Red Hot Santa 
asked by freedrink on November 1, 2006 8:03 PM
This holiday season, four bestselling authors give the gift that keeps on giving: gripping tales of special agents in a covert agency, out to protect the innocent . . . by any means necessary.
Snowball’s Chance by Cherry Adair–Kendall decks the halls, unaware that a serial killer has her on the top of his list. Of course, being naughty with the sexy good guy sent to protect her would be so nice.
Santa Slave by Leanne Banks–After her best friend disappears, Hilary takes matters into her own hands and finds herself caught in the throes of danger, while a hunky male operative hopes to mix pleasure with business.
Runaway Santa by Pamela Britton–Biologist Kaitlyn Moneypenny’s research is finally leading to a big scientific breakthrough . . . and mortal peril. When bullets start to fly, so do the sparks between Kaitlyn and her Santa-clad rescuer.
Killer Christmas by Kelsey Roberts–When several Santas are murdered at a swanky department store, the new CEO, Meghan Beckham, had better watch out, had better not cry–because a serial killer has come to town.
Snowball’s Chance by Cherry Adair–Kendall decks the halls, unaware that a serial killer has her on the top of his list. Of course, being naughty with the sexy good guy sent to protect her would be so nice.
Santa Slave by Leanne Banks–After her best friend disappears, Hilary takes matters into her own hands and finds herself caught in the throes of danger, while a hunky male operative hopes to mix pleasure with business.
Runaway Santa by Pamela Britton–Biologist Kaitlyn Moneypenny’s research is finally leading to a big scientific breakthrough . . . and mortal peril. When bullets start to fly, so do the sparks between Kaitlyn and her Santa-clad rescuer.
Killer Christmas by Kelsey Roberts–When several Santas are murdered at a swanky department store, the new CEO, Meghan Beckham, had better watch out, had better not cry–because a serial killer has come to town.
Reviews
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This isn't your average Christmas anthology. It's got a little bit of everything and all 4 authors hold their own, telling stories in very distinctive styles.
reviewed by nexus on November 20, 2006 12:10 AM
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I loved this red hot read. It is a must have to spice up the winter dulldrums for any reader. The sharp witty stories and the page turning suspense is a must have for all of Santa's 'good' girls...er women. :)
reviewed by vladi on November 25, 2006 1:58 PM
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First of all, this is not a Christmas anthology. This is 4 stories that just happen to occur in December. Christmas isn't a big part of the stories -- at least not the first two, which was all I could read before I added this to the pile of books going to the used book store.
Adair's story had good suspense with a serial killer bent on finishing off his victim from a year before and agent Joe Zorn bent on preventing him from doing it. This should have been a longer story to allow more character development and longer build-up to the climax of the action.
Banks' story was a disappointment in light of her previous books. Her novels are usually full of sensuality and this one was sorely lacking in that department. And it wasn't particularly suspenseful either.
After two disappointing reads, I decided to pass on Britton and Roberts and move along to the next book on the TBR pile.
If you're looking for a good Christmas read, this isn't it. I only give it 2 stars because it's well written. Blah, but well written.
Adair's story had good suspense with a serial killer bent on finishing off his victim from a year before and agent Joe Zorn bent on preventing him from doing it. This should have been a longer story to allow more character development and longer build-up to the climax of the action.
Banks' story was a disappointment in light of her previous books. Her novels are usually full of sensuality and this one was sorely lacking in that department. And it wasn't particularly suspenseful either.
After two disappointing reads, I decided to pass on Britton and Roberts and move along to the next book on the TBR pile.
If you're looking for a good Christmas read, this isn't it. I only give it 2 stars because it's well written. Blah, but well written.
reviewed by skywalker on November 26, 2006 7:57 PM
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Call me what you want, but I've always loved Christmas anthologies. One of my favorite holidays-commercialism included!-I love Christmas and the spirit of love, happiness, and goodwill that it stands for. Getting to read a Christmas anthology like RED HOT SANTA, by four of my favorite authors, is icing on my holiday cake!
Cherry Adair serves up a white-hot suspense sizzler with SNOWBALL'S CHANCE, the story of a woman who once escaped a serial killer-but might not be so lucky this time around. Kendall Metcalf has made a name for herself as a party planner and has even had a few write-ups in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Along with her business partner, Rebecca Metzner, their focus has been on a big holiday party planned for a big-wig out in the wilds of Montana. Planned, that is, until Rebecca realizes that the madman who almost killed Kendall, Dwight Treadwell, has escaped from prison and is no doubt set on revenge against the woman who didn't die and in fact got him locked away. So she hires Joe Zorn to ditch his skiing vacation and travel, in a blinding snowstorm, to the ranch where Kendall is staying. Ms. Adair's story had me laughing out loud with Kendall's "Ho, Ho, Ho Y'All" shirt, shivering with fear when the psychotic Treadwell showed up, and sighing with delight over the sexual chemistry between bodyguard Joe and Kendall.
