Reviewer: Tracy Stranded with a Hero by Karen Erickson, Coleen Kwan, Cindi Madsen, Roxanne Snopek
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: November 11th 2013
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Getting snowed in never felt so good as boundaries are crossed, opposites attract, and friends discovering more promise a Christmas no one will ever forget.
Tracy’s review of Stranded with a Hero by Karen Erickson, Coleen Kwan, Cindi Madsen & Roxanne Snopek
Loving Mindy by Karen Erickson
Mindy can’t believe she’s stuck with her ex–best friend—and the man whose heart she broke years ago—for the holidays, though the tension between them is more than enough to keep them warm. Josh Powers never forgot Mindy, but he can’t risk his heart a second time.
Mindy’s recently divorced and her ex-husband’s being a jerk. She was supposed to have the 2 boys fro Christmas but he “suddenly” tells them that he’s getting remarried in Hawaii during Christmas and Mindy can’t keep her boys from Hawaii. Now she’s lonely but not for long as her old friend Josh plows into a snow bank (trying to avoid hitting her cat) and has to come in to wait for the snow plow. Of course as there’s a blizzard happening he’s there for a while.
Josh has loved Mindy for years. He wanted to be with her but she pushed him away in high school when her then boyfriend, now ex-husband stated he didn’t like how much time they spent together. Josh sees this time with Mindy as a second chance and he’s not about to let her go without a fight.
The story was sweet in a reunited kind of way. Josh was all in from almost the word go and Mindy was quite comfortable with him despite her thinking, just minutes before, that she would never be with him. It was a bit frustrating at first because Mindy was on again off again but everything soon worked out.
White-Hot Holiday by Coleen Kwan
Naomi’s sworn off men like Aaron—rich, cocky, and dismissive of holiday traditions. Aaron decided to spend Christmas in sunny Australia to avoid snowy New York, not to fall for the woman his best friend warned him away from. But when a volcano grounds him, Aaron and Naomi’s relationship becomes eruptive.
Aaron is on vacation and is in Australia. He visits an old college buddy and meets his niece who’s about the same age as Aaron. He’s instantly attracted but he lives in New York so he really doesn’t think long-term. Of course Naomi’s different and he soon sees there’s more than just lust there.
The story also focuses on Aaron’s hatred of all things Christmas. Of course as he then gets stranded in Australia and is unable to make it home for Christmas he realizes that he misses all those things he previously thought were cheesy.
This story was ok. I liked Aaron’s discovery about Christmas but I found the rest of the story to be very slow.
An Officer and a Rebel by Cindi Madsen
The last person police officer Nate Walsh expected to discover in a snowstorm is his brother’s ex and former town rebel, Kelsey Cooper. She’s his complete opposite and totally off-limits, but as they wait out the storm together, all he can think is how he wishes she’d stay forever.
Kelsey was always a rebel in her own way. Never criminalistic but definitely one who walked the link of trouble. She misses her hometown so on her way to her mother’s house she decides to take an alternate route and see how the old town is doing. The tires on her car are bald though so when she tries to brake in order to avoid hitting a deer, in a snowstorm, she almost goes over the side of the hill. She’s saved by her Nate who is the brother of her one-time boyfriend, Derek.
Nate always had a thing for Kelsey so is thrilled when she takes him up on her offer to stay at his house. Of course he’s not making a move because his brother had mentioned that Kelsey was the one he let get away. Nate loves his brother and wouldn’t take his girl. But Nate and Kelsey get along so well and they’re amazing together and want to be together but there are many things standing in their way.
A very cute story which I really enjoyed. I loved Nate and Kelsey together and the way the author brought them together had just the right amount of sugar and spice.
Saving the Sheriff by Roxanne Snopek
Frankie Sylva was determined to free the reindeer cruelly held for a holiday roadshow, even if it meant risking her own life. Deputy Sheriff Red LeClair set out to save a stranger in a snowstorm, never expecting he’d be the one to be rescued.
Frankie’s trying to save some “reindeer” from being killed and puts them into a wild mustang sanctuary. Of course the man who’s watching the sanctuary, Red, finds her and since she’s stuck in the snow, takes her back to the owners house while the snow storm passes by. Red and Frankie are distrustful of each other but soon find the spirit of Christmas in each other.
I think this was my favorite of the anthology. I loved Frankie and her made up words to Christmas songs – they made me laugh. Of course when Red finally joins in it’s even better. It’s a great story about two lonely people who need each other at Christmas and I very much enjoyed reading it.
Overall rating: 3 out of 5
You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place
This title is available from Entangled Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.