Come To Me by Linda Winstead Jones

Romantic Intrigue that’s a bit bland
2 stars

Sam Travers’ past has made him wary of relationships. But when Lizzie Porter waltzes back into his office his heart takes a hit. He’s always had a soft spot for Lizzie but now she’s all grown up and she’s determined to show him just how much.

Lizzie is determined to find her half-sister and she wants to hire private investigator Sam to do it for her. The fact that the investigation puts her in close proximity with sexy Sam is just an added bonus. But when they get shot at Sam decides to move in to protect Lizzie – but who will protect his heart?


In the past I have avoided Mills and Boon Intrigue because I am a complete wimp and I assumed that the books would be too scary and tense for my liking. However, I decided to give this one a go as I liked the premise of the story. I now wish I hadn’t bothered but not because of the scariness (of which there was none) but because it was, overall, a bland and uninspiring read.

Our two main characters are Sam and Lizzie. I couldn’t quite figure Sam out – brooding and moody one minute and then grinning and seductive the next. His reasons for not being in a relationship with Lizzie went out the window so fast it made me really question his character. Similarly, I didn’t much care for Lizzie. One of Sam’s main objections to their romance was the age difference between them (8 years) and as such I think that Lizzie was written as quite an immature and naïve 24 year old. This could have been fine but she babbled on, disregarded everyone else’s feelings and was generally too annoying for me to care about her or them as a couple.

The intrigue wasn’t too intriguing and there was little suspense or excitement with the half-sister mystery. And generally, I just didn’t feel any spark with the story as a whole. There was no sexual tension or emotion between any of the characters and I was left feeling completely uninterested. If this is the level of suspense of Intrigue novels then I might give others a go but this one just isn’t for me, I’m afraid. 2 stars.

Christmas Spirit

Magical Christmas Anthology

4 Stars

A set of three Christmas stories where each of the characters find true love with the help of some ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas yet to come.

Bah, Humbug! – Leigh Greenwood

Advertising Executive Nate Jerome spends his whole year making Christmas commercials so he really hates the holiday season and plans to escape by flying to Aruba. But his plans change when he meets his beautiful neighbour Milly Thurston who adores Christmas as she shows him that there’s much more to life than work.

This was an okay story but nothing special and I actually found it too long and drawn out. The characters changed their feelings at the turn of a page and I didn’t think they spent nearly enough time together for me to believe in their happily ever after.

Christmas Present – Elaine Fox

When Susannah Murphy comes home for Christmas she is sure she will hate every minute of the small town life that she tried so hard to escape from. Things don’t start well when she crashes her car and has to rely on Joe Cameron for help – the one man in town that could turn her life around.

This was a sweet story with plenty of Christmas cheer and romance. The love story felt realistic and the man helping the couple on their way to true love was a nice festive touch. Very enjoyable.

Blue Christmas – Linda Winstead

Jess Lennox is determined to spend a quiet, calm Christmas on her own in her flat. When musician Jimmy Blue invites her to spend the holidays with him she refuses as she has vowed never to date another musician. Alone in her flat that night she is visited by a Christmas Spirit who shows her just what will happen unless she learns to open her heart.

This was a delightful story which had a nice ‘Christmas Carol’ feel about it. I really loved the concept of seeing into the future and then changing the present and how the imperfect is sometimes the most perfect. It sounds quite cheesy but this really was a sweet, sensual and festive story that I very much enjoyed.

Overall this is an enjoyable set of stories each with a magical twist. The last two stories really stand out and make this anthology well worth picking up if you’re looking for a quick read during the hectic Christmas season or at any time of the year.