Three romantic holiday stories full of cheer, laughter and love by three leading authors. Once Upon a Holiday will bring joy and warmth to readers' hearts during the holiday season.

Holiday Heat by Beverly Jenkins

Eve Clark is a ball-busting ATF agent, not one for letting her guard down and shaking loose. She finds herself in an unusual situation when she agrees to go to a holiday costume party and meets a man who turns her controlled world upside down. Throwing all caution to the wind, she ends up between the sheets with this hot and sexy stranger, but once she comes down off her holiday high, she runs for cover, escaping without offering to reveal her true identity Called to duty for an arson case, Eve's plan to go home is halted, but she gets a surprise when the lead investigator and her new partner on the case is Leyton Palmer, the same man she shared that hot night with. Neither is aware of the other's identity and as they get close and learn the truth, they have to decide if love is worth fighting for.

From the first page I was caught up in this story. Leyton is a man who is not afraid to show himself. There is no pretense to his character. His charm, wit and sensitivity are reflected throughout and he makes for a great hero. Eve, on the other hand, is a bit cold and it took me longer to warm up to her. She carries some baggage due to her field of work, but eventually Leyton is able to wear down her defenses. There is a suspense element thrown into the story and it works well in the background.

Candy Christmas by Adrianne Byrd

Candace Lahane is a top-notch advertising executive on the fast track to VP status at her firm. She has pulled in the highest numbers the last seven years and there is no doubt in her mind that she will get the promotion any day. But she has to overcome one obstacle and that is, Montel Starks, a handsome pain in her butt. Ever since he has been with the company, he's been nipping at her pointy designer heels. The competition is on and neither one is backing down. On a trip to Paris, the two rivals' war turns into a passionate affair and they have to figure out if they really want the job or one another.

Adrianne Byrd is the Queen of surprises. She can twist a plot like nobody's business and she did not let me down in this short story. There is humor in all of her books, and I laughed out loud at certain parts and gasped at her twists. Though the story is light and short, it's filled with a lot of emotion, tension, conflict and surprises. My only complaint is that I wished it was a full length novel.

Chocolate Truffles by Kimberly Kaye Terry

Camille Jackson just got a new promotion and she is giddy with joy. She is caught in an elevator doing her happy dance by a handsome stranger, and he offers to buy her a drink to celebrate. She accepts his offer, finding it to be harmless. A simple drink turns into a hot and heavy tryst in a hotel room. Once the fun is over, Camille sneaks off, embarrassed at what happened. She can't stop thinking about it either, even when she goes to Houston for her mandatory managerial training. She is shocked to find that her instructor, Gideon Taber, is the same guy she had the celebratory dance with in the bed. Camille is apprehensive about Gideon's advances but Gideon has plans to convince Camille that he seriously wants more than just a one night stand.

I enjoyed this story as much as the other two. I was glad that this was not a let-down. Camille and Gideon's relationship progressed at a normal rate. There is some tension between Gideon and Camille about the speed of the relationship. Since this is an interracial romance story, there is issue of race and I love how Camille addresses it during a dinner scene. ~ Samantha