Christmas and the New Year is coming, I don’t know about you but I am up to my eyeballs in things to do. I’ve got presents to buy, others to make. I’ve got cards to write, fairs to attend cakes to bake and a million and one other important little bits and bobs to get through before the festive fun really begins. And after I’ve done all that all day all I want to do is snuggle down with a good book and chill out for a while. And what better way to relax than by reading a romantic collection of warming seasonal tales like Rachel Kramer Busssel’s anthology Bedding Down.

It is quite obvious from the cover that this is a classy book full of passion, I love the icy blue colour contrasting with the grey, it is wintry without being tacky. The stories inside are exactly the same. They are not the same tired clichés spouted over and over again at this time of year, no. Each story is fresh and vibrant and a real joy to read.

My absolute favourite has to be “Hidden Treasures” by Sophie Mouette. I am a sucker for historical settings and this one is set in a Victorian stately home and involves the staff being dressed in authentic Victorian clothing. I love this story not just for its historical flavour and it’s burning hot sex scenes but for its humanity. You can really feel for Brenda and Sean, the two main characters because within a matter of pages you feel like you know them well. I am also a sucker for an author who writes with humour and “Hidden Treasures” made me chuckle out loud a few times whilst reading it.

I also really enjoyed reading “Sweet Season” because it was just so unusual and a complete education for me. Dulcie has taken on Grandma’s old homemade traditional Maple Syrup business and has to tap the trees and create the sweet brew herself from scratch on her own. It is fascinating to see the process that is involved in the syrup production but it is also a treat to see the interaction between Dulcie and her next-door neighbour and childhood sweetheart, Travis. There is one of the most unusual sex scenes I have ever read contained in this little story and not only is it unique, it’s incredibly sexy, too.

You will find yourself pulled in all directions because there’s not only laughter but also tears, regret, sadness, anger and grief and this tumult of emotion blends magnificently with the touching and erotic sensual scenes in each story. Sex means more when there is emotion attached to it, in my mind, and this collection of stories is bursting with emotion and hence the erotic scenes are all the more compelling.

So, if you need to soothe your stressed mind and frayed ends all you need is a warm blanket and a copy of Bedding Down this festive season. Enjoy the tranquillity of the cold and the fierceness of erotic heat contained within its pages.

Bedding Down edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
(Avon Red, December, 2008; ISBN-10: 0061560634)
Available atAmazon.com / Amazon UK

© 2008 Victoria Blisse. All rights reserved.