As I mentioned before, I picked this up because the Jill Shalvis entry is part of a series I’ve been reading by her. I hadn’t read anything by Jacquie D’Alessandro or Jamie Sobrato before, but I’ve been wanting to try them and this seemed like a good place to start.
As I’m sure you can tell from the cover (and what a cover it is!) the running theme throughout all three novellas is Firefighters.
All He Wants for Christmas… by Jill Shalvis
EMT Dustin Mauer has one Christmas wish—to make tough firefighter Cristina Lewis realize she’s in love with him. And he’s using his considerable bedside charm to convince her!
This is a continuation of Shalvis’ American Heroes: The Firefighters series from Blaze. It’s the story of Christina and Dustin, who are prominently featured in the two previous novels, Flashpoint and Flashback (reviews: here and here).
I loved both characters and really think Shalvis did a good job of making their HEA believable in such a short novella. Christina really had to work for it after pushing him away so long and I really liked that. The story wouldn’t have been as well done if Dustin just gave in.
I do think it’s important to read Flaspoint and Flashback before reading this story. A lot of their background is from those novels and I don’t think this entry would have been as satisfying if I hadn’t read the other two first.
4.5 out of 5
My Grown-Up Christmas List by Jacquie D’Alessandro
Toni Rizzo is done with obnoxious firefighters. But flirtatious fireman Brad Griffin is managing to put himself at the top of her holiday list—one steamy kiss at a time!
This entry was really cute. Brad has been trying to get Toni to go out with him for months, but she’s been rebuffing him at every turn. She told him she was involved so he hadn’t been pushing too far. But when he finds out she isn’t actually involved with a person (she meant she as involved in getting her new business up and running with no time for a relationship) he really steps up his game.
Some of the stuff Brad does to win Toni over was really adorable. He was great. Toni was also great, but I think she took her “I hate firemen” and “I’m only focused on my business with no time for a man” routines got really old, really fast. Especially since Brad was so great. Even so, I did understand her reasons for not wanting to get involved with Brad, so I can’t be too hard on her.
Overall a fun, cute story. I’ll definitely be looking for more novels by her in the future.
4.0 out of 5
Up on the Housetop by Jamie Sobrato
When Dr. Lorelei Gibson gets stuck on her roof half-naked, she’s mortified when she’s rescued by hunky firefighter Ryan Quinn—her high school heartbreak! Until she learns he’d like to get naked with her…
Of the three stories in this collection, I feel this was the weakest. It had the makings of a great story, but the length of the novel really hurt it (it was the shortest entry of the group).
Lorelei and Ryan went to HS together. She had a major crush on him, but he was Mr. Popular and she was queen of the nerds. One night she threw herself at him and he took her virginity. Then he ignored her for the rest of the year, breaking her heart. Now she’s a world-renowned doctor and back in her hometown to face her demons- namely Ryan.
I think Sobrato tried to make things more believable by showing the couple had a past, but I don’t think it worked. With the entry being so short we just didn’t get to know them well enough or see enough of their story unfold. Even another 50 pages would have added a lot more quality to the story.
I did enjoy her writing style, however, and I liked what I saw of both characters. Even though this fell somewhat flat for me, I’ll still be looking for more from the author. I really think if this entry had been just a bit longer it would have been stellar.
3.5 out of 5
Overall I really enjoyed this collection and highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for quick, hot reads.
Total Grade: 4.0 out of 5
This book is available from Harlequin Blaze. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
I just love stories about firefighters! These all sound really good! And you’re right – great cover!
I read this anthology and really loved every story. Not one dud. I love it when that happens.
So far I’ve only read Jill’s story in this anthology (really enjoyed it), but I look forward to reading the other two stories.
Diana
I have it, but haven’t read yet. Love Jill. And firefighters.
I, too, got this book more for Dustin and Cristina’s story than anything else. I love Jill Shalvis’ American Heroes: The Firefighters series and the way the relationship between Dustin and Cristina was built up in the first two books, there was no way I couldn’t get this one.
It just arrived today and I’m eagerly awaiting getting my hands on it, more so now after reading your post.