It Must Have Been the Mistletoe Anthology
December 1, 2010
Contemporary Romance
Paperback, 224 Pages
Harlequin

Reviewed by Mandi

When She Was Naughty by Kate Hoffman

With the alternative upbringing of traveling with her American Folk music parents, Alison Cole has music in her blood. Now an adult and a musicologist, she is studying Christmas carols for her doctoral thesis in the Appalachian Mountains. Her current goal is to find Ettie Lee, a singer from the 1930’s, and publish and write about her music. She finds Ettie in a remote part of the country, and also her caretaker, doctor Drew Phillips. Drew and Allison take one look at the other and an attraction flares. When a bad storm closes the roads, Allison heads to Drew’s cabin for the night. But that night is a turning point in each of their lives.

When She Was Naughty, really wasn’t that naughty at all. Allison and Drew are two very sweet people, but not a lot stands out in this story. Their meeting felt very convenient. When the rain becomes too bad, Allison goes home with a virtual stranger, to a cabin that has an outhouse (hello scary) and spends the night with a man she doesn’t know. No one knows where she is. And just by chance, she happens to have a box of condoms in her work bag (she is a music major) that someone gave to her as a gift. Huh? Further disappointing, we don’t even get to see the condoms in action that much.

Rating: D

Cole for Christmas by Rhonda Nelson

Bryant Bishop, the head security guy for country music star Clint Walker, is nervous to see Layla Cole again after a long absence. Layla is filling in for a sick mandolin player, and Bryant’s job is to pick her up from the airport. They’ve known each other for a long time, but things have been icy ever since Layla’s younger sister accused Bryant of not being a gentlemen at a party years ago.

Now thrust together for a few night on this tour, they get reacquainted. They each have an attraction for the other, but is it the right time in their lives to act upon it? When a sever case of stage fright attacks Layla minutes before she is to go on stage, Bryant kisses her to make her forget her nerves. The kiss is electric, and they each want more.

I really enjoyed Cole for Christmas. It is really sexy, and had a few moments that had me giggling.

He leaned forward, his gaze intense. “Something about you just trips my trigger, you know? Just sets me off. I feel you even when I’m not touching you and when I do touch you…” His gaze skimmed over her face, settled hotly on her mouth. “It’s like sexual crack.”

Later as Bryant tries to sweet talk her

“That’s not necessary, you know. You had me at “sexual crack.”

The relationship makes sense in this book, and moves at a great pace. I think the resolution at the end is done really well too. Great story.

Rating: B+

A Babe in Toyland by Tawny Weber

The super sexy Rita Cole needs money to get home to her parents house. After skipping from one job to the next, she really wants to make her parents happy by seeing them this Christmas. When Benny, her ride home comes in, with his friend Tyler, tensions go on the rise. Tyler and Rita went to school together, and after a disastrous prom night, have been enemies ever since. Tyler can’t deny his attraction to Rita, and spontaneously kisses her. This causes a bar fight which costs Rita her job. Furious, she demands Tyler be her ride home, and feeling a little guilty Tyler agrees. Will their bickering turn to something more?

I enjoyed Rita in A Babe in Toyland. She is kind of flaky, and although has the perfect body, is really tired of being felt up by strangers. She strives to be a better daughter. The premise of this one is a little sillier than the previous two. Although Tyler and Rita have a past together, I never felt like they had super chemistry in this story. I do like that they have a messy past, but it was hard to feel their romance. And it ends with both of them saying I love you, which felt out of place at that point in their relationship.

Rating: C

Overall, It Must Have Been the Mistletoe is a little disappointing, but it did have one fun story in Cole for Christmas.

Overall Rating: C

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