Unusual Historical Top Picks for May 2020

Not even COVID-19 can stop the arrival of Spring. Romancelandia, my sincere wish for all of us during this time is that we snatch our moments of joy where we can find them. Mine has taste-testing new tea blends from a company I learned about on Facebook (hey, it’s not a complete dumpster fire over there…), getting back into a reading groove, and, of course, hunting up new unusual historicals. Here’s what is catching my eye for May.

Melissa and the Vicar by S.M. LaViolette (Kindle Unlimited)

Melissa Griffin is quite literally sick and tired. She’s the owner of one of London’s most exclusive brothels, but her failing health is telling her she can’t continue to keep working at her current pace. A relaxing stay in the country is exactly what she needs. Falling for the small town’s gorgeous young vicar—a virgin, no less—was never part of her plan. Their love is scandalous, forbidden…and everything Melissa never knew she wanted. Denying her feelings is unthinkable. Avoiding devastation when her past inevitably drives them apart? Impossible.  

Magnus Stanwyck never resented his vow of celibacy…until meeting Melissa. As beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, the mysterious woman captures his heart in a way he never could’ve anticipated. No matter what stands between them, no matter the cost, he'll do whatever it takes to possess her—heart, body, and soul.  

By day, they’re opposites who were never supposed to be together. By night, their passion threatens to overtake them. When all is said and done, can Melissa and Magnus overcome the obstacles (and enemies) that stand between them? Or will fate deny them their happily ever after? 

I started reading romance during an era when virgin heroines were still ruling the roost so any time that trope gets subverted I will throw my money around like a drunken sailor on shore leave. A burnt-out madam heroine takes a country vacation and falls for a virginal vicar. This needs to get in my eyeballs like yesterday. LaViolette is a pen name for author Minerva Spencer.

Leather and Lace by Rebel Carter (Kindle Unlimited)

What do you do when you've been chasing the wrong dream your entire life?

Mary Sophia James came to Gold Sky, Montana to find a husband at the insistence of her overbearing mother. Striking out in spectacular fashion after setting her eye on Julian Baptiste, her options are dwindling, and time is running out. She needs to find a man to marry before her condition becomes...obvious. Her mother's prejudice and sharp tongue aren't helping matters and Mary, to her shame, hasn't behaved much better. But all her plans are upended when she spots the most beautiful person she's ever seen across the town square. Alex Pierce is strong, intriguing, looks stunning in a pair of trousers...and a woman.  

Gold Sky is accepting of all types of love, and that between women is no different. Still, Alex didn't expect to be so floored by the sight of the fiery haired, yet fragile looking young woman. Mary needs to be married and Alex has a solution. Because in Gold Sky, Montana there are many ways to be married...and not all of them include a man. 

This novella, part of Carter’s diverse Gold Sky series, finds a pregnant heroine traveling west to bag a husband (and quickly!) only to fall for a woman. The events of this story run parallel to the timeline of the second book, Hearth and Home.

Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles

Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle’s chaotic second-hand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else.

Will has no idea what that information is, and nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan—charming, cultured, oddly attractive—steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger.  

And then Will discovers the truth about Kim. His identity, his past, his real intentions. Enraged and betrayed, Will never wants to see him again.  

But Will possesses knowledge that could cost thousands of lives. Enemies are closing in on him from all sides—and Kim is the only man who can help.  

A 1920s m/m romance trilogy in the spirit of Golden Age pulp fiction. 

A new K.J. Charles series already drawing raves, I mean what is not to love about this set-up? You’ve got a WWI hero who finds himself embroiled in some sort of nefarious plot and...he’s got no idea what’s going on. In steps our other hero who, naturally, is not all that he seems. One-clicking this so hard.

Stages of the Heart by Jo Goodman

Experience has taught Laurel to be suspicious of the men who pass through Morrison Station. She's been running the lucrative operation that connects Colorado's small frontier town of Falls Hollow with the stagecoach line since she inherited it from her father, and she's not about to let some wandering cowboy take over the reins. But newcomer McCall Landry isn't just any gunslinger. He seems to genuinely care for Laurel, and with his rugged good looks and mysterious past, he could be the one man to finally tempt her off track...

Call Landry doesn't expect much from Falls Hollow. He doesn't expect much from anything anymore. But Laurel Morrison took him by surprise when she put in a good word for him, a virtual stranger, after the stagecoach was robbed--and she keeps taking him by surprise. Charmed by her clever wit and fierce loyalty, Call finds himself falling hard. Now all he has to do is convince her he means to stay--in her bed, in her life, and in her heart. 

Really, all I need to say is that it’s Jo Goodman and a western - but some of y’all probably want a little more. Goodman writes books you can sink your teeth into and a big reason I’m drawn to historical westerns is that I’m, more often than not, going to get a heroine with some gumption and backbone. A heroine who runs a stagecoach station? I am here for this.

Falling for her Viking Captive by Harper St. George

Capturing the Viking warrior In her cellar… 

Lady Annis must stop Viking Rurik Sigurdsson from discovering the truth about his family’s death. Her only solution is to imprison him. But as the ruggedly handsome Viking starts to charm his way out of his cell and into her heart, can she be sure he’s not still intent on vengeance—or perhaps an unexpected alliance is the solution? 

The second book in the multi-author Sons of Sigurd series, who doesn’t love a heroine holding a hero captive? I’ve enjoyed previous Viking-set historicals by St. George so this is an easy one-click. 

Outlaw Bride by Jenna Kernan

She’ll do anything to save her family … even break an outlaw out of prison.  

When Bridget Callahan’s family is stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains by early snows, she seeks the help of the one man capable of taking on such a perilous rescue. Unfortunately, he is a condemned killer — sentenced to hang.  

Cole Ellis has vowed never to return to the mountains but, facing the hangman’s noose, he agrees to help Bridget rescue her family in return for his freedom. Now he wonders if he has traded a quick death for a slow one. 

But, as they set out with a posse in pursuit and the menacing mountains ahead, she wonders if trusting this dangerous, enigmatic man might be the biggest risk of all. 

Originally published in 2008 by Harlequin Historical, I am here to tell you that I loved this book 12 years ago. A hero on a suicide mission (he steals the mayor’s horse!), a heroine full of gumption and fire, all wrapped up in a frontier-style western where you wonder if the couple will make it out alive. This is one of Kernan’s gems, don’t miss it.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?

Unusual Historical Top Picks for February 2020

Here we are in February 2020 and I feel like this year is out to get me. I’m starting to take it personally. My reading so far has been fairly lackluster and the continued RWA crisis has now devolved into me keeping a small pillow on my desk for fear of repeated concussions. Hey, at least I have half-priced Valentine’s Day candy and a new crop of unusual historicals to cheer me up. Here are the February publications catching my eye:

An Unconventional Affair by Stacy Reid (Kindle Unlimited)

Maximillian Langdon, Earl Kentwood, is the author of the ton’s most salacious erotic literature: A guide to passionate romps between a lord and his lady. His name whispers on the tongues of gentlemen and ladies in shocked and admiring tones. Everyone believes he is London’s greatest lover, except Lord Kentwood is still a virgin. Now he's determined to rectify that situation before being revealed as a fraud, and London’s latest on dit!  

With a reputation forever tarnished by scandal, Lady Amelie Weatherston is resigned to an unfulfilled life. She is also a member of a secret widow’s club. Her mission: to seduce London’s most delectable lover and report her findings to help her wicked widow friends keep their protectors happy! A passionate affair de Coeur starts and for a time banishes the loneliness in her heart. The earl of debauchery is not what he seems, and Amelie finds herself falling in love with a man who might never see her as more than a wicked widow not worthy of his heart. 

Get. In. My. Eyeballs. Now. Yes, we’ve all read this story before but Reid takes it, flips the script, and puts the shoe on the opposite genders’ foot. The virgin hero (not heroine) writing salacious novels. The rakish heroine (not hero) who has been tasked with unmasking the debauched writer’s secrets. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

Into the Lyon’s Den by Jade Lee (Kindle Unlimited)

Intrigue makes for strange bedfellows...  

Elliott, Lord Byrn, often found himself in strange places, but none is more bizarre than the infamous Lyon’s Den gaming house in a tony part of London. The gambling doesn’t surprise him, nor the salacious things rumored to happen in the upstairs rooms. What shocks him is a slip of a girl jeweler/fence who bargains with him over a missing brooch. He needs her to refashion the thing before anyone else realizes it is missing and she drives a hard bargain.

