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Merry and Bright
Finding Mr Right
Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it's time to alter the equation - and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Eureka! The heart is a genius...
Bah, Handsome
Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest - stranded solicitor Danny, who has been threatening to put her out of business. Funny how the holidays can bring people together no matter how much they resist...
Ms. Humbug
Born rebel or overgrown man child, Matt is the kind of man no woman can tame--until an unexpected encounter with his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party proves there is an exception to every rule.
Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it's time to alter the equation - and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Eureka! The heart is a genius...
Bah, Handsome
Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest - stranded solicitor Danny, who has been threatening to put her out of business. Funny how the holidays can bring people together no matter how much they resist...
Ms. Humbug
Born rebel or overgrown man child, Matt is the kind of man no woman can tame--until an unexpected encounter with his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party proves there is an exception to every rule.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
171 people are currently reading
1197 people want to read
About the author
Jill Shalvis
386 books13.8k followersJill Shalvis is a NYT, USA Today, and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of small-town romance and romcoms, known for big feels, found family, and plenty of shenanigans.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
You can follow Jill here on Goodreads to keep up with new releases, add her books to your shelves, and discover which small town you want to get lost in next.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
You can follow Jill here on Goodreads to keep up with new releases, add her books to your shelves, and discover which small town you want to get lost in next.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
November 27, 2015
Finding Mr Right: the smart woman wins the heart of the stud muffin, who she had a major crush on in high school. I will always devour that story line!
Bah, Handsome: love that Jill Shalvis wrote a nerdy hero, but the heroine was too bitchy for my tastes.
Ms. Humbug: my favorite of the three. Hate-to-love stories seem to be doing it for me lately. ^_^
Bah, Handsome: love that Jill Shalvis wrote a nerdy hero, but the heroine was too bitchy for my tastes.
Ms. Humbug: my favorite of the three. Hate-to-love stories seem to be doing it for me lately. ^_^
December 27, 2015
Story 1 was super cute, stories 2 & 3 were ok. But JILL SHALVIS, so I'm ok with it.
December 26, 2015
Buddy read with Maru
September 1, 2015
Finding Mr Right
Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it's time to alter the equation - and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Eureka! The heart is a genius...
Fun story. Maggie is tired of her bad luck in finding Mr. Right and with the encouragement of her sister, decides to have some fun with a Mr. Wrong instead. When she discovers that the man in charge of renovating the office where she works is her old high school crush, she feels she has found the perfect candidate.
I loved Maggie. She's the stereotypical nerd, brilliant at her chemistry work but awkward in social situations. When she gets nervous, she spouts all kinds of scientific trivia, which can be a little disconcerting at certain times. Jacob is concentrating on getting the job done so he can get paid with the bonus and then get out of town to visit his family. He noticed Maggie early on, attracted to her without recognizing his old classmate. Their first encounter was funny and hot as they went from awkward to steamy in a hurry. Maggie keeps trying to convince both of them that it is a one time thing, but they can't leave each other alone. I especially liked seeing how easily Jacob saw past Maggie's awkwardness and liked what he saw.
There's also some mystery going on, that has Maggie's office being searched, her tires slashed, and her house searched. Jacob is determined to keep her safe. It's pretty obvious who is behind it, but there is a twist to the end that I didn't see coming.
Bah Handsome!
Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest - stranded solicitor Danny, who has been threatening to put her out of business. Funny how the holidays can bring people together no matter how much they resist...
Another fun story. Hope has had a really bad year. One ex-boyfriend broke her heart, and the next one stole her money. To make ends meet, she borrowed money from her stepbrother. Unfortunately for her, he's a heartless SOB, the loan is due in three weeks, and he won't give her an extension. Instead, he's sent his CPA, Danny, to make sure she pays up.
Danny didn't want to come, doesn't approve of what his boss is doing. He tried to talk Hope out of signing the loan paperwork, but she wouldn't listen to him. She's not happy to see him and he really can't blame her, but he really wants to help her. Unfortunately for him, he can't get her to listen to him.
I loved the interactions between Danny and Hope. There's a really strong attraction between them, but Hope is desperately trying to ignore it. Being from the city, Danny has no experience with things like frozen pipes and bears, so seeing his encounters with them was pretty funny. I loved the way that Hope called him "Genius Boy" and teased him about his reactions. I also enjoyed seeing how their attraction would get the better of them, and could understand Danny's frustration when Hope would push him away.
I thought Danny was a real sweetheart. It was pretty adorable when he tried to protect her from the bears. I also loved the scene when he tried to save her from the "earthquake" while just - almost - wearing a towel. It was great to see how getting away from her stepbrother made him realize just what had been happening to him, and that he was ready for a change. The phone conversation with Edward was really great.
I must admit that I got very frustrated with Hope and how she refused to even listen to Danny when he offered to help her. She's in deep trouble and she knows it, but her pride won't let her accept anything from him. I loved seeing her friend Lori keep pushing them together. It was also the mark of a true friend when she told Hope what an idiot she was being at the end. The final scene was very satisfying.
Ms. Humbug
Born rebel or overgrown man child, Matt is the kind of man no woman can tame--until an unexpected encounter with his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party proves there is an exception to every rule.
Fun opposites attract story. Matt and Cami have worked together in the past, but usually end up on opposite sides of the issues. Now, thanks to a rash of scandals, Matt has gone from councilman to mayor and is trying to bring back the town's reputation. Matt is the kind of guy that everyone likes, easy to get along with, fun loving, and really good looking.
Cami is just the opposite. She is a workaholic who has to be in control of every aspect of her life. That tight control tends to turn men off, so it's been awhile since her last relationship. She's gone out with a coworker a few times, but it has been pretty platonic. She's hoping to get a bit further with him at the office Christmas party, until she spots his shoes along with a pair of women's shoes in the ladies room at work.
Then, in a comedy of errors, Cami and Matt have a confrontation that has her convinced that he was the one in the ladies room. Encountering each other at the masked Christmas party, Cami mistakes Matt for Ned and they share a scorching hot kiss, which makes Cami mad when she discovers the truth. She can't deny the way he made her feel, and Matt is equally surprised by her effect on him.
I loved seeing the way that Matt was determined to pursue the attraction between them. He was amazingly sensitive to her needs for a man with the reputation of a playboy and Cami wasn't sure how to deal with it. I loved the way that he appreciated how smart she was, and that she didn't back down when she was trying to make a point. I also liked how he tried to get her to relax and have some fun. Cami discovered that Matt was the only one who could make her want to give up the tight control she kept on herself. I really enjoyed the scene in her office when she really let go.
I also enjoyed the way they worked together on the office mystery of who was behind all the scandal revelations. As they worked their way through all the possibilities, their differing ways of looking at things meshed well. The guilty party wasn't really much of a surprise, as they were the one with the most access. I loved seeing how the confrontation went down, and the effect it had on Cami.
Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it's time to alter the equation - and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Eureka! The heart is a genius...
Fun story. Maggie is tired of her bad luck in finding Mr. Right and with the encouragement of her sister, decides to have some fun with a Mr. Wrong instead. When she discovers that the man in charge of renovating the office where she works is her old high school crush, she feels she has found the perfect candidate.
I loved Maggie. She's the stereotypical nerd, brilliant at her chemistry work but awkward in social situations. When she gets nervous, she spouts all kinds of scientific trivia, which can be a little disconcerting at certain times. Jacob is concentrating on getting the job done so he can get paid with the bonus and then get out of town to visit his family. He noticed Maggie early on, attracted to her without recognizing his old classmate. Their first encounter was funny and hot as they went from awkward to steamy in a hurry. Maggie keeps trying to convince both of them that it is a one time thing, but they can't leave each other alone. I especially liked seeing how easily Jacob saw past Maggie's awkwardness and liked what he saw.
There's also some mystery going on, that has Maggie's office being searched, her tires slashed, and her house searched. Jacob is determined to keep her safe. It's pretty obvious who is behind it, but there is a twist to the end that I didn't see coming.
Bah Handsome!
Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest - stranded solicitor Danny, who has been threatening to put her out of business. Funny how the holidays can bring people together no matter how much they resist...
