Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie

On Christmas Eve, Trudy Maxwell raids the toy store, hoping to find a popular toy, a Major MacGuffin for her five years old nephew. But of course she couldn't find any at the last minute. Instead, she stumbles upon Nolan Mitchell who happens to look for the same item too. Trudy isn't too pleased to meet him, after all he didn't call after their three dates, and moreover she thinks the Chinese Literature Professor to be a bore. He apologizes for not calling her earlier, but she tells him to forget about it anyway.

She continues to go about finding the toy, with Nolan trailing after her. And to her amazement, she did manage to locate it, right at the end of the other shelf. Everyone is stunned with her discovery, including Nolan and a lady in the queue who want to buy the toy from her by raising the prices. Then she meets Reese, who is an assistant to her Professor father and he tells he has a reliable source that they would be able to find the hot toy at a warehouse. Feeling a little doubtful, she follows him anyway, and the three of them crams inside a cab, to each of their annoyance. But the hopeful trip to the warehouse turns out not only a great disappointment, but danger as well as they involve in an espionage.

Christmas Bonus by Lori Foster

Eric Bragg has loved Maggie Carmichael for years, but he hides his feelings well. When her father passed away, Maggie eventually becomes his boss but this doesn't stop Eric from wanting her.

Maggie has always had a crush on her late father's employee, but she isn't sure if he feels the same way towards her, after all they are ten years apart but she intends to strip away her college girl image and do everything in power to get Eric to notice her as a woman instead of a boss, starting by asking him to be her partner for the company's Christmas party. He is thrilled, but nothing thrills him more when he stumble upon her steamy manuscript by chance, and realizes the male character resembles him in many ways. He has no doubt that she wants him the same way he wants her, and he intends to show her he would do better than her fictional character.

Antonia Larson is a lawyer but will be a senior associate with Corbin and Sons. Before leaving her office, she intends to act on her plan of seducing her boss and not to worry about work and meeting him after should it fail.

Maxwell Corbin is a PI and happens to be at the annual Christmas party as an obligation. Then he meets a woman who dresses as an elf by the Christmas tree, and his world turns upside down after she kisses him. Unknown to him, Toni realizes she has kissed the twin brother to her boss! They then get to know one another a little and had a one night stand...

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Amongst the three stories, Jennifer Crusie tops my list! Hot Toy amuses me, and I have a fun time reading it. I laugh a lot over her story, and that is a good thing! I will be checking out her books next time! Lori Foster has written a good sensual story in Christmas Bonus, and I enjoy reading two persons overcome their obstacles and falling in love with each other. As for Carly Phillips, I regret to say Naughty Under the Mistletoe doesn't hook me, and I lost interest towards the middle of the story... I just can't get into her story, oh well...maybe it's her writing style, or maybe it's me. {shrugs}