| Title | : | Hot Toy: A Story |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 77 |
| Publication | : | First published October 13, 2015 |
| Awards | : | All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll Best Short Story (2007) |
Hot Toy: A Story Reviews
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Best. Christmas. Novella. Ever.
A woman determined, in support of her bereft sister, to obtain the wanted Christmas toy for her nephew, whose jerk dad has recently run off with the nanny, runs afoul of a spy plot. Inspired madness ensues.
I first read this in a romance anthology some years back, of which I remember exactly zero other entries. I'm very pleased to see it available as a separate e-book. It has a bit of a Love, Actually vibe to it; the romance as such takes rather a back seat to the action plot and the family plot, because space. Although all three plots come together in one of the structurally wittiest stacked dialogue scenes I've ever read, the four-way conversation in the back of the taxi.
Recommended, especially to anyone stressed out by the holidays.
Ta, L. -
2.5/5
Not as good as expected.
The premise sounded very promising. I initially thought it was my kind of book, but unfortunately, by the end, it wasn't to my taste. Not only didn't the story work out the way I hoped, but the romance between this main couple also fell flat. The hero was ok but the heroine annoyed me to no end. I don't understand why he wanted this kind of woman in his life. Duh.
3 stars is me being generous! -
This review can also be found at
Carole's Random Life.
I really enjoy Jennifer Crusie's writing so when I saw that I had the chance to review this story, I didn't even think twice about it. Of course, I would love it. I always love Jennifer Crusie's work. But then a strange thing happened while I was reading it, I found that I didn't really care for it. It actually made my head hurt a little to read it. I even stopped to check that I was really reading a Jennifer Crusie story a couple of times while I was reading this story just to be sure. I have to admit that this story was kind of meh for me.
I expected this to be a romantic story but I didn't find a lot of romance in this one at all. It is Christmas Eve and Trudy is determined to find this year's hot toy for her nephew. When she finds the shelf where the toy should be bare, she doesn't give up like most people would do. She proceeds to tear the store apart looking for a misplaced toy all while being shadowed by Nolan, a man she dated a few times until he stopped calling. One thing leads to another and Trudy finds herself on a wacky adventure with Nolan and Reese but will she be able to find the toy she is looking for?
This story was a bit too wacky for my tastes. I don't usually mind it when a story is far fetched but this one was just over the top silly in a way that wasn't very entertaining. Much of the story was simply chaotic with Trudy talking to people in the store while she talks on the phone with her sister. I don't know how she kept anything straight because I sure couldn't. Trudy drove me a little nuts. She waits until Christmas Eve to buy the year's big toy and then proceeds to tear the store apart looking for one when she doesn't quickly find it. I didn't find it funny at all and I kind of wanted to smack her while she was doing it. The whole spy thing was just over the top crazy.
This is not a new story. It was previously released as part of the anthology, Santa Baby. I honestly cannot recommend this one. I didn't find it romantic or funny. I still plan to continue reading Jennifer Crusie's work since I usually really enjoy her brand of romantic comedy. This one was a miss for me.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
Initial Thoughts
Meh. I think that this was supposed to be a silly and fun story but it just felt chaotic and weird to me. I didn't think it was really funny or romantic. -
2 More Like "Hot Mess" Stars
You know how there are these books that have no story to speak off? The ones that make you wonder if there is anything beyond the romance going on there? Well, this book was just the opposite.
This was a short, Christmas story. It was supposed to be all about the romance, right? Well, for once, a fluffy book had too much going on. From the beginning with the cheesy "toy" trouble, to the end with the spies and the agencies and the whatnot, this book was a mess!
I've only read Bet Me from JC before so I did kind of expect the "wacky" factor but this movella just didn't work. Too much going on for such a short book.
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Short and sweet novella from Jennifer Crusie. This was the first time I'd read it and it was previously published in an anthology from 2006, but it's now available as a standalone.
Quick review for a quick read. You guys have no idea how much I did mental jumping jacks and cartwheels when I saw this listed on NetGalley. (So my actual reaction was akin to saying "OMG, YES! WIN! BRING IT! I WANT TO READ THIS!" As if my caps lock isn't enough emphasis.) Jennifer Crusie is one of my favorite romance authors, and I'll admit it took me back to laughing over "Bet Me", "Agnes and the Hitman" and many of her other works I've read. I love her humor and I find many of her heroes to be swoon worthy. And I love watching the banter and chemistry between the leading characters. Man, even having to review this ARC I got makes me want to go back through her bibliography and read all the books/stories I haven't read from her (as well as yearn for new ones...*looks with large pleading eyes* Please?)
