What a great festive collection to get readers in the spirit of the season!

Mistletoe Cowboy
This one was, unfortunately, my least favorite of the novellas in this collection. Parker, a horse whisperer, and Katy, a single mother and widow, find a connection with each other. I enjoyed reading about Parker and Katy's daughter Teddy. I liked their relationship with each other. Katy, however, just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I just didn't connect with her. I also found that there was a lot of repetition. I feel like information was repeated several times and it just got annoying. I've enjoyed other things I've read from Diana Palmer, so I was surprised that I wasn't a fan of this novella.

Blame it on the Mistletoe
I liked this novella in the collection! Noah is back home for Christmas at the request of his brother. Faith is has been trying to make up for her parents' mistakes by being a secret elf around town. When her power goes out, she calls a friend for help and Noah is the one who comes to rescue her! I liked Noah and Faith so much. I liked them together and I liked their relationships with the other characters in the story. I really liked both of their relationships with Faith's brother. I just wanted this to be longer. I wanted more of the story to make it feel more rewarding!

Mistletoe Detour
I think this one was my favorite of the collection! Veronica and her pig Bacon are on the run from her ex-husband. When her car breaks down on her way to her uncle's farm, she is picked up by a former classmate. When Ted and Veronica reconnect, will there be more than friendship in their future? This novella felt like a complete story. I didn't need more and I didn't feel like it was just repeating a bunch of the same information. I loved both Ted and Veronica and I really wanted to know more about all the other characters mentioned. I need to read more from Kate Pearce to get to know her writing more.

Decent holiday fare. I'm not a fan of Diana Palmer's work, but the Adair and Pearce stories were quick, well-written, and entertaining.

This is a great Christmas short story anthology. I regularly read all three of these authors so it was fun to see them all in one book. I liked all of the stories, they were quick holiday reads. I would recommend!

I liked this quick read story set within the Morgan Valley series. Kate Pearce's story conveyed the life, love, drama, and tribulations of everyday people. Ted a good man and son finds himself with an unexpected guest. Veronica has been long gone from Morgan Valley, however her need to seek shelter with her uncle does not go as planned. The attraction flares between the former schoolmates, though they encounter some bumps along the way. Throw in a pig named Bacon and this Christmas story will make you smile.

Christmas Kisses With My Cowboy is a trilogy of Christmas novellas, Mistletoe Cowboy by Diana Palmer, Blame it on the Mistletoe by Marina Adair, and Mistletoe Detour by Kate Pearce. Each story is tied together with the thread of coming home in some form or fashion. Two stories are a reconnection between two somewhat lost souls. All stories are heartwarming and perfect for the holidays. I very much enjoyed these novellas and do recommend this collection!

I love books like this! Not only do I get to read stories by two of my favorite authors, I get introduced to a new-to-me author! Add to that, all the stories were oriented around Christmas! It was a win win! These authors didn’t support in this wintry trio of romance stories. 4 stars!

Diana Palmer - Mistletoe Cowboy
Blame It On The Mistletoe - Marina Adair
Mistletoe Detour - Kate Pearce

When it comes to great reads, short or long, each of these authors are well known and at the top of the list in writing romance. Put three cowboy Christmas stories in one book by these same authors, and you have a trilogy of stories that is a must have for readers of the genre. Rather than give a review on each story, the blurb tells you all you need to know, while the authors speak for themselves. **I was gifted "Christmas Kisses With My Cowboy" via NetGalley and leave my review based on my reading.** 5 Stars! I also own a copy for my library from Amazon.

This is how to read a good BOOK with stories by several authors =-) loved reading my netgalley copy and second chance stories are one of my favorites - these ladies are all some of my favorites and to revisit Morgan Valley is always a bonus =-)) I freely leave my honest review!

I usually don't read anthologies, but I read this one as part of Kate Pearce's review crew. I loved finally getting to know more about Ted, who appeared in some of the Morgan Valley books as just the name of the mechanic and guy who had the tow truck. But the reason that I don't like anthologies is because the stories are too short. I want to know what happens with Ted and his high school crush Veronica after the story ends.

