LynneC’s review of A Vampire For Christmas by Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro & Alexis Morgan
Paranormal Romance published by HQN 18 Oct 11
Most anthologies are the curate’s egg kind of book, with good bits and bad bits or not-so-good bits. This is no exception, but on the whole it is a decent read and a nice introduction to the flood of seasonal books. There are four stories by authors established in the genre.
Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London
This story takes part in her world, one I hadn’t read before but I had no problems catching up on. It is a story complete in itself and is about Trace Westfalen and Charlotte Grant, who have met before, although Trace wipes Charlotte’s mind and she doesn’t remember their previous encounter. This sets up an interesting situation in which Trace remembers and Charlotte does not, so she is learning him from scratch. This is the kind of story where the big bad vampires share a house, the kind with chandeliers and antiques but go out hunting dressed in leather with fearsome weapons. You have been warned.
Trace is forced to step in when Charlotte is in danger, and this inevitably leads to their involvement again. I do think that the couple end up in bed too soon, considering Charlotte doesn’t know him from Adam at this point in the story, but this is a short, and it’s sometimes tricky to do that.
However, London does have one maddening habit which brings the story down for me. Every time the action heats up, she ends the scene on a cliffhanger, and then starts the next with a recap of what happened. That means the reader isn’t there and doesn’t experience it. It happens too many times, and it irritates me, and brings my grade down.
Grade: C
Summary:
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.
Read an excerpt. (scroll down)
Monsters Don’t Do Christmas by Michele Hauf
The hero in this story has only been a vampire for a year. He was a money man and had lots of it, until he was turned, and I’m still not sure why he gave it all up. He roamed the streets and fought werewolves, who, we are told, hate vampires. I don’t know why. The heroine is Olivia Adorata, a pop star who takes every Christmas off and lives in a small apartment on her own, celebrating the season. She thinks of herself as a monster because of her fame. So why didn’t anyone recognise her? That is only one problem I had with Olivia. I can see what Hauf was trying to do, have two people reconcile the monsters within themselves, but in neither case does the motivation and the conviction go through them deep enough for me to really understand why they feel that way. There is the possibility for some breathtaking moments, but they aren’t taken. I don’t feel I know Daniel at all, and Olivia is too sweet to be true. Neither character entirely works for me.
Grade: D
Summary:
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’?
No excerpt available.
When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro.
Although Pineiro’s recent full-length paranormal release didn’t quite do it for me, she is a considerably talented author with a great, smooth style and a willingness to tackle unusual situations.
This story takes place in 1931. The hero, Damien, is or was a rum-runner, and it is a century since he first met his love, Angelina. Their enemy, a demon called Pedro, tears them apart, or makes Damien make the wrong decisions, and they are torn apart again, only to be reborn to have another attempt at getting it right this time.
Although this story has a few of the vampire clichés, they are almost impossible to avoid in this genre, and it doesn’t stop me enjoying this story of everlasting love constantly thwarted. Angelina has a secret of her own, but when she is dumped on the beach, she is injured and needs Damien’s help. He tends to her, and they get together again, knowing that yet again, Pedro has the upper hand.
Of course, this is a romance, so you know it will work out, one way or another, but you don’t know how it will work out. Angelina and Damien are believable, interesting characters with the depth that a story of this length will allow.
Grade: B
Read an excerpt.
All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan
The last story is, IMO, the best one. It is a sweet, poignant morsel of a Christmas tale and took me from beginning to end. I made fewest notes on this story because I wanted to enjoy the read and let the story take me away, which it does. The setup is simple, so little backstory is needed. Eagan is an undercover cop and vampire looking for some rogues. Della is a human woman who runs a diner, peopled, although she doesn’t know it, by supernatural beings as well as humans. Della likes Christmas and is determined to bring it to the people who frequent her diner. Despite his better nature, Eagan is strongly attracted to Della, and soon they begin an affair. Della is under threat and is put into danger, so Eagan has to find and rescue her.
Simple setup so the author can concentrate on the characters, something I really enjoy. The characters are believable, the setting well depicted, and I was just drawn into this one.
Grade: A
Read an excerpt.
Overall Grade: C