This read was no different in the scheme of enjoyable, but it was uber short, which left me wanting more from it.
The story revolves around Trudy, shopping at the last minute for a hard to find holiday toy. The frustrating search has her running into a previous boyfriend who dumped her, and Trudy is having none of it. The banter was cute in some moments, and some bit measures where just funny for improv (I loved the part where Trudy bought Birthday wrapping paper by mistake, and Nolan improvised it by writing "Jesus" under every "Happy Birthday" line. Clever, man. Clever.)
And these lines had me chuckling too between Trudy and Nolan:
"Well, I never Maced anybody before. He scared the hell out of me when he screamed. But I’ll be better now. And I don’t need the Mace. I’ve seen Miss Congeniality twenty times, it’s Courtney’s favorite movie.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That SING thing. Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin.”
“No.” Nolan’s whisper was flat in the darkness. “Do not think you’re Rambo. Just run for the damn door.”
Storyline turns from unfortunate desperation in a situation to a pretty crazy scenario (think "Agnes and the Hitman" and a case of identities that aren't necessarily what they seem). It's a short read and entertaining, but I wish I'd had more time to get to know the characters and that I didn't feel the pacing drag a little in this all-too-brief read. It's still pretty self-contained and immersive though, so it did end up being a complete story with a decent wrap-up (no pun intended).
I liked it, and it was a decent return to Crusie's writing for me, though not as expansively funny and engaging as some of her other novellas and novels have been. I'm hoping that with this re-release, there may be more stories coming our way because I'd definitely love to read more from her work in the future.
Overall score: 3/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher St. Martin's Press. -
2.5 stars
First of all, this is not a new material. Instead, this used to be part of the
Santa, Baby anthology, but have only now released as stand-alone ebook. I was curious after I saw my friend Katie gave this 4* and
Dear Author gave this an A-recommended review. Besides, I used to like Crusie's stories so much.
Alas, I guess I have to admit that my taste has changed and I no longer find Crusie's brand of wacky and over-the-top story-line compelling. I couldn't even found anything amusing in this one. It was, yes, over the top (it involved Chinese spy and a government agency!) and all the while reading it I wished that it would've finished sooner (and gosh, this is a novella-length!). I didn't laugh one bit. I simply didn't care with the plot, the characters, or the relationship.
I guess I like it less wacky these days. Guess Crusie will stay in 'part of my younger days' shelf. -
A Christmas screwball comedy romance. Didn't really hit it for me - there's plenty of humour, but the two very pushy guys didn't make it a fun read for me.
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[3.5 stars]
I really enjoyed it. Like a tasty Christmas treat - it was a slightly snarky, slightly action-packed, yet ultimately happy Christmas-y type novella with Ms. Crusie’s signature humor and ultimate good cheer. It brings to mind a hint of the classic Charade (the movie with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, not the game) but on a tighter timeline. I’d recommend it.
**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review** -
Looking for a great lunch hour read look no more!
"Hot Toy", will fill that order!
What dio you get when you have a desperate aunt looking for that impossible to get toy on Christmas Eve for her nephew.? You get a novella filled with humor, two hunky men, danger, espionage, national security concerns ; oh and did I say Romance!
Probably my shortest review , but I absolutely loved this novella!
ARC copy provided by St Martins press via netgalley for an honest review. -
This was fun! It's so short I don't have much to say, but it's one of those novellas that felt like a complete story. It didn't try to do too much. (Although, that said, I didn't entirely follow the plot . . . but that might be the fault of the wine + holiday weekend.)
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It's that time of year and I want to read some (hopefully) good holiday romances!!
Trudy is a university librarian. She gets asked out by (who she thought was) one of the university professors. They go on some dates and she thinks it was going well. Until he doesn't call.
Fast forward a few months. Trudy is at a toy store looking for the year's hottest toy for her nephew. Who else does she run into but THAT guy. Nolan. Who happens to be working undercover.
What happened next was a matter of national security (really). This *could* have been fun. While it was different, fun it wasn't.