Harder than he can imagine...  

Amber Gohar lives her days in the gray world of a gambling hell, but she dreams of escaping into the vibrant world of the ton. When the opportunity arises for her to spend just one night at a society ball, she grabs it with both hands, never expecting that she would also be taking hold of a man who set her heart on fire. But once she realizes what she’s done, she won’t let go. She can’t. Happily ever after doesn’t come easily, or for free, in the world of The Lyon's Den.  

How these two unlikely bedfellows discover their best bargain will set both the ton, and The Lyon’s Den, on fire. 

A hero with his back against a wall and a heroine who drives a hard bargain to parlay her way into catching a glimpse of life among society’s elite. The promise of built-in tension with a cross-class romance and how the author is going to work that into a happy ending is always something I’m intrigued by.

Uncovering the Merchant's Secrets by Elisabeth Hobbes

A man with no past… could she hold the key to his future?  

Shipwrecked merchant Jack Langdon wakes with no memory and steals a kiss from a beautiful stranger—widow Blanche Tanet. As he recovers in her castle, passion flares between them. Jack’s fascinated by her independence and courage but, discovering his identity is not what it seems. Jack must first uncover the secrets of his own past if they’re to have a future together… 

I like medievals but to be brutally honest, it’s a lot of knights. Hobbes is one of my go-to authors writing in this time period and hello there, we have a merchant hero with amnesia! And a widowed heroine! And flaring passions! Huzzah!

Freedom’s Price by Jenna Kernan (Kindle Unlimited)

Gritty, sweeping tale of love, resilience and tenacity in the New World wilds of Virginia.  

To survive on his newly cleared land outside Jamestown, Thomas Deed needs a field hand, not a wet-nurse. But instead of doing the rational thing, he fulfills a deathbed promise to protect his sister’s son, borrowing against his land to acquire a woman to care for the babe. Mary Price surprises him, adapting to her harsh surroundings and quickly becoming a godsend.  

Newly arrived mother, Mary Price, must stay with Deed during the term of her service or lose all hope of reunion with her sister. She vows to work so hard that he will never give her up but succeeds in ways she never expected. As they struggle against the wilderness, his spirit to protect and provide for her and the babes stirs her to unrealized desire and makes her long to stay at his side.  

But when fate tests them both, will Deed give her up or find a way to keep her for a lifetime? 

Kernan wrote this book on the advice of an editor who suggested she try a different time period. What the editor failed to mention was that the publisher wouldn’t buy anything in the American Colonial time period. However it was too late, Kernan was hooked on the idea and completed the book even though she was advised by nearly everybody that the audience for such a book would be too small. Well here’s your chance colonial fans! Prove ‘em wrong!

Duke Darcy’s Castle by Syrie James

Lance Granville, the Tenth Duke of Darcy, was none too happy to give up his career in the Royal Navy to inherit the family title, complete with an ancient castle he needs to renovate. When an architect arrives on his doorstep, Darcy is astonished to discover that she’s a woman.  

Kathryn Atherton has one goal: to become the first woman architect in Britain. Marriage doesn’t figure in her plans. Despite the odds, her schooling is behind her. Now she needs experience. When she’s sent to a small tidal island in Cornwall to remodel a castle, the last thing Kathryn wants is to be attracted to its roguishly handsome owner.  

Kathryn is determined to keep things professional, but the sizzling attraction between her and the duke quickly blazes out of control. When Darcy learns that Kathryn is an heiress whose fortune would save St. Gabriel’s Mount, he wages the most important battle of his life: to woo and win the woman who’s captured his heart. But duchesses can’t be architects. And Kathryn has worked too long and too hard to give up her dreams… 

Two words: Lady. Architect. OK, two more words: Ancient. Castle. One word: Swoon.

What unusual historicals are you looking forward to reading?

Unusual Historical Picks for December 2019

Well Romancelandia, we made it. 2019 somehow managed to flit by in a second and still feel like the longest year in recorded human history. It’s been a rough year for a lot of folks, but I hope that you were able to snatch a few moments of joy and that nothing but blue skies are ahead for 2020. Let’s blow this popsicle stand by taking a gander at some of the unusual historicals that caught my eye for December.

