All I Want for Christmas

4.5⭐️ – These are novellas so get ready for things to go fast. No worries though, Georgia Beers, Maggie Cummings and Fiona Riley are talented writers and the romance feels real but never rushed.<br /><br />I enjoyed all three stories and I love how they fit together. They’re very different, both in tone and level of heat (Fiona Riley has not been dubbed Queen of Steam by accident) and balance each other really well.<br /><br />Georgia Beers gets the ball rolling with <b>Triple Dog Dare</b>, and it’s a beauty, probably one of my favourite Christmas novellas ever. And, seriously, who doesn’t like a Christmas fake romance novella?<br /><br />Sasha (Brooke’s boss in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/53178870.16_Steps_to_Forever" title="16 Steps to Forever by Georgia Beers" rel="noopener">16 Steps to Forever</a>) has been lying for months to her mother about having a girlfriend but when her older sister dares her to bring her non-existent girlfriend to their mother’s for Christmas, Sasha can’t resist proving her wrong. Even if she’s right. Lucky for her, her very attractive neighbour, Kennedy, is an actress and needs money. Who better than a gorgeous woman who is totally Sasha’s type to play her girlfriend for a couple of days? Really, what could go wrong?<br /><br />From the first time they talk, the connection between Sasha and the younger woman is there. As usual with Beers, it’s not overstated, it just is. It’s organic. Kennedy is smart and funny and yes, she needs the money but that’s not her main motivation to agree to Sasha’s bound-to-fail plan. She genuinely wants to help. The story is told in first person from Sasha’s point of view, which allows the reader to fall in love with Kennedy in real time, as we only see her through Sasha’s eyes. I absolutely love Kennedy and Sasha together, and I also really enjoyed the whole family dynamics. 5⭐️<br /><br />Maggie Cummings’ <b>Hustle &amp; Bustle</b> tells a very different story. Hannah and her best friend and business partner Priya are in New York for the winter holiday market, where they’re showcasing their organic beauty products. As they finish setting up their booth, Hannah stumbles into Toby, one of the cops working the market. Hannah never thought she could fall for a cop but life is full of surprises and so is Toby, who doesn’t fit any of Hannah’s preconceived ideas of New York police officers.<br /><br />The first words that come to mind when I think of Maggie Cummings’ novella are gentle and cute. Hannah and Toby are both shy, each in her own way. They ease into what both think is friendship, both wary of hoping for more as they live in different cities, but it steadily does anyway and of course, they’ll work it out, in their own mellow way. 4⭐️<br /><br />Fiona Riley brings up the rear with <b>A Christmas Miracle</b>. Why am I not surprised hers is the novella featuring a Grinch? Mira – yes, you’ve met her in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/51236417.Bet_Against_Me" title="Bet Against Me by Fiona Riley" rel="noopener">Bet Against Me</a> – hates Christmas, all the more so as it’s also her birthday (she’s not happy having to share it “with a fat man in a red suit”). This year especially, everything seems to conspire against her: her best friend and events coordinator is going on maternity leave and for the first time since she was born, her mother won’t be there either. Enters Courtney, a lover of all things Christmas. Courtney is hoping to be promoted to the events department of her company and organizing this year’s holiday party should help prove she’s worthy of the promotion. She has booked Mira’s bar, Mirage, Boston’s hottest bar, but despite sizzling chemistry as soon as they lay eyes on each other, Courtney and Mira disagree on the party plans. Not for long, however, as Mira can’t resist Courtney’s enthusiasm and joyful enjoyment of fake snow and garlands and the way she morphs from innocent to flirty in a blink. Add a snowstorm and let Christmas magic do its thing… A Christmas Miracle is light and sexy and the perfect way to conclude this anthology. 4.5⭐️<br /><br /><i>I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.</i>