Trudy, Nolan, and the secondary characters were annoying and stupid. Nolan never did gave Trudy and adequate (IMO) explanation for his silence. Trudy was all forgiving and shit. Yeah, no. -
I spent some time on airplanes over the past week, and I decided to use the time to read Christmas romances, which have been released by the sleigh-full just in time for the holidays. I read at least a dozen (although I confess they were mostly novellas and short stories), and Hot Toy was far and away the best of the lot. Librarian Trudy runs into the guy who dumped her while they are both searching for a Major McGuffin, the toxic-waste spewing hot toy that every kid wants for Christmas that year. Funny and tightly written, with well-defined characters and a reasonable amount of plot for a novella. It left me wishing it were longer, but not because there wasn't enough story--just because it was so much fun to read. In case you're interested, the (distant) runner up was Courtney Milan's "This Wicked Gift," with Mary Balogh's "Handful of Gold" and Joanna Bourne's "Intrigue and Mistletoe" not far behind. I also read a bunch of clinkers, but I haven't even come close to reading them all so let me know if you have other suggestions.
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This story is... Different. I was expecting a cute fluffy holiday story, but got something I never expected.
BascuLly it is a story about the Christmas rash and trying to get exactly the toy your sisters child wants for Christmas. And then things get extremely crazy.
This story did not really fit my personal humor -since I guess that is what cruise was aiming for: humor- but it was still a pretty good fast and easy read. It clearly showdased that no matter how crazy you think your Christmas might get, it will never reach this level! And be thankful for that.
So if you are in search of a fast but cute and maybe even funny and a bit overly extreme Christmas story, want something that lets your own Christmas worries look like nothing, then take 20 minutes and read this and be amused. -
Hot Toy by Jennifer Cruise is LOL and a case study in how nuts someone can get in pursuit of the must have toy of the season. Of course, you throw in two hunky guys and National Security and it is just an hysterical, funny story. No sex but a fun ride.
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A quick, short and easy romantic spy adventure.
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FGMAMTC Blog Review
I had the best time reading this romantic comedy novella. The laughs started almost immediately and played out like a holiday family movie. All that can go wrong does, but it also goes very right.
While last minute insanity shopping for the most popular toy of the season for her nephew, Trudy gets caught up in a battle between government agents. The dialogue is truly great. The cast is made up of an ex, cougar bait, a drunken sister and other crazies. The one goal in Trudy's mind is to get that toy no matter what.
This is a great light read for getting into the Christmas spirit while tickling your funny bone. It left me with a good feeling.
***Copy given in exchange for an honest review***
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
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Hot ToyI think this is one of my favorite holiday short stories now. What's more is it didn't have any sexy time and I LOVE sexy time! On this one Jennifer Crusie went only as far as throwing a few kisses here and there. My book friends will probably raise their brows when they hear how much I loved this book.
This was a previously published work as part of an anthology and now it's being published by itself. If you haven't read it, you should. And if you've read it, then I'd recommend a reread.
Trudy is looking for the toy of the year for his nephew. The thing is it's Christmas' Eve, and the store is out of those toys. She doesn't give up easy and so she starts searching shelf after shelf hoping that someone had purposely hidden the toy some place else. In her search for the toy she stumbles upon Nolan, a Chinese literature professor, whom she went out with a few times. When she sees him she pretends he's not there.
Trudy really liked him but since he walked out on her at a Chinese Film Festival she's never forgiven him and nothing will change that, or so she thinks.
At the store she also stumbles upon Reese, her dad's former RA. In an effort to get rid off Nolan she flirts a little with Reese. She ends up having two conversations at once as all three of them know each other. In her search she finds the toy, except it is not this year's edition but last year's. She doesn't care. She takes it. Nolan offers her a lot of money for it, and so does another lady she bumps into at the register. No matter what Trudy holds on to it. What she doesn't know is all the people she's coming across are not who they seem to be and soon she finds herself in a lot of trouble.
Let me just say I read this while sitting at the dentist's office and was cracking up. People gave me the looks as if I was crazy and all I did was shrugged and say, "What? reading is better than browsing through Facebook, no?"