I also am a fan of the other two authors, and some of the peripheral characters seemed very familiar. Hot cowboys and HEAs. What else do you need? I read a free ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

I love special books like this. Not only do I get to read a book by one of my favorite authors but I get the opportunity to read stories by authors that I might not usually read.

I liked the opportunity to go back to Morgan Valley. The story was sweet. Second chance stories, sexy heroes and adorable animals. What more coukd you want? Holiday books are great to help get me into the spirit.

I received a complimentary copy of this via the publisher through NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

Mistletoe Cowboy – Diana Palmer

This is a favorite author of mine but for some reason the story fell a little flat for me. While collections like this have shorter stories and therefore a little tighter of development, this just didn’t work for me. Also there can be formatting issues in an advanced reader copy that could explain why I had to go back and read a couple of sections as I couldn’t tell who was speaking.


Blame it on the Mistletoe – Marina Adair

Noah Tucker is a Texas Ranger and he comes back to Sweet, Texas to spend Christmas with his brother and family. He comes across an elf of all things decorating the tree outside of the Sheriff’s department. Noah is intrigued with the sprite dressed as an elf. Faith is very leery of anyone in law enforcement because of her family history. The two are striking sparks off each other right from the beginning. They seem to keep crossing paths and get to know each other better. But can a Texas Ranger see a woman with a family history like her’s? Beside he works out of Austin not Sweet so can they even have a relationship?

This is a sweet, clean romance that anyone can read.

Mistletoe Detour – Kate Pearce

Ted is a local tow truck driver. He gets a call about a stranded car and driver along side the road. It is a cold snowy night. After traversing over the snowy roads, he comes to the car and out pops an old child friend. Veronica hasn’t been back to town in years. She is on her way to see her uncle when her car ran out of gas. Ted also has a bit of bad news for her. Her uncle is with his dad on a cruise around Hawaii. Ted invites her and her pet pig to stay with him in the interim.

Veronica has a secret (well two actually). She tells Ted that she had stolen her pet pig, Bacon from her ex-husband. Ted can feel that something more is going on than she is telling him. What could that secret be? Will it drive these two apart?

This story is written in a dual POV format. I love that. I can get into the characters’ mind and really see how they think in any given situation.

This is a slightly sexy read. The author does not go into any great and graphic detail. It was really glossed over. That being said, and I would hate to offend any parents of minor children, I would only recommend this to someone over the age of 18.

Blame It On The Mistletoe by Marina Adair was Amazingly AWESOME! It is a feel good, warm your heart, perfect for Christmas-time story. Noah returns to Tucker Ranch to fulfill requirements set forth by his deceased father, only to find memories of the ranch weren’t all that bad. Noah finds it was his dad’s abusive behavior, not the ranch itself linked to his bad memories. While reconnecting with his brothers, Noah meets an “angel” by the name of Faith.

Faith is a single mom-sister who’s not looking for a relationship. She’s a hard worker, but can’t seem to shake her family’s past. She gave up a RN scholarship and was at the top of her class when her mom decided she didn’t want to be a mom anymore. So Faith came home to raise her younger brother. She’s aware of the town gossip and takes it upon herself to atone for her family’s sins. She becomes the “Secret Santa” of town—unbeknownst to the town’s people. It’s when she’s covertly decorating the town’s Christmas tree that Noah, aka Texas Ranger, happens to cross her path...

I absolutely LOVED this novel! If I could give it 5 stars I would. It’s hard to place a star rating on a novel with several stories as some may not be as good as others, so I “averaged” the star rating. Full disclosure, I did not read Diana Palmer’s novel, only Marina Adair’s and Kate Pearce’s novels. I recommend this novel on Marina Adair’s story alone! It was serious, but fun and heart warming. Noah and Faith’s paths crossed in high school, it just wasn’t their time. This story does end in a HEA.

Mistletoe Detour by Kate Pearce is a 3.5-4 star novella. While I enjoyed revisiting the Morgan’s and we FINALLY get to see Avery and Ry get married, I had trouble engaging in Ted and Victoria’s story. To have a piglet named Bacon was one of the cutest parts of the story. That was funny! It was a second chance love story. They knew each other in high school, but neither knew the other was interested in them. Then Victoria runs out of gas on her way to her uncle’s place, only to get “rescued” by Ted. Victoria seemed kind of flighty, evasive and Ted was easy to anger, but just as easy to accept the excuses/secrets Victoria was hiding from him. This story does end in a HEA.