SANTA SLAVE by Leanne Banks centers around Hilary Winfree, a graduate student and teaching assistant who is worried about the college student she's been mentoring. Christine, a beautiful girl who'd never been away from home, had found an ad offering young girls free travel around the world and thousands of dollars in compensation to teach foreign businessmen American customs and manners. Although Hilary had warned Christine that the offer sounded too good to be true, Christine went anyway-and now that she's missing, Hilary takes it upon herself to accept the same position. Unfortunately, she learns all too quickly that these "businessmen" are dealing in human trafficking. Fortunately, someone else is worried about Hilary, and Rick "Chameleon" Santana is on the job. Posing as a prospective "buyer", Rick infiltrates the sordid building where Hilary and a number of other young women are being held, and attempts to buy her way to freedom. Although scary in it's subject matter, SANTA SLAVE deals with the all-too-real problems that face many young women in third-world countries, and the feelings that develop between Hilary and Rick, along with their desire to rescue Christine, make for an interesting story.
Pamela Britton's story, BIG, BAD SANTA, is an absolute delight! Dr. Kaitlyn Logan runs an animal shelter, and has been working for years on a pet project that involves developing a "migratory chip"-an implanted microchip in birds that can be used to actually direct them in a certain direction. Unfortunately, as soon as she writes Senator Prescott with her information and asks for government funding, all sorts of bad events are set in motion. Basically, the chip that she invented to send electronic pulses to a bird's brain and direct it's flight pattern could, if it fell into the wrong hands, be used as the world's first avian weapon-the birds could be outfitted with cameras to spy on the enemy, or even as a biological weapon. Kaitlyn hadn't thought of that, but she wises up pretty quickly when a man named Chase Owens shows up at her shelter, ushers her past a man trying to shoot her, orders her onto his Harley, and whisks her away to safety. He informs Kait that he's been watching her and her place of business for over a week, ever since she wrote the Senator. Now that terrorists are coming out of the woodwork to get their hands on Kait's technology, the only thing keeping her out of harms way is the mysterious stranger on a motorcycle-the same stranger that's causing her to forget all about microchips and instead sending pulses of heat throughout her own body.
Kelsey Roberts brings us KILLER CHRISTMAS, and what a killer it is. Meghan Beckham, the new CEO of Beckhams Department Store in Palm Beach, is a little dismayed to learn that her store's Santas are dropping like flies-literally. One Santa died of a supposed heart attack during his break one day, and the next day the replacement Santa is dead, too-this time, though, the knife sticking out of his once jolly belly points to murder. As does the fact that the dead Santa is propped up on full display in the store's front window. When Jack Palmer shows up to serve as her personal bodyguard, Meghan has a few choice words to say about how it's going to effect her business-but the heat running between the two of them is something else entirely. As Jack vows to keep Meghan safe, and Meghan pledges that no more Santas will die on her watch, the two of them are determined to find out just who is behind the death of Santa Clause, and who wants to see Beckhams close so badly.
If you read no other Christmas anthology this year, make sure you pick up a copy of RED HOT SANTA. You won't be disappointed, but you also won't want to see the stories come to an end!
Cherry Adair serves up a white-hot suspense sizzler with SNOWBALL'S CHANCE, the story of a woman who once escaped a serial killer-but might not be so lucky this time around. Kendall Metcalf has made a name for herself as a party planner and has even had a few write-ups in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Along with her business partner, Rebecca Metzner, their focus has been on a big holiday party planned for a big-wig out in the wilds of Montana. Planned, that is, until Rebecca realizes that the madman who almost killed Kendall, Dwight Treadwell, has escaped from prison and is no doubt set on revenge against the woman who didn't die and in fact got him locked away. So she hires Joe Zorn to ditch his skiing vacation and travel, in a blinding snowstorm, to the ranch where Kendall is staying. Ms. Adair's story had me laughing out loud with Kendall's "Ho, Ho, Ho Y'All" shirt, shivering with fear when the psychotic Treadwell showed up, and sighing with delight over the sexual chemistry between bodyguard Joe and Kendall.
SANTA SLAVE by Leanne Banks centers around Hilary Winfree, a graduate student and teaching assistant who is worried about the college student she's been mentoring. Christine, a beautiful girl who'd never been away from home, had found an ad offering young girls free travel around the world and thousands of dollars in compensation to teach foreign businessmen American customs and manners. Although Hilary had warned Christine that the offer sounded too good to be true, Christine went anyway-and now that she's missing, Hilary takes it upon herself to accept the same position. Unfortunately, she learns all too quickly that these "businessmen" are dealing in human trafficking. Fortunately, someone else is worried about Hilary, and Rick "Chameleon" Santana is on the job. Posing as a prospective "buyer", Rick infiltrates the sordid building where Hilary and a number of other young women are being held, and attempts to buy her way to freedom. Although scary in it's subject matter, SANTA SLAVE deals with the all-too-real problems that face many young women in third-world countries, and the feelings that develop between Hilary and Rick, along with their desire to rescue Christine, make for an interesting story.
