RED HOT SANTA

Author: Cherry Adair, Leanne Banks, Pamela Britton & Kelsey Roberts ISBN: 0345483499 11/2005 ANTHOLOGY Publisher: BALLANTINE

Snowball’s Chance by Cherry Adair–Kendall decks the halls, unaware that a serial killer has her on the top of his list. Of course, being naughty with the sexy good guy sent to protect her would be so nice. Santa Slave by Leanne Banks–After her best friend disappears, Hilary takes matters into her own hands and finds herself caught in the throes of danger, while a hunky male operative hopes to mix pleasure with business. Runaway Santa by Pamela Britton–Biologist Kaitlyn Moneypenny’s research is finally leading to a big scientific breakthrough . . . and mortal peril. When bullets start to fly, so do the sparks between Kaitlyn and her Santa-clad rescuer. Killer Christmas by Kelsey Roberts–When several Santas are murdered at a swanky department store, the new CEO, Meghan Beckham, had better watch out, had better not cry–because a serial killer has come to town.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The premise of RED HOT SANTA is that the premier agency for victimization has mobilized four of their crack operatives for holiday season cases. No agent is allowed to get involved with a protectee, but will these men be able to resist the luscious women in their care? Settle in for some dangerous Christmas fun!

Cherry Adair raises the stakes quickly with Snowball's Chance, when sexy Joe Zorn helicopters into the wilds of Montana to protect party planner Kendall Metcalf from a serial killer she knows only too well. The tension rises quickly as they go on the run from the killer.and the tension between them. The story is formulaic but fast moving.

Santa Slave by Leanne Banks takes us into the seamy world of sex trafficking, when a studly agent is assigned to rescue a young woman who has sold herself into slavery in an attempt to rescue a friend. There aren't too many sparks of romance, but it is a satisfying action-adventure tale.

Big, Bad Santa by Pamela Britton is a complete romance novel in miniature. The action gets perilous and steamy as a special agent rescues a beautiful vet whose latest experiment could be used for military purposes.

Kelsey Roberts' Killer Christmas has a knife-sharp beginning as a department store Santa is found murdered. Store manager Meghan Beckham and a special agent must solve the mystery of who is killing Santa—and is Meghan herself the real target of the killer?

The stories are fast, the action is intense, and the sex is hot in this holiday collection from Ballantine.

Heather Hiestand