It's a Wonderful Fireman (Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel #6.5) by Jennifer Bernard

The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel is one of my favorite contemporary series. The stories are fun, romantic, exciting, and definitely hot - and not just in a three alarm fire kind of hot. It's a Wonderful Fireman is the perfect Christmas treat, reminiscent of the holiday classic, It's A Wonderful Life - with a bit of Ebenezer Scrooge thrown in for good measure. It's a quick read, but don't let that fool you - There's a great story packed into the pages of this novella!

Blurb...

Hard-edged fireman Dean Mulligan has never been a big fan of Christmas. Twinkly lights and sparkly tinsel can’t brighten the memories of too many years spent in ramshackle foster homes. Although he’s established himself as one of the top firefighters at San Gabriel Station 1, he doesn’t think he’s good enough for someone like gorgeous Lizzie.

Lizzie Breen is used to fighting—from her alpha male brothers, who try to smother her in the name of safety, to the life-threatening childhood illness she overcame. She knows what she and Mulligan feel for each other is a lot more than a fling, but she can’t get him to see that. The only gift Lizzie wants to give him this season is her love, but he’s not willing to accept it.

When Mulligan is trapped in the burning wreckage of a holiday store, a Christmas angel arrives to open his eyes. But is it too late? This Christmas, it’ll take an angel, a determined woman in love, and the entire Bachelor Firemen crew to make him believe … it is indeed a wonderful life.

Wonderful!

If you're looking for a new series to dive into, or just in the mood for a holiday read, this is a great place to start. Though it's not the first in the series, it can easily be read as a stand alone. But be prepared - once you get a taste of these sexy heroes and heroines, you'll want to experience each and every one in their own story.

An ARC of this story was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss.

Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley (Valentine Valley #5) by Emma Cane

Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley is the 5th book in Emma Cane's Valentine Valley series. These are small town, contemporary romance stories with lots of heart and plenty of steam. This time it's Tony and Kate's turn to shine, and to get a second shot at love.

Blurb...

When Tony De Luca's ex, Kate Fenelli, waltzes through the door of his tavern and pulls up a bar stool, she turns his balanced world on end. Once they'd been each other's first love, first everything. But then life happened, and they walked away with broken hearts. Now Kate is back in Valentine, and they can't seem to stay out of each other's way. When Tony begins wondering what would happen if they rekindled the sparks, he knows he's in big trouble.

Kate can't believe she's sitting at Tony's bar spilling her life-changing problems to him. He's as gorgeous as ever, and she can't seem to forget how incredible he always made her feel. Still, the door on that chapter of their lives closed long ago. Yet with Christmas buzzing in the air, Kate can't help wondering if anything is possible—even a second chance with the only man she's ever loved.

My thoughts...

Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley is my first taste of Emma Cane's writing, and I truly enjoy the way she tells a story. The situation Tony and Kate find themselves in is completely unexpected, with their feelings for one another returning in a big way, and that makes for a poignant, romantic, sexy read! And while their happily ever after is a long time in coming and doesn't come easy,  it's definitely wonderful!!!

An ARC was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss.   

Confessions of a Secret Admirer, A Valentine's Day Anthology

Some secrets are meant to be revealed …

Or so you’ll discover, in three sexy, unforgettable Valentine’s Day stories from New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Ryan and contemporary romance stars Candis Terry and Jennifer Seasons.

Waiting for You by Jennifer Ryan

Rancher Grant Devane has waited for Taylor Larson’s return to Fallbrook for more than ten years. Now that the fearless beauty has come home on her terms, he’ll do anything and everything necessary to win back her heart.

Sweet Fortune by Candis Terry

Sarah Randall is tired of being invisible to the opposite sex. So when a leap of faith sends her to Sweet, Texas, and into the path of ridiculously hot Deputy Brady Bennett, she’s determined to catch his eye … even if it means staying hidden just a little bit longer.

Major League Crush by Jennifer Seasons

Professional baseball player Drake Paulson can’t help wanting to know more about his cute, shy neighbor. But when he discovers her deepest secret and she flees, it’ll be up to him to win her trust—and her love—one gift at a time.

*****

Fun, romantic and sexy!

Just in time for Valentines Day, Confessions of A Secret Admirer... Three romantic, sexy stories from three talented authors!

1. Waiting For You by Jennifer Ryan

Waiting For You is the prequel to Ms. Ryan's new series, The McBrides. It's a second chance romance with a twist, which I enjoyed. I find that this author's stories are either hit or miss with me, and I'm happy to say this one worked. Though I struggled through the beginning which read like it belonged right in the middle of the series, with a storyline that had me wondering what book I had missed, by the end everything was made clear, and I was thrilled for Grant and Taylor's happily ever after!