Another fun story. Hope has had a really bad year. One ex-boyfriend broke her heart, and the next one stole her money. To make ends meet, she borrowed money from her stepbrother. Unfortunately for her, he's a heartless SOB, the loan is due in three weeks, and he won't give her an extension. Instead, he's sent his CPA, Danny, to make sure she pays up.
Danny didn't want to come, doesn't approve of what his boss is doing. He tried to talk Hope out of signing the loan paperwork, but she wouldn't listen to him. She's not happy to see him and he really can't blame her, but he really wants to help her. Unfortunately for him, he can't get her to listen to him.
I loved the interactions between Danny and Hope. There's a really strong attraction between them, but Hope is desperately trying to ignore it. Being from the city, Danny has no experience with things like frozen pipes and bears, so seeing his encounters with them was pretty funny. I loved the way that Hope called him "Genius Boy" and teased him about his reactions. I also enjoyed seeing how their attraction would get the better of them, and could understand Danny's frustration when Hope would push him away.
I thought Danny was a real sweetheart. It was pretty adorable when he tried to protect her from the bears. I also loved the scene when he tried to save her from the "earthquake" while just - almost - wearing a towel. It was great to see how getting away from her stepbrother made him realize just what had been happening to him, and that he was ready for a change. The phone conversation with Edward was really great.
I must admit that I got very frustrated with Hope and how she refused to even listen to Danny when he offered to help her. She's in deep trouble and she knows it, but her pride won't let her accept anything from him. I loved seeing her friend Lori keep pushing them together. It was also the mark of a true friend when she told Hope what an idiot she was being at the end. The final scene was very satisfying.
Ms. Humbug
Born rebel or overgrown man child, Matt is the kind of man no woman can tame--until an unexpected encounter with his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party proves there is an exception to every rule.
Fun opposites attract story. Matt and Cami have worked together in the past, but usually end up on opposite sides of the issues. Now, thanks to a rash of scandals, Matt has gone from councilman to mayor and is trying to bring back the town's reputation. Matt is the kind of guy that everyone likes, easy to get along with, fun loving, and really good looking.
Cami is just the opposite. She is a workaholic who has to be in control of every aspect of her life. That tight control tends to turn men off, so it's been awhile since her last relationship. She's gone out with a coworker a few times, but it has been pretty platonic. She's hoping to get a bit further with him at the office Christmas party, until she spots his shoes along with a pair of women's shoes in the ladies room at work.
Then, in a comedy of errors, Cami and Matt have a confrontation that has her convinced that he was the one in the ladies room. Encountering each other at the masked Christmas party, Cami mistakes Matt for Ned and they share a scorching hot kiss, which makes Cami mad when she discovers the truth. She can't deny the way he made her feel, and Matt is equally surprised by her effect on him.
I loved seeing the way that Matt was determined to pursue the attraction between them. He was amazingly sensitive to her needs for a man with the reputation of a playboy and Cami wasn't sure how to deal with it. I loved the way that he appreciated how smart she was, and that she didn't back down when she was trying to make a point. I also liked how he tried to get her to relax and have some fun. Cami discovered that Matt was the only one who could make her want to give up the tight control she kept on herself. I really enjoyed the scene in her office when she really let go.
I also enjoyed the way they worked together on the office mystery of who was behind all the scandal revelations. As they worked their way through all the possibilities, their differing ways of looking at things meshed well. The guilty party wasn't really much of a surprise, as they were the one with the most access. I loved seeing how the confrontation went down, and the effect it had on Cami.
November 3, 2013
Jill Shalvis + Christmas stories = Happiness!
That’s really all you have to know. MERRY AND BRIGHT is a Jill Shalvis orgy of her Christmas stories compiled together in one book. That being said, you may want to check and see if you’re already read these stories before since they are reprints of older titles. I haven’t read them and I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect since they are older works of my favourite author, but once I cracked into it, I realized that I had nothing to worry about. ALL the stories in this anthology are wonderfully written and sweet. I would definitely recommend this to Shalvis fans.
FINDING MR. RIGHT – 4 stars
Maggie Bell is a sweet and smart chemist who spews useless, but actually quite interesting information when she is nervous. When in the presence of a bad boy named Jacob, the normally composed brainiac suddenly turns into goo. It’s actually quite endearing and made me fall instantly in love with Maggie’s character. Jacob, the hero is a sinful bad boy who loves talking dirty. I can tell you I had absolutely no complaints about that!
In this short, but scorching story, Shalvis really displays her talents as a writer. I don’t know how she is able to create such chemistry in such a short amount of time, but she nails it in this first kick-off story to the anthology.
The only thing I would say is that it wraps up a little too quickly in the end, but the romance is fabulous!
BAH, HANDSOME! – 4 stars
Another sweet and sexy story by Shalvis takes a financially struggling B&B owner named Hope and her solicitor Danny and puts them together in a snow storm. With the help of Hope’s friend, Lori and her husband, Ben, they bring the two haters together until all there is is love!
I adored Lori’s presence in this story. She added so much life and fun moments to the story. Hope’s character was more on the anal, uptight side and I didn’t like how she constantly rejected Danny’s offers for help. In the end, this story had so many LOL moments and some wonderfully cute and sweet moments as well, making it a perfect read for the holidays!
MS. HUMBUG – 4 stars
What happens when you put a recently betrayed woman with a rebel in nice shoes? Explosive chemistry, that’s what! Shalvis does it again with this short story featuring Cami and Matt.
This story felt the shortest of them all, but it still packs quite the punch! The banter between Cami and Matt is so entertaining to read that I was smiling from ear-to-ear. There’s just so much heart in Shalvis’s stories that when you add the Christmas element to it all, it just makes for a delicious treat fit for the holidays!
*Review copy provided by publisher
January 8, 2015
Two-haiku review:
Lady scientist,
Inn owner, city planner
Three women find love
I love Christmas books
Three holiday novellas
All happy endings
Note: This is a reprint of older holiday novellas. I hadn't read any of them previously, but you might want to check before buying.
Lady scientist,
Inn owner, city planner
Three women find love
I love Christmas books
Three holiday novellas
All happy endings
Note: This is a reprint of older holiday novellas. I hadn't read any of them previously, but you might want to check before buying.
March 13, 2017
Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis is a collection of three short stories set around Christmas. I don’t normally read holiday setting books, but I picked this one up for the Ho Ho Ho Read-a-thon.
I’ve only ever read one other book by Shalvis and this collection reminded me why I never picked-up another. While the stories aren’t bad, they’re just not my thing. If I read a contemporary romance, I tend to want the conflict to stay at believable levels.The fact that Shalvis seems to think that all her stories need a conspiracy or life and death situation annoys me.
The first story, Finding Mr. Right was the best story in the collection. Chemist Maggie Bell has a crush on the contractor working outside of her office. Even though she knows he’s completely wrong for her, she decides to pursue him for a short term relationship.
Maggie has the habit of spewing out random facts when nervous. At first I liked this, but the character trait was overused to the point where it started to get annoying. Even though Maggie’s wikipedia knowledge started to get on my nerves, I still liked her character. I only wish that Shalvis had stuck with character conflict between the heroine and hero to move the plot forward, rather than going the action/conspiracy route.
The second story, Bah, Handsome, features Hope, a B&B owner, who owes a ton of money to her loan shark step brother. When one of her step brother’s lackeys shows up at the B&B, Hope doesn’t expect to be attracted to the man. This one really didn’t work well for me. Hope was annoyingly stubborn and I honestly didn’t care at all about the relationship. I also really hated how meddlesome her friends were.
The final story, Ms. Humbug, focuses on city planner, Cami, who discovers the man she’s dating is banging the office assistant. Disheartened, she takes up with mayor and long time verbal sparring partner, Matt. Another story that would’ve worked better for me if Shalvis hadn’t taken the action/conspiracy route. While this one wasn’t bad, I thought the characters were the most underdeveloped, compared to the first two stories. Despite this, I still generally enjoyed the lighthearted tone and bickering between the main characters.
Shalvis has an engaging writing style and her characters are fun, so I can see why her novels are so popular. However, she’s not for me. If you’re looking for a cute holiday read and are a fan of Shalvis, this is probably worth checking out.
I’ve only ever read one other book by Shalvis and this collection reminded me why I never picked-up another. While the stories aren’t bad, they’re just not my thing. If I read a contemporary romance, I tend to want the conflict to stay at believable levels.The fact that Shalvis seems to think that all her stories need a conspiracy or life and death situation annoys me.
The first story, Finding Mr. Right was the best story in the collection. Chemist Maggie Bell has a crush on the contractor working outside of her office. Even though she knows he’s completely wrong for her, she decides to pursue him for a short term relationship.
Maggie has the habit of spewing out random facts when nervous. At first I liked this, but the character trait was overused to the point where it started to get annoying. Even though Maggie’s wikipedia knowledge started to get on my nerves, I still liked her character. I only wish that Shalvis had stuck with character conflict between the heroine and hero to move the plot forward, rather than going the action/conspiracy route.
The second story, Bah, Handsome, features Hope, a B&B owner, who owes a ton of money to her loan shark step brother. When one of her step brother’s lackeys shows up at the B&B, Hope doesn’t expect to be attracted to the man. This one really didn’t work well for me. Hope was annoyingly stubborn and I honestly didn’t care at all about the relationship. I also really hated how meddlesome her friends were.
The final story, Ms. Humbug, focuses on city planner, Cami, who discovers the man she’s dating is banging the office assistant. Disheartened, she takes up with mayor and long time verbal sparring partner, Matt. Another story that would’ve worked better for me if Shalvis hadn’t taken the action/conspiracy route. While this one wasn’t bad, I thought the characters were the most underdeveloped, compared to the first two stories. Despite this, I still generally enjoyed the lighthearted tone and bickering between the main characters.
Shalvis has an engaging writing style and her characters are fun, so I can see why her novels are so popular. However, she’s not for me. If you’re looking for a cute holiday read and are a fan of Shalvis, this is probably worth checking out.
December 11, 2014
The first two stories in this collection were terrible. The writing was sloppy and felt like mediocre fanfic to me. The plots were kind of ridiculous and also not at all suited to novellas. The plot in the last one was also not suited to a novella, but there was some good tension and chemistry between the leads and the writing was markedly better. And all three female characters were primarily motivated by the fact that they desperately wanted orgasms. They were obsessed with orgasms. And, honestly, it was one of the most off-putting things for me, because it made their motivations murky for me with how short of a time the characters were given to develop anything even remotely resembling a relationship. I'm glad I bought this series for 99 cents, as I see Jill Shalvis books advertised constantly and I am always so close to buying, but this was a good way for me to see that her stories just aren't for me.
January 4, 2018
I read two out of three stories and could not work up the enthusiasm to read the third. The plots were cute and the characters okay, but for short stories there seemed to be an awful lot of sex. I prefer relationships to be more developed before sex is involved.
May 7, 2020
Meh. DNF
December 26, 2019
This book isn't what I'd call Christmassy and it's definitely more naughty than nice. The stories held my interest though.
June 16, 2014
Three cute Christmas short stories. Don't know why but I go through these fazes throughout the year where I want to read Christmas stories!
Finding Mr. Wright: Chemist Maggie Bell finds that a man she knew in high school, Jacob, is doing some renovation work at the company she works for. She hasn't had much luck with the guys who she thinks are ideal for her, so on the advice of a friend she decides to go for a guy who is totally opposite of her and Jacob is looking like the ideal candidate. Jacob's appearance couldn't have come at a better time in Maggie's life. Someone has been breaking into her office, her home, and has slashed her tires.
Bah Handsome!: Hope is a Bed and Breakfast owner who is struggling financially. She took out a loan from her stepbrother who offered her terrible terms. Now the money is coming due and she isn't real sure how she's going to pay. It doesn't help matters when her brothers's financial solicitor appears at her door in a snow storm. Danny has very strong feelings and is concerned about Hope. He knows the money is coming due and wants to do everything he can to help her out. But Hope isn't exactly making things easy. It's a good thing Danny is just as stubborn as she is.
Ms. Humbug: I'm pretty sure I've read this in another book before. Cami works as a city planner. She's been dating one of the guys in her office and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Recent Mayoral elect, Matt, and Cami always seems to be fighting at opposite sides of the coin. And for Matt, this is a good thing. He loves Cami's intelligence and her spirit and isn't afraid to take advantage of a moment once presented. Not only do Cami and Matt find themselves in a developing romance, but they also find themselves in an office investigation. Someone seems determined to cause the downfall of many people in key administrative roles for the city and Cami and Matt are determined to find out who is behind it all.
Finding Mr. Wright: Chemist Maggie Bell finds that a man she knew in high school, Jacob, is doing some renovation work at the company she works for. She hasn't had much luck with the guys who she thinks are ideal for her, so on the advice of a friend she decides to go for a guy who is totally opposite of her and Jacob is looking like the ideal candidate. Jacob's appearance couldn't have come at a better time in Maggie's life. Someone has been breaking into her office, her home, and has slashed her tires.
Bah Handsome!: Hope is a Bed and Breakfast owner who is struggling financially. She took out a loan from her stepbrother who offered her terrible terms. Now the money is coming due and she isn't real sure how she's going to pay. It doesn't help matters when her brothers's financial solicitor appears at her door in a snow storm. Danny has very strong feelings and is concerned about Hope. He knows the money is coming due and wants to do everything he can to help her out. But Hope isn't exactly making things easy. It's a good thing Danny is just as stubborn as she is.
Ms. Humbug: I'm pretty sure I've read this in another book before. Cami works as a city planner. She's been dating one of the guys in her office and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Recent Mayoral elect, Matt, and Cami always seems to be fighting at opposite sides of the coin. And for Matt, this is a good thing. He loves Cami's intelligence and her spirit and isn't afraid to take advantage of a moment once presented. Not only do Cami and Matt find themselves in a developing romance, but they also find themselves in an office investigation. Someone seems determined to cause the downfall of many people in key administrative roles for the city and Cami and Matt are determined to find out who is behind it all.
October 25, 2013
Well this is a Jill Shalvis book so of course, I liked it. The stories are all set right before Christmas but do not really include anything holiday related except minor mentions of shopping or decorating or travel plans. This is actually 3 long stories in this book.
1. Finding Mr Right 5 stars
This is my favorite in the bunch. Maggie is a scientist, smart. Jacob owns a construction company. They knew each other in high school. He was a popular, sports star. She was years younger, a nerd, not exactly popular. They run into each other again when Jacob's company is doing work on the offices where Maggie is employed. The humor is lovely. They are nice people, easy to love. There is a bit of a mystery here related to Maggie's pet science project.
2. Bah Handsome! 2.5 stars
This was my least favorite in the bunch. The couple were fine folks, Hope and Danny. She owns a B&B and Danny is a CPA. I especially loved the supporting characters Lisa and Ben. They are great and funny! But I didn't find the main relationship believable. It happened too quickly.
3. Ms Humbug 4 stars
This story is an office romance with a mystery. Cami tries to keep her life in control with OCD organizing. I can totally relate to her. Matt is a shoot from the hip, popular successful guy. There's some bad stuff going on in their office. They end up working together to figure it out and get together. It's interesting and funny.
1. Finding Mr Right 5 stars
This is my favorite in the bunch. Maggie is a scientist, smart. Jacob owns a construction company. They knew each other in high school. He was a popular, sports star. She was years younger, a nerd, not exactly popular. They run into each other again when Jacob's company is doing work on the offices where Maggie is employed. The humor is lovely. They are nice people, easy to love. There is a bit of a mystery here related to Maggie's pet science project.
2. Bah Handsome! 2.5 stars
This was my least favorite in the bunch. The couple were fine folks, Hope and Danny. She owns a B&B and Danny is a CPA. I especially loved the supporting characters Lisa and Ben. They are great and funny! But I didn't find the main relationship believable. It happened too quickly.