I highly recommend this short story. Yeah. It's borderline movie crazy. I sure hope nothing like this happens or has happened to anyone in real life, because if it did it wouldn't be as funny. -
2.5 stars – rounded
Christmas comes with madness, mayhem and occasionally that ‘perfect’ present that is on the must get list. The first time I’ve encountered Jennifer Crusie’s titles, this was a re-release as a singular story from an anthology.
Trudy is last-minute shopping for that one ‘must have’ toy when she runs into her ex, Nolan. Some cute banter is the highlight here between them, and then the story starts to get a bit unfocused and strange.
Mistaken identities, moments that don’t quite make sense and a question about just where the plot is heading that is never quite answered become hallmarks for this short read. Moments that needed exploration were briefly brushed over, characters never quite developed a solidity or voice that made them distinguishable. The conclusion was fairly obvious early on, even with the middle confusing bits, and the story as a whole remained contained within the brief span of the plot.
An acceptable if not memorable or particularly engaging read, I expect fans of this author will appreciate the style and stylings more than I did. I’m thinking I will give one of the full-length titles from this author a try to see if the hints I saw of better characterization, plotting and humor stand up to a lengthier work.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
This review was originally posted on I am, Indeed -
Original Post:
HOT TOY by Jennifer Cruisie: It’s the Thought that Counts
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
Ebook provided by publisher for review. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.
You know when someone send you a present and the wrapping is fabulous, and your friend is rich so it’s liable to be something fabulous? Yeah, well, this was offered as a gift from St. Martins to bloggers on Net Galley and it seems like something that’s been regifted. Wait, it was regifted. Honestly, I was simply disappointed to finded a dated, and “used” story in my Net Galley stocking.
Now, while we may say fiction is timeless, if you mention dates in it, it is no longer thus. The book takes place during the Christmas of 2006, and at the time I guess hot toys, popular toys that had gone retail viral were the rage. Since I haven’t heard about unbuyable toys since around that time, I feel like this dates the story.
The characters are probably really deeply imagined, but due to the whole short story thing are very shallowly sketched. And the Christmas Toy come international intrigue plot, with violence, was different but a bit over the top and hard to follow.
Surprisingly, the way I feel about the story sort of echoes one of the character’s feelings in the story.
But, it’s the thought that counts, right? But, at $3.99 for a very short book I would want more. -
Review originally posted at
All Books Considered: 2.5 STARS
I love Jennifer Crusie but this story felt so dated (and it is from 2006). Maybe if I had first read it back then, I would have liked it more but reading it today just seemed kind of sad. While I do typically enjoy Crusie's references to pop culture in her book and her female friendships (in this story, it's sisters), the surprise spy game just seemed odd. This was a cute idea about the lengths we go to make our children's Christmas over the top but the spy aspect seemed poorly planned a bit confusing in its reveal.
She threaded her way through the crowd, heading for the back of the store. Above her, Madonna cooed "Santa Baby," the ancient store speakers making the carol to sex and greed sound a little tinny. Whatever had happened to "The Little Drummer Boy"? That had been annoying, too, but in a traditional way, like fruitcake. She'd be happy to hear a "rum-pa-pum-pum" again, anything that didn't make Christmas sound like it was about getting stuff.
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Crusie has created a cute, fun story that puts the chase for the perfect gift in a new light. She cranks up the craziness of the season a few notches while taking readers on a bit of a wild ride. Intrigue meets with humour in a way that had me laughing and gasping. Due to the brief length of the tale, character development is minimal so I really couldn’t connect with them. It doesn’t affect the story much if you’re looking for a quick, light, fluffy read.
This was a fun, cute short story perfect for an afternoon beside the Christmas tree.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. -
What a funny story. Here Truddy is trying to buying a MacGuffin to her nephew but will she be lucky in this Christmas?? Nooooo, kidding. Actually Truddy is a smart-ass and has some punchs if anyone try to steal the "hope" of her nephew especially when his father abandon him in this time of year. And Truddy has some experiences of her own father too. Nolan was a cute guy and yeah she thought he was the One but he did not call her back. Can him redeeming himself??
Three is good enough??!!!!!
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I was kind of torn when it came to this book. At first, I thought it was a cute romantic book about a girl and guy meeting at a toy store looking for the same toy, but sadly I wish it was only about that. Then comes this story of a “spy” looking for some secret spy clues I honestly didn’t get it. I was just utterly confused and not buying this whole storyline. I gave it three stars mainly for the beginning which was the only part I liked. This wasn’t my cup of tea but feel free to give it a try you might have better luck than I did.
