Customer Reviews

Kissing Santa Claus

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

 

 

LOCK, STOCK AND JINGLE BELLS by Donna Kauffman
Holly despises the holiday season and her parents' enthusiasm for it only intensifies her feelings. Sharing her birthday with Christmas certainly doesn't help matters any either. Now her parents have opted to retire and gift her with her mother's beloved Christmas novelty shop which means leaving her home in London and making some major decisions about what to do with the business. The last thing she expects is some sound advice and a lot of sexy merrymaking with her childhood friend Sean. Can she possibly create a new life and dreams from what she believes is one of the worst things that has happened to her?

I had to giggle at Holly's horrified reaction to becoming the proud owner of her mother's Christmas themed shop, but once Sean steps into the picture there's no doubt that some dreams can come true and that theme continues throughout this gem of a story.


BAH HANDSOME! By Jill Shalvis
With less than a month left to come up with the money to pay back her stepbrother Edward the money he lent her for her B&B Hope isn't exactly in the mood for making merry and wishing on mistletoe for something to keep her warm at night. Her employee Lori certainly isn't above making that wish for her though. Unfortunately the only man who appears is Edward's CPA Danny Shaw. So much for Christmas wishes! But with a little help from the B&B staff Danny may just get the opportunity to prove to Hope that he only has her best interests at heart.

Never has a CPA been more sexy or exciting! Danny's refusal to accept any of Hope's dismissive gestures had me rooting for him to the very end. What makes this story even more endearing are the employees matchmaking efforts - when they aren't sneaking off to make out themselves that is!

IT'S HOTTER AT CHRISTMAS by Helenkay Dimon
All Marissa wants is to return home to enjoy an East Coast snowy Christmas but she's suffered one problem after another and it's looking like she'll never get a break from the sandy beaches of Hawaii. The last thing she needs is tall, dark and sexy police officer Ted's condescending attitude. After all, it's not like she asked for her wallet and all her ID to be stolen or her hotel room broken into, now did she? Fortunately Ted has a few ideas on how to make Marissa's holiday one she'll never forget.

I believe this may be my favorite story in this anthology simply because of Marissa's lack of self-preservation once she's irritated and Ted's calm condescending demeanor - add a bit of sexual energy and they definitely could use a bit of snow to cool them off.


KISSING SANTA CLAUS is a praiseworthy contemporary anthology full of hunky heroes and sassy heroines. Each story brought a smile to my face and a chuckle to my heart as the characters struggle through their own personal conflicts. Whether you're a big fan of the holiday season or wish the whole month of December would fall off the map Christmas themed stories seem to always strike a chord and instill a sense of hope into the reader's heart.

KISSING SANTA CLAUS is Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis & HelenKay Dimon's second collaboration. The first, TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT, was released in October 2008.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Three Holiday Romances...
Delight your senses with these three novellas.
Kauffman's `Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells' is the story of Holly, an only child who is given a gift she doesn't quite want, and Sean, a restaurant owner who has more responsibilities than most. Sweet, poignant story of love fulfilled and dreams found.
Shalvis's `Bah, Handsome' is the story of Hope, the struggling owner of a secluded B&B and Danny, a CPA working for her greedy brother. A story of discovery, love, and coming together against all odds.
Dimon's `It's Hotter At Christmas' is the story of Marissa, a victim of multiple crimes and Ted, the police officer who comes to her rescue in more ways than one. Set in the tropics of Hawaii, this is a fun story of new found love in an unexpected time & place.
All three of these stories were fun reads. Characters and stories were well done. Although none of the stories were very deep, they were each worth the read.

Keep in mind that these stories are fluff romance (light erotica) reads. 4* of 5*

Kissing Santa Claus has three sexy stories by three of today's hottest romance writers

Lock, Stock, and Jingle Bells by Donna Kauffman has Holly Berry Bennett taking over her parents business Santa's Workshop. Pity Holly and Christmas don't get along. She plans on only being home a short time. Holly didn't plan on Sean Gallagher becoming more then just a blast from the past.

Jill Shalvis story Bah, Handsome! has Hope O'Brien struggling to keep her B&B above water. She is trying to payback a loan from the devil, AKA her stepbrother. He sends his CPA to check up on Hope. Danny Shaw doesn't much care for his boss business practices but he comes to the B&B to see how close Hope is to repaying her debt. Spending time helping Hope has opened his eyes to what really is important in life.

It's Hotter At Christmas by HelenKay Dimon has Marissa Brandt having a heck of a time trying to leave Hawaii. First her purse is stolen, then her room is ransacked and the local law is on her case. Deputy Police Chief Ted Green is determined to get Marissa off his island before she gets into more trouble. Ted has been burnt by a mainlander before and doesn't want it to ever happen again. Once Marissa worms her way into his heart will he be able to let her go?

