Book Review: Once Upon A Holiday

Author: Beverly Jenkins, Adrianne Byrd, Kimberly Kaye Terry
Title: Once Upon A Holiday
Publisher: Kimani Arabesque
Publish Date: Oct 1, 2010
Rating: 4 Stars (And a cold shower because these stories are hot hot hot hot)
Book Blurb: No matter what the thermostat says, the holidays can be the hottest time of year when you're curled up with these unforgettably sexy stories from three of romance's most sizzling talents….

Holiday Heat by Beverly Jenkins
For Eve Clark, winter usually means long cold nights spent alone, until she's persuaded to attend a masked ball. Abandoning her inhibitions, she shares a blissful tryst with a mysterious partner. Though she runs from their hotel room the next morning, Leyton Palmer is determined to track Eve down and show her that the night neither can forget was only the start of something sensational….

Candy Christmas by Adrianne Byrd
Peace on earth and goodwill to all men? Not if the man in question is drop-dead-sexy Montel Starks, Candy Lahane's competitor since he started at their ad agency a year ago. But on a business trip to Europe, rivalry gives way to a red-hot, explosive affair that makes Candy realize that what she really wants for Christmas is right in front of her, just waiting to be unwrapped….


Chocolate Truffles by Kimberly Kaye Terry

It started as an innocent drink with a stranger to celebrate her promotion. It turned into the most erotic night of Camille Jackson's life. But the man she was sure she'd never see again is now her instructor in a two-week managerial workshop, and Gideon Taber is making it clear that he'd love to relive every delicious detail of their encounter, again and again….




Review:  Kimani's holiday offering is one that readers definitely should read with something cold nearby, because the three stories in this book are hot, steamy romps that make some of the erotic fiction written for Harlequin's Spice imprint seem tame!

Wowzas!

The stories focus on different holidays too. Halloween is the holiday that brings Eve and Leyton together. These two law enforcers really get together in an unconventional way. They meet at a masked ball that pairs people together for a night of ...well fun.

The strength of the two characters really made this story great. They each had reasons for staying out of relationships, but  those reasons (all career related) were what made their fling turn into a love affair.  Beverly made the transition from a steamy one night stand to lovers with ease, and the crime they had to solve had enough mystery to keep the pages turning. She wrapped it up nicely without it being cheesy. Not easy to do either, when the stories all average about 100 pages.

Candy Christmas is the traditional Christmas story. This one is super steamy. Candace and Montel are co-workers with a past. The office has a bet they'll end up in bed together, even though they seem to hate each other.

Yeah...right..

The surprise about this couples' relationship is worth reading for. Plus the tension between the two makes the more spicy. The only issue I had with the story, is the career resolution. One of them had to win the VP position and though at the end you will know who it is, they don't resolve how they are going to handle working together at the end.

Chocolate Truffles is a 4 alarm story. There's so much heat in this one that the pages might very well ignite! To think,  Camille started out as a good little girl for a few pages. Woo wee...that changed pretty quickly. One drink with Gideon turned to a night of steamy sex!

And it only got steamier, after she discovered he was teaching the training class she had to attend to get her promotion. From there on, it just gets hotter and steamier. This story focuses more on Hannukah with a touch of Christmas for good measure

These three stories are really great bedside reads for the holiday.

~ Review copy provided by Netgalley & Kimani Press