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2.5 toxic slime stars!
Have you ever seen the movie Jingle All the Way? That is what this book reminded me of, without the witty Arnold Schwarzenegger one-liners. ;)
I don't know how I missed this Jennifer Crusie novella, I thought I had read everything of hers by now. So, once I saw it I quickly requested it from the library and started reading.
It was just lacklustre from me. I got tired of Trudy fighting so hard to find this special Christmas toy for her nephew, to the extreme of putting her life in danger. It all just felt a little hokey. *shoulder shrug*
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Others have called this a hot mess and I think that covers it exactly. I guess it was supposed to be funny but I was mostly confused by the plot, didn't really get the characters, and the ending...huh? I just didn't see the romance. Not what I expect from this author.
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Just ok.
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Let start off by saying this book is $3.99 for pre-order and it is extremely short! I was in luck to get an advanced copy, but I would never pay this much for how short this story actually is, so you have been warned.
This review was originally posted on Delighted Reader
Did I mention how short it is? Well, this is a story about a Trudy Maxwell shopping on Christmas Eve for the very rare action figure, Major MacGuffin with toxic waste for her nephew. Now Trudy's nephew and sister are alone this Christmas since the man of the house ran away with the nanny. The one thing Trudy truly wants is to make her nephew's Christmas the best memory ever, but she only found out that he wants the toy. At the last toy store to check, she runs into a man who she dated a few times and he never called back. Yeah, she's not in the greatest of moods and doesn't suffer idiots well.
Nolan Mitchell, the ex-whatever, tries really hard to apologize and explain why he never called, but Trudy's not buying that. He wants the doll too and shadows Trudy as she transverses the store taking down whole displays in the hopes that a Major MacGuffin got misplaced.
Throw in Reese, an ex-student aid to her professor father. Trudy helped Reese find a text (Trudy's a librarian, but we find that out later) that Trudy's father needed. He's young and tries to come onto her with Nolan standing by. Reese comes across sleezy and young so I never put much stock in him.
Well, one of the guys is a Chinese double agent and the other is a cop of some sort. Trudy does find a Major MacGuffin, but it is last years model. Lured away from the toy store in the hopes of finding what her nephew wants, she gets thrown into a suspense filled situation.
Now there is some heavy kissing at one part, but other than that, the smut is left out of the book. The romance is tepid at best. Just no sparks flying even though she gets to kiss both guys. Her sister is on the phone with them a lot and the sister is hitting the gin bottle a little too hard. It comes out funny, but not for the right reasons.
All around I found it irritating and not romantic, interesting or feeling heartbroken by what has happened. I just wanted it over because it wasn't going anywhere anyway.
So for a Christmas story romance...I would find a different story. There is just no character development, steam or romance that interested me.
This review was originally posted on Delighted Reader -
For some reason I just could not bring myself to love this short story.. I believe more romance would have been nice… less whiney talk too. I did like the action toward the end and at one point didn’t know who to trust… that was a nice twist but I couldn’t get into the rest.
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I received a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley.
Trudy is in a toy shop on Christmas Eve, trying to buy this year's "hot toy", which has in fact been unavailable since Thanksgiving, for her nephew. This is important because his father, who has run off with his nanny, promised him Santa would bring it for Christmas, but has failed to buy it. While looking, she meets Nolan, who dated and then dumped her, and Reese, a man who recently assisted her father, an emotionally unavailable professor. They are also looking for the hot toy. Trudy eventually discovers a battered version from the previous year and decides it will have to do. Both men, and a woman in the line, try to buy it from her, but Trudy holds onto it and then agrees to go to a remote warehouse with Reese where he has heard the current year's version can be found. Nolan invites himself along too and once there Trudy discovers both men have been lying to her.
Apart from some mildly entertaining banter between Trudy and her sister, there was little to like about this novella. Trudy was rude, irrational and unlikeable. The premise of the plot seemed to be that Santa must bring the gifts a child expects at all costs, even at the cost of the very life of an aunt. The scenario in the warehouse was confusing and laughably unbelievable. Why did Nolan tell Trudy he was an undercover police officer? The story he told her first was an insult to her intelligence. Neither funny enough to make the plot forgivable nor realistic enough to be intriguing. Disappointing.
