Hot Summer Nights by Jaci Burton, Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy and Jessica Clare
July 2, 2013
Contemporary Romance
Berkley

Reviewed by Helyce

Though I usually stay away from anthologies, I couldn’t resist this one. Of the four authors, three are favorites of mine, with Jaci Burton introducing a new series called Hope and Carly Phillips taking us back to Serendipity. Short blurbs below from Goodreads:

Hope Smolders by Jaci Burton

Jane Kline has her hands full juggling her job, paying the bills and taking care of her two kids after her ex dumped her and ran. The last thing she needs is to fall head over heels for highway patrol officer Will Griffin. But Will is determined to show Jane that there’s life, fun and romance after divorce.

Since her husband up and left, Jane has been focused on her two children, working hard to keep their home, pay the bills and keep food on the table, and hopefully have a little extra so her kids can still have a few extracurricular activities. It’s been a really tough two years. Jane has not dated or done anything special for herself. When she takes a second job doing daycare at the local gym and runs into Will Griffin, everything changes in the blink of an eye.

This was a wonderful introduction to Ms. Burton new contemporary series. Not technically a friends to lovers meme, this story did have a bit of that feel. Will had been best friends with Vic, Jane’s ex-husband and when Vic left Jane Will kind of disappeared as well. They bump into each other at the gym and Will is instantly attracted to Jane. He’s always thought she was pretty and after running into her, he realizes that he’d not been a very good friend to her after Vic left, and he’s determined to change that. Of course, things are not easy. Jane has been on her own for a while and she has a bit of trouble letting go of her independence. But Will is quite determined to win Jane over.

Though short, with things moving pretty fast between these two, I easily bought that this was a couple who was meant to be together. Secondary characters round out the story well and give us a nice glimpse of the dynamic of the stories to come. We meet Luke who is the hero of the first full length book out in September, Hope Flames.

Rating: A

Perfect Stranger by Carly Phillips

Carly Phillips takes you back to the town of Serendipity, where overworked Alexa has an instant connection with a sinfully sexy football star on the dance floor. A one-night stand evolves into multiple nights when Luke decides to teach the good doctor about his own brand of fun. But when it’s time for him to leave town, will these “Perfect Strangers” be able to say goodbye for good?

Alexa is a work-a-holic though it’s clear that it’s not really by choice. Since she was a child, she’d been molded into the career she has today by her father. Though she enjoys being a doctor, she’s getting tired of the pressures her father puts on her at the hospital and taking over for him is really not what she wants. On a rare night out with her friend Cara, she lets loose and dances with a very attractive man she sees at a bar. As she gets to know Luke, she starts to look at her life a little differently and finds the strength to stand up for herself with her father and fight for what she wants for a change.

I was excited that we got to see this expansion of a scene from a previous book in Phillip’s Serendipity series. Luke feels an instant connection to Alexa when they dance together at the bar. What starts out as a just sex thing for these two, very quickly morphs into something much stronger. Though Alexa fights it initially, the time she spends with Luke and the feelings he brings out in her are the catalyst she needs to find the strength to makes some really important and positive changes in her life.

I look forward to seeing how this short story will tie in with the rest of the series.

Rating: B+

Legend of Jane by Jessica Clare

In Jessica Clare’s “Legend of Jane,” an intrepid Bloggess catches the eye of local law enforcement when she gets caught trespassing. Luckily, Luanne wouldn’t mind getting handcuffed by Officer Hotness…

This was a humorous take on a small town love story. Luanne is a blogger whose niche is blogging crazy, daring type things. She “becomes” Jane in these videos-glitter make-up, roller derby outfit- and has quite a following. Unfortunately, when guys asked her out, they wanted a date with crazy adventurous Jane, not Luanne. One night when she’s out making a video, she gets caught and arrested by Officer Hank Shark. Hank thinks she’s a nutcase until the next time he sees her and she isn’t in her Legend of Jane costume; she’s just Luanne.

This story made me laugh! The witty banter between Hank and Luanne as well as the play on words the author uses went so well with the characters in here. I really liked Hank. He was kind of the ‘strong silent type’ but he was perfect for Luanne.

I look forward to reading more by this author who I just learned is also Jill Myles. I look forward to seeing if her other works are as humorous!

Rating: B

Ice Princess by Erin McCarthy

Single girl Chelsea is tired of feeling like the fifth wheel on her weekend jaunt to Lake Placid, until she gets stuck out in the cold and finds a muscular knight in shining armor to warm her up—in Erin McCarthy’s “Ice Princess.”

When Chelsea gets locked out of her room on the balcony at the ski resort in freezing weather, then decides that she’ll just climb down but finds herself unable to let go, it’s the best stupid thing she’s ever done because she meets Brody and her weekend of boredom changes immediately.

Though this couple gets together really quickly the author gives us a well done love story in a very few pages. This is not insta-love, which I think would have ruined it for me; but instead, a couple who meet and find they are more than compatible in and out of the bedroom. They take the time to explore it and then find a way to be together. Well done for 72 pages.

Rating: B+

It’s very rare that I enjoy all the stories in an anthology but I really did in this one. All four have great pacing and are fast and easy reads. If you’re a fan of these authors I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Overall Rating: B+

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