Love and Lust rec: 'The Heart of Christmas' by Brenda Novak

The Heart of Christmas by Brenda Novak

What it's about (courtesy of Harlequin Mira):

Just call her Christmas Eve…

Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it reminds her of everything she doesn't have. Almost all her friends are married now, and that's what Eve wants, too. Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B and B she manages, and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country town where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining.

Eve's worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. There's no one in the area she could even imagine as a husband—until a handsome stranger comes to town. Eve's definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin Eve's happily ever after—just when it finally seems within reach. And just when she's counting on the best Christmas of her life!

Why you should read it: The book opens with sweet, lonely Eve waking up after her 35th birthday celebration with a man in her bed. A man she doesn't know. And just like that we're off on the fun and adventures of Eve and Rex in the seventh book in Brenda Novak's Whiskey Creek series. Eve owns a bed-and-breakfast in the small town, and she has recently overcome direct competition from another B&B, but things are still tight and she's worried. She's also single and very much alone with no prospects, until the handsome stranger lands in her bed.

Eve has always been a good girl, but a night of drinking a little too much, and thinking sad thoughts a little too much, have led her to a one-night stand with Jared, aka Rex. Jared, or Rex, however, is not a good boy and is running from dark secrets that come from a past full of mistakes. The evidence of the danger he's in are in the scars and healed wounds on his body. It's not over yet, and not only is Rex's life in danger, so is anyone found with him.

It's going to take Eve's small-town gossipy friends to help Eve find that this is the man she's been looking for, and for Rex to realize that he may have found the peace he's been seeking.

It's a great story, full of suspense, good friends, sexy encounters and a story ending that you wanted but had to take quite a ride to get to. I love Ms. Novak's romantic love stories, and this is a really good one, with Christmas and what the holiday truly means taking a prominent role. A recommended Christmas romance, for sure.

Becky Condit is a widow, mother of three and grandmother of 10 who reads all kinds of books, but her go-to comfort books are erotic romances. A romance novel coupled with just-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of cold milk is her idea of heaven. She reads and reviews more than 250 books a year, so you won't often find her without her Kindle in hand, but when you do, she'll probably be gardening, doing needle crafts, working in her upholstery workshop and spending time with her family.