Fern Michaels, Beverly Barton, Joanne Fluke & Shirley Jump, Sugar and Spice

Sugar and Spice

Fern Michaels, Beverly Barton, Joanne Fluke & Shirley Jump

Zebra, November 2006, $7.99

ISBN: 0821780476

"The Christmas Stocking" by Fern Michaels. His dad, disappointed that Gus preferred building houses in Los Angeles than work with him on the family Christmas tree farm, has retired. Now Gus is feeling sad and wants to make amends, because he knows he could have come up every year to help for a few weeks. He needs to save the farm, while in Philadelphia businesswoman Amy wants to raise money for a senior citizen's center, and decides to sell Christmas trees. These two collide and learn the meaning of Christmas.

"The Ghost of Christmas Past" by Beverly Barton. On the snowy mountain road past Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Katie loses control of the Mustang and crashes. She is okay, but stranded until Mack happens to see her. He takes her to his cabin where their feelings on marriage surface, even as they begin to fall in love.

"The Twelve Desserts of Christmas" by Joanne Fluke. Julie and Matt spend the holiday season at a Minnesota boarding school where they supervise six children not going home for Christmas, as neither is married, so have limited if any Yuletide obligations. As amateur sleuth bakery owner Hannah Swenssen provides baked goods, the duo supervise the three girls and three boys, even as they fall in love.

"Twelve Days" by Shirley Jump. Shy account manager Natalie loves her boss Jake, who sees her only as a valuable employee. When she draws his name in the office Secret Santa event, she decides to go serendipitously spicy, just not in person. Jake needs to know who, but when he does will he fire or kiss Natalie.

More sugar than spice, these are four fun Christmas romances.