May’s Top Ten for Smexy-mas Entertainment

Hi there hoes! Greetings skanky-claus? HO HO HO and much hapPenis to you all! This is May here, and I love more than anything else my holiday love stories. I love some cheesy made for TV romantic comedies, the tree and snow and ornament covered books featuring Christmas and winter romance, and all the rest of it too. I am, a holiday ho and in preparations of smexy-mas and some holiday break reading time, I want to share with you my top ten recommendations! Ok, so there are way more than ten suggestions to keep you warm and snuggly during the holiday break, but I’ve broken it down into top 10 format, so hold on and let’s get in the holiday mood:

10. The Magical Christmas Cat is a book I finally purchased last year (when I found it on sale for $6), but it was after the holidays and so I’m saving it to read this week. I am most looking forward to Nalini Singh’s contribution, but really I don’t think you can go wrong with most holiday anthologies that feature authors you know + love.

9. Karma Girl Christmas by Jennifer Estep and Once Upon a Winter’s Eve by Tessa Dare are both great examples of holiday novellas set in an existing series world that can be read alone, or as a bonus for series fans.

8. Lisa Plumley’s Together for Christmas was by far the best of the 2012 holiday reads that came across my desk this year. It’s adorable, funny, silly, and everything I want in a contemporary Christmas romance.

7. ABC Family made for TV holiday movies are my secret crack/shame. They’re bad, guys. I mean they’re cheesy and often insta-love and I will roll my eyes. And yet every year I line up and make sure to watch them all. I’ve re-watched a few on Netflix streaming too. Snowglobe, 12 Dates of Christmas, Holiday in Handcuffs, Christmas Cupid, Desperately Seeking Santa… oh yes I’ve seen them all. Judge me if you must, but all cozy by the fire this girl can’t resist the cheesy romantic comedies.

6.  What if Santa was a ruggedly handsome, incredibly fit older gentleman who has five bearded sons, all grown up and big and strong and handsome with unique skills? What if they were looking for their own Mrs. Clauses and happily ever after? Penny Watson makes this list because, how could I not include her Klaus Brothers series? While the books that are out now aren’t without some flaws, I like the idea and premise enough to give it a spot on the top 10. Currently Sweet Inspiration and Sweet Magik are available (eBook), and for the other brothers we will simply continue to wait as she plans to release one each year.

5. Right in the thick of it, I must place Nora Roberts. Some of hers are more winter and less holidays, but few things are better than a Nora Roberts story on a cold, rainy, or snowy day by the fire. These that I’m listing here feature more than one story in the book too – they’re older Roberts stuff. I recall liking Truly, Madly Manhattan, The Gift, and First Impressions.

4. White Christmas is a classic movie, of course. But it is also a romance at heart, one I simply must watch and sigh over every single year. My other must-watch Christmas romance is Love, Actually. Oh I adore how it all comes together in the end and so many scenes in that one. Adore.

3.  ‘Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries,  ‘Tis the Season to be Sinful by Adrienne Basso,  and Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight by Grace Burrowes   all earned good grades from me, and were solid historical romances with strong holiday elements. If any of their premises appeal, I’d say go for it!

2.  If you’re looking for something romantic and contemporary, I suggest checking out Robin Carr (I’m not a Virgin river fan, but I do like some of her holiday reads) – Bring me Home for Christmas and Virgin River Christmas, as well as the book she has with Macomber and Woods (That Holiday Feeling). Want less small town and more heat? Go look up some Lori Foster novella collections. Yule Be Mine, A Very Merry Christmas, I’m your Santa, and Santa Baby come to mind – there are a ton. Santa, Baby is probably the one I’d look at first – Jennifer Crusie also has a novella in that one and I recall enjoying it quite a bit.

1. The Lady Most Willing by James, Quinn, and Brockway comes out next week, and I loved this book! It has that Seven Brides for Seven Brothers vibe (a movie which, if you’ve not seen you should do so and immediately! For Christmas!)  – set in Scotland in winter and in the middle of a huge snowstorm. (Mandi- add review link or say review coming soon?!) It was a lot of insta-love nonsense, but only in the best ways that made me smile and I loved every moment.

If you have a holiday favorite that did not make my list I’d love to hear about it! Please feel free to share your suggestions and top picks in the comments here – and have yourselves a very dirty smexy-mas!