The Music of Love by Minerva Spencer

Finding out that her husband was a bigamist didn’t devastate Portia Stefani; she held her head high when she forced him out of her life. But losing her beloved music school as a result of the traitorous bastard's gambling debts almost destroyed her. The only way she’ll be able to make ends meet is to accept a lucrative tutoring position in remote Cornwall. What Portia hasn't anticipated is the life-altering impact that her mesmerizing new employer has on her.  

Stacy Harrington learned the hard way to keep people at a distance. Playing the piano is the only thing that makes his solitary life enjoyable these days, and he’ll be damned if he allows his albinism to keep him from everything he loves. Bringing a private music tutor into his home is disruptive, but it’s the only solution. Unfortunately, nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming attraction he feels toward his fiery new employee.  

It’s not long before a shared passion for music develops into something infinitely deeper. But when ghosts from the past—along with some very dark secrets—emerge to threaten everything they’ve built, can Stacy and Portia continue to make beautiful music together? Or will their happily ever after end on a painful, discordant note? 

This is the start of a new series, with Spencer writing as “S.M. LaViolette.” I am a sucker for musicians in historical romance and the description of this one has me positively swooning - with a heroine done wrong, a solitary hero, and “ghosts from the past” promising plenty of angst.

A Deal with her Rebel Viking by Michelle Styles

Her terms: free her family  

His terms: seduction?  

Defending her home, Lady Ansithe captures outlaw Viking Moir Mimirson. The prisoner will be the ideal ransom for her father, who’s being held hostage by the Danes. Yet Moir’s flirtatious negotiations exhilarate practical Ansithe as much as they surprise her… Can she be sure that this hardened warrior will work with her and not betray her? And what of his stolen kisses—can she trust those? 

I love when romance is subversive and flips the power dynamic on its ear - so anytime I can get a heroine who is holding the hero captive that’s enough to make my ears perk up. Desperate to free her father, the heroine needs to decide if she can trust her Viking captive which...good luck with that girl!

Her Rags to Riches Christmas by Laura Martin

A Christmas miracle rescue!  

But dare she wish for more?  

A Scandalous Australian Bachelors story. Wrongfully convicted and transported to Australia, Alice Fillips is saved from public flogging by wealthy landowner George Fitzgerald. Working as a domestic servant at his farm feels worlds away from her old life. But as the connection between her and George boils over, she’s torn between her fear of trusting anyone…and the tantalizing glimpse of the fresh start this man could offer… 

This is the third book in the Scandalous Australian Bachelors series, which somehow has managed to escape my attention before now. I suspect because the first two books take place in Merry Ol’ England, and this story actually has our hero heading back to Australia. The change of pace on the setting is enough for me to give this one a whirl.

Fallen Angel by Jenna Kernan (novella)

HIS BULLET … HIS RESPONSIBILITY  

Caught in crossfire between a bounty hunter and an outlaw, widowed mother, Abby March, catches a bullet in the shoulder. The Christmas tree she and her son were cutting is forgotten as they fall under the care of a dangerous stranger. As she recovers, she finds that Ford Statler hides his softer side and has suffered the kind of loss she well understands. As Christmas, and their parting approach, she wonders if they could have so much more than a happy Christmas together. 

Since the loss of his wife and child, Ford Statler lives a reckless existence. He’s always known a mistake would be costly, but never intended to harm an innocent. Now he’s made his bounty but missed seeing the small woman that the murderous outlaw held before him until it was too late. Saddled with the responsibility for an injured woman and boy, he finds himself longing to provide them with so much more than a Christmas to remember. 

Originally published in a Harlequin Historical western Christmas anthology, this story is now self-published and available for the first time as a separate novella. I enjoyed this when I first read it back in 2007, with a hero thrust into a caregiver role and the couple sharing close quarters.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?

Notable Unusual Historicals for January 2019

New Year, new you? Well, if you’ve already broken your resolutions, maybe not. But at least we can all look forward to a new year of historical romance. January brings us a long-awaited follow-up to a beloved late-1990s trilogy, a Wendy recommended reprint, an angsty new K.J. Charles (woot!), Vikings and an enemy-to-lovers story set against the backdrop of the Jacobite rebellion.

Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles 

Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, holds a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his Duchess a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary—so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it.  

The Duke's remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in. Soldier-turned-criminal Jerry Crozier has the answer: he'll pose as a Society gentleman and become Alec's new best friend.  

But Jerry is a dangerous man: controlling, remote, and devastating. He effortlessly teases out the lonely young nobleman's most secret desires, and soon he's got Alec in his bed—and the palm of his hand.  

Or maybe not. Because as the plot thickens, betrayals, secrets, new loves, and old evils come to light. Now the jewel thief and the aristocrat must keep up the pretence, find their way through a maze of privilege and deceit, and confront the truth of what's between them...all without getting caught. 

To be honest, reading this blurb doesn’t exactly scream “Romance!” for me, so it’s a good thing Love in Panels has already published Eva’s review. I’m a sucker for angst and this book sounds like it’s positively swimming in it. Also, I love the way Charles evokes setting, so I’m all in.

Texas Legacy by Lorraine Heath 

For as long as he can remember, Rawley Cooper has loved Faith Leigh. But the cruelty of his childhood haunts him and he knows he’s undeserving of Faith. When she comes to him on the night of her nineteenth birthday, they both give into temptation. But the searing kiss reaffirms what he’s always known: he can’t have a lifetime of her in his arms. To protect his heart, he packs his things and heads west.  

Faith has always adored the boy her parents took in and raised. But she’s not certain she can ever forgive him for riding out of her life just when she needed him the most.
When an urgent telegram forces him to return six years later, Rawley discovers Faith is now a woman to be reckoned with.  

As old feelings are stirred back to life and new passions take hold, they both must confront secrets from their past or risk losing a legacy of love. 

Rawley was first introduced in Heath’s Texas trilogy, which means fans of that series have literally been begging for this story since 1999. I vividly remember reading the trilogy back-to-back-to-back in 2001 (I was traveling) but at this point, and many books later, Rawley has faded a bit (OK, a lot) from my memory. Crushing TBR Guilt keeps me from rereading, so I’m going to go into this one like a stand-alone and hope that Heath recaptures the magic.

Sent as the Viking’s Bride by Michelle Styles 

She’s the wife he doesn’t want…  

 …and the woman he needs!  

Desperate to escape her murderous brother-in-law and protect her young sister, Ragnhild agrees to marry an unknown warrior, and arrives penniless on his remote island. Only, Gunnar Olafson’s belief in love died with his family—he does not want a bride! But as yuletide approaches, Ragnhild transforms his isolated existence. Can she melt her Viking warrior’s frozen heart? 

A villainous brother-in-law, a wounded hero, a heroine in need of a safe haven and all out of options. Styles, who has written everything from ancient Rome to Regency, returns to Vikings, which is where she’s been the past several books.

The Highland Renegade by Amy Jarecki 

She is the daughter of his sworn enemy.
Famed for his fierceness, Laird Robert Grant is above all a loyal Highland clan chief. But when redcoats capture his rival's daughter, he sets aside their feud and races to her rescue. Aye, Janet Cameron is beautiful, cunning, and so very tempting, but a Cameron lass is the last woman he should ever desire.
He is her one hope of happiness. 

Janet refuses to meekly surrender, not even when surrounded by foes. She takes every chance to escape, first from the English soldiers and then from the wickedly handsome Robert. Yet with each day they spend together, his unexpected gallantry chips away at her reserve little by little. As danger and treachery loom, can she trust him enough to choose love over vengeance? 

An enemy-to-lovers story, this fifth book in Jarecki’s Lords of the Highlands series has piqued my interest thanks to review coverage I ran across at The Day Job. Library Journal calls it “beautifully done,” and that the “adventurous romance” is “greatly enhanced by an exquisite depiction of life in the early 18th-century Scottish Highlands.” A hopeful bit of teasing for readers who prefer their historicals to, well, read like historicals.

Winter Woman by Jenna Kernan 

She survived the winter alone…
After Cordelia Channing endures the lethal winter season alone in the Rocky Mountains, she is discovered by Thomas Nash, a solitary mountain man who wants only to hunt, trap and be left alone to grieve the woman he could not save. 

