Customer Reviews

Coming Home (Feature Anthology)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the back cover:

When Cupid borrow Santa's suit, just about anything can happen...

This Christmas grab a steamy mug of hot chocolate, wrap yourself in a cozy blanket and join some of Harlequin's bestselling authors in three delicious tales of home and holidays.

Curl up with Helen Bianchin's tale of a woman who returns home to find a most unusual proposal from the most unexpected man! Meanwhile, author Lucy Gordon shows how wearing a Santa suit can change one man's perspective--and his love life. And unwrap Rebecca Winter's story of a true Christmas fairy-tale romance...prince included!

Sometimes you'll find the most unexpected things under the mistletoe--and on your doorstep.

And my review:

Well, the back cover description doesn't really give much information about the stories in this collection, so I'll included a brief synopsis along with my own personal thoughts:

The first story in this anthology was Helen Bianchin's A CHRISTMAS MARRIAGE ULTIMATUM. Basically, several years ago, the hero and heroine had a torrid month-long affair which came to an abrupt end when another woman claimed to also be his lover. Heartbroken, the heroine ran away only to later discover that she was pregnant. Now the hero and heroine meet again, and the hero discovers that he has a son that he never knew about...and he plans to do anything he can to claim him.

I didn't have high hopes for this story, as this author seems to always create characters that annoy me. I didn't really like the heroine, as she was often childish. I also found it hard to empathize with her, since I didn't think she had the right to keep the child's existence a secret from the hero, nor to decide to deprive her son of a father. But the hero was annoying, too. He was an alpha male who constantly expected to snap his fingers and have the world fall in line for him. Ugh. The was such a chest thumping neanderthal (all of Bianchin's heros follow the same formula) that I wanted to shove him into a manure pile. Throw in the requisite childish bickering and stupid misunderstandings, and you have a story that isn't worth finishing. One star.

Next in this collection was Rebecca Winter's A PRINCE FOR CHRISTMAS. The heroine's blind niece (who's recently lost her parents in a boating accident) has won a contest to meet the princess of Frijia (a fictional country). However, the princess has been put on bed rest to await the birth of her first child, so she sends her twin brother, the prince, instead. Of course the heroine (the child's aunt) and the prince end up falling in love.

I expected to like this one, as I've enjoyed stories by Rebecca Winter's before. I had to get past the whole "modern-day prince" thing, since I prefer "ordinary people" romances to one about people who's lives are so different from mine that I couldn't possibly relate to them. However, the way the hero was holding the little girl (she was adorable) and constantly kissing her, even though they'd just met, came across as creepy, rather than endearing. Maybe I just watch too many crime shows, but would you let a strange man pull your niece onto his lap and start constantly kissing her on the cheek? It just turned me off so much that I couldn't finish the story. Two stars.

The last story was Lucy Gordon's THE MILLIONAIRE'S CHRISTMAS WISH. A man is on the brink of divorce because his workaholic ways have torn his family apart. Though his wife still loves him, she is tired of taking second place to his career. Circumstances force him to play Santa, and he is shocked when neither of his children recognize him behind the Santa get-up. It brings home to him the fact that he has been an absentee father for much of his children's lives. Over the Christmas holiday, he rediscovers the things that really matter, and in the process, recaptures his wife's heart.

This story was my favorite of the collection. I really liked watching the hero go from career-obsessed man (he worked so hard to provide for his family) to a family-first man. However, the characters felt a little flat, and the emotions in this story were barely touched upon, rather than deeply explored. It may have been the fault of the page restriction, but I was left feeling a little unsatisfied after the story was over. Three stars, as this isn't a story I'd bother to read again.

Romance anthologies are always a hit-or-miss deal. The last story was enjoyable, but not one I'd recommend highly. If you can borrow this one from the library, then go for it. Otherwise, save your money for something better. See my list "Christmas romance books worth buying" for a list of my keepers and re-reads.

