a park for them, birthing Chicago's first playground and a national movement that will sweep the nation.

But the Fair is coming to an end, posing impossible decisions for Billy and the man who has won her heart. Will they become a footnote in the Fair's history books, or will what they discovered in Chicago be longer lasting than the World's Exhibition.

Type: Historical Fiction
Heat: 1.5 out of 5
Rating: 4-4.5 out of 5

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I am...so glad I gave Fair Play a chance. Historical fiction isn't one of my normal genres but let me tell you. Gist about did me in with an incredible story of hope, heartbreak and love set during the final days of the 1893 Chicago World Fair as a lady doctor and a Texas Ranger are drawn together by an abandoned infant that sets their lives on a new course they never would have expected.

A Lady Never Surrenders (Hellions of Halstead Hall #5) by Sabrina Jeffries

When the youngest Sharpe sister hatches a plan to gain marriage offers, the straight-laced Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter knows he'll do whatever it takes to ruin her scheme...

Lady Celia Sharpe hopes that if she can garner offers of marriage from several eligible gentlemen and show her grandmother she is capable of gaining a husband, she can convince Gran to rescind the marriage ultimatum for her. And if that plan doesn’t work, at least she’ll have a husband lined up. But Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter seems determined to ruin her plans by disapproving of every suitor she asks him to investigate. It’s only when she and Jackson work together to solve her parents’ murders, plunging them both into danger, that she realizes why--because the only man he wants her to marry is himself!

Type: Historical Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

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This. was. the. best. freaking. book! I love the Hellions of Halstead Hall series but A Lady Never Surrenders was by far my favorite. I'd been looking forward for Jackson Pinter's book and damn it was good. Fantastic dynamic between the hero and heroine, full of action and danger, twists and turns, snark, humor and a meddling family. And a romance that'll make a girl envious. Seriously, I loved every single effing page as the last of the Sharpe siblings surrenders to their grandmum's ultimatum of finding love and marrying.

Mercy (Buchanan #2) by Julie Garwood

When esteemed Justice Department attorney Theo Buchanan is struck ill at a New Orleans gala, Dr. Michelle Renard works fast to save his life. Soon, Theo finds himself in a race to save her when Michelle is targeted by a deadly crime ring. They call themselves the Sowing Club, a devious foursome driven by greed to accumulate millions in a secret bank account. Now they're dead set on silencing Michelle, who might know the secret behind the killing of one of their wives. Dodging a world-class hit man and a band of cunning criminals, Michelle and Theo walk a narrow path between passion and survival.

Type: Romantic Suspense/Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5

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So my first time reading Julie Garwood...was a hit. I really enjoyed Mercy. Loved the characters and got lost in their romance (even though it's not hot and heavy) and the mystery they fight to keep Michelle out of the clutches of a group of murderers. It was a quick read because I just couldn't put it down :)

If I Were You (Inside Out #1) by Lisa Renee Jones

Okay. So this review is totally out of order. I kinda missed reviewing it somehow even though I'd read it ages ago. The rest of the series has been reviewed on the blog and, well, yall are getting this one now too :)

When Sara McMillan finds a stack of journals in a storage unit, she’s shocked and enthralled by the erotic life the writer led. Unable to stop reading, she vicariously lives out dark fantasies through Rebecca, the writer—until the terrifying final entry. Certain something sinister has happened, Sara sets out to discover the facts, immersing herself in Rebecca’s life.

Soon she’s working at the art gallery Rebecca worked at and meeting Rebecca’s friends. Finding herself drawn to two dangerously sexy men, the manager of the gallery and a famed artist, Sara realizes she’s going down the same path Rebecca took. But with the promise of her dark needs being met by a man with confident good looks and a desire for control, she’s not sure anything else matters. Just the burn for more.

Type: Erotica
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

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It took me a really long time to convince myself to read If I Were You after seeing the dreaded "Fifty Shades" comparison--which is always an instant mood killer for me--but I'm damn glad I finally dove into it because Jones is an incredibly talented writer and put together an amazing and intriguing story that drew me in completely and left me panting for the next installment. (yes, this is a trilogy and Jones is well known for her killer cliffhangers so be warned) And, seriously, absolutely nothing like Fifty Shades. Not sure how they came up with that other than it's a trilogy and he's rich and a little kinky.

When the Rogue Returns (The Duke's Men #2) by Sabrina Jeffries

Victor Cale never imagined that his sweet, shy bride, Isabella, would use her talents for creating exquisite imitation jewels criminally. But there's no denying that her handiwork was used in the theft of the Dutch royal diamonds-- right after Isa disappeared into the night.

Ten years later, Victor is sent to Edinburgh to investigate a wealthy baron's mysterious bride-to-be... who turns out to be Isa, masquerading as an alluring widow. No longer the meek girl he once knew, Isa boldly asserts that it was Victor who abandoned her, after he helped steal the royal diamonds!

Piecing together the truth of the past reawakens their volatile passions, which burns hotter than ever. But with a decade of secrets between them, Victor and Isa must trust each other to bring the real thieves to justice-- without getting burned themselves.

Type: Historical Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5 (though not much)
Rating: 4 out of 5

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I just love those second chance romances. And man alive if there's anyone who deserves a second chance it's Isa and Vicor who had their young marriage ripped apart by malicious family members as the truth was twisted and deceptions thrown in their way and who have suddenly found themselves faced with the one person they thought they'd never see again. The one person they think is responsible for changing everything by stealing a set of royal jewels years earlier from the jeweler they worked for and ripping them apart.

Hush (Lodestone #1) by Cherry Adair

A reckless adventure in a deadly paradise.

Thrill seekers Zakary and Gideon Stark travel the globe in search of extreme adventure, but a trip to Venezuela to jump off the world's highest falls catapults them into a perilous game of life or death--where they don't know the rules.


A one-night stand that will change his life forever.
Kidnapped with a woman Zak knows nothing about, the brothers are held prisoner deep in the jungle. A risky, deathdefying escape separates them and nearly claims Zak's life . . . until his recovery reveals a baffling new sixth sense.


An unexpected diversion with lethal consequences.
Now, to find his missing brother, Zak and the mysterious Acadia Gray will have to out-smart, out-gun, and out-maneuver not just the brutal kidnappers but also a new player who joins the adrenaline game: a ruthless opponent who wants the Stark brothers dead--at any cost.


Type: Romantic Suspense, Slight Paranormal 
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Lothaire (Immortals After Dark #12) by Kresley Cole

ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him on the brink of madness—until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience.

A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER

Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. But Lothaire is no savior, as he himself plans to sacrifice Ellie in one month’s time. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. In a bid to save her soul, Ellie surrenders her body to the wicked vampire, while vowing to protect her heart.

CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTEREDElizabeth tempts Lothaire beyond reason, as only his fated mate could. As the month draws to a close, he must choose between a millennia-old blood vendetta and his irresistible prisoner. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past . . . or risk everything for a future with her?

Type: Paranormal Romance, Vampires
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5