Casey Tanner has her Christmas list written, prepped, and
ready, but
Mr. Claus isn't the intended receiver. This Christmas, she
wants a
fling; a no-strings attached romp for Christmas day. But
the journey
there is anything but a sleigh ride.
EVERY LITTLE KISS by Kim Amos is a tale of romance twisted
with
fears of letting someone get close to one's heart. Casey
wants her
five things on her Christmas list, and Abe Cameron, a sexy
firefighter
in White Pine, finally wants the chance to settle down. He
sees
Casey's list as a stepping stone, while Casey sees it as a
list to be
finished and thrown to the dogs. They must both decide how
much
they're willing to risk to get what they want.
Interestingly, EVERY LITTLE KISS features a reverse in
gender roles
between the would-be lovers. Of a romantic pair, it's
classically the
woman who wishes strongly for commitment from her lover.
But Abe
Cameron is our lover pushing for more.
However, Casey Tanner lacks the unique and redeeming
qualities I
would think worthy of pursing. In many ways, she is plain
and simple;
yet after their first encounter, Abe is thinking of her
fondly. When he
experiences a life-or-death kind of moment later, Abe
becomes set
on winning Casey's heart, despite his own reputation and
his only
brief meeting with her.
We're left wondering what Abe's extended feelings for Casey
would've been had he not encountered a scary life
experience, if his
priorities would've stayed the same, if he would've had the
same
push for commitment. Is Casey, then, a romantic pursuit
born not out
of attraction for herself, but out of fear for his own
happiness? We
would think this might become a crisis for Abe, but this
kind of
introspection and critique of Casey is not evident. Abe's
past lovers
are exotic and feminine; Casey is so different from all of
them that
though we don't doubt Abe's feelings are sincere, we have
to wish
for more internal struggle within Abe over his interest in
Casey.
Casey has her own internal struggle over her interest in
Abe, but
since we don't get a matching struggle from Abe, and he
very much
pursues her, the conflict rests mainly on Casey getting out
of her
own way to snag the handsome firefighter. And this
unfortunately
lacks the spice the story needs to hold it firm.
TURN ON THE CHARM Eternal good girl
Casey Tanner moved to White Pine for a fresh start. Her
mission: to finally have fun. And a fling with a reckless
bad boy is the very first item on the to-do list she
pretended not to make. After one long, lingering look at a
sexy firefighter, Casey has found her man.
.
. . AND TURN UP THE HEAT Getting women into his
bed has never been a problem for Abe Cameron. Letting one
into his heart is an entirely different matter. But just one
kiss, just one touch, just one smile from beautiful Casey
has this lifelong bachelor flirting with the idea of
forever. And Casey's refusal to settle down only makes Abe
more determined than ever to win her heart. Now the one
woman who can't be caught is the only one Abe can't live
without . . .