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A RED HOT NEW
YEAR - Cynthia Eden, Diana Mercury, Virginia Reede, Denise Rossetti
Avon Red
ISBN: 978-0-06-145147-8
December 2007
Erotic Contemporary Romance Anthology
New
Year’s Bites - Cynthia Eden
Richmond, Virginia - Present Day
On her way to
her friend’s New Year’s Eve party, Anna Summers is attacked by a
wild dog. The bite hurts like crazy, and Anna is afraid the dog is
going to kill her, but then she is saved by Jon York, the man her
employer had hired to beef up security – and the man who has been
starring in Anna’s fantasies for the past few months. After the
attack, Jon asks Anna about her plans for the night, and she invites
him to the party. She’s always been attracted to him, but suddenly,
Anna can barely stop herself from tearing off Jon’s clothes.
While Jon had
been hoping to get to know Anna better, this isn’t the way it wanted
to happen. Instead of a few nice dates leading up to more like he
had planned, Jon will spend the night watching over Anna as she
changes, and hoping that she doesn’t turn feral. Because the animal
that bit her wasn’t a dog, but a werewolf, and Anna has been
infected. As one of the Bitten, Anna’s senses will sharpen, she’ll
be able to heal quickly, and for the first twenty-four hours at
least, Anna will be irresistible to men. As a hunter, Jon has to
make sure she doesn’t become feral – or “take care of her” if she
does.
Anna had no idea
that creatures like werewolves existed - until she’s attacked by one
in NEW YEAR’S BITES. Now, out of the blue, she not only has to deal
with the changes she is going through, but with the overwhelming
desire for Jon. Jon and Anna mix erotic adventures with getting to
know each other in this enjoyable tale that kicks off the anthology.
Night
Resolutions - Diana Mercury
Present Day
After dating
Billy for several weeks, Chantal is beginning to think it would be
best for them both to move on. He’s sweet and generous, and in some
ways the best boyfriend Chantal has ever had, but after all these
weeks, they still haven’t progressed beyond a kiss on the cheek to
end the date. When they are invited to a house party over the
Christmas holidays, Chantal figures this is the last chance: if
nothing happens, she’s breaking up with Billy. When she meets Jake,
Billy’s best friend, at the party, she knows that it’s time to end
things with Billy. What she feels for Billy is nothing like the
attraction she feels towards Jake.
Yet strange
things are happening at the party. Their host, Jake’s uncle,
Antonio, has made his interest in Chantal very clear, and it’s quite
common for the other guests to hook up with one another - regardless
of whether they are married or taken. And, while the attraction
between Jake and Chantal is mutual, Jake won’t let things go too
far. Just what is going on with the party and with Jake?
NIGHT
RESOLUTIONS is an erotic tale, that at times skirts the edges of
what some may consider taboo. But, halfway through the story, we
learn one of Jake’s secrets, and then the plot becomes a bit
confusing. Thanks to Jake, Chantal’s past has come back to haunt
her, and while, at the end, we are told that everything is resolved,
it would have been nice to know how they were resolved. The story
starts out with promise, but fizzles out after a while and ends
somewhat abruptly.
Snow
Blind - Virginia Reede
Colorado - Present Day
Julie plans to
spend the New Year’s holiday weekend with her boyfriend, Joe, and
her best friend Gerry and his girlfriend, Maggie. Though their
cabin at the ski resort is a little rustic, Julie and Gerry are
excited for the little vacation, and decide to wait in the hot tub
for Joe and Maggie to arrive. A little brandy and a lot of teasing
surprisingly turns into one of the hottest encounters Julie has had
in a while, but afterwards, the easy friendship between Gerry and
Julie is a little strained. When Maggie and Joe finally arrive, the
vacation takes a turn for the worse, and nothing seems to be going
as planned. As tensions rise between each couple, Julie begins to
realize that her feelings for Gerry are more than friendship, but
how does he feel about her?
It was supposed
to be a romantic getaway for two couples, but things quickly change
in SNOW BLIND. Told in the first-person, we mainly get Julie’s
point of view, but Gerry also gets a chance to make his feelings
known. The scenes between them are sexy, yet romantic making SNOW
BLIND an engaging and tantalizing tale.
Coming
on Strong - Denise Rossetti
Miami, Florida - Present Day
Gina McBride
can’t help but believe that life isn’t fair. She’s resigned herself
to the fact that, because of her deformity, she’ll always be alone,
when suddenly fate drops the most gorgeous man into her life. Sam
Jones is in town for her cousin, Luc’s, wedding, and Gina picks him
up at the airport. Within minutes of seeing him, her skin starts to
heat up, and she can feel the rash that isn’t really a rash
spreading all over her neck and torso. Her plans to drop him off at
the hotel and ignore him until the wedding are ruined when he can’t
check into the hotel, and - exhausted because of the long flight
from Australia, Sam asks if he can crash at her place for a few
hours. A power outage that night allows Gina to let her wild side
free, and she and Sam share a sensual night, but in the morning,
Gina knows she has to let Sam go before he learns her secret.
Gina has lived a
somewhat reclusive life, thanks to her secret and her fear, but
something about Sam has her COMING ON STRONG. She’s attracted to
him, but strong emotions and adrenaline bring about the changes in
Gina, and she’s terrified of anyone finding out her secret. Sam is
intrigued by Gina, and can see the beautiful woman underneath the
baggy clothes, but how will he react to what he doesn’t see?
Though some of
the tales are stronger than the others, A RED HOT NEW YEAR is an
enticing anthology with four very sexy ways to ring in the New Year.
Jennifer Bishop |