3. Ms Humbug 4 stars
This story is an office romance with a mystery. Cami tries to keep her life in control with OCD organizing. I can totally relate to her. Matt is a shoot from the hip, popular successful guy. There's some bad stuff going on in their office. They end up working together to figure it out and get together. It's interesting and funny.
June 23, 2015
THIS was a little bundle of goodness!
All 3 stories had the great wit, humor and sexiness that Ms Shalvis has normally delivered but Finding Mr Right stood out WAY above all! From "$1.19" to "Goddammit, are you getting naked?" I laughed so hard I thought I would pee my pants. I couldn't stop. Maggie made for a very entertaining 100 pages or so. The only tiny little thing that I would change is the 'i love you' part. The story didnt need it. It actually took away from it's realism a little bit. But an excellent short story, non the less!
Bah Handsome was cute as well, but again, the 'i love you' was unnecessary and made the story seem rushed and unrealistic. And that goes for Ms Humbug as well.
In conclusion, PEE YOU PANTS hilarious! Highly recommend!
All 3 stories had the great wit, humor and sexiness that Ms Shalvis has normally delivered but Finding Mr Right stood out WAY above all! From "$1.19" to "Goddammit, are you getting naked?" I laughed so hard I thought I would pee my pants. I couldn't stop. Maggie made for a very entertaining 100 pages or so. The only tiny little thing that I would change is the 'i love you' part. The story didnt need it. It actually took away from it's realism a little bit. But an excellent short story, non the less!
Bah Handsome was cute as well, but again, the 'i love you' was unnecessary and made the story seem rushed and unrealistic. And that goes for Ms Humbug as well.
In conclusion, PEE YOU PANTS hilarious! Highly recommend!
October 7, 2013
These 3 stories were cute, but the set up a little hard for me to buy into, especially the last one. Being that they were short stories it seemed like things moved at super speed.
May 26, 2020
Three short sweet stories taking place during Christmas in a cozy romance anthology.
The Stories
"Finding Mr Right" is quite unexpected and great fun with Maggie Bell, a bookworm chemist who spouts facts when she's nervous...like when she re-encounters the hunky Jacob Wahler, who's earthquake-proofing the company run by two competitive brothers, Tim and Scott West.
Shalvis sets us up with a nice bit of foretelling with Janie, Maggie's UCLA professor sister who did not have the geek gene, telling Maggie Mr Right is, ahem, right around the corner. Now if only she can get her legs shaved...
It's a sweet and fun story I was quite happy to re-read.
"Bah, Handsome!" is a Scrooge of a story with Hope O'Brien's loan due in 21 days or she loses her dream of a bed-and-breakfast inn up in the mountains. Danny Shaw is her stepbrother's errand-running lackey sent to ensure Hope pays him back...or better, takes the inn from her.
It's a cute start when Danny gets stuck in the snow, and Hope refuses to let the scumbag in. A terrifying list of what needs doing soon follows with Hope struggling to give her guests a good time even as she battles Danny with her perceptions of his purpose there. Shalvis uses a third person dual protagonist point-of-view between Hope's and Danny's perspectives, so we get an up-close and personal view on their thoughts. Yet another sweet story I very much enjoyed.
"Ms. Humbug" finds Cami Bennett, a workaholic city planner, trying to talk herself into having fun but can't get past the self-image she formed as a kid. It's that "Whale-Tail" nickname that has her hating the new mayor. The confident and sexy new mayor. It's a case of opposites attract, for Cami lives for rules and Matt Tarino prefers to duck around them.
Shalvis again uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Cami's and Matt's perspectives, making it even more fun as we listen in on their thoughts. And I absolutely adore Matt! He's so down-to-earth! Sigh...
The Cover and Title
The cover is bright and cheerful with its pastel yellow and pinkish orange sunset sliding behind a brownish mountain with a white stucco and clay-roofed house, an arched window and porch frame just before the deep turquoise steps leading up to the front door. It's an unexpected contrast of bright green grass and flowering bushes against the Christmas lights strung along the roofline, beribboned wreaths at the windows, toy soldiers standing guard on either side of the entrance, the gift-wrapped packages at the front left (lower) corner surrounding a little white dog with his red ribbon sitting in a red-lined basket next to the flagstone sidewalk.
The author's name is at the top in red with an info blurb in black immediately below it. The title, in white, is centered to the right of the dog in his basket with a testimonial in tiny print below that on the right.
The title refers to the theme behind these three romantic tales, for they all end up Merry and Bright.
The Stories
"Finding Mr Right" is quite unexpected and great fun with Maggie Bell, a bookworm chemist who spouts facts when she's nervous...like when she re-encounters the hunky Jacob Wahler, who's earthquake-proofing the company run by two competitive brothers, Tim and Scott West.
Shalvis sets us up with a nice bit of foretelling with Janie, Maggie's UCLA professor sister who did not have the geek gene, telling Maggie Mr Right is, ahem, right around the corner. Now if only she can get her legs shaved...
It's a sweet and fun story I was quite happy to re-read.
"Bah, Handsome!" is a Scrooge of a story with Hope O'Brien's loan due in 21 days or she loses her dream of a bed-and-breakfast inn up in the mountains. Danny Shaw is her stepbrother's errand-running lackey sent to ensure Hope pays him back...or better, takes the inn from her.
It's a cute start when Danny gets stuck in the snow, and Hope refuses to let the scumbag in. A terrifying list of what needs doing soon follows with Hope struggling to give her guests a good time even as she battles Danny with her perceptions of his purpose there. Shalvis uses a third person dual protagonist point-of-view between Hope's and Danny's perspectives, so we get an up-close and personal view on their thoughts. Yet another sweet story I very much enjoyed.
"Ms. Humbug" finds Cami Bennett, a workaholic city planner, trying to talk herself into having fun but can't get past the self-image she formed as a kid. It's that "Whale-Tail" nickname that has her hating the new mayor. The confident and sexy new mayor. It's a case of opposites attract, for Cami lives for rules and Matt Tarino prefers to duck around them.
Shalvis again uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Cami's and Matt's perspectives, making it even more fun as we listen in on their thoughts. And I absolutely adore Matt! He's so down-to-earth! Sigh...
The Cover and Title
The cover is bright and cheerful with its pastel yellow and pinkish orange sunset sliding behind a brownish mountain with a white stucco and clay-roofed house, an arched window and porch frame just before the deep turquoise steps leading up to the front door. It's an unexpected contrast of bright green grass and flowering bushes against the Christmas lights strung along the roofline, beribboned wreaths at the windows, toy soldiers standing guard on either side of the entrance, the gift-wrapped packages at the front left (lower) corner surrounding a little white dog with his red ribbon sitting in a red-lined basket next to the flagstone sidewalk.
The author's name is at the top in red with an info blurb in black immediately below it. The title, in white, is centered to the right of the dog in his basket with a testimonial in tiny print below that on the right.
The title refers to the theme behind these three romantic tales, for they all end up Merry and Bright.
March 22, 2016
http://openbooksociety.com/article/me...
Merry and Bright
By Jill Shalvis
ISBN: 0758291124
Author’s Website: http://jillshalvis.com/
Review brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Synopsis:
Finding Mr. Right
Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it’s time to alter the equation – and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Eureka! The heart is a genius…
Bah, Handsome
Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest – stranded solicitor Danny, who has been threatening to put her out of business. Funny how the holidays can bring people together no matter how much they resist…
Ms. Humbug
Born rebel or overgrown man child, Matt is the kind of man no woman can tame–until an unexpected encounter with his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party proves there is an exception to every rule.
Review:
Finding Mr. Right
From the first page I was drawn into Maggie`s plight…and I totally loved her sister`s suggestion! Why not choose Mr. Wrong since Mr. Right (on paper that is) has not worked out in the past (maybe I should take a lesson from her playbook?). As it turns out…Mr. Wrong (aka Jacob) is an old high school crush who just happens to be working as the guy in charge of earthquake retrofitting her office building.
Maggie is insecure (with respect to the opposite sex) and I found the interactions between her and Jacob really drawing me in to their journey.
