They’ve discovered the Santa is a vampire. What these two young Russian undead don’t realise is that he’s ancient for a reason. And really not interested in their help…
Any story that starts with a discussion about how Santa is a vampire is going to draw me in and make me incredibly happy from the very beginning. There is just something about the idea that is both sensical and terrifying. Definitely funny though. Especially the way in which it’s described…
As much as I loved Santa being a vampire, the part of this story I loved the most was that it featured African Painted Dogs. I absolutely adore those endangered creatures and the fact that they take out Santa’s reindeer… might be one of the more perfect stories I’ve read. It was just brilliant.
This is definitely one of those stories which takes our traditional tales and gives them a completely absurd spin. One that makes a weird kind of sense and makes you not really want to think about the original for a little time. Especially when even Rudolph gets a disturbing supernatural spin in this story!
There’s something not quite right about his bowl movements. When he discovers the cause he’s understandably freaked. And then he joins Shapeshifters Anonymous. And finds out the truth about Santa.
A Christmas story that starts with a man going to the doctor because there’s weird things in his poo… you know its going to be funny. Especially since I already knew that it was going to be a werewolf story of some kind. There are many brilliant poo moments throughout… I need to share this story with a nursing friend of mine, she’ll understand the funny.
Anyhow… to make the story funnier and funnier as it progresses. There is also the existence of Shapeshifters Anonymous. And my favourite character ever might be Phyllis. A member of SA who can’t actually shift. And there’s a werecoral. Which just raises SO many questions. Actually, I keep laughing and getting distracted as I try to write this review. Because just the memories of the amount of random humour throughout this is brilliant.
To top everything else off, there is a great little origins story of Santa and werewolves in this. It makes Santa evil, and I love that uniqueness of the tale. Some rejigs of origin stories can be a little predictable. But this one isn’t. It’s just downright hilarious.
Title: Christmas Past Author: Keri Arthur In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Christmas, Paranormal romance, Vampires, Werewolves Dates read: 29th December 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Gollancz Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: I watched the world go by, half of me wanting to play it safe and go home, but the other half – the foolish half – wanting his company, however dangerous that might be to my emotional health.
Hannah just wants to have a nice Christmas for once. But she’s working with the man who broke her hear last Christmas to take down a crazy, vampire killer. So things might not quite go as planned.
I just spent most of Christmas alone. And I have a partner, so it just made me sappy and missing him. This sentiment was beautifully echoed in this story. Alright, Hannah doesn’t actually have a partner. And she was dumped the previous Christmas, but that yearning for the one that you love on Christmas Eve… I get that. However, this story was made far more sucky by the fact that Hannah is forced to spend the evening on a case with her ex. That would be seriously sucky.
Being Australian, I’ve never really dealt with people who collect for charities on the road. Or really anybody who stands around in some kind of weird elf outfit ringing a bell for money. So I can’t really imagine it. Having said that, apparently there’s a vampire running around killing the people who choose to do this. Which was a much more fun story than the central romance. The romance was fun, but I liked the chases through the dark cemetery to catch the culprit in a little elf’s outfit much, much more.
As much as I enjoyed the romance in this story… I kind of thought that Hannah was a little too forgiving. They both knew that she was going to forgive Brodie. But it would have been a little more exciting if she actually made him grovel and apologise. That might just be my own drives though.
How do you get rid of an unwanted / problematic pack of werewolves at Christmas time? Well, you give their end as a gift to someone else…
I’m still not entirely sure how this is a werewolf story. Actually, I am. Because I get where the werewolves come in. What I’m confused about is that it starts with a group of ?something? wanting to kill off a rogue pack. And then at the end, someone turns into a werewolf. It was all just very, very confusing.
Although I really enjoyed this story. I spent the entire time flipping back a page, thinking that I had missed some crucial piece of information. It just didn’t quite work. There was something more that I needed to make me feel truly happy about this storyline. It’s difficult to truly love something when you’re not entirely sure what is happening. Or at least, it is for me.
I did love the fact that this is the first time in a long time that plays with the mystical nature of the 7th son. And the fact that he was born on Christmas Eve… a unique take that I was incredibly excited by. One that completely made up for my confusion.
