Review: Not Another New Year's...

Not Another New Year's
Christie Ridgway
Contemporary Romance
Sequel to Must Have Mistletoe
Avon/January 2007

From Goodreads ~

After all, this year brought Hannah Davis nothing but the memory of her wandering fiance marrying someone else behind her back. Now, sitting alone at a bar in Coronado, California, on December 31, she decides to do something radical . . . and lets a brooding good-looker take her to bed. But when a hysterical woman bursts into their room much too early on New Year's Day, Hannah realizes this guy's more complicated than she thought . . .

Ex-Secret Service Agent Tanner Hart screwed up, big-time! Hoping to temporarily boot some of the ghosts from his life, he hooked up with this sexy stranger for a hot one-night stand—only to discover she's the woman he's agreed to protect... from men just like him!

But a new year is a time for fresh beginnings. Despite the danger, the hoopla, and the hangovers, if Hannah's brave enough to risk her heart again—and Tanner's wise enough to realize he deserves it—maybe this one will be different.

What's a girl to do to get over her ex on New Year's? Go to bed with a bar pick-up! And if she doesn't remember what happened the next morning, all the better! This is an amusing romance with some action and suspense added to the mix.

Hannah Davis is searching for some answers. She's come to Coronado, California hoping to find those answers. But first she stops off at a local bar, has one too many Mojitos and wakes up in a stranger's bed. Then things get even weirder. Hannah is likable enough but she did have a few "I Love Lucy" moments. I'm a little surprised she made it to the end of the book without major trauma.

Tanner Hart is feeling sorry for himself. He made headlines during an attempted assassination, left his job as a Secret Service agent and is now passing the time in his brother's bar. He has a chance to get his job back - all he has to do is play tour guide. Tanner played Desi to Hannah's Lucy, using his Secret Service training to keep her (mostly) out of trouble. Tanner's a good guy but he really wallowed in the self pity a little too long.

The secondary romance is a delicious little side venture that I found sweet, tender and funny. Unfortunately, I liked the secondary characters and their romance more than the hero and heroine. I wish it had been their story in the spotlight.

The situations Hannah and Tanner found themselves in are a little too far fetched to take seriously. It's as if the story couldn't decide if it was a romantic comedy or a romantic suspense. I certainly would have preferred one or the other but by trying to be both, neither felt complete.

Not Another New Year's has it's good points, the sex scenes were smoking hot. Too bad the secondary romance out shown the main romance.

Rating: C+

Review: Must Love Mistletoe

Must Love Mistletoe
Christie Ridgway
Contemporary Romance/Holiday
Avon/December 1, 2006

From Goodreads ~

Bailey Sullivan can't stand Christmas, even though her family's business is a store specializing in the perfect holiday. But now her hometown's chief supplier of rooftop Rudolphs and treetop angels is in danger of going under—it's up to Bailey to save the shop.

She has it all planned: She'll arrive on December 1 and be gone by Christmas. Plus there's always spiked eggnog to ease the pain. But "Humbug" Bailey's not the only one home for the holidays. Finn Jacobson—legendary local bad boy-turned-Secret Service agent and Bailey's long-lost high-school sweetheart—is once again the boy next door. Only this time he's all grown up, and the sparks are flying faster and hotter than ever!

Bailey believes in true love about as much as she believes in Santa Claus. But as the holiday draws closer, she's starting to think about one thing she'd like to find under her tree . . .

This was a quick read with a holiday theme but not overly heavy on the Christmas references. There is talk of Christmas since Bailey is working in her family store, The Perfect Christmas, and gets reluctantly involved in hosting various holiday events in the store. She needs to recruit a Santa and as it turns out, a pirate Santa will do.

Bailey Sullivan practically ran from Coronado and her family legacy. She lives in Los Angeles, managing a large law firm. No Ho Ho Hos or reindeer in sight. The last thing she wants is to go back and run the family holiday themed store. When Bailey gets back to Coronado she learns how much she left behind. She's reunited with her childhood best friend and her first love. We see how Bailey learns to open up and form the begins of long term relationships. She has always maintained it's best to get out before things get ugly. A legacy from her father before he took off when she was a child. She learns how wrong that is and I liked seeing the process she goes through to get there. I do think she took a little too long to realize what's really important. Too stubborn for her own good.

Finn Jacobson is in Coronado to take care of his grandmother as she recovers from an illness. He and Bailey were friends as children when Finn would spend the summers at his grandmother's, Bailey's neighbor. They became more than friends when the teen years hit. Then Bailey ran and left Finn heartbroken. Now they're both back and Finn is carrying some serious baggage. I think Finn's issues helped keep this story from being too sweet, lending a seriousness to the plot. That along with Bailey's commitment issues gave the story a nice balance between the humor and holiday spirit.

Bailey and Finn don't seem to have a shot at second chances - she's determined to leave on Christmas Day and he's still having trust issues regarding Bailey. So they try to fight their desires but it's hard to avoid the person you're lusting after when they live right next door. And Bailey does ask Finn for help which puts them together even more. It's sweet and sexy how they battle each other and their lust only to have them fall in love all over again.

The sub-plot of Bailey's mother and step-father trying to work out their differences fell a bit flat for me. I didn't dislike them but I didn't really care if they reconciled or not. There is also Finn's friend Tanner who could have been more fleshed out. He gets a book (Not Another New Year's) but I wasn't left dying to read his story.

Must Love Mistletoe was a fun, sexy romp with some serious issues thrown in the mix.

Rating: B