** spoiler alert ** Not quite what I'd hoped for. Going with the holiday element was sweet, but using the same cabin owned by the same couple in all three stories, while the whole point, wasn't something I appreciated. I didn't like Jillian Vickers, and so I was unimpressed by her match making attempts, particularly in the second novella.

Sometimes I think it's sweet when couples are being set up, but in all three of these stories, the characters had the sort of overbearing, interfering mothers. or other family members who need to butt out. It's all well and good to want your children to be happy, but continuously throwing someone at them every time they come home for a visit isn't the way to see that happen.

The Thanksgiving Fix by Vicki Lewis Thompson - 2.5/5

This was the one I liked the least. I just wasn't feeling it. I felt the author put too much time and effort into pointing out that the hero and heroine, Mac and Beth, thought exactly alike and were exactly what the other wanted in a potential spouse and were just so perfect for each other.

It just felt so flat and forced, and corny. Subsequently, I didn't feel that the hero and heroine had any chemistry whatsoever, and so for me, it was just a mindless sex-romp, where I eventually glossed over the love-scenes because I just wasn't interested.

These two were so "perfect" for each other that the novella was boring. It was way too easy and there wasn't any real conflict. It also moved very fast. Maybe if I'd felt the chemistry between the characters I wouldn't have felt that it was too soon for any sort of relationship to bloom between them, but alas, I didn't feel that chemistry, and so the relationship to me, was rushed and I didn't like it.

I did think it was sweet, but at the same time, I didn't really believe in it, and was glad it was over. Not to mention the fact that Jillian thought Beth would be completely incapable of simply tightening the nut or whatever that she loosed was really irritating.


The Christmas Set-up by Jill Shalvis - 4/5

This was the one I liked the most. I felt the chemistry between the characters this time, although I wasn't hot on the younger brother Mike's methods of setting his brother up.

The hero and heroine, Jason and Zoe, actually knew each other in this novella, as they'd been co-workers for the past year, so I didn't feel as though they were rushing into anything serious without knowing anything except the others' name.

I also liked the element of Jason's injury, which was kind of like the icebreaker for them, as while she was 'tending' to him, she couldn't focus on the competition between them at work. I also thought it was sweet the way he gave her sole credit for their design because he felt she was more in need of the promotion they both had a shot at.

The only thing I really disliked about this novella was the "sex" conversation:

"Do you have a condom?"
- "No, but I'm on the pill"

This really irritates me, as I've mentioned many times before; the pill doesn't protect you from disease! In cases like this, I wish the authors wouldn't make such a point of the characters having unprotected sex and would instead gloss over it, or write it so it's any conversation other than, "I'm on the pill, so we're safe".


The New Year's Deal by Julie Kenner 3/5

This one was enjoyable enough.

I felt the heroine, Cleo, was stupidly stubborn about her past relationship with the hero Josh, and the possible rekindling of said relationship.

Josh, needed to grow a backbone. His mother was emotionally manipulative and needed to let him live his own life, and he should have told her where to go a long time ago. It'd had been five years since his father's death, not five months.

I felt they came together a little too easily at the cabin - after all, they'd barely communicated for the past five years, but I liked the way Cleo left towards the end, which made Josh take stock of his situation and make some necessary decisions about his future.


Overall, I would rate the anthology as a 4/5, but it's strongly carried by Jill Shalvis' contribution. I felt if the other two stories had been stronger, particularly the first one, this would have been a much more interesting and enjoyable read.