Holly Lane by Toni Blake

 I was lucky enough to win an ARC E-book of Holly Lane by Toni Blake through one of her contests on Twitter. Toni Blake is one of my favorite authors and definitely my favorite romance author. I was ecstatic. I have been waiting for the release of this book, the fourth in her Destiny Series, since I finished the last installment of the series, Whisper Falls. And considering the book comes out TODAY I figured it was the best time to post my review.

A quick overview from Toni Blake's website:

The weather outside is frightful, but kisses by the fire are so delightful …

Sue Ann Simpkins is working hard to rebuild her life and find some holiday spirit. A weekend away from Destiny in a cabin on nearby Bear Lake seems like the perfect Christmas gift to herself—until her ex's best friend, Adam Becker, shows up at the door, claiming the cabin is his! And if that's not trouble enough, how had she never noticed how gorgeous he was?


Alone for the holidays and forced to play a reindeer at the local department store, Adam's been feeling rather Scrooge-ish himself. But finding the smart, sexy woman he's admired since elementary school waiting in the house he rented is helping to brighten his humbug mood. And when a sudden snowstorm strands them together in very close quarters, leading to one very hot night together, Adam soon realizes that what he really wants for Christmas is a second chance at love. Now all he has to do is convince Sue Ann…

Toni Blake, Christmas and a hot romance, three of my favorite things rolled into one, make for a perfect read. Toni Blake is a master when it comes to creating interesting characters and developing relationships. I loved the chemistry between Adam and Sue Ann. The fact that she is the ex-wife of his best friend made for an interesting story line. What I loved most was that they never noticed each other in that way, but when you take away the barriers that were preventing them from doing so the chemistry is so obvious. 

I fell in love with Adam. Granted he was cranky through a majority of the book, but when you take into account what he was cranky about, it only made me love him more. And hey nobody can be perfect all the time so give the man a break. The relationship he has with Sue Ann's daughter, Sophie, also his god daughter, really shows his tender side. And I loved reading their interactions and everything he did for her in order to make what could have been her worst Christmas after her parent's divorce, the best Christmas possible.

If you have read the series from the beginning like me, you would know that each book focuses on a specific character that lives in Destiny. In the first book One Reckless Summer we are introduced to Jenny and Mick and I was thrilled to see that not only were they back but they also had their own subplot.

I'll admit that Tessa and Lucky from the third installment, Whisper Falls, are still my favorite couple, but I still loved Sue Ann and Adam. Then again I love all the characters of Destiny. They are all perfectly flawed and as crazy as it sounds I feel like I know them.

Holly Lane is a great holiday read and just a great read in general. It really put me into the holiday spirit and I can't wait to see what happens with all of the characters I have grown to love in the next installment of the Destiny Series, Willow Springs out July 2012- not soon enough.

If you are a fan of romance and have never read a Toni Blake book, what are you waiting for? The Destiny Series is the perfect series to be introduced to her flawless writing and swoon worthy characters.

Tomorrow's Review: