Allison: Hot Toy | Jennifer Crusie | Novella Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Previously published in the anthology Santa, Baby, HOT TOY is now available as a standalone e-story for the first time! Mayhem ensues under the mistletoe as a determined shopper grabs the very last hot toy action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the middle of a real-life spy game and in the arms of a sexy secret agent...

When I first picked up Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie, I admittedly expected a fluffy potentially sexy holiday story. I mean, the title itself kind of speaks to that, don’t you think? It could be just me that was thinking that though I highly doubt it. Anyway, while I did get a somewhat enjoyable read, I did find myself wondering if it was just too action packed for the number of pages because instead of a sexy holiday read, I found myself receiving a strangely action packed rondeaux of a woman, a man, and a hostage situation over a Christmas toy. It was all pretty overwhelming and to me, I think it would have worked a little bit better if there was more time to build things up over time instead of just one night.

Admittedly though, I did enjoy the banter between the two main characters Trudy and Nolan. You could tell right away that there was a history between them and that Nolan had screwed up royally when it came to being with Trudy. I also liked that Trudy refused to go down without a fight when she finds herself in the weirdest of situations on Christmas Eve. Somehow she manages to keep her head about her when she is basically being held hostage over an exclusive Christmas toy with a man who she despises but is still attracted to. Personally, I’m not sure I would be as cool, calm, and collected as she was.

Although, she wasn’t always cool, calm, and collected because of everything that was going on and I think that is where my enjoyment of the storyline kind of dissipated. Like I said, there were times when I felt like there was too much going on for the short amount of time that was given. Yes, I understood the “anything can happen, it’s Christmas Eve” type of feeling, and that Trudy had made a promise to her sister that she was going to get her nephew the toy that he wanted no matter what it cost but at the same time, some of the things that were going on were just not believable to me. I think that if I had had more time to get to know the characters and understand the circumstances behind what was going on, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

However, I wouldn’t completely shun you away from Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie because if you are looking for a quick action packed Christmas story, this may just be the one for you (just ask April). It does have its moments of fun especially when Trudy and Nolan are bantering with each other as they attempt to figure out how to get out of their predicament. It is just for me, it didn’t exactly work out the way that I was hoping that it would.