Sandy M’s review of Beneath a Christmas Moon by Eden Robins, Ariana Dupre & Karen McCullough
Contemporary Paranormal Romance anthology published by Cerridwen Press 26 Sep 08

I’ve had this book lying about since last year and finally decided it’s time to read it since Christmas is coming up once again. It’s a good thing I wanted to read this anthology because of the paranormal aspect and not the holiday element. There’s not much Christmas going on. It’s talked about, yes, but no real celebration of the day or season is to be had. So if you’re looking for a Christmas book to get you into the holiday mood, this is not it.

Lander’s Moon by Eden Robins

I like the idea of this book, a man cursed by the gods to shift into a lion every night for eternity. Of course, what saves him is love, but before he finds that, he discovers a woman who’s been beaten in the snow, near death. Taking her home to care for her, his lust for her  grows, as does his admiration for her bravery and courage. He wants her and intends to have her soon, because he’ll have to force her on her way before too long.

Selena is vacationing with her current boyfriend when he finally lets loose and his true character beats her for small and insignificant things he has a problem with. Running when she has a chance, she soon loses herself in a raging blizzard. She wakes to find herself safe and warm in the home of a man who draws her but also makes her want to keep her distance. She’s finally learned her lesson she can’t fix the men she’s attracted to.

I really liked Lander. He’s living the best he can with his curse, and though he wants Selena fiercely, he’s willing to let her go so she’ll have a much better life than the one he’d give her. Selena is another story. I got a little tired of her harping on the fact she knows she can’t fix every bad boy she comes across, Lander is a bad boy, so it’s best to move on. By the time she moved on and decided she wanted him, I almost rather he’d gone out and found someone else, her attitude is that irritating.

Other than that, this is a good shifter story that has a twist of the gods thrown in. It’s actually nice to see a goddess not all wrapped up in herself, as most are. And I enjoyed the woman beater in this book getting what’s coming to him, having Lander dish it out. There’s a little talk of Christmas, but not much.

Grade: C+
Summary:

Free spirited healer, Selena Alvarez, has a thing for trying to save bad boys. Unfortunately, having to escape from a very violent one in the middle of a wicked snow storm, and being saved by a enormous beast isn’t exactly how she imagined spending her Christmas vacation. Lander Paletsos, the legendary Nemean Lion, is an immortal with an attitude. Cursed to walk the day as a human and prowl the night as a giant lion, he never expects to find an injured woman lost in his territory during a blizzard. Snow bound in Lander’s castle in the woods, neither wild beast nor brave beauty are prepared for the hot attraction that ignites between them.

Paradise Designs by Ariana Dupre

This novella could have been so much better, but, again, it’s the heroine that irritated me. She doesn’t want to use her psychic abilities, she’s blocked them since she was very young. Now she’s living in a condo resort that she’s just learned is haunted, so she wants out. Even meeting the man who’s helping save the resort’s reputation and who she’s instantly attracted to  isn’t enough to make her want to embrace this part of herself. If it had stopped at that point, I wouldn’t have had a problem with her, but she goes on and on about this, nearly whining every time David tries to get her to loosen up and use her abilities. It takes way too long for her to get there.

David himself I liked. He’s open to the paranormal. He’s mightily attracted to Tara. He tries to help her with her fear, even in the face of her obstinacy in wanting to deal with it all. The man has the patience of a saint, as far as I’m concerned. But love saves the day, he finally gets Tara to a point where she agrees to use her gift to figure out the reason the resort is currently being haunted.

If it weren’t for Tara’s attitude, this would have been a much better read for me. Again, however, there isn’t much in the way of Christmas, a mention or memory or two and that’s it.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Tara Simms is determined to create a new beginning for herself this holiday season. She’s purchased a new condo on Miami Beach in the ultra chic Paradise Designs Resort and Spa where there is no chance of paranormal activity. She’s left the paranormal at her last apartment but still fights the whispers that have always been part of her life. She refuses to accept the psychic abilities that run in her family and blocks the whispers. She’s looking for a new man and thinks that David Blake, the lead realtor at the high-rise, is a good prospect.

David quickly sends her best laid plans on a roller coaster ride when he tells Tara that Paradise Designs is haunted. An unsolved murder, construction workers who swear they’ve seen a ghost and a newscast featuring the Haunted Hi-Rise confirm her worst fears. When Tara sees the spirit of a woman enter her condo she freaks out. David offers his protection and his apartment. Together Tara and David must solve the murder and help the spirit into the light. By facing the paranormal and her psychic abilities, will Tara find a new beginning filled with love?

Vampire’s Christmas Carol by Karen McCullough

Of the three novellas in this anthology, this one is best, and that’s even despite another heroine who whines a little too much. At least Carol doesn’t take it quite as far as the previous two. Her fear is staying in the presence of a vampire who refuses to drink human blood to save his life. Michael has gone 100 years without doing so, he’s never wanted to lose his humanity. But now at the end of those 100 years, he’s face with either taking blood and completely losing his soul or dying. He’s chosen death.

Carol is on her way home for Christmas when she has a car accident and knocks on Michael’s door seeking safety from the snow storm raging outside. After first refusing her entry due to his situation, he finally agrees to give her shelter, but he also gives her the knowledge she needs to keep herself safe from him as he goes through his own private hell.

Waiting for death to claim him, Michael and Carol trade Christmas memories from their childhoods, all the while living through his painfully slow demise. They also get intermittent visits from Michael’s sire, who tries his evil best to lure Michael into living as a vampire should. The book actually picks up and is at its best near the end when Carol makes the only decision she can for both of them.

Grade: B

Summary:

Can Christmas Eve be any more fun? On her way home, Carol’s car slides into a ditch in a deserted area. The only available shelter is already occupied…by a vampire.

To Michael, Carol is the bait in a trap. In an effort to hold on to his soul, Michael has resisted the urge to drink human blood for almost a century. Now he hovers between human and vampire. If he doesn’t drink human blood before the night ends, he’ll die. Carol is pure temptation to him, the Christmas present from hell…or heaven.

Overall Grade: C