I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

Christmas Kisses with my Cowboy is a book with three of my favorite authors. I love books with different stories and authors. These three stories were Christmas themed, feel-good stories, and had the happily ever after conclusions. Diana Palmer started the book with her Mistletoe Cowboy story, which I enjoyed a lot. Next came Marina Adair’s story, Blame it on the Mistletoe. This was also excellent. The third story was by Kate Pearce called Mistletoe Detour and brought us back to old friends in the Maggie Valley series. Three great authors and three great stories for the Christmas season. I highly recommend it!
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This is three novellas by three different writers. I really enjoyed the first story by Diana Palmer and appreciated the inclusion of a Native American Indian character. I thought this was quite a unique and interesting choice from the author and a good attempt at cultural diversity and representation. The second novella was more of a traditional contemporary romance, which featured an alpha male character and a lot of trying to right the wrongs of family members in the past. Alpha male characters don’t tend to be my favourite kind of thing so I didn’t connect to this story as much as the first. And the third novella was a bit of a strange story heavily featuring a couple of pigs (yes, oink oink pigs!). I just found this story quite unrealistic and I failed to connect to the characters completely. So overall an enjoyable read but unfortunately the whole experience did not blow me away.

Oops, I did it again. So, I happen to love Kate Pearce and Marina Adair. I remembered that I didn’t have the best relationship with Diana Palmer’s books, but just couldn’t pass this compilation up when 2/3 of the stories would be by favorites of mine. After reading the first story in this book, Mistletoe Cowboy by Diana Palmer, I decided to do the same thing as last time I read a compilation in which she was involved…save the review of her story for last.

Blame it on the Mistletoe
(Sweet Plains novella)
by Marina Adair

I’ve actually had this author’s Tucker’s Crossing on my TBR for about 6 years. Then, more than a year ago I bought the book. It was on sale, she’s a favorite author of mine, I’ve been wanting to read it forever, etc. Still haven’t read the darn thing! After reading this short story, which I guess would be a book #2 in the Sweet Plains series, I want to read that story even more. I was hooked from the beginning and rooting for Faith and Noah to find their way to one another. They are both amazingly kind characters, Noah with some added swagger. Both with much added baggage. I felt as though the author packed a lot into this story without bogging things down. The chemistry between Noah and Faith was off the charts, whether they were flirting or telling each other their secrets. The perfect Christmas story.
~ 5 stars

Mistletoe Detour
(Morgan Valley novella)
by Kate Pearce

This author always pulls me in and holds me tight. On top of my love of her writing, this story starts off with some awesome forced proximity and continues with a bit of fake relationship. I was in heaven! Ted and Veronica are so sweet together in the beginning, their chemistry simmering under the surface while they’re both unsure if they should admit what they’re feeling. That chemistry flames up once they realize their feelings aren’t one-sided. Even with the passion, the sweetness is still there. Both Veronica and Ted are such good people who deserve the best. I love that Veronica grew up in Morgan Valley and had many connections to the town, as well as her and Ted having gone to school together, so the story felt natural even when it was moving quickly. I didn’t want this one to end.
~ 5 stars

Mistletoe Cowboy
by Diana Palmer

As I’ve mentioned, I am not a fan of this author. I gave some of her full-length books a try years back and just had too many issues with her writing. Trying to keep an open mind going into this story, I was pleasantly surprised for the first little bit. There was something to her writing style I still found quite plodding and simple without a good flow, but issues I’ve had with her story content in the past (misogyny, racisim, etc.) weren’t so prevalent. In fact, it almost seemed as though the author was overcompensating to almost a preachy degree about some hot-button issues.