Cordelia aches to go east before winter but over the days and miles, Delia finds her battered spirit yearning for this self-reliant trapper, who stirs her longing and wakes her heart.  

With only few, vital months to hunt before the snows fly, Nash has no time to look after a woman. He is surprised as Delia transforms his life and gives him the second chance he never expected. But with fall approaching, she must face her resolve to escape another deadly winter, and he must confront his oath not to open his heart to love once more. 

A digital reprint that was first published by Harlequin Historical in 2003, I really enjoyed this story a lot when I read it back in 2005. Her preacher husband goes out hunting and ends up dead, leaving the heroine to survive winter alone in an isolated cabin. She’s found by peaceful Natives whose solution to finding a half-starved white woman is to take her to the only white guy they know - the trapper hero who isn’t much of a “people person.” A well-done romance and survival story, the setting is pre-Civil War (1835) isolated frontier and I ate it up.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to this month?

Merry Christmas Baby

Yes, I am still sick, but am on my way to a speedy recovery (I hope). I took the day off work (I never call in sick), and spent the day lounging about whining recuperating. Lucky for me, I had a really great "comfort" read to keep me company.

A Western Winter Wonderland is a new holiday anthology due out in October from Harlequin Historicals. It has everything I love in a holiday anthology. Quick, heartwarming reads that leave me with a warm satisfying afterglow.

Cheryl St. John headlines with Christmas Day Family. Marvel Henley is an old maid. As in 33. Positively ancient for a never-married woman in 1886. When her father took ill, Marvel cared for him. When money started running out, she took in borders - which is what she's been doing ever since her father passed. She has a comfortable life. A good life. And even turns down a marriage proposal from an old (as in, old enough to be her father) family friend. Life is going smoothly, and then the new town doctor shows up. Marvel agreed to board Seth Paxton as a temporary arrangement. She certainly wasn't counting on him bringing two small children and a dog with him.

What I really enjoyed about this story was that Marvel is a very capable heroine. She's got a comfortable life, and is content. She just doesn't realize her life could be even better - and that's where Seth comes in. But Marvel is unsure. Seth is very handsome, and younger than she is. What would he want with an old maid? This is classic St. John. If you've liked her stories in the past, this one is going to work for you.

Fallen Angel by Jenna Kernan finds single mother Abby March hunting for a Christmas tree with her son, Daniel. Unfortunately they unwittingly stumble across a wanted man facing off with bounty hunter, Ford Statler. Daniel ends up saving Ford's life, but Abby is accidentally shot. Ford takes her back to town, puts her up in a fancy hotel room and nurses her back to health. Conflict arises from his haunted past and her disastrous relationship with Daniel's father.

I love "cabin" stories, where the couple finds themselves sharing close quarters. This one is great, because Abby has preconceived notions about Ford, and he shatters them at every turn. I also loved the way this one ended, with Abby taking matters into her own hands.

One Magic Eve by Pam Crooks features a heroine with an unusual occupation. Sonja Kaplan trains carrier pigeons for the U.S. Army. Unfortunately she's single, secretive about her work, and has numerous soldiers calling on her at her isolated cabin. I mean, what are the good townsfolk supposed to think? Young Beau Lattimer rescues an injured pup in the woods, and decides to take him to Sonja's. She's good with birds, maybe she's good with dogs too! That's where Chet Lattimer finds his son, and when his boy makes a connection with the mysterious Sonja, Chet decides that maybe spending more time getting to know the woman might not be the worst thing in the world.

Chet's a respected man drawn to Sonja, but unsure what to think when he finds her keeping company with Indian braves and military men. Once he learns the truth, he finds himself even more attracted to her, and is grateful for the help she gives him with his son. He didn't know Beau existed until after his mother died, and Chet's been a bit out of sorts ever since.

All of these were quick, heartwarming reads - perfect holiday fare. These are sweet reads, with no s-e-x to speak of, which frankly is a good thing because it fits within the context of all the stories. It's the kind of book you can give your grandmother or your 12-year-old daughter and not worry about having lengthy discussions on "the smut you're reading" or the "birds-and-bees." Basically this bad boy is my very definition of a comfort read. Buy it now and save it for Christmas Eve. Final Grade = B+