"She gets a most unusual Christmas gift - a nearly naked man!"

Destiny Doherty cannot believe her sister's latest Christmas gift. Destiny finds her apartment unlocked, and a roaring fire in the fireplace. Next to her pitiful tree is a huge box. Hearing a noise from within the box, Destiny thinks that Fate has sent her a dog. But that's no dog in this box. A gorgeous hunk of a man wearing only tiny red briefs is inside. He gives her a plant, promising her passion and a pear tree.

The man says his name is Brian Walsh, which sounds vaguely familiar to Destiny, although that's never explained. He tells her he is here to fulfill her fantasies for this night. And proceeds to make her every sexual dream come true. Will Destiny still want him when his 24 hours are up?

Brian thinks that Destiny is the one to end his long captivity in a sorcerer's spell. The reader is never told, though, just how long Brian has been magically imprisoned. He hopes that she will say the words to end his enchantment and set him free. Do Brian and Destiny have a chance at a real future? The clock is ticking...

Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy PASSION AND A PEAR TREE as a romance. One day isn't long enough to declare one's love, especially when past histories aren't being shared in that short time frame. The story may work as pure erotica, but it needs to be much longer to flesh out the romance. Give Ms. Taylor's contribution to the Twelve Quickies of Christmas a read if you don't require a believable romance at the core of the story.

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex, anal sex, light bondage; sexually explicit scenes: 5.

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted December 21, 2003

Summary

What does a prudish, self-proclaimed loner do when a nearly naked man jumps out of an oversized Christmas gift, sings a slightly racy version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and promises to make her deepest desires come true? She goes for it, of course, and has the best twenty-four hours of her life. But at the stroke of midnight, the spell ends, and her happy holidays take an unexpected turn. Alone again, there's only one thing she wishes for: a little Christmas magic to bring back the man who taught her the joy of giving.