All I Want for Christmas<br />Three Novella collection written by Georgia Beers, Maggie Cummings and Fiona Riley<br /><br />Overall, 4 Stars, because of the strength of Georgia Beer’s story.<br /><br />5+ Stars for Georgia Beer’s Triple Dog Dare. Another excellent story by Beers. In lesser hands the common trope of going home for Christmas with a fake girlfriend would be nothing special, but this was wonderful. Add a slow burn romance and this story made it on my annual Christmas story re-reads list. Heck, I’m going to read it again before this year is up, for sure.<br />Sasha Wolfe is the owner of a very successful real estate company and is the single middle daughter in her family. Her recent widower mother, Maggie, her older sister, Melody and younger sister, Cat still live in the small town where they grew up. Tired of the three of them asking her when she was going to get a girlfriend, Sasha did the next best thing. She made one up aka “Jennifer”. For months she had been appeasing them by telling them about Jennifer. Only her skeptical sister Melody saw through Sasha and insisted Jennifer was fake. “Well, Melody said, if she is real then bring her for Christmas. I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!” Without thinking, Sasha agreed to bring Jennifer. Now she just had to find a girlfriend, named Jennifer. Sasha must’ve been good that year, because she recently met her neighbor, Kennedy Davis who agreed to play Jennifer. Kennedy, is an actress, teaches Drama at the community college, is active in LGBTQ organizations and is in a financial bind. So Sasha told as much family info and facts to Kennedy (aka Jennifer) on the long drive home. It was a slow burn romance for the couple and for the family. But how long can they keep up the subterfuge? Kudos for the excellent epilogue.<br /><br />Note: Sasha is also in Georgia Beer’s latest novel, 16 Steps to Forever which features her friends, Macy and Brooke who make a cameo in this story.<br /><br />3.5 Stars for Maggie Cummings’ Hustle and Bustle, the second story in this collection. The story begins in early November and Hannah Monroe is setting up her booth in the annual Christmas Park Holiday Market in New York City. The Market runs from November thru to Christmas. Hannah owns Gaia’s Glow, a natural skin care company. She doesn’t have a storefront so she sells online and at various retailers. So she hopes her booth will bring in new customers. NYC cop, Toby Beckett has been assigned the Holiday Market and it suits her as she enjoys walking this beat, amongst the shoppers, venders and helping to keep them safe. Their meet cute happens in the first days of the Market when a teen shoplifter Toby was bringing in for questioning, crashes into Hannah’s booth. Toby returns later to apologize to Hannah for any damages the teen may have caused. And so begins a sweet friendship to lovers romance. But how will they solve the problem that Hannah normally lives in Hudson, NY, hours away from NYC? I liked one year later epilogue.<br /><br />3 Stars for Fiona Riley’s A Christmas Miracle, the final story in this collection. Mira Donahue owns the bar, The Mirage, which has been voted the best bar in Boston. One of the busiest times of year is the Christmas holidays, which brings in many private party bookings. Unfortunately for Mira, her events coordinator, Kelly is out on Maternity leave earlier than expected. Leaving Mira to coordinate the various Christmas parties along with managing the bar. Although, Kelly left Mira detailed notes and information for each client, Mira felt overwhelmed, add to the fact that Mira HATED Christmas she was not a happy camper.<br />Courtney Rivers on the other hand LOVES Christmas. She is an administrative assistant at her company and is thrilled to be assigned as this year’s Christmas Party coordinator. She’s hoping if it goes well, she would be hired to the Events Coordinator position that is currently open. As luck will have it, because of a cancellation she was able to book The Mirage. Mira and Courtney clash over Courtney’s party plans to impress her boss. Will Courtney be able to perform a miracle and change Mira’s attitude towards Christmas? Throw in “stranded in a snowstorm” troupe, anything can happen.<br />It’s frustrating that I can’t explain exactly why, but I felt this was the weakest of the three stories.<br /><br /><i> An advanced readers copy was given to me by Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

