Review: The Heart of Winter by Maggie Shayne, Linda Winstead Jones, Day Leclaire

The Heart of Winter

Maggie Shayne {Blog | Facebook}
Linda Winstead Jones {Facebook}
Day Leclaire {Facebook}
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: January 1, 2011
Format: Mass Market Paperback {p.312}
Source: Personal Library
Genre: Contemporay
Characters: Melinda Terwilliger, Matthew MacGuire | Nell Collins, Julian Maddox | Jayne Mylestone, Nick Fontana
My Rating:

Prepare to be…

Tempted

Melinda Terwilliger is a mild-mannered teacher—until she accidentally becomes The Toughest Girl in Town. But she meets her match in an undercover cop determined to get to know the real Melinda…with kisses hot enough to melt any woman's heart!

Seduced

When law secretary Nell Rose is snowbound with a handsome stranger, keeping her New Year's Resolution becomes nearly impossible. Why swear off men when a romantic weekend with a reclusive writer seems to be the ideal way to ring in the new year?

Swept Away

Plain Jayne Myleston seduced her office crush at a masked ball—and then found she'd turned up the heat with the wrong man! Even after the ball, she can't say no to her Mystery Lover. That is, until Jayne finds out who he really is!

-The Toughest Girl in Town Maggie Shayne-
Melinda was living the life of a shy people pleaser until her BFF decided to try hypnosis on her.

After her hypnosis, Melinda seemed to think she was Jennifer Garner from Alias. She changed her appearance, her behavior, and her general take on her well being.

With her newfound courage, Melinda believed she could take down the neighborhood drug dealers single-handily. When Melinda wasn’t taking such unbelievable risks, she was keeping it entertaining with her wit.

Since this is part of a three story anthology, it moved a little faster than most, but not so fast that you get lost along the way.

Overall it was an entertaining read.


-Resolution Linda Winstead Jones-
Nell Rose has been having such bad luck when it comes to men, that she makes it her New Year’s Resolution to give them up for a year. And then she meets Julian.

Julian is untrusting of all people after a horrible incident on his job. Now he has quit the job and moved to the mountains of Tennessee living as a successful author.

I really enjoyed this addition to the anthology. Although Julian and Nell Rose only knew each for a short period of time, the chemistry and connection between them was instant.

Of course with Julian’s trust issues there were bound to be some difficulties. Julian’s instantly willing to believe the worst in people, almost cost him Nell Rose.


-Mystery Lover Day Leclaire-
This story also takes on the New Year’s theme. Although with Mystery Lover, Jayne isn’t giving up on men, but instead is hopping into bed with a mystery man she assumes is her workplace crush.

Little does she know, it’s her boss who has a crush of his own.

Mystery Lover is a journey of role playing fantasies all the while Jayne remained oblivious to whom she was having sex with. Of course it all worked out in the end with Jayne breaking it off with her mystery man, because in her real life she was falling in love with her boss.

This addition to the anthology was probably my least favorite of the three stories, because it didn’t ring true to me. Maybe the one New Year’s night fantasy encounter as strangers, but continuing for weeks not knowing whom you’re having sex with seemed rather outlandish.