Banter and Blushes: December Dreams: A Winter Contemporary Romance Comedy Anthology

by C.L. Rain, Christine Sterling, Josephine Beintema

Deck the halls with a flurry of laughter and love!

Eight heartwarming romantic comedies await in this hilarious winter collection. From frosty meet-cutes to holiday happenstances, "Banter and Blushes" delivers the perfect mix of humor and delightful romance.

Inside, you'll
• Witty exchanges that'll have you grinning from ear to ear
• Tender moments that warm the heart
• Endearing heroes and spirited heroines
• Festive fun that leads to unforgettable love stories

Whether you're in the mood for a good laugh or a feel-good romance, these eight talented authors have crafted stories to brighten your winter days. Each tale brings its own unique charm to the holiday season, ensuring there's something for every romcom enthusiast.

Prepare to lose sleep as you find yourself unable to stop turning pages, devouring one swoon-worthy story after another. With "Banter and Blushes," your December evenings are about to become filled with laughter, love, and heartwarming moments you won't soon forget!

Featuring swoon-tastic stories

C. L. Rain
Josephine Beintema
Leslie E. Heath
Lia Huni
Kayla Hensen
Kit Morgan
P Harlowe
Wynn Valentine

593 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2024

Reviews

[Alicia Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute collection of sweet and clean Christmas stories.

Christmas at the cabin by Leslie E. Heath
Super cute little story. Maddie runs an Inn that is in trouble of being shut down. She’s a very strong willed independent woman. Cam is a guest and well off. But after an accident he finds himself in a small cabin with the Inn owner who went there for her bday. Stick together they learn a little about each other but it doesn’t end well. Although they both really like each other it’s almost too good to be true.

Christmas at the Clear Creek Inn by Kit Morgan
There are two older couples that run the inn and they are hilarious! Love every bit of them in the story! FMC was a chubby girl growing up but is a completely different girl once she’s older but still holding onto a lot of insecurities. Cute story about her going back home and coming face to face with the biggest jerk she’s ever delt as a kid. Now it’s up to him to show her that he’s a different guy. Cute story.

Frosted Kisses & Mistletoe Wishes by Kayla Hansen
The names in the story have me laughing. Nick Frost Reporter. Tinsel Town. Merry Sprinkle…. My skepticism of this story is almost on par with Nicks character. But the cute little mystery of the missing star tree topper got me. Fun and super festive mystery.

Harboring Holiday Magic by Wynn Valentine
Merritt is a travel writer loving to combine her passions of traveling the world and writing. Sheets searching for “home” And hasn’t found it yet. Very cynical when it comes to the holiday. In her latest town, she meets a man named Keir. Handyman extraordinaire. He’s super sweet and easy going. Sparks fly brown the two but Merritt does her best to ignore her feelings to stay professional. Oh and she had her assistant with her who is always sneaking around writing furiously in her own notebook.

Snow Grove by P Harlowe
Another story where characters are so obsessed with schedules and blocking people out. Uptight cop vs chaotic relator. Mutual friends bring them together under the guise of winter cabinget away. Rough start…lots of banter back and forth…then they open up and things get better.

Snowflakes & Sweethearts by Josephine Beintema
Okay this story already has me laughing. Girl quits a job where she was ignored by her boss to go into a family business of running an inn. However the inn needs tons of work. Her old boss and his business partner books rooms in an attempt to get her back to work. While renovations are in full swing, her ex boss ends up meeting everyone in her family. Dex just wants his best employee back, never mind he never spoke to her while she worked there for 3 years no one else does the job like she does. He’s kind of uptight and is not having as good a time at the inn during its renovations but his buddy is. This is a refreshing story after the last three.

The almost Stalker by C.L. Rain
This is hilarious! Could have all been cleared up upon the first meet but what’s the fun in that!!!!

When you find Christmas magic By Lia Huni
Gloria is the adorable 50 something female lead. She travels to Freiberg to visit an old friend and ends up chatting up a cute younger man (40s) on the train and ends up spending a magical night with him. They are too cute together and I was very happy with how it ended

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the stories of the authors that I already was familiar with. I tried one other story and was disappointed, so didn't read the others.