“What, you’ve never seen a clumsy woman tear her stockings before?” “I’ve never seen a beautiful woman so unaware of herself before.”
Let us not forget the humor as well J In one scene, Jacob is sleeping over (on the couch), Maggie wakes up in the middle of the night with a big thirst so she goes into the kitchen (after standing over Jacob on the couch…peering at him…making noises hoping he will wake up so they could…well you know…). While in the kitchen, Maggie does not turn on the light and then hears a noise. Upshot is it does not end well for either Maggie or Jacob and Maggie asks that Jacob not turn on the lights.
“I told you not to,” Maggie said on a sigh. She was sitting in the opened dishwasher tray in a camisole and panty set, bare legs dangling over the sides, her arms bracing her up as she attempted to lever herself off the broken plates beneath her. “Jesus, Maggie’” She had to be cut all to hell, and he rushed forward to lift her out.
Maggie then leaves abruptly and locks her self in the bathroom while Jacob is trying to insist that he look at her derriere for possible broken glass. At this point, Maggie responds in true Maggie fashion and we get a real hard look at her compulsive side when Jacob accidentally knocks her toothbrush to the ground and he picks it up and places it on the counter:
“Wrong side.” “Huh?” “That’s the toilet side of the counter. Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from the toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. You just put it within four feet. I’ll have to throw it away.”
Besides the really hot story with the really hot Jacob, there was an additional ‘mystery’ which added depth to the story which kept me guessing until the end. Slowly throughout the story there emerges a theme of sabotage and the ‘who’ is a surprise.
Bah, Handsome
Hope O’Brien runs a B&B (her dream) two hours north of Denver but at the moment things are looking dismal. She is behind in paying her bills and with a balloon payment looming in three weeks to her step-brother Edward AND…she has not been with a guy in over eight months, what’s a girl to do. Frustrated on many levels, we catch a glimpse of what it is like to be Hope…. who is quickly loosing hope. While decorating the inn, Hope and her good friend Lori (and support staff for the inn as well as a newlywed) are having a fun time when Lori says the following, which caused a grin to take up residence on my face:
“Mistletoe!” Lori snatched up the dried sprig, and held it to her chest like it was a bar of gold. “You’ve been married six months and still drag Ben into the closet whenever you see him. What could you possibly need with mistletoe?” “It’s for you.” “You want me to kiss me? Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Hope leaned in and puckered up. “Give me your best shot.” Laughing, Lori shoved her away. “I don’t want to kiss you. I want someone else to kiss you. A penis-carrying someone.”
As the evening approaches (and a snowstorm continues to rage outside), there is a knock on the door. Danny Shaw, Edward’s CPA is standing at the door and he is stranded. His rental car is stuck in the snow and he is ill equipped to be in Denver’s winter weather. Side note…. Hope refers to her step brother as “rat bastard”. Hope does not wish to let Danny in but what is the alternative? Let him freeze to death. So she relents and quotes the rate (twice what she normally charges…after all…that is what you charge ‘rat bastards’ isn’t it? :) ). The next morning things start to go downhill as Hope discovers her pipes are frozen. Trust me when I say, from this point in time on it seems that a number of comedic errors occur. Slowly but surely, the two seem to connect on a happier note (and more lust filled I might add).
One particular quote had me laughing and happy that Hope was finally appreciating the geeky accountant:
“City rat bastard had a sharp wit, she’d give him that. And a good ass.”
Many trials and tribulations to get through (surprisingly given it is a novella) along with more chuckle worthy moments. In the end, a sweet (slightly naughty – given the shed scene!!!) romantic story.
Ms. Humbug
Cami is a professed workaholic. Here it is three days before Christmas and Cami Bennet is working and contemplating the necessity of going to the office Christmas party. As Cami said on the first page:
She liked the big O’s – order and organization. Orgasms would have been a nice addition to that list, but due to being a little uptight-and, okay, a lot anal – those kinds of O’s were few and far between.
So right off the bat I got a sense of desperation from Cami, not a quality I particularly like. However, there were certainly other redeeming qualities of the story :)
With respect to the bathroom scene…. poor Cami, her day is just not getting any better until….” The Kiss”. Of course, the internal confusion and then surprise when she finds out ‘who’ she is kissing was a chuckle worthy moment. From there I knew that chemistry would take over and the story would flow better for me. And it did. A quick and fun read (though the least favorite of the three for me) with a bit of a mystery as well.
As always, thank you Jill Shalvis for penning such delightful stories.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
Merry and Bright
By Jill Shalvis
ISBN: 0758291124
Author’s Website: http://jillshalvis.com/
Review brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Synopsis:
Finding Mr. Right
Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it’s time to alter the equation – and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Eureka! The heart is a genius…
Bah, Handsome
Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest – stranded solicitor Danny, who has been threatening to put her out of business. Funny how the holidays can bring people together no matter how much they resist…
Ms. Humbug
Born rebel or overgrown man child, Matt is the kind of man no woman can tame–until an unexpected encounter with his nemesis, Cami, at the office holiday party proves there is an exception to every rule.
Review:
Finding Mr. Right
From the first page I was drawn into Maggie`s plight…and I totally loved her sister`s suggestion! Why not choose Mr. Wrong since Mr. Right (on paper that is) has not worked out in the past (maybe I should take a lesson from her playbook?). As it turns out…Mr. Wrong (aka Jacob) is an old high school crush who just happens to be working as the guy in charge of earthquake retrofitting her office building.
Maggie is insecure (with respect to the opposite sex) and I found the interactions between her and Jacob really drawing me in to their journey.
“What, you’ve never seen a clumsy woman tear her stockings before?” “I’ve never seen a beautiful woman so unaware of herself before.”
Let us not forget the humor as well J In one scene, Jacob is sleeping over (on the couch), Maggie wakes up in the middle of the night with a big thirst so she goes into the kitchen (after standing over Jacob on the couch…peering at him…making noises hoping he will wake up so they could…well you know…). While in the kitchen, Maggie does not turn on the light and then hears a noise. Upshot is it does not end well for either Maggie or Jacob and Maggie asks that Jacob not turn on the lights.
“I told you not to,” Maggie said on a sigh. She was sitting in the opened dishwasher tray in a camisole and panty set, bare legs dangling over the sides, her arms bracing her up as she attempted to lever herself off the broken plates beneath her. “Jesus, Maggie’” She had to be cut all to hell, and he rushed forward to lift her out.
Maggie then leaves abruptly and locks her self in the bathroom while Jacob is trying to insist that he look at her derriere for possible broken glass. At this point, Maggie responds in true Maggie fashion and we get a real hard look at her compulsive side when Jacob accidentally knocks her toothbrush to the ground and he picks it up and places it on the counter:
“Wrong side.” “Huh?” “That’s the toilet side of the counter. Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from the toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. You just put it within four feet. I’ll have to throw it away.”
Besides the really hot story with the really hot Jacob, there was an additional ‘mystery’ which added depth to the story which kept me guessing until the end. Slowly throughout the story there emerges a theme of sabotage and the ‘who’ is a surprise.
Bah, Handsome
Hope O’Brien runs a B&B (her dream) two hours north of Denver but at the moment things are looking dismal. She is behind in paying her bills and with a balloon payment looming in three weeks to her step-brother Edward AND…she has not been with a guy in over eight months, what’s a girl to do. Frustrated on many levels, we catch a glimpse of what it is like to be Hope…. who is quickly loosing hope. While decorating the inn, Hope and her good friend Lori (and support staff for the inn as well as a newlywed) are having a fun time when Lori says the following, which caused a grin to take up residence on my face:
“Mistletoe!” Lori snatched up the dried sprig, and held it to her chest like it was a bar of gold. “You’ve been married six months and still drag Ben into the closet whenever you see him. What could you possibly need with mistletoe?” “It’s for you.” “You want me to kiss me? Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Hope leaned in and puckered up. “Give me your best shot.” Laughing, Lori shoved her away. “I don’t want to kiss you. I want someone else to kiss you. A penis-carrying someone.”