Pamela Britton's story, BIG, BAD SANTA, is an absolute delight! Dr. Kaitlyn Logan runs an animal shelter, and has been working for years on a pet project that involves developing a "migratory chip"-an implanted microchip in birds that can be used to actually direct them in a certain direction. Unfortunately, as soon as she writes Senator Prescott with her information and asks for government funding, all sorts of bad events are set in motion. Basically, the chip that she invented to send electronic pulses to a bird's brain and direct it's flight pattern could, if it fell into the wrong hands, be used as the world's first avian weapon-the birds could be outfitted with cameras to spy on the enemy, or even as a biological weapon. Kaitlyn hadn't thought of that, but she wises up pretty quickly when a man named Chase Owens shows up at her shelter, ushers her past a man trying to shoot her, orders her onto his Harley, and whisks her away to safety. He informs Kait that he's been watching her and her place of business for over a week, ever since she wrote the Senator. Now that terrorists are coming out of the woodwork to get their hands on Kait's technology, the only thing keeping her out of harms way is the mysterious stranger on a motorcycle-the same stranger that's causing her to forget all about microchips and instead sending pulses of heat throughout her own body.
Kelsey Roberts brings us KILLER CHRISTMAS, and what a killer it is. Meghan Beckham, the new CEO of Beckhams Department Store in Palm Beach, is a little dismayed to learn that her store's Santas are dropping like flies-literally. One Santa died of a supposed heart attack during his break one day, and the next day the replacement Santa is dead, too-this time, though, the knife sticking out of his once jolly belly points to murder. As does the fact that the dead Santa is propped up on full display in the store's front window. When Jack Palmer shows up to serve as her personal bodyguard, Meghan has a few choice words to say about how it's going to effect her business-but the heat running between the two of them is something else entirely. As Jack vows to keep Meghan safe, and Meghan pledges that no more Santas will die on her watch, the two of them are determined to find out just who is behind the death of Santa Clause, and who wants to see Beckhams close so badly.
If you read no other Christmas anthology this year, make sure you pick up a copy of RED HOT SANTA. You won't be disappointed, but you also won't want to see the stories come to an end!
reviewed by gilbert on November 28, 2006 5:14 PM
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"Red Hot Santa" is not your average holiday anthology. This fast read has four entertaining stories that are connected by an agency that protects those that can't help themselves. It's a bonus that these four strong men are able to find love during the holidays.
Cherry Adair's "Snowballs Chance" is the story of Kendall Metcalf. She survived a serial killer who tried to kill her, she is trying to get her life back on track but when the killer escapes prison and heads for her Kendall she will need Joe Zorn to keep her safe. But who's going to protect him from the attraction he feels for this lady in distress?
"Santa Slave" brings agent Rick Santana into play when Hilary goes under cover to find her best friend after she goes on a job interview for a white slaver. Will Hilary and Rick managed to save her friend, or will heat get in the way?
"Big Bad Santa" is not your average santa story. Vet Kaitlyn Logan has come up with a research project that appeal to a terror group. When handsome Chance Owen rides in on his Harley to save the day, Kaitlyn has to wonder just how bad her santa rescuer really is.
"Killer Christmas" describes the holiday atmosphere for an upscale department store. Santa's are being killed but why? Will the killer be found before Meghan becomes the next victim?
These are fast reads that put the "H" in hot holiday reading. This is a perfect escape and fun reading. You won't want to miss this holiday treat.
Cherry Adair's "Snowballs Chance" is the story of Kendall Metcalf. She survived a serial killer who tried to kill her, she is trying to get her life back on track but when the killer escapes prison and heads for her Kendall she will need Joe Zorn to keep her safe. But who's going to protect him from the attraction he feels for this lady in distress?
"Santa Slave" brings agent Rick Santana into play when Hilary goes under cover to find her best friend after she goes on a job interview for a white slaver. Will Hilary and Rick managed to save her friend, or will heat get in the way?
"Big Bad Santa" is not your average santa story. Vet Kaitlyn Logan has come up with a research project that appeal to a terror group. When handsome Chance Owen rides in on his Harley to save the day, Kaitlyn has to wonder just how bad her santa rescuer really is.
"Killer Christmas" describes the holiday atmosphere for an upscale department store. Santa's are being killed but why? Will the killer be found before Meghan becomes the next victim?
These are fast reads that put the "H" in hot holiday reading. This is a perfect escape and fun reading. You won't want to miss this holiday treat.
reviewed by sumbuddy on November 29, 2006 2:09 AM