Just
in time for the New Year holiday, Avon Red brings us an entertaining romance anthology
featuring four New Year’s Eve stories.
~New Year’s Bites
by Cynthia Eden~
Attacked by a strange wolf in the parking garage at work, Anna Summers is
rescued by the very man she has been lusting after – Jon York. But Jon was
too late to prevent the life-altering wolf bite that sparks some very odd
changes in the lovely Anna. Knowing what is coming all too well, Jon
resolves to stick to her like glue, something he’d wanted to do from the
moment he first met her!
I can never resist a good werewolf story, and New Year’s Bites
was definitely enjoyable! Author Cynthia Eden offers up a nice bit of
suspense in this shape shifting ‘whodunit’ with a villain stalking the newly
changing Anna determined to claim her for his own. And when Jon
reveals his own secrets to Anna, it just proves that there is a reason for
everything that happens in this universe
~Night Resolutions
by Diana Mercury~
Chantal goes on a vacation with her boyfriend, staying in the castle owned
by his best friend’s uncle. She is determined to heat up their relationship
on this trip, but once they arrive, she finds herself more than distracted
by his best friend, Jake. She can tell he is attracted to her, but
provoking him into acting on it seems impossible, even after she ends her
relationship with his friend.
Night Resolutions started out with a great feel to the story.
I initially liked the characters of Chantal and Jake immensely, and was
intrigued by the cast of supporting characters as well. Then the twists to
the story came. Nothing is as it seemed at the beginning, and the
characters turned out to be far different people than they were first
presented as. Unfortunately, who they turned out to be was not quite so
likable. On top of that, most of the twists were so abrupt in nature, they
felt manufactured instead of organic, leaving me with the feeling that I’d
read the first half of one story and the last half of a far different tale.
~Snow Blind by
Virginia Reed~
Best
friends Gerry and Jules have long spent their vacations and holidays
together, along with their significant others of the moment. But this New
Year’s holiday changes their lives in ways neither of them anticipated, as
well as the way they view each other…
Virginia Reed’s offering to this anthology, Snow Blind,
impressed me in such a way that I will be searching for more of this
author’s books soon. I have a certain fondness for romances in which the
characters have been friends for some time before they realize they are each
in love with the other.
In
this story, both characters realize they love each other from the start, but
it isn’t until they find themselves unexpectedly alone in a hot tub in a
remote ski cabin that they begin to realize that love has a more passionate
side to it. Unable to stop themselves, they succumb to that passion in
secret, worrying over the effect it will have on their friendship and their
relationships. But once their dates for the weekend arrive, they begin to
see how unsuited to them they really are, and just how perfect they are for
each other.
Snow Blind is a story I will long remember and I know I will
be re-reading this lovely romance in the future!
~Coming on Strong
by Denise Rossetti~
Gina
has never quite understood what happens to her body periodically, she just
knew she was very different. If the strange little pattern on her neck
didn’t tell her so, then the periodic molting certainly did. And then there
are those frustrating times when her sexuality rages out of control to the point she can't
find satiation until the time passes.
Pick up his friend from the airport, that was all her cousin asked of her.
But one look at the sexy Australian and her body kicks into high gear,
setting off her molting time in a big way, not to mention the sexual heat.
Sam Jones proves impossible to resist, especially for someone with her
current lusty appetite. But hiding her abnormalities from him prove even
more difficult the closer they get…
Denise Rossetti is another new author for me, and also one who impressed me
in this anthology. I have a penchant for dragons, and Coming on
Strong more than satisfied it! Ms. Rossetti managed to craft a tale
a bit different from most I have read before, and I would dearly love to see
this become a series starring more of Gina’s relatives. Indeed, I would
love to read a prequel to this story about the romance between Gina’s cousin
and his new bride.
Both Gina and Sam were extremely likable and I felt their connection
immediately. Gina’s plight pulled at my heartstrings, and I could not help
but tear up as Sam convinced her that her physical anomalies meant little to
him in light of the way he felt about her.
Coming on Strong will be a winner for anyone who enjoys a good
paranormal romance!
Reviewed by Jennifer
