Title: Love on Main Street
Author: Juliet Blackwell, Rachael Herron, Lisa Hughley, Ruby Laska, Cecilia Gray, Adrienne Bell, L.G.C. Smith
Read copy: eBook
Published: October 20, 2013
Publisher: Pens and Friends
ISBN: 1940785022
ISBN-13: 9781940785028
Where love begins on Main Street and ends happily ever after....
Christmas, the most magical season, is almost upon the small mountain town of Snow Creek. For seven couples, holiday wishes mean more than just gifts or parties. Can Snow Creek pull off its annual holiday miracle of bringing love to town?
Seven original romances from sweet to sinfully sexy by New York Times and bestselling authors as well as promising new talent.
QUEEN OF HEARTS BY JULIET BLACKWELL
Serafina Rogers is not an impulsive person, but lately something’s gotten into her. She walked away from warm San Diego, her scumbag ex-fiance, and her teaching job in order to come to Snow Creek and take over her deceased aunt’s witchy supply store. Unfortunately, her hunky cowboy landlord, Joe, has other plans for the space, which hasn’t turned a profit in years. Neither Joe nor Serafina believe in magic, much less romance. But when a Yule log is tossed on the fire, Serafina begins seeing things in her aunt’s deck of cards, and Joe’s niece goes missing...they might just have to change their minds.
THE HOLIDAY SHOW BY LGC SMITH
Christy Monroe hates Christmas. The excess, the inevitable disappointments—bah. Dan Rose loves Christmas. The fun, the way his bakery smells—it’s all a little magical, especially in Snow Creek. When their first-grade daughters decide they want to be sisters, Christy and Dan had better watch out. The girls maneuver their parents into organizing the elementary school holiday show together. It doesn’t take long for Dan to make it his goal to change Christy’s mind about Christmas—and taking a chance again on love.
LET IT SNOW BY CECILIA GRAY
After losing her parents, Jessica can't bear to lose her childhood home and family bookstore, too. When they're taken from her, she has nowhere to go...except the arms of Daniel, Snow Creek's resident hero paramedic. It's not the Christmas miracle Jessica wanted, but it might the one she needs...
SECOND CHANCES BY ADRIENNE BELL
There’s no doubt in Eileen Ledger’s mind that the last time she saw hockey superstar Paul McAlester she made the biggest mistake of her life. Only, she’s never been sure if the mistake was in kissing him, or in running away. But ten years later, Paul is back in town for Christmas, and Eileen has a second chance to make things right...as long as she can keep herself from falling in love again.
A CHRISTMAST YARN BY RACHAEL HERRON
Knitting has always served as a distraction, something that Clara can hide behind. After a significant weight loss, though, she's still not sure if she wants to be noticed. When sexy Lincoln ends up on the front porch of her yarn store, he seems to see everything clear as day. Will Clara finally be seen for her true self?
MISS BONNY'S BURIED TREASURE BY RUBY LASKA
Caroline Bonny has always known about her family curse: no Bonny daughter will ever marry until her great-great-great-grandfather's buried treasure is found. Caroline has made her peace with her life as a spinster-turned-cosmetologist, until easy-on-the-eyes schoolteacher Lance Carter comes to town determined to drown his recent breakup in holiday festivities.
ONE SILENT NIGHT BY LISA HUGHEY
Nick and Ally Carpenter split up months ago after years of infertility treatments crushed their marriage and their dreams of children. When the couple reunites for the holidays to make a dying woman happy, can an unexpected miracle show them the way back to love or is it too late?
My rating:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
I didn't "get" Queen of Hearts. It was too short for any kind of character development, the characters were bland and one-dimensional, and the "plot" forced.
While the first one was too short, The Holiday Show was too long. Convoluted, slow, stretched-thin...I couldn't care less about the characters, their reasoning, or their motivations.
Let It Snow was cute. The heroine was a bit idiotic with her fantasies, the hero was a bit idiotic doing "the honorable thing", but it still worked. Cute, sweet, and funky.
Second Chances was pretty "meh". A second-chance-romance, that would've worked better with a little more background, and length.
A Christmas Yarn was yet another miss in this collection. I just couldn't get past the heroine's obsession with looks. I guess the hero's handicap was supposed to "enlighten" her that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I just didn't care.
Cute, sweet, and funny, Miss Bonny's Buried Treasure was the highlight of this collection. Just the right amount of quasi-angst, and romance, and that added touch of humor, created a great combination.
One Silent Night could've been a nice little bow on the present, but I hate miscommunication stories. The issues and missed signals are there only as plot ploys, without them there would be no story. Cheap tricks are not my thing.
2 stars, Adrienne Bell, anthology, Cecilia Gray, contemporary romance, cowboys/ranchers/western, firefighters/EMT/ERU/SAR, freebie, Juliet Blackwell, L.G.C. Smith, Lisa Hughley, Rachael Herron, Ruby Laska
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