As the evening approaches (and a snowstorm continues to rage outside), there is a knock on the door. Danny Shaw, Edward’s CPA is standing at the door and he is stranded. His rental car is stuck in the snow and he is ill equipped to be in Denver’s winter weather. Side note…. Hope refers to her step brother as “rat bastard”. Hope does not wish to let Danny in but what is the alternative? Let him freeze to death. So she relents and quotes the rate (twice what she normally charges…after all…that is what you charge ‘rat bastards’ isn’t it? :) ). The next morning things start to go downhill as Hope discovers her pipes are frozen. Trust me when I say, from this point in time on it seems that a number of comedic errors occur. Slowly but surely, the two seem to connect on a happier note (and more lust filled I might add).
One particular quote had me laughing and happy that Hope was finally appreciating the geeky accountant:
“City rat bastard had a sharp wit, she’d give him that. And a good ass.”
Many trials and tribulations to get through (surprisingly given it is a novella) along with more chuckle worthy moments. In the end, a sweet (slightly naughty – given the shed scene!!!) romantic story.
Ms. Humbug
Cami is a professed workaholic. Here it is three days before Christmas and Cami Bennet is working and contemplating the necessity of going to the office Christmas party. As Cami said on the first page:
She liked the big O’s – order and organization. Orgasms would have been a nice addition to that list, but due to being a little uptight-and, okay, a lot anal – those kinds of O’s were few and far between.
So right off the bat I got a sense of desperation from Cami, not a quality I particularly like. However, there were certainly other redeeming qualities of the story :)
With respect to the bathroom scene…. poor Cami, her day is just not getting any better until….” The Kiss”. Of course, the internal confusion and then surprise when she finds out ‘who’ she is kissing was a chuckle worthy moment. From there I knew that chemistry would take over and the story would flow better for me. And it did. A quick and fun read (though the least favorite of the three for me) with a bit of a mystery as well.
As always, thank you Jill Shalvis for penning such delightful stories.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
January 12, 2020
3 short stories from 2005-2009 collected in one. I think this may be my Shalvis swan song. I've been liking her current stuff less and less, and based on these, I'm a little afraid to reread the ones I read years ago for fear of what I missed.
Finding Mr Right: Maggie's sister implores her to try and choose a Mr Wrong since Mr Right doesn't seem to work out so well. Mr Wrong, an old high school crush, turns out to be a good choice, especially since the Mr Right she was currently trying to date seems really shady. And is her boss. This was....weird? I liked that there was a mystery angle, but wow was it super creepy with her bosses, and the Alice was just weird.
Bah Handsome: Hope had to take a loan out from her stepbrother to keep her B&B going, and his CPA has come to check on her progress, while her BFF tries to throw them together. I really liked Ben, with his glasses and his blushing and how much fun he has with math. A lot of Lori's tricks to get them together were funny. But the overarching plot of Hope saving her inn never actually got resolved? She won't take Ben's money, even if she will let him help...how? She needs money in like 2 weeks. I wanted to see that resolved!
Ms. Humbug: Homophobic and fatphobic. Cami is a city planner with a work history with the new mayor Matt. She considers him her nemesis even though they fought for a lot of the same injustices when he was planner and councilman? The previous mayor had been ousted when it was discovered he'd had an affair with the DA's 17 year old son and sold videos. All of the shock is reserved for the fact that it was a man, including the old mayor's daughter's revulsion, and the DA's son, with no care for the underage and no further mention of the videos because that was just a tossed off line. WTF. Also, Cami is repressed and a control freak to keep her inner fat girl under control, and all comments about it is that she looks fine now. It was a frustrating read.
Finding Mr Right: Maggie's sister implores her to try and choose a Mr Wrong since Mr Right doesn't seem to work out so well. Mr Wrong, an old high school crush, turns out to be a good choice, especially since the Mr Right she was currently trying to date seems really shady. And is her boss. This was....weird? I liked that there was a mystery angle, but wow was it super creepy with her bosses, and the Alice was just weird.
Bah Handsome: Hope had to take a loan out from her stepbrother to keep her B&B going, and his CPA has come to check on her progress, while her BFF tries to throw them together. I really liked Ben, with his glasses and his blushing and how much fun he has with math. A lot of Lori's tricks to get them together were funny. But the overarching plot of Hope saving her inn never actually got resolved? She won't take Ben's money, even if she will let him help...how? She needs money in like 2 weeks. I wanted to see that resolved!
Ms. Humbug: Homophobic and fatphobic. Cami is a city planner with a work history with the new mayor Matt. She considers him her nemesis even though they fought for a lot of the same injustices when he was planner and councilman? The previous mayor had been ousted when it was discovered he'd had an affair with the DA's 17 year old son and sold videos. All of the shock is reserved for the fact that it was a man, including the old mayor's daughter's revulsion, and the DA's son, with no care for the underage and no further mention of the videos because that was just a tossed off line. WTF. Also, Cami is repressed and a control freak to keep her inner fat girl under control, and all comments about it is that she looks fine now. It was a frustrating read.
March 6, 2020
This is a collection of three novellas in one between fifty and ninety pages long. They are all set in the Christmas season, though that doesn’t play heavily into the stories. They all moved at the speed of lightning as far as developing the relationships went and the sex was hot and frequent—something that was a little off-putting for me as they just seemed to move a little too fast. In the first one, Finding Mr.Right, Maggie has the hots for Jason—a contractor at the lab where she works and someone she had a huge crush on in high school. This one actually worked for me because there was a previous relationship of sorts to build on. In the second one—Bah, Handsome—the only thing that really rang unreal for me was at the beginning of the story, we’re told there are guests in the B&B, yet those guests are never around, even though they’re definitely snowed in. The relationship was…okay. And it ended well. I just would have liked it better had there been no mention of other guests. As for the third—Ms. Humbug—Again, a little too fast for my tastes, but not a bad story overall.
What I liked: The stories were quick, easy to read, and with HEA that satisfied.
What I didn’t like: The relationships just moved a little too fast for me, especially the hot sex. Yes, these were short stories which doesn’t allow for a lot of development, but they just felt a little too rushed for me. I’d liked to have seen more emotion, less sex.
Recommendation: for hot quick reads with HEA endings that leave you smiling, definitely pick this up, but don’t expect depth in the storylines. They are short stories and it shows in the development.
Thanks to the publisher for providing this book
What I liked: The stories were quick, easy to read, and with HEA that satisfied.
What I didn’t like: The relationships just moved a little too fast for me, especially the hot sex. Yes, these were short stories which doesn’t allow for a lot of development, but they just felt a little too rushed for me. I’d liked to have seen more emotion, less sex.
Recommendation: for hot quick reads with HEA endings that leave you smiling, definitely pick this up, but don’t expect depth in the storylines. They are short stories and it shows in the development.
Thanks to the publisher for providing this book
April 9, 2016
http://openbooksociety.com/article/me...
Review:
Finding Mr. Right
From the first page I was drawn into Maggie`s plight…and I totally loved her sister`s suggestion! Why not choose Mr. Wrong since Mr. Right (on paper that is) has not worked out in the past (maybe I should take a lesson from her playbook?). As it turns out…Mr. Wrong (aka Jacob) is an old high school crush who just happens to be working as the guy in charge of earthquake retrofitting her office building.
Maggie is insecure (with respect to the opposite sex) and I found the interactions between her and Jacob really drawing me in to their journey.
“What, you’ve never seen a clumsy woman tear her stockings before?” “I’ve never seen a beautiful woman so unaware of herself before.”
Let us not forget the humor as well J In one scene, Jacob is sleeping over (on the couch), Maggie wakes up in the middle of the night with a big thirst so she goes into the kitchen (after standing over Jacob on the couch…peering at him…making noises hoping he will wake up so they could…well you know…). While in the kitchen, Maggie does not turn on the light and then hears a noise. Upshot is it does not end well for either Maggie or Jacob and Maggie asks that Jacob not turn on the lights.
“I told you not to,” Maggie said on a sigh. She was sitting in the opened dishwasher tray in a camisole and panty set, bare legs dangling over the sides, her arms bracing her up as she attempted to lever herself off the broken plates beneath her. “Jesus, Maggie’” She had to be cut all to hell, and he rushed forward to lift her out.
Maggie then leaves abruptly and locks her self in the bathroom while Jacob is trying to insist that he look at her derriere for possible broken glass. At this point, Maggie responds in true Maggie fashion and we get a real hard look at her compulsive side when Jacob accidentally knocks her toothbrush to the ground and he picks it up and places it on the counter:
“Wrong side.” “Huh?” “That’s the toilet side of the counter. Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from the toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. You just put it within four feet. I’ll have to throw it away.”
Besides the really hot story with the really hot Jacob, there was an additional ‘mystery’ which added depth to the story which kept me guessing until the end. Slowly throughout the story there emerges a theme of sabotage and the ‘who’ is a surprise.
Bah, Handsome
Hope O’Brien runs a B&B (her dream) two hours north of Denver but at the moment things are looking dismal. She is behind in paying her bills and with a balloon payment looming in three weeks to her step-brother Edward AND…she has not been with a guy in over eight months, what’s a girl to do. Frustrated on many levels, we catch a glimpse of what it is like to be Hope…. who is quickly loosing hope. While decorating the inn, Hope and her good friend Lori (and support staff for the inn as well as a newlywed) are having a fun time when Lori says the following, which caused a grin to take up residence on my face:
“Mistletoe!” Lori snatched up the dried sprig, and held it to her chest like it was a bar of gold. “You’ve been married six months and still drag Ben into the closet whenever you see him. What could you possibly need with mistletoe?” “It’s for you.” “You want me to kiss me? Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Hope leaned in and puckered up. “Give me your best shot.” Laughing, Lori shoved her away. “I don’t want to kiss you. I want someone else to kiss you. A penis-carrying someone.”
As the evening approaches (and a snowstorm continues to rage outside), there is a knock on the door. Danny Shaw, Edward’s CPA is standing at the door and he is stranded. His rental car is stuck in the snow and he is ill equipped to be in Denver’s winter weather. Side note…. Hope refers to her step brother as “rat bastard”. Hope does not wish to let Danny in but what is the alternative? Let him freeze to death. So she relents and quotes the rate (twice what she normally charges…after all…that is what you charge ‘rat bastards’ isn’t it? :) ). The next morning things start to go downhill as Hope discovers her pipes are frozen. Trust me when I say, from this point in time on it seems that a number of comedic errors occur. Slowly but surely, the two seem to connect on a happier note (and more lust filled I might add).
One particular quote had me laughing and happy that Hope was finally appreciating the geeky accountant:
“City rat bastard had a sharp wit, she’d give him that. And a good ass.”
Many trials and tribulations to get through (surprisingly given it is a novella) along with more chuckle worthy moments. In the end, a sweet (slightly naughty – given the shed scene!!!) romantic story.
Ms. Humbug
Cami is a professed workaholic. Here it is three days before Christmas and Cami Bennet is working and contemplating the necessity of going to the office Christmas party. As Cami said on the first page:
She liked the big O’s – order and organization. Orgasms would have been a nice addition to that list, but due to being a little uptight-and, okay, a lot anal – those kinds of O’s were few and far between.
So right off the bat I got a sense of desperation from Cami, not a quality I particularly like. However, there were certainly other redeeming qualities of the story :)
With respect to the bathroom scene…. poor Cami, her day is just not getting any better until….” The Kiss”. Of course, the internal confusion and then surprise when she finds out ‘who’ she is kissing was a chuckle worthy moment. From there I knew that chemistry would take over and the story would flow better for me. And it did. A quick and fun read (though the least favorite of the three for me) with a bit of a mystery as well.
As always, thank you Jill Shalvis for penning such delightful stories.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
Review:
Finding Mr. Right
From the first page I was drawn into Maggie`s plight…and I totally loved her sister`s suggestion! Why not choose Mr. Wrong since Mr. Right (on paper that is) has not worked out in the past (maybe I should take a lesson from her playbook?). As it turns out…Mr. Wrong (aka Jacob) is an old high school crush who just happens to be working as the guy in charge of earthquake retrofitting her office building.
Maggie is insecure (with respect to the opposite sex) and I found the interactions between her and Jacob really drawing me in to their journey.
“What, you’ve never seen a clumsy woman tear her stockings before?” “I’ve never seen a beautiful woman so unaware of herself before.”
Let us not forget the humor as well J In one scene, Jacob is sleeping over (on the couch), Maggie wakes up in the middle of the night with a big thirst so she goes into the kitchen (after standing over Jacob on the couch…peering at him…making noises hoping he will wake up so they could…well you know…). While in the kitchen, Maggie does not turn on the light and then hears a noise. Upshot is it does not end well for either Maggie or Jacob and Maggie asks that Jacob not turn on the lights.
“I told you not to,” Maggie said on a sigh. She was sitting in the opened dishwasher tray in a camisole and panty set, bare legs dangling over the sides, her arms bracing her up as she attempted to lever herself off the broken plates beneath her. “Jesus, Maggie’” She had to be cut all to hell, and he rushed forward to lift her out.
Maggie then leaves abruptly and locks her self in the bathroom while Jacob is trying to insist that he look at her derriere for possible broken glass. At this point, Maggie responds in true Maggie fashion and we get a real hard look at her compulsive side when Jacob accidentally knocks her toothbrush to the ground and he picks it up and places it on the counter:
“Wrong side.” “Huh?” “That’s the toilet side of the counter. Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from the toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. You just put it within four feet. I’ll have to throw it away.”
Besides the really hot story with the really hot Jacob, there was an additional ‘mystery’ which added depth to the story which kept me guessing until the end. Slowly throughout the story there emerges a theme of sabotage and the ‘who’ is a surprise.
Bah, Handsome
Hope O’Brien runs a B&B (her dream) two hours north of Denver but at the moment things are looking dismal. She is behind in paying her bills and with a balloon payment looming in three weeks to her step-brother Edward AND…she has not been with a guy in over eight months, what’s a girl to do. Frustrated on many levels, we catch a glimpse of what it is like to be Hope…. who is quickly loosing hope. While decorating the inn, Hope and her good friend Lori (and support staff for the inn as well as a newlywed) are having a fun time when Lori says the following, which caused a grin to take up residence on my face:
“Mistletoe!” Lori snatched up the dried sprig, and held it to her chest like it was a bar of gold. “You’ve been married six months and still drag Ben into the closet whenever you see him. What could you possibly need with mistletoe?” “It’s for you.” “You want me to kiss me? Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Hope leaned in and puckered up. “Give me your best shot.” Laughing, Lori shoved her away. “I don’t want to kiss you. I want someone else to kiss you. A penis-carrying someone.”
As the evening approaches (and a snowstorm continues to rage outside), there is a knock on the door. Danny Shaw, Edward’s CPA is standing at the door and he is stranded. His rental car is stuck in the snow and he is ill equipped to be in Denver’s winter weather. Side note…. Hope refers to her step brother as “rat bastard”. Hope does not wish to let Danny in but what is the alternative? Let him freeze to death. So she relents and quotes the rate (twice what she normally charges…after all…that is what you charge ‘rat bastards’ isn’t it? :) ). The next morning things start to go downhill as Hope discovers her pipes are frozen. Trust me when I say, from this point in time on it seems that a number of comedic errors occur. Slowly but surely, the two seem to connect on a happier note (and more lust filled I might add).
One particular quote had me laughing and happy that Hope was finally appreciating the geeky accountant:
“City rat bastard had a sharp wit, she’d give him that. And a good ass.”
Many trials and tribulations to get through (surprisingly given it is a novella) along with more chuckle worthy moments. In the end, a sweet (slightly naughty – given the shed scene!!!) romantic story.
Ms. Humbug
Cami is a professed workaholic. Here it is three days before Christmas and Cami Bennet is working and contemplating the necessity of going to the office Christmas party. As Cami said on the first page:
She liked the big O’s – order and organization. Orgasms would have been a nice addition to that list, but due to being a little uptight-and, okay, a lot anal – those kinds of O’s were few and far between.
So right off the bat I got a sense of desperation from Cami, not a quality I particularly like. However, there were certainly other redeeming qualities of the story :)
With respect to the bathroom scene…. poor Cami, her day is just not getting any better until….” The Kiss”. Of course, the internal confusion and then surprise when she finds out ‘who’ she is kissing was a chuckle worthy moment. From there I knew that chemistry would take over and the story would flow better for me. And it did. A quick and fun read (though the least favorite of the three for me) with a bit of a mystery as well.
As always, thank you Jill Shalvis for penning such delightful stories.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
July 3, 2019
Finding Mr. Right
If you can't find Mr. Right, mess around with Mr. Wrong. At least that is the theory Maggie Bell, genius scientist, is working by. So she decides to hook up with Jacob Wahler, currently working on the earthquake retrofitting in Maggie's office. Also her high school crush.
But is her newfound romance a result of great chemistry or the lotion that her bosses have developed?
Bah Handsome
Hope O'Brien borrowed money from her stepbrother to try and bolster her aging B&B. And now the man has sent his accountant, Danny Shaw, to collect. Three weeks early. Right before the Christmas holiday and ahead of a holiday storm that traps Danny in with her for enough time to get to know him a little better...
Ms. Humbug
Cami Bennet is a city planner. Matt Tarino is a councilman and interim mayor. He's filling in because the previous mayor resigned after a scandal with an underage male. The two have always butted heads but will now have to work together to uncover who is trying to tank the entire town.
If you can't find Mr. Right, mess around with Mr. Wrong. At least that is the theory Maggie Bell, genius scientist, is working by. So she decides to hook up with Jacob Wahler, currently working on the earthquake retrofitting in Maggie's office. Also her high school crush.
But is her newfound romance a result of great chemistry or the lotion that her bosses have developed?
Bah Handsome
Hope O'Brien borrowed money from her stepbrother to try and bolster her aging B&B. And now the man has sent his accountant, Danny Shaw, to collect. Three weeks early. Right before the Christmas holiday and ahead of a holiday storm that traps Danny in with her for enough time to get to know him a little better...
Ms. Humbug
Cami Bennet is a city planner. Matt Tarino is a councilman and interim mayor. He's filling in because the previous mayor resigned after a scandal with an underage male. The two have always butted heads but will now have to work together to uncover who is trying to tank the entire town.
February 19, 2020
Three short Christmas novellas are part of this book.
1. Finding Mr. Right
Scientist Maggie Bell decides to change it up and date a Mr. Wrong instead of Mr. Right. She rediscovers high school classmate Jacob Wahler. Jacob is the construction foreman for a project in Maggie's building. I liked Maggie's quirky habit of sharing trivia facts when she was nervous.
2. Bah Handsome!
Colorado B & B owner Hope O'Brien is barely keeping things financially above water. Her step brother Edward is demanding repayment of a loan. When Danny Shaw, Edward's accountant is sent to collect the money things change quickly. Hope's assistant Lori and her husband Ben have plans of their own for this couple. I thought this story had some funny scenes.
3. Ms. Humbug
Municipal planner Cami Bennett wants to find love instead of being a constant workaholic. She teams up with Mayor Matt Tarino to solve some mystery happenings in the town of Eagle Pass.
This book was way too steamy and too many descriptive adult situations for my own personal reading preference.
1. Finding Mr. Right
Scientist Maggie Bell decides to change it up and date a Mr. Wrong instead of Mr. Right. She rediscovers high school classmate Jacob Wahler. Jacob is the construction foreman for a project in Maggie's building. I liked Maggie's quirky habit of sharing trivia facts when she was nervous.
2. Bah Handsome!
Colorado B & B owner Hope O'Brien is barely keeping things financially above water. Her step brother Edward is demanding repayment of a loan. When Danny Shaw, Edward's accountant is sent to collect the money things change quickly. Hope's assistant Lori and her husband Ben have plans of their own for this couple. I thought this story had some funny scenes.
3. Ms. Humbug
Municipal planner Cami Bennett wants to find love instead of being a constant workaholic. She teams up with Mayor Matt Tarino to solve some mystery happenings in the town of Eagle Pass.
This book was way too steamy and too many descriptive adult situations for my own personal reading preference.
December 23, 2023
I vaguely remember the name Jill Shalvis from my post grad school days (when I was devouring every fluffy piece of fiction I could get my hands on) so when she turned in the library catalog's search for Christmas books, I figured I'd give Merry and Bright a shot. It's a collection of three stories. I tried the first, and abandoned it a couple chapters in--I just wasn't interested in sex-obsessed caricatures of the grown up versions of a painfully unpopular science geek and the popular football player (who are, of course, wildly attracted to each other but have a communication problem). And the descriptions of the other two stories in the book were unpleasant enough to scare me off without reading.
December 3, 2023
I’d give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.
I have never read any of Jill Shalvis’s books before this one but took the chance thinking it was a Christmas romance novel.
The book is 3 short stories based around the Christmas seasons. The plots of the books based around females who hadn’t had a relationship for a while and Mr right falls into their laps - you get the rest. The first two stories were good, the last story was a little bit monotonous.
If you’re into some raunchy short stories then give this a read.
I have never read any of Jill Shalvis’s books before this one but took the chance thinking it was a Christmas romance novel.
The book is 3 short stories based around the Christmas seasons. The plots of the books based around females who hadn’t had a relationship for a while and Mr right falls into their laps - you get the rest. The first two stories were good, the last story was a little bit monotonous.
If you’re into some raunchy short stories then give this a read.
December 21, 2025
Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis is a delightful holiday collection featuring three Christmas-themed novellas that are cozy, heartwarming, slightly spicy, and full of seasonal cheer. Each story has its own charm—from swoony romance to laugh-out-loud moments and that irresistible small-town holiday magic. Shalvis brings her signature blend of humor, community vibes, and feel-good romance to every tale, making this a perfect read for curling up with a cup of cocoa. It’s a cheerful, uplifting collection that’ll leave you smiling and in the holiday spirit.
December 31, 2016
This is a collection of three short stories that I enjoyed for what they were. Short Stories.
The move at a very, very fast pace and so things happen so suddenly. The "I love Yous" too fast, the sex too fast, but meh...it is what it is.
This was a relax in the tub book for me. I giggled a few times and I rolled my eyes more times. But I like the holiday theme and they were cute short stories.
The move at a very, very fast pace and so things happen so suddenly. The "I love Yous" too fast, the sex too fast, but meh...it is what it is.
This was a relax in the tub book for me. I giggled a few times and I rolled my eyes more times. But I like the holiday theme and they were cute short stories.
January 20, 2020
Great holiday read-3 short stories with just enough plot to keep my attention but nothing too crazy to remember when I was up the night before wrapping gifts until 4am. Shalvis always delivers a good romance! This book contains 3 novellas: Finding Mr. Right/Bah, Handsome/ and Ms. Humbug. The first was my favorite, the middle was a bit unbelievable, and the last one was crazy, but fun.
January 21, 2020
I received Merry and Bright from Kensington Publisher's and this is my fair and honest opinion of the book. I enjoyed all three short stories each one set around the Christmas season. Each was very well written, and all had been previously released as novellas. If you enjoy Jill Shalvis, you should enjoy this quick little read.
May 10, 2020
I love Jill Shalvis & thought I read most of her books. This book is three short stories about three women finding love before Christmas. They were all quick, fun reads but “Finding Mr. Right” was my favorite. I don’t know how you fall in love so quickly but it was an entertaining, funny, easy book to read & the three heroine’s deserved their HEA’s.
December 31, 2022
This collection of 3 stories is the most steamy thing I’ve ever read. The stories were pleasant and easy but SO sexual. I guess the word “orgasm” in the FIRST paragraph of 2 out of 3 of the stories is an example of the focus of these stories. Yikes.
Also funny…there’s a picture of a dog on the cover (Not why I chose the book) and nowhere in any of the stories is a dog even mentioned! LOL
Also funny…there’s a picture of a dog on the cover (Not why I chose the book) and nowhere in any of the stories is a dog even mentioned! LOL
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