Kitty is all alone on New Years Eve. That is, until David walks into the dinner. David is fed up with being a werewolf, the black outs, the violence, the departure from his normal life… but now he might have found a way to start living again. If only they can work together on Christmas Eve.
I vaguely remember from French that il est ne means something like it isn’t. I think… it’s been a while since I studied French. But, if that is the literal translation for this story… it kind of works well. It’s a tale of Kitty at Christmas time, alone and without family, friends or pack. And another werewolf who is also completely alone. There is always something perpetuated as quite sad about such an eventuality.
That I do love about this is that it’s actually all about Kitty helping someone else. Which, after all, isn’t helping the less fortunate what Christmas is all about? At least, that’s what I choose to focus on at this time of year. Which, seems to be losing it’s glossy, beautiful, happy shine a little more with each passing year. It’s also about loneliness. Although I might have family around at this time of year, my partner is often away and I feel that loneliness quite drastically. Which made me feel a little too in touch with some of the emotions in this story. I’m honestly not sure if that’s good or bad, but I certainly enjoyed the tale because of it!
There is a great sense of love, understanding and compassion in this story. Feelings and emotions that I think we should embrace year round, not just in the holiday season. It kind of made me happily wistful when the story ended and more than a little tempted to reach out and help somebody less fortunate…
Sam is the breeder of guard dogs. But he has a secret, and it takes a surprise visit on Christmas Eve for him to finally tell the woman he loves what it is…
The title of this short story was implying a much more, seriously disturbed short story. I knew it had something to do with werewolves and Christmas (because that’s what every book in this collection is about)… but that was the extent of my knowledge. And, the title seemed kind of sinister.
I do love that this story is about a werewolf who is a guard dog trainer. A completely novel idea, but one that I’m surprised I didn’t get a chance to read before… after all, werewolves and dogs would be the perfect companions around each other. Actually, dogs are just the perfect companions in general… or at least my two faithful hounds (one is currently sitting on either side of me) are.
Although this story is about Christmas, family, being around loved ones and just generally being a werewolf and surviving… I feel like the dogs actually took centre stage. Which is exactly what I wanted. There is nothing like a dog taking centre stage to make me love a story with a little bit too much passion.
He’s a werewolf stuck halfway between his forms at the North Pole. And, he’s understandably peckish… but maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to eat Rudolph.
Most Christmas stories I tend to read are quite happy. I’ve NEVER read one that starts with a werewolf eating Rudolph. That was a shock. It was hilarious, and I scared my dog by spitting out a bit of my tea as I held in the laughter (yes, I have a twisted sense of humour, so sue me). But it was also incredibly unique. As I said, I’ve never had the pleasure of reading a story which begins with Rudolph being eaten by a werewolf. And not just a werewolf, but a werewolf stuck in a crazy kind of half-form that he can’t seem to get out of. Little wonder that that image made me spit out my tea.
Although this was a story that starts with Rudolph, there were a surprising amount of Christian overtones. In fact, Santa only visits good little Christian boys and girls… which I found a bit annoying – but that’s my own religious hangups. I did like that there were a number of versions of the Saint Nikolas mythos added into the telling of the tale. It wasn’t just about our more modern / common versions of this. And there was also his evil shadow to contend with…
I love that the last spin on this featured Rudolph’s nose. Instead of a light to guide the way, the werewolf was able to use his superior sense of smell. And the way that he uses this to navigate the night… brilliant. Even though I’m pretty sure the werewolf is still kind of evil and needs a swift kick up the bum… all in the name of the Christmas spirit of course!
Title: Killing Moon Author: Rebecca York Series: Moon #1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense, Werewolves Dates read: 9th – 24th November 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2003 5th sentence, 74th page: I got all comforts of home out here.