This has the makings of a great series!

2. Sweet Fortune by Candis Terry

In my book, Candis Terry ranks right up there with Jill Shalvis when it comes to writing charming, funny, sexy, small town contemporary romances, and stories like Sweet Fortune are why. Sweet, Texas is a close knit place where friends are like family, and family is everything. Sarah and Brady had me grinning from ear to ear with their witty banter, and fanning myself with their sexual chemistry.

Without a doubt, Sweet Fortune is an awesome addition to the Sweet, Texas series and further solidifies Candis Terry's place on my 'must read author' shelf!

3. Major League Crush by Jennifer Seasons

Jennifer Seasons' Diamonds and Dugouts series is one of my favorites. The stories are fun, romantic, very sexy, and this sweet little novella gave me the quick fix I was looking for from Colorado Rush MLB player, Drake. Bertie is a quirky woman who made me smile with her dry humor and quick wit, and I loved how she transformed from a woman who just fantasized about her happily ever after to one who went after it! The ending was a bit abrupt, but I'm hoping we'll see more of this very special couple.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this Valentines Day anthology for review. It truly was a pleasure!

Upon a Winter's Night - A MacKinnon's Rangers Christmas Novella by Pamela Clare

Reunite with the MacKinnon brothers and their wives for Christmas - and a tale of love, new life, and redemption.

The war between Britain and the French is finally at an end, and the MacKinnons are looking forward to celebrating their first peacetime Christmas in five long years. While Iain and Annie have discovered that the pleasures of marriage grow deeper with time, Morgan and Amalie find themselves at bitter odds. Meanwhile, Connor and Sarah have a newborn son to cherish.

The family's preparations for the holidays are interrupted when Iain learns that Britain has not paid the Rangers for the summer's victorious campaigns. Unwilling to let men who fought under the MacKinnon name suffer deprivation at Christmastime, Iain, Morgan, and Connor leave the warmth of their frontier home for Albany. There, they find their happy Christmas, and even their freedom, at risk at the hands of a ruthless British officer who holds a grudge against them.

With the men gone, Annie, Amalie, and Sarah do their best to prepare for the festivities despite differing traditions, a raging bull - and the gnawing fear that their husbands won't make it home in time for Yule.

Events begin the day after the epilogue of Defiant ends. The story includes Joseph, Killy - and revelations about the fate of Lord William Wentworth

*****

A perfect holiday story!

Upon A Winter’s Night is everything a Christmas novella should be! It’s romantic, passionate, witty, and inspires us to believe that at Christmastide, even the seemingly unredeemable can be redeemed! It is, truly, a perfect holiday story!

          

The Way Home by Cindy Gerard

Romantic, passionate, and heartwarming!

The Way Home is the second book in Cindy Gerard's One-Eyed Jacks series, but don't let the cover fool you! Yeah, this is a romantic tale filled with the kind of joy the holidays deliver, but it's also one exciting, heartbreaking, uplifting, steamy, and hope inspiring love story.

The Story

Four years ago Jess got the news every Army wife dreads - her husband has been killed in action and won't be returning home to her. She had struggled with Jeff's Special Forces 'here today, gone tomorrow' assignments, and they'd even fought about it before his last deployment, but his death left a gaping, empty place inside her, one she tried to fill - or mask - by throwing herself into work. But Tyler Brown, ex-military hero and all around sexy, alpha male, has Jess realizing that maybe it's time to stop merely existing, and time to start living again. And maybe even love again. Wedding plans are set and these two wonderful people who have both known great loss are looking forward to a future filled with the kind of love they never thought they'd find again, when word comes down that Jeff's been found alive - though not necessarily well - and a team is being sent to Afghanistan to rescue him and bring him home.

My Thoughts

This type of storyline is tough to write and even tougher to write well, but Cindy Gerard has pulled it off with flying colors! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I should have known better than to doubt Ms. Gerard's ability to tell a story that would draw me in and touch me deeply.

Tyler Brown, younger brother to Killing Time's Mike Brown, is such an amazing guy. He's not your typical action romance novel hero, but he's a hero, nonetheless. Caring, compassionate, sexy-as-sin, and patient yet determined to get what he wants - he's got what it takes to get my *swoon-worthy* stamp of approval.

Jess turned out to be every bit as amazing as Ty. She's also compassionate and caring, but I respected her for her loyalty to Jeff and her honesty with Ty and Jeff, both. She's strong and independent, but she's got an ability to love and nurture that made me admire and care about her and her happiness.

I'll admit that the happily ever afters fell into place a bit quicker and more conveniently than is realistic or likely to happen, but as I said, this is one of those special love stories, the kind that we hope for, the kind that happens through the magic of Christmas.

My sincerest thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of this wonderful story!