Christie Ridgway

Say Yes by Christie Ridgway
Cabin Fever (Book 1.5)

Cautious florist Ashley Walker is excited to embark on her "Year of Yes" no matter what happens. But accepting a surprise job offer leads to an awkward discovery: she's hot for her millionaire boss, Chase Bradley!

After four years of grieving the death of her husband and being overly cautious about her life choices, Ashley was ready to start living again. Her New Year's resolution was to start saying "yes" to more opportunities. The first show more chance came on New Year's Eve when she was offered a job playing hostess at a week-long house party. The money was too good to resist, but the difficulty was her boss. Chase Bradley intimidates the heck out of her, with his good looks, charm, and wealth, to the point where she can barely talk around him.

The development of Chase and Ashley's relationship was very fast. Chase was intrigued and attracted from the moment he met her, and when he found himself in need of a hostess, he jumped on the idea of asking Ashley. His focus was on pursuing the attraction and getting her into bed. However, it wasn't long before he was equally interested in getting to know her. Ashley was attracted to Chase, but she was cautious about risking her heart. I liked seeing them work together to entertain their guests, while at the same time getting to know each other. Once Ashley got past her shyness they had some pretty great interactions. It was fun to see Chase fight his feelings for a while, especially after his conversation with his friend. Ashley fought hers even harder, especially when some of the things she learned about him triggered her fears. I ached for Chase, who wanted to see where a relationship might go when Ashley freaked out over the idea. It took an eye-opening experience for Ashley to realize that there are no guarantees in life and that she should seize her chance to live and love again. I loved their big moment at the end and the "theme" for that day.

No More Bad Girls by Leslie Kelly

Scorched by a string of nightmare ex-girlfriends, Lex Rollins resolves to date only nice women...then is lured by siren Lia before midnight. But Lia is really Amelia, a good girl playing naughty for a night. Can a blind date as their real selves uncover their true desires?

I really liked this story. Lex is a good looking man who was quite the player. The women he dated tended to be on the bad girl side of the scale, especially the last one, who cleaned out his apartment of anything not nailed down. Out with his buddies on New Year's Eve, he took their accusations of having really bad taste in women to heart and made giving up bad girls his New Year's resolution. Too bad he stumbled into an especially intriguing one on his way out of the bar. Amelia is a nice girl who is sick of being every guy's friend and nobody's girlfriend. She was ready to push the limits of her comfort zone and let the woman she wished she was out to play.

I loved the chemistry between Lex and Amelia that was evident from the start. The banter between them on NYE was fantastic. I felt bad for both of them when midnight came because the end of that steamy kiss meant the beginning of Lex's resolution. Lex wanted to stay but stuck to his guns, and Amelia was left bewildered by his exit. Neither one could forget the other. Lex didn't expect to run into "Lia" a couple of weeks later and found himself just as intrigued. The circumstances of that encounter were pretty ironically hilarious, with Lex having just had to cancel the blind date set up by his friend with his future sister-in-law, and (unknown to him) Amelia being that blind date. This is followed by a pretty wild text conversation between Amelia and "Alexander." I loved the snappy humor and comebacks between them then and over the next couple of weeks before their date happens. I loved their reactions when they "met."

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Lex and Amelia. I loved seeing Lex embrace the good side of himself. His planning of their first date was amazing, and he was off and running from there. He was always aware of the fact that Amelia wasn't like his former girlfriends, and treated her with tenderness and respect. I loved seeing him fall deeper under her spell and his surprise at the thoughts he had. At the same time, Amelia grew more and more frustrated. Her feelings for him also grew stronger, and her attraction even more so, but she couldn't get Lex to take that final step. Then a blast from the past reminded Lex of everything that screams that he isn't good enough for a nice girl like Amelia. I ached for the pain he felt and for Amelia when he pushed her away. Help came from an unexpected source, and I loved watching Amelia bring out her bad girl as she fought for her man. The ending was perfect for them.

Just a Fling by Tanya Michaels

Shy, insecure Erin Cross makes two bold resolutions: (A) get on a plane, and (B) have a fling. In pursuit of Option A, she's mistaken for a key witness in a mob trial and whisked away by a sexy FBI agent Which just leaves Option B...

This was a quick, fast-paced romantic suspense. Erin has had some trouble getting back into the dating game, thanks to the hit her self-confidence took at the hands of her ex. She carried on a safe, long-distance phone flirtation with a coworker, until she was challenged by her best friend to do something about it. Erin made arrangements to meet him at a company convention in Mexico, requiring another resolution - getting on an airplane. She's been afraid of flying since a bad experience as a child, but took courage in hand and did it. All she had to do was meet the man at the pool bar and take it from there.

But not so fast. The man she thought was her date turned out to be an FBI agent there to meet up with a witness. Agent Foster thought that Erin was his witness - and so did the two thugs at the end of the bar. Thus began a somewhat madcap adventure as Foster and Erin do their best to escape and evade the men who want them both dead.

I liked the development of the relationship between Erin and Foster. This was his last case before leaving the FBI because of what he perceived as his failures. He was determined to keep her safe, and allowing himself to be distracted by his attraction wasn't in his game plan. She was just as attracted to him and quite willing to indulge in that attraction. I loved the scene at the gym when Foster was giving her self-defense lessons, and she couldn't remember why she was supposed to try to get away from him. I enjoyed how his admiration of her personally and in the way she handled herself gave her self-confidence such a boost. Foster also became more and more protective of Erin. It was great to see how her renewed confidence gave her the desire to help catch the bad guy. I was very impressed with her quick thinking when things didn't go according to plan, and her belief that Foster wouldn't let her down. But in the end, Foster's fears made him push Erin away in a heartwrenching scene. It was fun to watch him suffer for his stupidity, and I loved seeing his friend Morgan call him on it. I loved Foster's big moment at the end and the hint of vulnerability the peeked through his groveling speech to Erin. show less

Must Love Mistletoe by Christie Ridgway is a 2006 Avon publication.