A Christmas Marriage Ultimatum by Helen Bianchin began with great potential. Chantelle and her 4 year old son travel to Australia to spend Christmas with her family, yet the the opportunity to treat the reader to the details of an exotic Southern Hemisphere Christmas falls short, as this theme is not developed at all. Instead, the story revolves around her brutish and unbearably demanding lover, Dimitri, forcing his way into her life, and trying to make up for missed years with their son. The attraction between the two comes across as strong sexual chemistry, not true long-lasting love, so it's hard to appreciate them being together. In fact, I was cheering for Chantelle to return to hiding in France to escape him again. Lastly, it's very rare for protagonists to share the same profession as me, so I was very excited that Chantelle was introduced as a pharmacist, however to my great disappointment, this characteristic was never developed because she abandoned her career when she left Dimitri.

A Prince For Christmas by Rebecca Winters is a delightful Cinderella-esque story set in a fictional Scandinavian country. Sonia is a blind orphan who wins a contest to visit the land of her ancestry, and along with her guardian Aunty Kristin, charms the Royal Family. I appreciate stories that prioritize the well-being of the child above the romance, and I enjoyed the cultural immersion. Very nicely done!

In The Millionaire's Christmas by Lucy Gordon, the magic of Christmas brings a broken family together again. When Alex, who put business ahead of family, takes on the role of Santa, he is given a unique prospective, and the desire to reprioritize his life. Well-done!

THIS BOOK CONTAINS 3 stories
A CHRISTMAS MARRIAGE ULTIMATUM BY HELEN BIANCHIN.
when chantelle returns to australia with her little son,she doesn't expect greek tycoon dimitri to be there,dimitri didn't even know he had a son-but he does now ........
I GIVE THIS BOOK A 3 OUT OF 5 IT'S A GOOD STORY BUT DRAGS ALOT THE FEMALE IS LEAD IS VERY SELFISH AND YOU DON'T FEEL THAT MUCH EMPATHY FOR HER, MORE FOR THE MAN AND CHILD.
THE MILLIONAIRE'S CHRISTMAS WISH BY LUCY GORDON.
alex mead has devoted his life to making millions,but on the way he missed out on spending precious time with his wife and children,realising he's lost the most important people in the world-this christmas he's decided to come home...forever.
I GIVE THIS 5 OUT OF 5 THIS IS THE BEST ONE OUT OF ALL OF THEM .
A PRINCE FOR CHRISTMAS BY REBECCA WINTERS.
a prize trip ,with her orphaned niece,to her homeland in europe is all kristin wants for christmas,but instead she meets prince eric thorvaldsen and suddenley kristin has a special christmas present........
I GIVE THIS A 4 OUT OF 5 IT'S ENCHANTING FAIRYTALE STORY OF A HANDSOME PRINCE AND A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AND HER CHARMING NIECE. c

I have enjoyed the themed shorts in this anthology. This story had the potential to be a cute holiday read. However I could not stand the female protagonist in this story. She was so full of an unwarrented rightous hate I could barely stand to finish the story. All this woman did was run away from her problems. I frankly could not see any redeming qualities and did not see why the hero wanted her. There are better stories in this series. I am usually very forgiving of fluff stories like this one but this womans hate left me with a bad taste.

I enjoyed this Christmas romance. I have it on my Kindle so I can revisit it anytime I want a re-read.

The author did a great job of delving into believable emotions when writing this romance. The heroine had an understandable dilema when confronted with the father of her child and it was commendable that the author wrote her experiencing such inner turmoil and conflict and it not being explosive except when they were alone and as a reader I could feel what she was experiencing yet by having insight from the father know what his intentions were, well done!

I liked this book, love anthology. Please send me emails regarding historical romance, civil war era, revolutionary war era, regency anthologies. I love these short stories. I do not like the erotic explicit sex books though. Leave to my imagination.

Sincerely,

Frances C. Cann

Not the best book I have ever read but nice story, but can't complain it was free.

Not bad, but not memorable. A really good read makes you smile even a few days after you read it.

This was a very sweet Christmas themed romance. It was a light and quick read just perfect for curling up in front of the fire during the holidays. I thought the author did a really great job creating characters that the reader would be drawn to and would root for to have that happy ever after ending.