‘All I Want for Christmas’ was the perfect Christmas themed anthology to bring me into the holiday spirit. It has three novellas written by some of BSB’s most popular authors right now. <br /><br />‘Triple Dog Dare’ by Georgia Beers, 4.5 Stars<br />This is a slow burn and fake dating romance with Sasha, who is dared by her older sister to bring her girlfriend home for the holidays. There’s one small problem, she doesn’t have a girlfriend. She hires her neighbor, Kennedy, to be her girlfriend for the weekend with her family.<br />This brought out all the sap and feelings I want with my holiday stories. Sasha and Kennedy are practically strangers when this starts but their connection and chemistry is noticeable from the beginning. <br />It’s told in first person POV and kind of goes between present and past tense, which is explained in the epilogue. I really liked how this was set up and that there aren’t “I love you’s” issued after three days together. The epilogue really worked here and left me feeling happy for these two.<br /><br />‘Hustle and Bustle’ by Maggie Cummings, 3 Stars<br />This one was a cute and steamy friends to lovers romance set in New York City. Hannah is the owner of a small business that has a pop-up shop in Central Park’s holiday market. Toby is a police officer who volunteers to work the market for the holiday season. <br />This had an adorable meet-cute and only got cuter from there. Toby and Hannah are both very sweet but are a bit cautious of starting a romance knowing Hannah will be heading home, in Hudson, after the holidays are over. They start hanging out as friends, with some assistance from Hannah’s nosy best friend and co-owner, Priya. <br />The reason it’s rated a 3 is because I think Cummings got a little heavy with police talk and I didn’t think a holiday novella was really the space for it. I also thought the “I love you’s” came a little too early for me to really believe it. Though the epilogue was a nice touch and left me feeling better. <br /><br />‘A Christmas Miracle’ by Fiona Riley, 4 Stars<br />Mira is the owner of a popular bar and Courtney is in charge of planning her company’s Christmas party at said bar. I wouldn’t consider this a work place romance as they don’t actually work for the same company, though their jobs is how they meet. <br />I thought this was one was very sexy and sweet. It starts off a little slow but really takes off once Mira and Courtney meet. I really enjoyed how fun and flirty this one was. It really doesn’t go into feelings or emotional depth to believe in a happy ever after so it may feel more like a happy for now to some. But I was left smiling and really believed this was only the beginning to their happily ever after. <br /><br />I would recommend this for anyone wanting a few fun holiday novellas. <br />I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in an exchange for an honest review.

No duds here.<br /><br />Anthology books are hit or miss for me. Usually, I'll only like one or two of the offerings. But these three short Christmas stories were worth the read and put me in the holiday spirit.<br /><br />Triple Dog Dare by Georgia Beers has Sasha bringing a tenant home to meet her family because she has been lying about having a significant other for the past 6 months. Who doesn't love fake relationships? This was also satisfyingly lengthy and had forgotten that this was a complication of stories. This was sweet and I felt like it had more depth than expected. FYI, I was surprised to find that Sasha is in Beer's newest release, '16 Steps to Forever.' <br /><br />Hustle &amp; Bustle by Maggie Cummings has us swooning over a butch cop that is not at all what Hannah expects. She has ideas about cops and she doesn't want anything to do with them. Especially when she is only in NYC for a little while for her pop-up shop. This one also felt like it had quite a bit of depth for a short story. Have to give these authors some well deserved praise for that. One thing I love about reading Cumming's books, is that she really immerses the reader in and around New York. It's like you are really there having experiences with the characters.<br /><br />A Christmas Miracle by Fiona Riley gives us a trillion tons of chemistry for the finale. A scrooge bar owner has to host a holiday party that Courtney is throwing for her workplace so that they will recognized her efforts to get that overdue promotion. The flirting in this story was top notch. Really enjoyed it. <br /><br />Overall, this is the perfect collection of quality holiday romances to get you in the Christmas spirit.<br /><br />I recommend this to those who like to read about romance, Christmas, overbearing families, whiskey, sincere butches, magical NYC, bars, Christmas themed cocktails, snow storms, and old couches.<br /><br /><i>I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.</i>

So, this was the first Christmas themed book of the year for me and it worked perfectly! I immediately decided to decorate my house afterwards :-) All three stories are well written and make an enjoyable holiday read. <br /><br />After reading some reviews I decided to read the stories in the opposite order, so first the story by Riley, then Cummings and finishing with the story by Beers. This worked well for me (and I recommend to read them in this order), as this is the order I would place them in if I were to rate them separately, saving the best for last. That being said, they all bring something else to the table, a different feeling and a different experience (while all being Christmas themed stories) and I enjoyed this diversity.<br /><br /><b>A Christmas Miracle – Fiona Riley</b><br />This story was light, fun, and super flirty, and it had the most prominent Christmas vibe. The latter is caused by Courtney who’s is the biggest fan of Christmas, in contrast to Mira, who sort of hates Christmas. They meet when Courtney is organizing a Christmas party at Mira’s bar. It is written in the third person with POVs of Courtney and Mira. I wouldn’t describe this as a love story with a whole lot of character development, but there was excellent chemistry (definitely a case of insta-lust) and I enjoyed it for the fun story it is. I do think the blurb gives away too much of the story, so I would recommend not reading the blurb. <br /><br /><b>Hustle &amp; Bustle – Maggie Cummings</b><br />As mentioned all stories bring different feelings, this one is definitely a love story and is all about the characters. So sweet and honest, and I had the feeling of having read almost a full-length novel. Nothing felt rushed or skipped and I loved the epilogue that gives the story the ending it deserves. Toby and Hannah meet at a Christmas market where they both work. They are hesitant about dating as Hannah is only in the city temporarily, but they slowly give in to dating and I totally believed in their HEA.<br />The story is told in the third person with POVs of Toby and Hannah and the characters are wonderful, Toby is sweet, gallant, sometimes a bit shy, but has a very open personality. Hannah is smart, has some anxiety problems, and is unconsciously sometimes a bit prejudiced. The latter does actually lead to some interesting discussions and I liked that Cummings doesn’t shy away from touching upon loaded topics like police brutality in a light and easy manner without becoming preachy. <br /><br /><b>Triple Dog Dare – Georgia Beers</b><br />We’ve had fun and flirty, we’ve had love, then this is excitement. I love a good fauxmance and this one is a fine example. The planning stage of Sasha’s fauxmance, the start of the holidays with her family and her fake girlfriend and finally the stage where she realizes she’s totally falling for said fake girlfriend, it’s so entertaining to read. Written in the first person from Sasha’s POV I connected very well with Sasha and swooned with her over her fake girlfriend. I liked how there was no insta-love, but the epilogue is an excellent addition to the love department. <br />I also enjoyed the family feeling in this book, especially Sasha’s mom is so sweet and sad and her interactions with the dog in the story are super cute!<br /><br /><i>I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

This is a compilation of three novellas by these BSB authors under the common theme of Christmas.<br /><br />'Triple Dog Dare' by Georgia Beers tells the story of Sasha, Brooke's boss from '16 Steps to Forever', who pays an actress to pose as her girlfriend for the holidays. It's a cute and funny romance that focus on family and the Christmas spirit.<br /><br />'Hustle &amp; Bustle' by Maggie Cummings features the story of beat cop Toby and Christmas market seller Hannah, who meet and fall for each other in a holiday market. With the setting of New York City during Christmas, this is sweet, romantic and increases a notch the heat of this compilation.<br /><br />'A Christmas Miracle' by Fiona Riley is the hottest of the three. It features the love story between bar owner Mira, who hates Christmas, and Courtney, in charge of organising her company's Christmas party. Add an unborn baby, a snow storm and super hot chemistry to make this story enjoyable and super hot. <br /><br />Overall, a very good Christmas compilation to get you in the holiday mood. 4 stars.

If you are looking for something to read this holiday season, then check out All I Want for Christmas by Georgia Beers, Maggie Cummings, and Fiona Riley. This is a collection of three novellas, each written by one of the authors.<br /><br />In ‘Triple Dog Dare’ by Georgia Beers, Sasha Wolfe must find someone to be her faux girlfriend over Christmas to convince her family that she is not alone in the world. In ‘Hustle and Bustle’ by Maggie Cummings, Hannah Monroe, an entrepreneur with a pop-up shop at New York’s winter holiday market meets a NYPD cop named Toby Beckett who just might be the one to rock her New Year for years to come. Finally there is ‘A Christmas Miracle’ by Fiona Riley. This novella is about Mira Donahue, who hates Christmas, even though she owns Mirage, the hottest Christmas party venue in Boston, but maybe Courtney Rivers, the Queen of Carols, can change her mind.<br /><br />All three novellas are lovely stories with well-developed characters and great holiday settings. They are long enough to allow you to connect with the characters and their stories, and short enough to allow you to read each one in one sitting. I loved all three novellas, and they helped put me in a holiday mood. If you need a little boost to help start this festive season, then try this collection.<br /><br />I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.<br /><br />Rainbow Reflections: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://rainbowreflections.home.blog/">http://rainbowreflections.home.blog/</a><br />

