Review: All Wrapped Up for the Holidays - Anthology

Six standalone holiday short stories!

The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Note to self: Ask Santa for glasses this year. When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of lunch, we got into it. I’d only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn’t have to see him again. But fate had other plans.

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

A short story that brings back several of Colleen’s most beloved characters. Told from the point of view of Daniel from Finding Cinderella, readers will finally get the story they’ve been begging for more of. For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all three books that come together to make up this heartwarming and fun holiday short story; Finding Cinderella, Hopeless and All Your Perfects.

A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen Ashley

What's Christmas with the Starks like? Get a peek into the Rock Chick world and how Luke copes with Ava going Christmas gaga and just what he will, and won't, do for his girls during the holidays.

Just Say When by Jill Shalvis

When the one you want …

Is the one you can’t seem to have…

Can love conquer all?

The Pact by Elle Kennedy

Thanks to my hectic schedule as a pro hockey player, my girl and I are spending more time apart than together. Luckily, I have a solution—a romantic New Year’s Eve getaway in the mountains, just me and Grace and plenty of sexytimes. Except this blizzard has other ideas...

The Package by K. Bromberg

Christmas week can’t get any worse for Jules Jilliland. Dumped by her boyfriend, rear-ended on the freeway, and fired from her job, she finds herself stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger. When their packages are accidentally swapped, will it end up being a misfortunate accident that suddenly brightens her holidays?

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Vi Keeland
Penelope Ward
Colleen Hoover
Kristen Ashley
Jill Shalvis
Elle Kennedy
K Bromberg

Review:
All Wrapped up for the Holidays is a collection of six short stories offered for free to fans of the authors involved. You can download your copy via BookFunnel here for a limited time.

The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

I've heard great things about both Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward but this is the first time I've read one of their books. I'm not sure if The Merry Mistake is linked to any of their other books but it worked perfectly as a stand alone. It's a really cute romance between Piper and Mason, two characters who meet when Piper mistakes Mason for a homeless man and buys him lunch. He is rather insulted by her assumption and calls her a self-righteous do-gooder so they don't get off to the best of starts! However fate has a way of throwing them back together and they find they have a lot more in common than they could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this one, it was the right amount of sweet without being over the top, there was a good amount of humour and both characters were extremely easy to like. I definitely plan to check out more books from both of these authors in the future.

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover recommends reading this story after her books Finding Cinderella and All Your Perfects so, since I've not read either of those books yet I skipped this one. I will come back and update this review at a later date when I get around to reading it though.

A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen Ashley

This story is about characters from Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick series. I did try to read it but there were so many different names dropped in the first few pages that I was totally confused. I'm sure this is brilliant for fans of the series who get to catch up with familiar characters but it didn't really work as an introduction to the world so I didn't even finish reading it. Again I'll come back to it at a later date if I ever read the Rock Chick books.

Just Say When by Jill Shalvis

Heartbreaker Bay Series:
Sweet Little Lies
The Trouble with Mistletoe
One Snowy Night (Novella)
Accidentally on Purpose
Chasing Christmas Eve
Holiday Wishes (Novella)
About That Kiss
Hot Winter Nights
Just Say When (Short Story included in the All Wrapped Up for the Holidays anthology)
Playing for Keeps
Wrapped Up in You
Twist of Fate (Novella)

Just Say When is part of Jill Shalvis' Heartbreaker Bay series so I'm sure anyone who has read this series will already be familiar with the characters involved but I'm happy to say it's still a really enjoyable read even if you're new to the series.

James and Julia have been dating for several months but he's becoming increasingly frustrated by the way she always sneaks out of his bed in the middle of the night. He wants more from their relationship but he's scared to push her as he knows she's been hurt before and it's made her gun-shy. I won't say any more than that but I thought these two made an adorable couple and I really enjoyed seeing them figure out what they both want from the future. I hope we get to discover what happens next for them in the main series and this story has definitely given me a kick to get reading the rest of the Heartbreaker books.

The Pact by Elle Kennedy

Off-Campus Series:
The Deal
The Mistake
The Pact (Short Story included in the All Wrapped Up for the Holidays anthology)
The Score
The Goal

The Pact is part of Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series and is all about characters Logan and Gracie who feature in the second book of the series, The Mistake. I've not actually read any of the books in that series so I was a bit worried I wouldn't enjoy this story but I couldn't have been more wrong. I loved both of these characters and reading this has DEFINITELY made me want to read the other Off-Campus books.

Logan and Grace are already a couple here but they're finding it increasingly difficult to spend time together as she's busy with her studies and he's travelling the country as a professional hockey player. This story is about putting in the effort to keep a relationship alive, it's about making time for each other even when you're exhausted and basically it's just about remembering what's important. I'm sure if you'e already read The Mistake you'll love the chance to catch up with these two but even if you're new to the characters it's still a really sweet and pretty hot read.

