Everyone in town thinks that Jemma White is as sweet as the delicious treats she makes at her chocolate shop–but they’re wrong. Jemma is ready to let her wild side out, and she’s just found the perfect man to make all of her fantasies come true. Grayson Cole is a too-sexy-to-be-true stranger who has escaped to Holly for the holidays. He is her perfect temptation, and Jemma can’t wait to steam up … up the cold winter nights with him. But when danger from Grayson’s past follows him to town, she realizes that the man she is falling for has been keeping some very dark secrets…secrets that may just get them both killed.
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Grayson was insanely hot while Jemma was super sweet. I loved their meet-cute and reading their story started getting me into the Christmas-y vibe. Gray, a former CIA operative, had come to Holly to take a break. He wandered into Jemma’s chocolate shop and found a very good reason to stay. With a bit of suspense to break up the cheesy bits, the author created an almost tender suspense novel that made me want to get to know the people of Holly, NC. Christmas with a Spy was a steamy little holiday read that could get anyone through the cold winter nights!
I was drawn into the story from the first and had a hard time putting it down until it was finished
RATING 4.5 STARS
The Spy Who Came For Christmas by Cynthia Eden is book three in the Holly, NC series which is a series of holiday shorts by an assortment of amazing authors. This is a smexy holiday story complete with a swoony hero with secrets, a heroine with a gift for making chocolate, an adorable little Christmas town and of course, a bad guy who wants revenge.
Jemma White has lived in the quiet little town of Holly, NC for several years now. Jemma first came to Holly to escape, to start over. She found she had a talent for making chocolate and now owns Holly Jolly Chocolatier. Jemma is known around town for being quiet, sweet, reserved. But inside, she yearns for more. Then one night, HE walked into her shop!
“Maybe I’m tired of being so good all the time. This stranger was the perfect man to help her wild side come out, she could feel it.”
Grayson Cole came to Holly to visit his friend and to try to figure out what he was going to do with his life. When he walked into the chocolate shop, he couldn’t look away. She was beautiful. His mind raced to imagine all sorts of things he never thought could be in his future.
“If I could have anything I wanted for Christmas…I would want her.”
That immediate spark between Jemma and Gray proved to be more, so much more. But it’s a funny thing, trying to leave your past behind. It comes back to haunt you. And that’s exactly what happened. Suddenly Jemma and Gray find themselves in the crosshairs of danger. Now, if they could just stay alive long enough to try and see what is happening between them.
“As she stood before him, Jemma didn’t feel so lost. She actually felt as if she’d just found something that had been missing from her life for too long. Someone.”
I loved this. It’s pretty short but not too short. I fell in love with both of these characters. The added suspense kept me flipping the pages as fast as I could. I have always wanted to visit a Christmas town like this. It sounds so quaint. This was a perfect addition to my holiday reading this year. I can’t wait to read more by this author!
Sexy holiday romance.
This is a wonderful holiday romance. It is a sweet and sexy read with great characters. Gray and Jemma were made for each other. Throw in a little suspense and this is a holiday read that you can’t put down. I would definitely recommend this sexy holiday romance.
What a wonderful story! I absolutely loved Gray and Jemma.
For years Jemma has been the good girl in town, rarely dating and even then, freezing them out so there were no future dates. But when Gray walks into her shop she suddenly wants something she hasn’t ever wanted.
Gray has a past that he’s glad to be out of. Looking for a safe place to spend a few days, he visits Holly where meets Jemma. She’s everything he wants but someone is out to scare her and he senses she has been hurt in the past. That’s not going to fly on his watch and he will be watching, and protecting Jemma, even as he hopes for more.
Usually, I’m all about the hero but Jemma won my heart in no time at all. Her past left its mark on her but she wanted out from under that shadow. While she is sweet and a bit innocent, there was more to her than what was on the surface.
Of course, this author always writes the most perfect heroes and Gray was the very definition of perfection. He is fierce in his protection of Jemma even as he cares for her with tenderness. I loved seeing how being with her affected him in such a positive way.
This is a novella that carries a lot of steam, romance, as well as danger and suspense. Novellas don’t always win me over due to the lack of storyline in such a short page count, but this one had everything I look for and love in a full length book. This is a wonderful read, perfect for when you have just a short amount of time to indulge.