Don’t you hate when you are reading and can pinpoint the exact moment a character you found to be smart and kind turns into an unthinking and selfish idiot? And then doubles down on their stupidity as the story progresses. Seriously, I went from liking Katy to flat out hating the woman. I didn’t see how the author could redeem her (in my eyes she never did) or how her daughter or Parker could ever look at her the same. On top of it all, there was a lot of repetition (especially for a short story) and inconsistencies. Please guys, remind me to skip her stories if I ever get another compilation with her involved. I just can’t read her stuff without getting mad.
~1 star

What I usually do when rating a compilation is take the average rating of all of the stories and use that. I feel that is unfair to Marina Adair and Kate Pearce to do that since I loved their stories so much. So, instead, I’m giving this 5 stars and pretending the Diana Palmer story wasn’t included.

MISTLETOE COWBOY written by Diana Palmer - a heart touching story about Katy (a widow), her child and the horse whisperer, a Native American man who could just possibly have met the family he wants to join.
BLAME IT ON THE MISTLETOE written by Marina Adair - Can Texas Ranger Noah Tucker be the one to rescue Faith, or will her heart touching warmth, despite all challenges, rescue him?
MISTLETOE DETOUR written by Kate Pearce - a second chance to experience love. Rescue of a pet pig? Or rescue of the heart?

This anthology contains 3 stories by Diana Palmer, Kate Pearce, and Marina Adair. As they are all novellas the stories are all short but sweet. They utilize Christmas as a backdrop and setting and are fun and cute reads. While all different, the theme is pretty much the same. I felt they were well suited to be in an anthology together. If you are looking for 3 quick reads this will definitely work.

I really enjoyed all 3 stories and thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Three amazing authors and three wonderful Christmas reads. Each cowboy holiday romance is filled with drama, suspense and steam. The characters are amazing and fast-paced stories draw you in bringing on the Christmas spirit. I really liked it.

Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy

Three Christmas cowboy romance novellas with a Hallmark happily ever after for three lucky couples made this a warm feel-good read.

Marina Adair’s BLAME IT ON THE MISTLETOE had me chuckling at the quips and humorous thoughts and one of the first that happened early on was when Texas Ranger Noah Tucker saw a woman in an elf costume decorating a tree and thought, “…sexiest elf on the shelf he’d ever seen.” For some reason that tickled my fancy and I knew it might be cheesy but it was also charming

I was most interested in reading Kate Pearce’s MISTLETOE DETOUR as it takes place in Morgantown. I have been following what happens since the beginning of the series so couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. This time around a third-generation mechanic, Ted Baker, is put in touch with his high school crush after over a decade apart. He asked to tow a stalled car stuck in a snowstorm and in so doing sees Veronica Hernandez and takes her, her car and pet to safety. The two end up spending time together and are quite compatible but there is a secret worry that Veronica has that won’t let her fully relax. I enjoyed this one and kept thinking that it was “all about the pig.”

I still have Diana Palmer’s MISTLETOE COWBOY to read and look forward to doing so soon but wanted to get the review posted on release day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

I read this because I love Diana Palmer but I like finding new authors to read as well so the other two stories in this book sounded good, but all of the stories in this book were great. But I especially like Mistletoe Cowboy by Diana Palmer. Parker was hard to get to know at first but Katy and her daughter seem to bring him exactly what he needs. Parker is more than he seems because he's not just a horse wrangler, he's smart and has the schooling and military time behind him to prove it but people still think of him a certain way because of his mixed heritage. Of course there's a small misunderstanding that they have to work through before the end but I loved this story and I knew that Diana Palmer would bring me this kind of story and I was right.

Blame it on the Mistletoe by Marina Adair is the first story I've read by this author and it was great. Noah comes back to town and runs into Faith but she's busy trying to make sure her brother has a good holiday and isn't made to feel bad by the townspeople. Watching these two trying to get to know one another was fun. But when someone is accused of theft, there's a rift in the budding relationship until things are all sorted out.

Mistletoe Detour by Kate Pearce was so much fun. Ted goes to help a stranded passenger and finds his old friend Veronica needing his tow truck help. She's running from something but it's her pet pig (Bacon) that really stole the show for me. Veronica stays with Ted while waiting for her uncle to get back from vacation and they decide to celebrate Christmas together which brings them closer as they get to know one another.

Disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.