Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa [Mass Market Paperback]

One all-night marathon of good, old-fashioned steamy and anonymous sex is just what Kimberly Michaels needs right now. She found just that in the arms of a hunky stranger at a hotel on her way to the small town of Evergreen, California. Leaving his hotel room without waking him, she never expected to lay eyes on her mysterious lover again.

When she comes face to face with him again soon after and discovers he has some pretty intimate ties with the very town she is there to spy on to gather ammunition for a corporate takeover, she is understandably unsettled. Ricco Maza seems to see right through her claims that she is simply in Evergreen for a vacation. Worse, she finds that close proximity to the handsome detective has her libido going into overdrive. Even more devastating is the effect this Lothario has on her heart, knowing that he will never commit to one woman.

Every now and then I read a book that makes me wonder why in the world it took me so long to find the author and galvanizes me into shopping for their entire backlist. That is what happened for me with Karin Tabke's HAVE YOURSELF A NAUGHTY LITTLE SANTA. What I expected from this book was a sweet and sexy little holiday themed tale. What I got was that and much more - a story that comes to life on the every page, tweaking the readers' emotions along with the characters and leaving you feeling that you've experienced the story yourself.

Both the hero and the heroine are people who have been emotionally damaged in their youth, leaving them with strong walls built around their hearts designed to keep them safe from that dangerous thing called love. Kimberly handles her fear of love by brokering a relationship for business purposes only; Ricco simply runs at the first sign of commitment altogether.

When these people meet, the attraction is instant and explosive. Good thing for them, too, else neither might have stuck with it long enough to find there was something much more real and lasting underneath all that passion. As they both realize how much they have come to love each other, each must heal the wounds of their past so they can come together in a healthy way for their happy ending.

HAVE YOURSELF A NAUGHTY LITTLE SANTA is a beautiful love story about two people who find the strength together to heal themselves.

**Courtesy of Wild on Books**

Kimberly Michaels can't remember the last time she got really down and dirty with a man. As a major ball buster in the corporate world, she is constantly busy and does not have time for a personal life. Craving the anonymity of a one night stand, Kimberly searches for a stranger at the hotel bar. Once she reels him in, they indulge themselves with each other all night long. As she sneaks away the next morning, Kimberly wishes she could stick around but she knows that relationships are not for her and almost mourns that she will never see him again. It is a good thing she didn't send a mourning wreath because she comes face to face with her mysterious lover after she arrives in Evergreen, the town she has been sent to scope out the details for a corporate takeover. Ricco Maza, the lover she never knew she wanted, is skeptical of her motives but he can't keep his hands off of her. What will he do when he finds out that she is going to be the one to close his town down?

Kimberly and Ricco's attraction to each other and the magnetism which drew them together is fiery and immediate. Their love scenes were hot and burned the pages of Have a Naughty Little Santa. But that is where their connection ended for me. I could never establish why they wanted the other to stick around except for the sexual aspect of their relationship. Both had been devastated by love before and didn't want to be hurt again and that was understandable. What wasn't understandable was the fact that their feelings caused this relationship to seem dirty and underhanded. I never felt that they truly loved each other until the very ending of Have a Naughty Little Santa and because of that, I just could not relate nor fully enjoy what I know others have raved about. Karin Tabke will remain an author of mine to buy - I just think the theme and characters influenced my judgment on Have a Naughty Little Santa.

Talia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed