Sweet Inspiration by Penny Watson

Bland Christmas romance
2 stars

Nicholas Klaus is Santa’s oldest son and a sexy baker to boot. On a fact finding mission for new recipes, Nick runs into sweet cafe owner, Lucy Brewster and falls instantly in lust.

The feeling is mutual but when an accident threatens Lucy’s life, Nicholas breaks all the rules to bring her to the North Pole. Lucy always yearned for adventure but being at the North Pole with Santa’s son, rambunctious elves and a fairytale world all around her is more than she bargained for. Will their growing feelings conquer all their insecurities and will Lucy have what it takes to become the next Mrs Claus?


I liked the premise of this story - a romance filled with the magical fantasy of Christmas however it didn’t take long for the excitement to dissipate.

My first let down was Nick. A big, sexy and strapping man is something I can get on board with but big bushy beards just don’t do it for me so that was a major let down. Further complications arose with his character. He was nice to Lucy but domineering, rude and overbearing to others. I just couldn’t take to a hero like that.

Lucy, in all honesty, wasn’t much better. She was a simpering, cowardly and emotional female who refused to be mad at Nicholas even when he deserved it for his high handed behaviour. I like a female that I can identify with or aspire to be like - Lucy was neither of these things.

But by far the biggest failing of this book was that it was a fairly bland read. It was about 165 pages long but everything was drawn out with lots of filler padding out between the big events. After Lucy arrived at the North Pole it just flatlined and I was beyond bored. It took me about 2 weeks to actually finish this book as, although not offensive, it just didn’t capture my attention.

The writing wasn’t terrible, and I didn’t give up so I’m giving it 2 stars. Others seem to have enjoyed it but I just couldn’t recommend this book despite my love of Christmas romances. A disappointing 2 stars.

Midnight Fantasies by Various

Fairly sub-standard romance anthology
2 Stars

Mystery Lover - Vicki Lewis Thompson
When an unexpected storm hits, rancher Jonas takes shelter in a nearby cave. But he’s not alone and soon finds himself seduced by a mystery lady who refuses to tell him her identity. It’s the best sex of his life so it’s a shame he doesn’t know who it’s with - or does he?

This story was okay but really nothing special. I couldn’t take to B.J. (or her eye-rolly name) as she was just too much of a wimp. Jonas, however, was much worse. He was very proud of his sleeping around and I just had no idea why anyone would want to be with him. Not the best basis for a romance, unfortunately.


After Hours - Stephanie Bond
Michael Pierce has always seen costume shop owner, Rebecca, as a quiet wallflower. But all that changes when he goes over after hours and sees her dressing up as a sexy vampire. Suddenly he wants to know her a whole lot better...

I couldn’t really take to this story, either. Both Michael and Rebecca were just weeks out of very serious relationships and from the get go you could hardly expect either to be in a place to start looking for love again. I also didn’t particularly like the thought that Michael only started to like Rebecca once he’d realised she wasn’t mousy in the looks department.


Show and Tell - Kimberly Raye
When bad boy Dallas Jericho finds a piece of paper left over from a lingerie party that details someone’s fantasy with him, he’s intrigued. But when he finds out he’s been starring in good girl Laney Merriweather’s dreams he just has to show her what she’s been missing.

I liked this story of two people who were at odds with each other but secretly desired each other. It was cute and I especially like bad boy Dallas. As the story went on, however, Laney started to grate on me. She went on and on about keeping her reputation that in the end I wondered if Dallas (another daft name, in my opinion) didn’t deserve someone better.


Overall this wasn’t the best anthology that I have read. None of the stories grabbed my attention and I just couldn’t like a lot of the characters which is key in a romance. I’ll give the book 2 stars because I at least finished it but I didn’t like it and I really can’t recommend it, I’m afraid.

The Headmaster's Confession by Laurel Bennett

A short, fun and sexy story
4 stars

The headmaster of an all girl’s school in Regency England is tested to his limits when the lovely, wayward Miss Winters breaks the rules and is sent to his office for her punishment.


This is a very short and sexy, erotic tale and the first that I have read by Laurel Bennett. It’s the same story as The Headmaster’s Fall but this time seen through the eyes of the headmaster rather than Miss Winters.

At only 17 pages long the book is more of an encounter rather than a full story. Having said that, the writing was very good, the situations hot and I enjoyed it very much. The twist at the end is both welcome and handled well; it made me like the story much more.

Overall, if you’re looking for a hot, 10 minute read then I would recommend this to you. 4 stars.

The Royal Treatment by MaryJanice Davidson

Not my cup of tea

1 star

In an alternate world, the King of Alaska is determined to see his oldest son and heir, David, married and settled. While he is out on a fishing excursion he meets American chef Christina Crabbe and decides that she is perfect princess material so takes her home to the palace to meet David.

David doesn’t really care who he marries so long as he can continue his work with his beloved penguins but he can’t help but be charmed by the unusual, feisty commoner, Christina. Soon the pair are engaged but it will take a lot of work to turn Christina into the perfect princess.

I really liked the premise for this book of an alternate world where Alaska became an independent country rather than part of the USA and had its own quirky, eccentric royal family. Unfortunately for me, the actual book didn’t live up to my expectations.

The worst thing about the book was the heroine, Christina. She was supposed to be feisty but I just didn’t find her likeable at all. She was cocky, sarcastic and ridiculously foul-mouthed yet everyone around her seemed to think she was the best thing since sliced bread. I just didn’t get it. The other characters were slightly better but we didn’t go deep enough to really like any of them.

Because of the lack of depth, the romance also fell flat and the sex scenes were such a disappointment with not a bit of chemistry between the characters.

This is probably a personal thing but I didn’t even crack a smile while reading and there was no humour at all in the book, in my opinion.

Overall, I really didn’t like this book. Having said that, it was my first book by Mary Janice Davidson so perhaps fans of hers might enjoy this more than I did. Only 1 star.