This holiday novella collection has three very different stories.<br /><br /><i><b>Content warning</b>: loss of loved one</i><br /><br />The first one is “Triple Dog Dare” by Georgia Beers (5 stars). This fake-dating story between Wolfe Realty owner Sasha Wolfe, who is Brooke’s boss in <i>16 Steps to Forever</i> (my review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3631649758" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>) and her neighbor Kennedy Davis, who is a drama teacher, is <b>the best romance novella I have ever read</b>! There is also a wonderful dog that is just the sweetest. Sasha and Kennedy’s romance development is incredibly cute. I laughed so many times and also smiled through the whole story. It has zero angst and completely adorable, making me go all mushy inside and lose all words except for “awww<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www">www</a>.”<br /><br /><i><b>Content warning</b>: racial profiling?, outing of a trans person</i><br /><br />The second one is “Hustle &amp; Bustle” by Maggie Cummings (3 stars). This is a meet-cute romance between NYPD officer Toby Beckett and shop owner Hannah Monroe. The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, with most of the scenes happening in the heads of the characters. Overall, it is a cute story but a little dragging. There is mentioning of police brutality but it is more like acknowledging the system without any real actions. I do appreciate the inclusion of an off-page trans character (but the outing is not okay) and multiple POCs though.<br /><br />The last one is “A Christmas Miracle” by Fiona Riley (2 stars). I couldn’t get into this one mainly because of my personal ambivalence toward the insta-lust between bar owner Mira Donahue and administrative assistant Courtney Rivers despite the story being mostly well-written. Their flirty scenes were bold and great, and both characters are pretty likable. However, there is also a very random one-sided reveal scene in the final chapter that unfortunately doesn’t read smoothly enough for me.<br /><br /><i>I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I wasn't going to pick this book up, but had to after finding out that Georgia Beers's short story revolves around Sasha. Sasha is Brooke's boss in 16 Steps to Forever, Ms. Beers's latest book. While reading that book, I was thinking I would love reading a romance that stars Sasha. So, here I am...<br />Usually, with multi-story collections, there's stories one likes and stories one dislikes. However, I really enjoy the 3 novellas included here. As mentioned above, I do have a bias for Sasha's story, but Maggie Cummings and Fiona Riley also crafted sweet and adorable romances. Perfect short reads that will warm your hearts.

<b><i>Triple Dog Dare</i> by Georgia Beers</b>: 5 stars!! This is by far my favorite novella in the collection. Sasha is fascinating in Beers’ <i>16 Steps to Forever</i>, so being inside her head (this novella is in first-person) was a real treat. I love how Sasha is accomplished and put-together, but also kind of a hot mess at the same time?? I mean, she’s been faking a girlfriend for months, which is hilarious. So, of course, a fake-dating situation ensues, and it is DIVINE. This almost reads like a rom-com (serious <i>Written in the Stars</i> vibes over here!). Kennedy, the love interest, is the kind of warm person you just want to hug. For such a short story, there’s an unbelievable number of cute moments. And since this is Beers, there is a lovable canine protagonist too. &lt;3 <br /><br /><b><i>Hustle and Bustle</i> by Maggie Cummings</b>: 3 stars. This one is sweet, but it wasn’t magical for me, and that was mostly due to the pacing. The buildup to the MCs’ romance is slow for a novella – almost on par with a full-length romance. When the romance finally takes off, I feel like things happen way too fast. The characters rush into love, and (my biggest complaint) the holiday events with Hannah’s family are just glossed over! This novella is well-written, though, and both MCs are sweet and likable. I also appreciated that police brutality was addressed. <br /><br /><b><i>A Christmas Miracle</i> by Fiona Riley</b>: 3.5 stars. This one is cute and has several funny moments. It’s more, um, insta-sexual than I normally enjoy, but that’s just personal preference. My main complaint is the meet-cute, wherein one of the MCs acts OOC and weirdly unprofessional (imo). However, I enjoyed this more than I didn’t, and there’s a certain moment in the final scene that turned me into a pile of goo!