Review: "A Vampire for Christmas"

"A Vampire for Christmas" has four Christmas themed novellas involving, what else... vampires!  Each one of the stories was written by a different author.  While overall I would give this book a 2.5 out of 5 rating, I have rated the stories individually below as well.  The first and last stories were definitely worth reading.



Enchanted by Blood (Sweetblood Series - book 2.5) by Laurie London

     When Charlene is almost attacked while leaving a club one night, she finds herself putting her trust in the dark and mysterious stranger that comes to her rescue.  Trace, drawn by an urgency to head to a part of town that he normally doesn't go to, finds Charlene in trouble.  A year ago they had began falling in love but due to Trace's position on the council he couldn't risk being with a human.  He was forced to wipe her memory of the whole time and of him.  Seeing Charlene again now stirs up all of his old feelings and he finds himself hiring her to decorate his home for an upcoming holiday party.  With the impending decision about granting Trace a position on the council he finds himself torn between upholding his duties and his promise to his father with his feelings for Charlene.
     This was a light, touching story that I really enjoyed.  I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series.  I felt like I should be mad at Trace for wiping her memory but with his devotion to the vampire race and to the promise he gave his father I just couldn't be angry with him.  He just seems to truly care for Charlene and loves everything about her.  Plus, his Grandmother and Charlene seem to have had a past together as well which was cute.  Just an all around great short story.  I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

(3 stars)

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf

     Daniel was turned into a vampire against his will a year ago and truly believes he is a monster now.  Olivia finds him being attacked by werewolves in the alley by her apartment one night and invites him up to her place.  It doesn't seem to faze her that he's a vampire.  What quickly becomes a one night stand soon begins to produce more feelings for both of them.  Olivia is a famous singer and considers herself a monster, of the fame variety.  Can these two "monsters" make it work between them?
     I just wasn't feeling any real connection between these two.  This story was seriously lacking in the romance department.  It just felt like more of a quickie hook up.

(1 star)



When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro

     Damien and Angelina have had a long and tortured relationship.  They met over a century ago when Angelina was first sent as Damien's guardian angel.  Back then Damien hadn't truly appreciated her or treated her with respect.  When his enemy, the vampire who turned him, killed her he never thought he would see her again until she showed up last year.  Once again Angelina is taken from him by the same man.  When Angelina returns this time it will be her last chance to save Damien's soul.  They are both hoping that the love they share will save both their souls and let them remain together this time.
     This was a touching story of reincarnated love with a twist.  There were a lot of elements in this story and it felt way to rushed for a short story but I suspect it would have made a good full length book.  I wasn't overly sold on the love they shared and found it hard to deal with the multiple flash backs that we had to deal with.

(2 stars)



All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan

     Eagan is a cop currently working undercover to track down vampires that have been paying teens for their blood and killing a few along the way.  When he finds himself intrigued with a local diner owner in the area, he decides helping her out with odd jobs would be the perfect cover.  It turns out there are werewolves and fae in the diner as well but Della doesn't have any idea.  There seems to be lots of sexual tension between them but Eagan knows better than to get involved with a human.  When Della gets injured, Eagan finds himself with no choice but to reveal his true vampire nature to her.  Will she still be able to accept him?
     I liked that the author slowly built up their connection in this one.  This story didn't feel rushed even though the author did have to do some explaining of the world they live in and introduced us to several side characters.  I would be interested in checking out what else Alexis Morgan has written as I really liked her writing style and story in this one.
(3 stars)