Baby It's Cold Outside....Heating Up the Holidays!

Park this girl under the mistletoe and sign her up for elf duty. Marcia James' HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS serves up a dish of romance and second chances with panache!

Nicky Paxton manages the family business, a chain of Southern department stores, which keeps her hopping and grounded to her Virginia roots. Too busy working to notice her life is passing her by, Nicky gets completely caught off guard when she re-encounters her old high school flame, Chris Spencer. Unbeknownst to her, he has returned to Paxtonville for good, to set up his law practice and raise his charming daughter following his divorce.

Nicky's ties to Paxtonville run deeper than the family-owned business. Striving to make something of herself, she really doesn't have time to worry over "the one who got away", primarily because she couldn't understand why he left in the first place. Chris returns and is immediately reminded of all the positives of why they were together in the first place, the only negative seems to be that he left long ago to create a life for himself outside their small town. Chris follows his desire to renew his acquaintance with the department store "elf", determined to date and see if the spark that flamed in their youths will burn again. Nicky, for her part, fears falling for the man this boy has become, trying to keep things light but knowing that with very little effort he could capture her heart.

The elements of romance and first love do-overs captivate and melt hearts, like a gooey holiday treat. Big love in a small town is never easy but with two hearts destined to be reunited and a dash of mistletoe, all bets are off! Full of sass and fun, this holiday heart-warmer guarantees heat like flannel sheets on a cold winter night!

I give this Christmas bon-bon 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

This review originally posted for The Romance Reviews. http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=1081