In the woods, a killer waits, surrounded by the graves of his victims, anticipating his next kill. In the woods, a wolf stalks its prey, surrendering only to the laws of nature, not of man…
Private investigator Ross Marshall has a special talent for tracking – a talent that has helped him locate missing persons when the police’s trail has gone cold. Now his current case has led him to a body buried in an isolated rural area – and a serial killer who is looking for a new victim. But while gathering evidence for the police, something goes very wrong…
The last thing genetic researcher Megan Sheridan expected was to discover her client shot and unconscious. Ross Marshall had requested her lab to run genetic tests on him, but instead of taking a blood sample, Megan found herself tending his wounds. Although frightened by the secrets she knows he is hiding, Megan is compelled to him by a force she can’t explain – or resist. Ross tries to deny the ancient instincts clamouring for him to take Megan as his mate, for to do so would sentence her to a lifetime of sorrow. But now Ross has an even more urgent reason to stay away from Megan: The killer that he’d been hunting has turned the tables – and is now hunting him…
This book was amazing! Which I kind of thought it would be, since I enjoyed the novella in this series so much… what I wasn’t expecting was to walk around for a few days feeling like I just had to get my nose back into this book. That there was no way I could pause and not read it because I really, really wanted to know what happened next. I did exercise self-control and spread this over a few days… just so I could actually pretend to be an adult.
I have my bookshelves sorted into genre… and I’m still not sure where to sit this book. It is currently in paranormal romance, but I feel like it could sit in the romantic suspensesection. I’ll probably just have to read the next few books in this series to determine where to put it… not a difficult thing to do at all.
Megan and Ross are a fantastic couple to feature in a romance. They both fight the pull (and who hasn’t?), and then, when they finally do decide to give in… they end up constantly putting themselves into horrible positions just so that the other one can be happy. Or, at least, they tend to stupidly make decisions which then lead to more upset and discord, just because they think that they’re doing the “right thing”. Stupid, annoying and, ultimately, made it incredibly fun to read.
I don’t have the pleasure of often reading books which feature a scientist. But, since I’m within that field, it’s something that I love. Especially when it’s the woman who is the scientist, not the man. There was something fun about the intersection between genetics, murder and mystery that plays against the romance in this story. Definitely one that I will keep reaching for again and again and again.
Title: Pack Author: Jeaniene Frost In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Trisha Telep) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Werewolves Dates read: 23rd November 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: In short, he looked like your typical Yellowstone tourist, not the leader of a secret pack of monsters.
All she wanted to do was go for a nice, long hike in the mountains. Instead she’s attacked by a werewolf, taken as hostage and quarantined with a man that is just far too tempting for her sanity.
As with all of Jeaniene Frost’s stories so far, I absolutely adored this story. She has a way of writing that combines strong women with difficult situations and a heavy dose of romantic lust that always leaves me with a huge smile on my face. There is just something about this writing that is a poignant reminder of why Frostis one of my favourite writers.
Yet, it’s not all sunshine and roses (again, why I like Frost’swriting)… there is a harsh beginning as the lead female is turned against her will and attacked. A sense of trying to find out who she is in a new world and re figure out how to exist. Many of the paranormal romances I read feature a turning that is unwilling and unwanted. Something which would be dreadful. This still follows that trend (and I kind of expect it from most, because who would really want to be a monster?), but it gives a much happier ending. One that isn’t too sappy either.
This short story, as much as it’s a romance, is all about choice. She gets to choose how to live, there is punishment because her choice is taken from her and the two love interests eventually choose to be together. In fact, the biggest divider for them is the fact that originally she is choosing not to succumb to their attraction…
Based on premise of vampires and werewolves running in the same family – an evil free creature to protect the rest of us. This brother and sister though are about to have their entire reality turn on its head as they try and cure the latest evil they’ve come across.
Most stories I read about vampires and werewolves have them at loggerheads. This wasn’t all that different for the fact that the vampire and the werewolf did argue a lot. But it came from sibling rivalry rather than a difference in species and osmosis of species. I love this different take on a classical rivalry. One that I totally didn’t see coming, but really want to sink my teeth into.
The premise of this story is based on the idea that the vampires and werewolves are the protectors of humanity and there are no “evil” versions of their race. I don’t quite believe that there is no such thing as a race completely devoid of a bad apple… which apparently Cameron agrees with, because she creates a villain in this story which is a werewolf gone bad (or vampire, I wasn’t totally clear on what type of being they were)…
I’m so excited that this Christmas short story is part of a bigger series! I can’t wait to see what more happens in the full-length novels. Definitely a series that gets to move to the top of my wishlist – after all, it’s the first stories I’ve ever read where vampires and werewolves are siblings!
Earth and Skye 