Holiday Temptation

This trio of light stories emphasizes renewed faith in love as three women cope with the approaching holiday season. In Hill’s fumbled “A Gift of Love,” a part-time theater instructor in New York has trouble trusting men after her divorce, until she falls for the guy at the counter of her favorite coffee shop. Though the story could do with more depth, a couple of steamy scenes keep things moving along. Rochon’s “Holiday Spice” has Miranda, a freelance photographer from the Midwest, bumping into Kyle, a handsome brewer, in Istanbul. Rochon incorporates less of the unusual setting than one might hope, but the mystery of Miranda’s past is well developed, and sweetness and spice keep the story enticing as Miranda helps Kyle heal his family ties. In the best of the three stories, Jackson’s “From Here to Serenity,” personal chef Essie finds a job and love aboard a yacht owned by business mogul Ross. The pacing of the romance is effectively balanced with Ross’s fear of commitment after losing custody of his four-year-old-daughter in a divorce, and Essie’s lack of confidence in relationships and skepticism about Ross’s world of wealth. This makes for a provocative lead-up before the two fall for one another and rediscover family and love. (Oct.)