2 - Christmas at the Cabin by Leslie E. Heath – she runs the mountain inn and his family is a pain in the rear and he is sexy but also a pain/spoiled brat; he crashes the snowmobile and she finds him, only place to stay is the small cabin; the characters are inconsistent, the chemistry is confusing, the plot is disjointed (for example, we are trapped in this cabin in a blizzard, we can’t call anyone for help, we have a truck that can’t be used because of the weather, but if the truck is unusable, what help could they call for?)
Christmas at the Clear Creek Inn by Kit Morgan
Frosted Kisses and Mistletoe Wishes by Kayla Hensen
Harboring Holiday Magic by Wynn Valentine
3.5 - Snow Grove by P Harlowe – great story, she is a high powered real estate saleswoman who doesn’t like speed limits, he is the policeman who pulls here over, then they are set up by friends to spend time snowed in together at a cabin; billed as Ms. Free Spirit vs Mr. Rule Follower, but doesn’t quite ring true (for someone who is so anti-rules, she sure insists on being on time for appointments), yet the story reads like a 4 star, so…. compromise at 3.5?
Snowflakes and Sweethearts by Josephine Beintema
4 - The Almost Stalker by C. L. Rain – she arrives at a conference, he is a stranger and yet totally knows her; turns out there is another coworker with her exact name and he thought she was her; very cute
4.5 - When You Find Christmas Magic by Lia Huni - (connected with When in Rothberg series) – she is in her 50s and takes a last-minute/cheap flight to Freiberg; on the last leg of her journey she meets a man in his 40s and unexpected love ensues; they spend the night walking and talking, finally kiss, and then he doesn’t show up the next day; don’t worry, they find each other a few weeks later;lovely romance

[Lauren Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banter and Blushes is an adorable compilation of eight different winter/holiday themed novellas. The eight different stories each presented a complete different storyline while using similar tropes which helped to differentiate the novellas. Some of these tropes include insta-love, enemies to lovers, and meet cute. If you love Hallmark-y movies these books are absolutely for you. Hallmark-y books aren’t my normal go to, in fact I don’t normally read them. I was pleasantly surprised with how captivated and invested became in the plots and characters of the novellas. I really enjoyed the winter and holiday aspects; it has really gotten me into the holiday spirit. There were some stories that I definitely preferred over others, but overall the collection was delightful.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was such a cute and sweet collection of Christmas short stories and definitely perfect to read in December! 😍

This lovely little collection includes 8 different stories that are winter/christmas themed all of which are so cute and adorable - my favorite was The Almost Stalker by C.L. Rain. This was absolutely hilarious and I loved every second of it!

I definitely recommend this collection if you adore Hallmark movies because this is definitely the vibe I got reading these! 🥰

I received this as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight sweet and fun romance romance novellas. The perfect book to have a fairly quick read (times 8) and relax and get ready for the holidays. And you will cheer for the couples as they make their way through their story. Fun to read.
I received a copy of this book from the author. I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.

[K Webz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has nine holiday romance with witty banter, that will literally have you laughing out loud and some of the sweetest heart warming moments.

The meet-cutes are some of the best and these are all light hearted, festive reads. Perfect for the holidays!

[Christina Yau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most adorable book of holiday novellas! Perfect for this holiday season with a little something for everyone! You will blush, laugh and just hope for the characters. It's a quick easy read and 💯 recommend to get into the holiday spirit!

[ABurch74 · Rating 4 out of 5]

December Dreams

This is a charming collection of short stories for the holidays. Collections like these are a great way to get to know new authors. I enjoyed reading all of the stories included.

[Rhonda Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect introduction to nine authors in one book. Snapshots of how they write and tell a story. Most I enjoyed. A few, not as much. I realize that is personal taste, etc.

[Kahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were such cute little reads loved all of them. They was all love stories but all so different too. Very enjoyable.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay.