Turn Up the Heat by Lori Foster, Christie Ridgway & Victoria Dahl

December 24th, 2013 Kimberly Review 38 Comments

24th Dec
Turn Up the Heat by Lori Foster, Christie Ridgway & Victoria Dahl
Turn Up the Heat
by Christie Ridgway, Lori Foster, Victoria Dahl
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Three sizzling tales from three bestselling authors. Love Won't Wait by Lori Foster- Brendan "Brick" Carlisle is used to women falling at his feet, so shy waitress Merrily Loveland is a breath of fresh air—and an irresistible challenge. But before he can make his move, Merrily comes to him with an offer he can't refuse. If only their "no-strings" pact didn't leave him wanting so much more…. Beach House Beginnings by Christie Ridgway- She might have avoided Crescent Cove, California, for years, but no-nonsense Meg Alexander is confident she can handle a brief trip home. What she doesn't count on is the spark of desire she feels for Caleb McCall. Can a weekend in paradise convince her to give love a second chance? Strong Enough to Love by Victoria Dahl- Photographer Eve Hill had always told herself that sexy Brian Stewart was off-limits. But now he's back in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Eve can't resist their long-denied attraction. When the reality turns out to be hotter than the fantasy, Eve might end up getting more than she bargained for….

When I saw, the cover *yum* and Lori Foster I couldn’t resist grabbing Turning Up the Heat. This anthology offers three romances. One was sweet; one was hot and one was so hot it sizzled; in fact, I told my hubby I was reading porn. Two of them held me completely captive and the third was cute making this collection a win. Mini-review: escape, hot, sexy romances, perfect for reading by the fire.

Love Won’t Wait by Lori Foster– You all know I have mad love for Foster’s romantic suspense series, and this was really the first contemporary I have tried of hers. I fell in love with Brick Carlisle and Merrily Loveland. I still can’t believe this was a novella. Foster completely developed the characters and even had me invested in secondary characters. The tale was sweet, funny and Foster delivered some heat, as well. Apparently, this is the second novella featuring the Carlisles, and now I am going to need to buy the Love Bites Anthology. I am so hoping there is a third because I want the neighbors’ romance too.

Beach House Beginnings by Christie Ridgway– The tale takes us to Crescent Cove, California and shares Meg Alexander’s journey of letting go and taking a chance on romance again. Both Caleb and Meg were sweet. Each has suffered loss. Caleb has learned to embrace life again and is determined that Meg love again. This was sweet and had a little supernatural element to it. I enjoyed the tale but didn’t become completely immersed in the romance, which surprised me because I have enjoyed so many of Ridgeway’s contemporaries.

Strong Enough to Love by Victoria Dahl– Holy hotness, this was my first read by Dahl, but it won’t be my last. I am sure this is tame compared to some erotic novels, but I had to fan myself a few times. I connected with Eve Hill and Brian Stewart despite my initial nervousness. Dahl gave them a solid history and made their emotions and physical attraction to each other very believable. I wanted them to find their happiness, and woozier the ride there was smoking hot.

Turn Up the Heat, offers some heated romances for cold winter nights and is the perfect start to the new year. I am glad I got to try Foster’s contemporary and discovered a new author.

 

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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38 Responses to “Turn Up the Heat by Lori Foster, Christie Ridgway & Victoria Dahl”

  2. anna

    Oh yeah Foster does some great contemporary romances and light suspense ones too (her SBC fighters). You’ve got so many good reads ahead of you!

    Haven’t tried Dahl though I own a few. Just need to make some time it sounds like 🙂

  3. sharonda

    I’m not a real big fan of anthologies, but I do like the sound of this one 🙂

    Merry Christmas

  4. Victoria (aka Zemfirka)

    Oh, I haven’t read anything by these authors before, an anthology might be a good way to check them out. It sounds like these were fun little reads. And… “in fact I told my hubby I was reading porn” – I tell that to my hubby sometimes too, some of the books these days are really… 😉

    Merry Christmas!

  5. Melissa (Books and Things)

    😀 Foster’s covers are always nice to look at. I want to read her other series as well. I do enjoy her romantic suspense. I’m hoping that her ladies in these are a bit more enjoyable though. Yes, yes… you will have me reading one of my contemps as soon as I have time. Darn you. 😉

    Happy Holidays!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Her’s was good, a little insta-love but the female character was likable. Happy Holidays 🙂

  7. Mariana

    This cover is seriously WOW. I didn’t got interested in this anthology because one of those stories didn’t caught my eye when I read it. And the other two I can read later. But the cover is so worth it.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I hope you enjoy them when you do 🙂 Merry Christmas Mariana 🙂

  8. Sharlene Wegner

    This one is on my list, for sure! I always show the covers to my husband & tell him to stop posing for these pictures! He rolls his eyes. He thinks they are all porn, or he just doesn’t want to know! LOL!

  9. kindlemom1

    Anthologies can be so tricky but it sounds like overall, this one wasn’t bad at all.
    Great reviews Kim!

    Merry Christmas!!!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It was a nice collection. Thanks Aurian and Merry Christmas 🙂

  12. Jenea

    I think I could stare at the steamy cover. I read a book a while back and fanned myself and my husband fell out laughing asking me what I was reading. lol So, I understand completely. They all do sound good.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      hehehe…this was a blast to read and oh yeah that cover is poster worthy! Merry Christmas 🙂

  13. Jenny

    Oooo I’m thinking I need to read this Kim! I’m a huge fan of Lori Foster’s as you are, she’s never disappointed me, and I’ve read several of Victoria Dahl’s books as well and loved them. I’m all for the steamy reads, so sign me up for Strong Enough to Love!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I love Foster and look forward to trying more Dahl. This was a really nice collection 🙂

  14. Nick

    LOL at you telling your husband you were reading porn! What was his reaction? 😀
    I don’t normally like short stories because they are well, short and I feel they can be inadequate, but it sounds like the first book was really well-written with the fleshed out characters. I’m glad that you had a good experience with a known author and you also discovered a new author you enjoyed.
    Lovely review, Kim!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      LOL he said, “Really?” and waggled his eyebrows! Merry Christmas Nick 🙂

  16. Mary

    Oooh! *fans self* Definitely Top Off Tuesday-worthy! I like quick romances (though I usually want more).

  17. Annie

    Lol. When I read the synopsis I thought to myself ‘I think I fancy Strong Enough to Love the most…’. I haven’t actually read any VD yet but your review makes me think I need to! 🙂

  19. Pamela D

    I really enjoy short story collections, because they give me the opportunity to read more stories by my favorite authors and try new authors at the same time. 🙂 I am glad to hear that you enjoyed this book.