Winter Kisses (anthology)

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title:  Winter Kisses (Anthology)
Author:  G. R. Bretz, Angela Nichelle, Dena Celeste, Barbara Sheridan, Kelley Heckart

Author's Sites: Click on names above

Buy Link
Publisher:  Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: romance, fantasy

Length: 116 pgs.
Other: Sweet- some kissing

Pagan & Pagan Elements: No/yes & yes for Winter Solstice Kiss

Reviewed by: Violet Harper

About The Book:

Winter Solstice Kiss by Kelley Heckart:

When Brianna decides to attend the Winter solstice masquerade ball, she never thought she would end up kissing a handsome knight beneath the mistletoe, but they part without exchanging names and phone numbers. How will they find each other again?

A Christmas for Carol by Angela Nichelle:

Imagine losing the love of your life right before Christmas. It's a nightmare Carol Christine Moore had to face two years ago. Unable to cope with the pain of losing her fiancé so unexpectedly, Carol closes off her heart entirely. She puts all of her time and energy into making the coffee shop she owns with her best friend a success. Consumed with customers and the daily grind, Carol has convinced herself that she doesn't need anything or anyone else in her life.  But all that changes the day Grant walks into the Cafe Bean.

Love in the Lights by Dena Celeste:

Abigail Bloch has been away at school for the last few years. Returning to her mother’s home renews her interest and need for the Jewish traditions. Unfortunately, the man who had been her best friend growing up, Joshua Cohen, gives her a chilly reception. Over the course of Chanukah, a time filled with food and family and friendship, the growing number of flames must melt away the hostility and illuminate the love that can grow between them.

A Schrödinger Christmas – Holly by G. R. Bretz:

She’s the girl who lives in his dreams, but she’s so much more than that. She’s the girl he was supposed to meet, twice. She’s the path he didn’t take, twice. That was forty years ago and you just can’t go back, except in dreams. But it’s Christmas day. Miracles have been known to happen. Who knows? The third time just might be the charm.

Christmas Rush by Barbara Sheridan:

Ellie Bouchard died just after formulating a plan to see that her only child Remy would be reunited with the one person he was too stubborn to acknowledge as “The One”. Determined to see her plan through, Ellie will do whatever it takes—including

heavenly blackmail and a few sneaky tricks—to see her son reunited with his childhood companion, Michael Carson. The stubborn young men don’t make Ellie’s job easy and she puts on one hell of a Christmas Rush to cement their bond before her time between this world and the next runs out.

The Review:

This is a sweet anthology of uplifting stories about hope and new beginnings.  Each was heartwarming, the kind of story that makes you say “Aww” when you’re finished.  The backgrounds of the stories vary greatly- Pagan, Christian, Jewish, gay and straight.  Each author brought their characters alive, inviting me into traditions and lifestyles both familiar and foreign without once making me feel like I didn’t belong. 

Though I loved each story, Winter Solstice Kiss touched my heart the most, probably because it was the only wholly-Pagan story.  The sweetness and tragedy had me reading the entire thing when I just meant to preview it.   I felt Brianna’s pain and I understood her reticence to move on after the tragic death of her husband.  I cheered for her when she finally allowed herself to heal and accept love into her life again.

Pagan Elements:  Winter Solstice Kiss has pagan elements—the symbolism of Yule being a new beginning and a return to light.

Cover (Rated 1-10): 7—The cover was romantic and warm.  It features an attractive couple on the cover done in shades of blue with a cozy winter cabin set below.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & the Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.