Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Buying Links: Amazon The Book Depository
Book Blurb (from NetGalley):
’Tis the season…for these darkly sexy tales.
All they want for Christmas is you…
It’s the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.
And they don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice.
Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there’s no place like home for the holidays—and these dazzling vampires can’t wait for an invitation.
My Thoughts:
It took me a long time to read this anthology, it just didn't hold my interest and I kept putting it down to read other books. I re-scheduled the review about three times. As I was reading it, Edyn from Reader's Edyn, kept cheering me on. So, in addition to my review below, here's a link to her, much more detailed, review on her blog, so you can get a comprehensive overview of the book.
I hadn't read any of these authors before though I do have books by Hauf and London on my Kindle, waiting to be read. After reading the stories, I'm not in any rush to pick up those books and read them. :(
As I've done with other anthologies I've reviewed, I have a short summary review of each one and a quote to whet your appetite or to illustrate a point from my summary.The book has a loose theme of love with a vampire at Christmas and all of the stories deliver that. The overall quality of the writing in the stories was mediocre. The one really good story was the last one, "All I Want for Christmas" by Alexis Morgan. I'll be looking for more by her.
Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London
This is part of her "Sweetblood" series. I had little trouble reading it despite not having read the other books. The novella was long and not a lot happened. I really, really disliked the whole amnesia plot device.
Quote:
"What the hell are you still doing here?" Her jaw dropped as if he had slapped her. "You told me to wait, didn't you?" "And you always do what a stranger tells you?" Things would have been so much easier if she had left. He didn't want to deal with her. He just wanted to forget her. Why did I ask her to wait?
Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf
Book Blurb from author website:
Sexy singer, Olivia isn't at all frightened by the vampire she finds fending off werewolves outside her door. Why should she be? She's just as much a monster as he is. Daniel Harrison hasn't been vampire long, but the monster he is does not do Christmas. That doesn't keep him from trying to rescue another who could transform before the full moon—but can he do it and win Olivia's heart with but a flash of fang and his desire for her to 'sway with him'?
It started off promisingly, and I liked both Olivia and Daniel, but I never bought into Olivia's monstrousness. I get the premise behind it, it just never rang true for me. I also got tired of the constant angst, the story was too short to support it.
Quote:His hands slid around her back and down to cup her derriere through the body-clinging red silk. The hardness of him crushed against her hip, pleading her surrender, and she tilted her head, allowing him to kiss from her neck down to her breasts.
When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro
Pineiro takes the Dickens device of Christmas Past, Present and Future and adds vampires and angels into the mix. I liked the premise and the world was intriguing. It feels like part of a series but was easily readable; I looked on her website for series info but couldn't find any. What didn't work for me was the disconnect between what we see (and are told) about Damien and Angelina's love and history at the beginning and what we see and are told later. Damien and Angelina were both pleasant characters and I liked the world building but again, the actual writing was lacking and cliched.I also didn't like the message that it was better to allow yourself to be killed than to defend yourself.
Quote: "Take me," she pleaded, her own body waiting for his full possession. Waiting for the
bite that would feed his demon body the way their loving was nourishing their souls.
All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan
I liked this one a lot. It wasn't perfect - the ending was rushed, the mystery was light, and Della was a bit too unquestioning of the bond between her and Eagan, but overall, well written. Good writing, likable characters, action, humor and hot sex scenes. More please!
Quote: Okay, she got it. The man didn't want her gratitude or a fuss made over what he'd done. That didn't make him any less of a hero in her eyes. She'd honor his desire for privacy, but maybe he'd at least accept a refill on his coffee instead.
I received this eARC from NetGalley.
