"Holiday Haven" by Vicki Lewis Thompson
All Ben Rhodes wants for Christmas is to be left alone. And yet, in a fit of Christmas-cheer-induced insanity, he agrees to help beautiful shelter director Tansy Dexter find homes for all her rambunctious animals. Little does he know that the one truly in need of a loving home this season ... is him.
"Home for Christmas" by Catherine Mann
Shelby Conrad has had more than her fair share of silent nights. But even though her husband, Tech Sergeant
Alex Conrad, is coming home in time for Christmas, Shelby isn't sure he's in time to save their marriage. Can a road trip to deliver three shelter dogs to their new homes teach the couple that the most precious gift of all is hope?
"A Puppy for Will" by Kathie DeNosky
Will Parker hasn't exactly had all his hopes and dreams met, but work has filled the gaps in his life. Or so he thinks ... until an energetic and large Saint Bernard foster puppy and Will's cute neighbor Macie Fairbanks introduce him to the best thing about Christmas and life — unconditional love.
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There are few things as genuinely enjoyable as a Christmas themed romance. And when they're combined with puppies? Impossible to resist and this particular anthology is good from start to finish.
Each story in this anthology is connected through The Haven, a no-kill shelter that's looking for donations to start some much needed improvements. While we start with the The Haven's director Tansy, each subsequent story continues to feature for at least a little the previous couples which makes for a nice sense of community and attachment to their HEA's. Each couple has insecurities to overcome and issues with omission that serve as roadblocks - luckily it doesn't extend into anything too ridiculous, but as a holiday anthology I wanted the best ok? I'm a worrier, lol.
If I had to pick a favorite it'd be "Home for Christmas" because even while the military relationship has been covered in romances before I liked how both Shelby and Alex had to grow and become more for each other. It wasn't a simple misunderstanding, they'd had years where both of them has tried to be what they thought the other wanted and breaking down those doors to was hard - but the results were a wonderfully satisfying HEA.
All in all this is a very sweet anthology and a good representation of each author - I'm definitely going to picking up some of their backlists!
Overall Feeling - B
Series - None (To be published Nov 1, 2012)
**Title requested from NetGalley**
