Holly‘s review of Winter Wishes by Vivian Arend, Vivi Andrews and Moira Rogers

I was pleasantly surprised by all 3 entries in this series. I picked it up because I’m a fan of Moira Rogers. I hadn’t read the other two authors before. I will be picking up more soon, however.

This collection features strong women, lots of action and men who need saving – either from outside danger or from themselves.

Three romance novellas in three paranormal worlds…

Freeze Line by Moira Rogers

A twenty-first century ice age dulls the magic that emanates from the earth. Shane Sullivan is a lone wolf above the freeze line; He has no desire to join the packs that range closer to the border, where feral instincts can turn a man into a monster. Not until the winter solstice, when he stumbles across a dying witch who needs his help to get back to her people–and her magic–in the south.

Nadia is a powerful woman in her own world, but drained by her escape from captivity in a northern lab. She knows it’s foolhardy to trust a werewolf, but he’s her only chance to survive the vast white wilderness. The farther south they travel, the harder it is for Shane to keep the beast within under control, and as their mutual attraction intensifies, Nadia’s no longer sure she wants him to.

Rogers long ago became a favorite of mine and she doesn’t disappoint here. I’m used to strong emotions from her characters along with a gripping plot, but this was better than I had anticipated. The hero was a perfectly balanced alpha male – strong, tortured and angry, but also tender and caring. Rogers often writes heroes closer to the beta side, so this was a nice surprise. The heroine was another strong woman, though she was also very vulnerable. There were times when she skirted the line of “too needy” but the circumstances warranted it and she never went too far.

I think one of the things that worked best is the almost reluctant emotional connection between the two. He’s closed off and struggling because of a tragedy in his past and his certainty that he’ll be nothing more than a monster if he loses control. She’s vulnerable because an elemental part of herself has been stripped. This opens the door for them to connect on a more primal level.

Very well done.

4.5 out of 5

No Angel by Vivi Andrews

When Sasha’s boyfriend Jay is sucked through a fiery vortex to Hell, an angel reveals that she’s been chosen as the Champion of Virtue in the battle for his immortal soul. As a perennial offender on Santa’s naughty list, Sasha can’t believe she’s anyone’s idea of a girl fighting on the side of the angels. But if she doesn’t save Jay, he’ll be stuck in Hell forever!

Jay aka Jevroth isn’t surprised to find himself back in Hell. His visa to visit the mortal plane expired three months ago, but to steal more time with Sasha he’s been ignoring his mother’s demands to come home to meet his new stepfather: Lucifer.

Sasha has until dawn on the 25th of December to fight the Legions of Hell and rescue Jay, or be trapped there for eternity herself. But now she must decide if the lying, son-of-a-demon is even worth saving…

Much to my surprise, this was my favorite of the collection. Having never read Andrews, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m excited to report a mouthy, strong, capable heroine is what I got. She was everything I love in a heroine – sarcastic, kickass and relate-able. She wasn’t perfect, or too independent or stupid. She was very refreshing. And her man was, of course, totally worthy of her.

Too often a “strong” heroine is one who says she kicks ass but is really just an idiot. That wasn’t the case here. Her strength comes through in her actions, thoughts and references. But she also had a vulnerability about her that made her easy to relate to.

The plot was interesting and kept me turning the pages. Especially because I needed to see what would happen to the sexy hero…yum.

I can’t wait to read more from Vivi Andrews.

4.75 out of 5

Tangled Tinsel by Vivian Arend

Five miles of leather-clad leg is all it takes to lure Kyle Branegan out from his carefully hidden lifestyle as part of the Cougar Corp, a secret branch of the Shifter Enforcer League. He’s hoping for a night of fun and frolic, cat-style, no strings attached. With a sultry swing of her hips, Eloise Scott tangles him up in her ball of tricks, and just when he thinks he’s about to get lucky, she cuffs him–naked–to her bed.

An undercover cop in the human police force, El’s been given a top-secret mission to keep the big cat under her paw until he’s needed to testify in court in the New Year. Her decision to take him home for a quiet Christmas in her sleepy hometown turns out to be far more interesting than she expected. Her parents are suddenly rich, her old boyfriend is sniffing around and all six-feet-plus of sexy cougar male is sleeping in her bed.

And that’s before they announce their fake engagement…

This was my least favorite story in the collection. Though I enjoyed it, it wasn’t as well fleshed out as the other two. I think there was too much going on in the background – I kept feeling like I was missing things. I assume, just based on what I read here, that this is part of a series. Unfortunately, having never read any of the previous books, I felt left out and confused much of the time.

The romance was well done. The couple worked well together and I liked that the heroine was just as strong as the hero. It isn’t often that a female bodyguard is actually a strong bodyguard. I like that Arend didn’t try to “weaken” her. Not only that, but the hero appreciated that she was the strong type. That doesn’t happen often either.

4 out of 5Overall a great collection of stories featuring strong women and the sexy men who love them.

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here in e-format.