Kissing Santa Claus is a wonderful holiday treat. It will warm your heart and your soul. You can't go wrong with stories by these three delightful authors.

"Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells" by Donna Kauffman. Although her parents gave her their Christmas store, Holly Berry loathes the holiday season and having to return from London to Willow Creek, Virginia to run her place. However, this year looks promising as she will work alongside of her high school fantasy Sean Gallagher.

"Bah Handsome!" by Jill Shalvis. Hope O'Brien has no hope except for her first name as her B&B is failing and the debts make the federal government seem fiscally balanced. Her miserly stepbrother sends his accountant Danny Shaw to collect what his sibling owes him; not realizing that Danny and Hope find a gift with their attraction for one another.

"It's Hotter at Christmas" by HelenKay Dimon. Marissa Brandt came to Hawaii from Philadelphia for a holiday vacation, but never expected a hotel arrest by a hunk of a cop Ted Greene who wants to keep her safe from a thief who seems to have targeted her and hopes to persuade her to stay on Kauai with him for decades of holiday joy together.

These are three lighthearted holiday frolics that fans will agree bring joy to the reader.

Harriet Klausner

I wish I could give this 2.5 stars, but I'll tip it up to three because of Shalvis' contribution and, to a lesser degree, Dimon's.

"Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells" by Donna Kauffman

It's with greatly conflicting emotions that Holly returns to her childhood hometown at Christmastime to figure out what she's going to do with the store her mother left her when her parents unexpectedly retired. And who should she meet up with but her childhood crush Sean, who runs his family's restaurant across the street.

I appear to be in the minority here, but I didn't like this story at all. Underwhelming is the word that comes to mind. From the beginning, it failed to pull me in or make me feel invested. Holly wasn't terribly likable or relatable, Sean was decent enough but nothing beyond that, and the plot arc involving the discovery of an old diary and the secrets it contains seemed haphazardly put together and poorly integrated with the main romance. Maybe it pulled together better near the end, but I started skimming before then - a rarity for me.

"Bah Handsome!" by Jill Shalvis

Hope O'Brien is in a heck of a jam. In order to keep her bed-and-breakfast afloat, she's had to obtain a loan from her Grinchy stepbrother Edward, and the loan is about to come due. So one of the last people she wants to see on her doorstep is Danny Shaw, Edward's CPA. And sexy, sweet Danny is making himself more and more difficult to dislike...

This is the best of the bunch. A sweet, sexy snippet of a story, with Shalvis' trademark humor, spunk, and steamy sex. It wasn't AWESOME, but it was quite good.

"It's Hotter at Christmas" by HelenKay Dimon

All Marissa Brandt wants this Christmas is to get home for a traditional snowy white Christmas. All Deputy Police Chief Ted Greene wants is to finally get her successfully on a plane out of Hawaii. But as events conspire to throw the two together, they may discover that they both want something entirely different after all...

Meh. This was a so-so story. Decently paced, decent characters, decent action (aside from the underdeveloped mystery that didn't know what part it wanted to play in the story), decent sex scenes. In short, the whole thing was decent, but not fantastic.

Donna Kauffman's Lock Stock and Jingle Bells is a story about Holly who returns from her life in London to small town Virginia to figure out what to do with her mother's Christmas Shoppe since her parents have decided to spontaneously retire and move to Florida. Throw in a hunky restaurant owner who just happens to be a former star athlete from Holly's high school. Throw in some holiday lights and you have a great cozy Christmas read with a happy ending.

In Jill Shalvis' Bah Handsome, we meet Hope who owns her own B&B in the wilds of Colorado. With the economic crash, she needed money badly and as a last resort had to borrow money from her evil stepbrother (think Grinch meets Scrooge and then multiply by evil Gremlins and you still fall short of this guy). Hope needs an extension on the loan and the Evil thing sics his CPA on her to bully the money out of her. Add a mini blizzard, a well meaning best friend and her hubby and a little bit of Christmas tinsle and sparks begin to fly between Hope and Genius Boy(her nickname for him not mine! I just like it!!) This story had me cracking up the whole time. Definitly a Merry Christmas in there!!

The third story was from Helen Kay Dimon called It's Hotter at Christmas. I have to be honest, I couldn't get into this story for some reason. I can't tell if it was the writing, the characters, story line or whatnot. After several attempts I just kinda gave up.

I'd still give the thumbs up though especially for the first two stories and who knows, maybe the third just didn't jive with me for some reason... Happy Reading!!

I am very pleased with this item. It came in record time and in excellent condition.