The Package by K. Bromberg

K. Bromberg is another new to me author that I've heard good things about but never got around to reading. I'm not sure if The Package is linked to any of her other books or series but I was able to enjoy it as a stand alone so it wasn't an issue.

This was the very definition of a meet cute as characters Julia and Archer bump into each other when they get trapped in a broken down elevator. Julia is having the worst day ever and ends up ranting about the company and her job to Archer completely unaware of the fact that he owns the company. I found both of these characters likeable and I was left feeling that they could become a great couple in the future. I did find a couple of things completely unbelievable (like her job offer and bonus cheque) but overall this was a cute and funny read.

Source: Downloaded for free via BookFunnel here

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Own the Wind - Kristen Ashley

Too hot to handle...

Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos--the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship...

Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more--much more--he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

Chaos Series:
(This is a spin off from the Dream Man series)
Own the Wind
Fire Inside (June 2013)

Dream Man Series:
Mystery Man
Wild Man
Law Man
Motorcycle Man

Visit Kristen Ashley's website for more information

Review:
I've been hearing great things about Kristen Ashley's books for a long time now but although I've had several of her books on my wish list for ages I still hadn't got around to buying any of them. When I got the chance to request a review copy of Own the Wind I couldn't resist though and I'm glad I now know what all the fuss is about! Own the Wind is the first book in Kristen Ashley's new Chaos series revolving around members of the Chaos Motorcycle Club, this is actually a spin off from her Dream Man series, well the last book in the series, Motorcycle Man, anyway. Motorcycle Man is the story of the Chaos MC leader Tack and the heroine of this story is his daughter Tabby. I've already mentioned that this is my first KA book so I can confirm that you don't have to have read the other series to follow the events in this one but I will tell you that I'm definitely planning on working my way through the Dream Man series (and the rest of KA's back list!) while I wait for the next Chaos book, Fire Inside, to release.

Before I actually start my review I should probably point out that this isn't going to be the book for everyone, these kind of Motorcycle Club (MC) romances tend to be love or hate books. You've probably already guessed that I love them (this is only my second but I'd also highly recommend Reaper's Property by Joanna Wylde) but I do have to be in a certain mind set before I start reading. I'm speaking from a limited experience but MC romances tend to feature very alpha guys, ones who often have a very sexist attitude towards women - especially ones they consider an easy lay. These guys live outside normal rules but they still have a very strict code of honour, just not necessarily one that follows the letter of the law. They fight for what they want, protect what they see as theirs and like to party. The women who hang around the clubs tend to belong to one of two categories, you have the ones who are just there for fun, who will happily sleep around with the club members and who are just kept around by the guys for sex on tap and to tidy up after them. These women aren't respected and the guy's attitudes towards them usually sucks but they're there of their own free will and you only get treated the way you let people treat you. The other women are a completely different kettle of fish, they are the ones that have won the heart of a MC member and are usually referred to as old ladies. The men respect them (and any children they may have), they will lay down their lives to protect them and nobody would dream of touching another man's old lady. I'll say upfront that I wouldn't want to live this lifestyle but I still find it fascinating to read about these tough guys and the women who bring them to their knees. I can separate reality from fantasy and enjoy these stories for what they are but if the above makes you want to scream in frustration (and I can understand why it might!) then you're going to want to give this type of book a very wide berth.

OK, so now I've got that warning off my chest let's talk about Own the Wind specifically. Tabby's father, Tack, is the leader of Chaos MC so she has grown up surrounded by bikers and understands the lifestyle. She has always known that the members of Chaos have her back and she is close with a lot of them but she has still managed to make a life for herself away from the club, she studied hard to become a nurse and she likes being independent. Tabby had a crush on Shy when she was in her teens but when she was going through a rebellious phase Shy tried to warn her off the path she was heading towards and the way he did it both embarrassed her and broke her heart. Since then she has given him the cold shoulder but when tragedy strikes it is Shy who is there to help her put the pieces of her life back together. I loved the fact that they became friends first, after everything Tabby had been through she needed someone who was going to look out for her and I wouldn't have believed in them as a couple if Shy had made a move on her any sooner than he did. Shy is the kind of guy I would run a mile from in real life but as much as he can be an ass he could also be very sweet and caring towards Tabby. I did love the way he looked out for her and the fact that he was prepared to give up everything to be with her if that's what it took.

I ended up devouring Own the Wind, it's the kind of story that sucked me in and held me completely gripped until the last page. I did find the time jumps a little confusing at first but once I got used to the writing style it made a lot of sense and allowed us to get a real sense of the way things developed between Shy and Tabby over time. I loved meeting the various side characters and am really looking forward to reading Hop and Lainie's story in Fire Inside but what I'm really hoping more than anything is that we're going to see more of Shy's brother Lan. I think I fell for Lan just as much as Shy which is quite an achievement considering he doesn't get anywhere near as much page time and I would LOVE to see him get his own happy ending. Note to the author - just send him my way and I'll make sure he gets one LOL. So, Kristen Ashley has found herself a new fan in me and I'm looking forward to working my way through her back list in the near future.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: