Just Finished: Christmas Spirit

Christmas Spirit by Liberty Blake was one of those quick and entertaining short stories that you need to read every once and awhile. This short story is one of Still Moments Publishing's and I was happy to give it a chance when they asked me to review it. I'm a sucker for all things Christmassy :)

Here's the short and sweet description of this story:

Cross a Christmas phobic male with a caterer with Christmas bells on...can she ignite the Christmas spirit in him?

I blew through this story in a lunch hour at work this past week, which was great. Sometimes it's nice to be able to wrap something up in one sitting because you don't want to have to re-enter the character's world. This was a really short short story at just 28 pages so I had no problem reading it at lunch. It was a lovely break for the day!

Sometimes I find short stories too short, especially when they try to rush things. It can sometimes be particularly bad with romances because you have to wonder how quickly people can really fall in love. Even though this story was very short, I didn't have that feeling. I thought there was just enough time given that it made sense that the characters could end up with each other. I did think that I would have liked some more back story on a few things, like finding out why Harry hates Christmas. That almost felt abrupt and I didn't think enough time was given to that part of the story.

While the story itself wasn't one of my favourites, I thought it was well written. It had Christmas, it had a steamy romance, and it also had a theme of loss and learning to let go and enjoy things again. Very well done, considering the length of the story.

I'm really glad I got the chance to read Christmas Spirit by Liberty Blake. Check it out if you're looking for a little shot of Christmas before the big day!

Happy reading :)

Just Finished: Valentine Delights - Be Mine

First, let me just say that this review of Valentine Delights: Be Mine was supposed to go up on Tuesday, you know, Valentine's Day. Due to a ton of crazy things happening in my life I haven't had time until today. So, find your time machine and put yourself back into a Valentine's Day mood, ok? Ok.

Oh, Valentine's Day. It's a holiday that draws oh so much criticism. Is it a Hallmark holiday that only makes businesses richer? Or is it a nice excuse to spoil your loved one, whether it be with roses or breakfast in bed? I always loved giving out and getting Valentines in elementary school and then I was the resident candy heart giver outer starting in high school and carrying on through university. Personally, I don't do much of anything for Valentine's Day. Part of that could be the fact that my boyfriend and I have hardly ever been in the same city for the holiday in the almost seven years we've been dating and part could be that I'm not one who needs all the fancy schmancy romance stuff. I think spending the night together doing whatever you love doing is the best way to celebrate. And there should be chocolate. Lots of chocolate :)

Now that you know a little bit more about me and my thoughts on V-Day, let's get moving on the review!

Here's a quick little synopsis of the stories in this anthology, from Goodreads:

The Coroner’s Heart by Jillian Chantal
Making a Valentine’s Day candy heart from Jell-o is easy for this coroner, performing an autopsy on a real heart is even easier, but what happens when her own heart is at risk? 

Latte Love by Jennifer Daiker
When Charlie's secret admirer orders more than just a steamy latte this Valentine's Day, the secrets have never been sweeter. 

Change Of Heart by Liberty Blake
After the night they spent in the hot tub, Melody believed her new man wanted a relationship, but now it was Valentine's Day and not even a phone call. Did he have a Change of Heart?

As I mentioned in my recent review of  Snowbound Hearts (also published by Still Moments Publishing), I really like when anthologies have a theme. Obviously this one was all about Valentine's Day (aren't you glad I spelled that out for you?). I have to say that I didn't like Valentine Delights quite as much as Snowbound Hearts but I still enjoyed reading the three stories in this collection. I didn't have an overwhelming favourite story this time either so I'm just going to give some quick thoughts on each story.

When I read "The Coroner's Heart" I had a mix of TV characters in my head when I was picturing the coroner. It was a mix of Abby from NCIS, Brennan and Cam from Bones, and Lanie from Castle. Kind of amusing, right? I liked this story because it was a case of working with someone and then suddenly realizing that there was a romantic connection there.

"Latte Love" featured a secret admirer and I really liked that. I was just as curious and intrigued as Charlie and couldn't wait too find out who had been sending her such sweet gifts!

"Change of Heart" is an example of why communication is key. Note to the guys: always find out why your girl doesn't like celebrating Valentine's Day. Is it because she truly doesn't like it or is it because she's never had a good experience with it? Sweet (and steamy!) ending to this one.

All in all, I was happy reading Valentine Delights: Be Mine and I will pay attention to other themed anthologies that Still Moments Publishing comes out with. Want to check this one out for yourself? You can get it from the publisher's website here or on Smashwords.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and had lots and lots of delicious chocolate! :)