Holiday themed novels are my weakness. Like a starving person at a buffet, every year I load up on new Christmas themed novels- way more than I could possibly read- even if I started in September- okay, if I started in July. So, my Kindle is now haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past- packed with unread heartwarming holiday family fare, Yuletide murders, and zany Christmas-themed rom-coms. So, this year I limited myself to show more only three (or four) new releases and instead picked holiday books I already had on my Kindle.

I have no idea how long this book has been on my device- but it’s been a few years- over five- at least. I love the cover, and the story sounded cute- so I plucked it from the pile.

Unfortunately, every year I also manage to pick a book that is the equivalent of a lump of coal amongst all the shiny bows and ribbons- and this year that humbug honor goes to “Must Love Mistletoe’.

This is a contemporary romance that although it had some potential fizzled out pretty early on. I have no doubt that if I’d read this book years back, I’d have been more entertained by it than I am now. But I’ve aged out of CR novels in which there is more heavy breathing, groping, making out and sex scenes than there is meaningful dialogue and character growth.

There really wasn’t a lot of holiday cheer in this one either, despite the premise- there was more grumbling about the holiday than warmth, joy, peace or even comedy for that matter. Though one couldn’t really blame Finn for not being in the holiday spirit- he would go from dark and brooding to lusting after Bailey, to make out sessions, then back to dark and brooding. It just didn’t mix well. Then there was that ending- with an unusual twist that didn’t make sense, and a rather abrupt conclusion.

Overall, this one will fare better for the targeted audience- which I was probably moderately a part of when I first acquired this book- but have long since abandoned.

On the plus side, each chapter ended with a small bit of Christmas trivia- which was fun and interesting-and almost made it worth sitting through all that heavy breathing… almost.

2 stars show less

A terrific conclusion to the series. Zan has been a background character in all the books, the friend who left town for parts unknown. The only contact has been the occasional postcard sent to Mac, with no message other than the letter Z. After ten years away, Zan has returned to settle his grandfather's estate.

When Zan was a boy, he lost his entire family in an airplane crash. He was sent to live with his grandfather, where he met the Walkers. The lonely boy became a "brother of the heart" show more to them and as a teen much more to Mac. For two years they were a couple, and then Zan abruptly left town, taking Mac's heart with him.

Mac has spent the last ten years taking care of her family, building her business, and trying to forget Zan. She's very practical, a bit cynical, and very protective of her family. She's happy that her siblings have found love, but a bit sad that she doesn't have someone of her own. Zan's return throws her into a tailspin, as she discovers that the chemistry they had together in the past is stronger than ever. She is determined to keep her distance from him and not risk another heartbreak when he leaves again.

Zan is surprised by how strong his attraction to Mac still is. He would love to pick up where they left off, enjoying the time they have together before he leaves again. He's a bit confused by her chilly attitude.

I really enjoyed the reigniting of their relationship. Both Mac and Zan have been unable to forget each other over the last ten years, but each has some major hurdles to overcome to make a future possible. Mac was devastated by Zan's departure all those years ago and has some huge trust issues now. Zan believes that love always ends in loss because of what happened to him. He pushes people away rather than take a chance on loving and losing. As they work together on Zan's house, the sparks between them burn hotter. Zan wants to give in to them, while Mac is convinced it would be a bad idea. Her brief attempt at believing she can have a fling with him without risking her heart shows her just the opposite, and she pulls away again. Zan wants Mac with every fiber of his being, but he's afraid to believe that it can last. In spite of the fears that each of them has, they can't stay away from each other.

I ached so much for Zan who has spent years running from the ghosts in his heart. His memories of his times with the Walkers are some of the best he has but he's afraid to believe. When he returns to town it takes him a while to adjust to all the changes he finds. He's oblivious to the hurt he's caused by his long absence and lack of communication. It was really sweet to see the way that Shay and Poppy sucked him right back into their lives. The conversation between Zan and Brett, as Brett makes his point that Zan is family brought me to tears. The whole deal with the land made me hurt for him, as he tried to keep his promise to Mac and deal with his guilt at the same time. I wasn't at all surprised at his solution. It was also great to see how many of the people in town were happy to see Zan, and that their pleasure and the memories they shared all began to change the way he looked at the town.

I loved how Mac confronted him at the end, using the postcards to show him how she felt. That scene was really emotional as they started to lay the past to rest. But the best was yet to come at Poppy's wedding. I loved how a chance encounter with an old woman finally showed Zan what he had been doing to himself all those years. His big moment at the end was sweet, romantic and just the type of grand gesture that Mac needed.

I loved the epilogue and the glimpse of the whole family five years later. show less

To be clear, every single star in that rating goes to Laura Florand's story. I didn't even finish Deirdre Martin's, and while Christie Ridgway's tale was readable, I found myself restraining the occasional violent urge toward her hero and heroine.

But Laura Florand's story...bestill my heart, man. Beautiful, evocative writing. Likable, and flawed, protagonists. The magic of Paris (which I'm generally indifferent about) and chocolate (which I am never indifferent about). A sexy, decadent, show more utterly charming story. Seriously: it is entirely possible that time stopped whilst I read it. I will definitely be reading the others in her Amour et Chocolat series. show less