Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon: The Magical Christmas Cat & 10 Blind Dates

The Magical Christmas Cat
By: Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Linda Winstead Jones
Published: October 7, 2008
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Purchased on Amazon
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Put a little meow in your stocking with these tales of Christmas romance from four New York Times bestselling authors.

Lora Leigh, Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy, and Linda Winstead Jones have a special gift for readers: heartwarming holiday stories featuring passionate romance, paranormal adventure, and a distinctly alluring feline touch. 

With four thrilling stories—including one featuring Lora Leigh's genetically altered Feline Breeds—this is a collection packed with more surprises than Christmas morning, and more chills than the snowiest winter night...

 

My Thoughts:

For the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon, I wanted to read a variety of Christmas reads. So for my first pick I chose an anthology in the adult paranormal genre, and for my second choice, I picked a young adult, full length contemporary. However, as all of you know, I love the romance genre, so both of my reads are full off, swoons, feels, and the romantic vibe! 

The Magical Christmas Cat called to me when I saw the large fluffy white cat on the cover. My Nana loved cats, and I'm coming up on the second year of her passing, and missing her so very much. When I saw this book, it made me think of her, because she use to have a cat that was the light of her life, and looked just like the cat on the cover! It made me feel connected to her, and I needed that. 

The Magical Christmas Cat had four short stories, and each of these stories featured a cat in one way or another. My favorite stories hands down were Christmas Heat by Lora Leigh and Stroke of Enticement by Nalini Singh. They were both part of a larger series, but I had no problem following along. I read both of these stories very fast, and love a good shape-shifter romance. I'm going to need to begin the Breeds and Psy-Changeling books! 

Christmas Bree was a fun story and I enjoyed the dynamic between the three sisters who were witches. Sweet Dreams was the slowest story for me, and my least favorite. It had a paranormal horror feel, and lacked romance. I felt like it didn't vibe with the other three stories in the anthology, but it was still entertaining. 

Most of the stories in this anthology were very sexy, entertaining, romantic, and mesmerizing. If you enjoy paranormal romance, with more explicit sexual content, and a variety of authors and short stories, you should definitely pick up this holiday anthology!

10 Blind Dates
By: Ashley Elston
Published: October 1, 2019
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Purchased on Amazon
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Sophie wants one thing for Christmas—a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation. 

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby. 

When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available. 

This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever . . . or is it?

My Thoughts:

10 Blind Dates was such a fun, cute, and heartwarming read!  I breezed right through this fantastic story with a smile on my face, and lots of giggles and laughs.  It was the perfect holiday read, filled with family, fun, friendship, and of course a very sweet romance!

Sophie's family kept me laughing and entertained with the way they meddled, (all from a place of love,) supported one another, bickered, had fun, and were always there for one another.  This story had the, My Big Fat Greek Wedding vibe, except that Sophie's family was Sicilian, instead of Greek.  The descriptions of Nonna's food and deserts had me salivating, and the pairing of food and family is always a win for me.  

I loved watching Sophie's relationships blossom.  It made my heart happy to see her reconnecting with her grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles; and I could relate to how close she was to her sister.  I thought it was wonderful seeing Sophie come into her own, and discovering who she was and who she wanted to become.

I adored this story, and can't recommend it enough!