
Review:
Since this anthology is only four stories, I’ll give my thoughts for each.
Enchanted Blood by Laurie London – This one is about a vampire and his human love finding each other again even after her memory was wiped, and this time getting their HEA. There wasn’t anything I can point out as being wrong with this one, I just wasn’t really into it. I think it involved characters from a series, so maybe anyone who’s read the series would like it more.
Monsters Don’t Do Christmas by Michelle Hauf – This one is about a vampire who thinks his soul is dark and the up-and-coming singer who can see that it’s not. The biggest fantasy element in this one was a woman, alone, breaking up a fight between three men in an alley and then inviting one of the men into her apartment after he semi-attacked and threatened her. Despite that initial strangeness and some cliches, this was my second favorite. Daniel, our vampire, was brooding and a bit rough and imperfect but a good person (even if it was a bit ridiculous that he kept going on about how terrible he was despite never doing anything terrible). I didn’t believe the instalove, but I could believe they at least had feelings. Having one character be a celebrity brought a bit of uniqueness, and the story had a kind of cozy feel to it overall.
When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro – This one is about the love between a guardian angel and the vampire whose soul she’s trying to save. I have to be honest, I was confused by a lot. Certain things didn’t quite add up to me (like how the vampire didn’t figure out his love wasn’t human), and I didn’t understand all the soul saving/damning stuff. But it had vampires and angels and love and a bit of a “A Christmas Carol” vibe.
All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan – This one is about an undercover vampire cop unexpectedly finding love with the kind owner of the diner he’s frequenting for his current case. This was my favorite of the lot. Eagan was a loner but good-hearted. Della was kind and giving. It was instalove-y, but I could believe they had feelings, at least, and they were cute together. The diner atmosphere and Della’s kindness toward everyone made this a warm and fuzzy kinda read. I enjoyed this one.
One small complaint I will say about this anthology overall is that it seemed like Christmas was almost an afterthought. These stories took place at that time of year but weren’t super Christmas-y themselves. But it’s still nice if you want that winter/Christmas feel.
As for the audiobook, each story had a different narrator, and all four (Eve Bianco, Viv Williams, Jack LeFleur, Lola Holiday) were pretty good. Lola Holiday, who narrated the last story, was the best at doing different voices and making it all sound natural, in my opinion.
Overall, though I personally didn’t love this anthology, I think fans of light romance and erotica, and of course vampires, might like it!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes short stories, romance/erotica, and sexy vampires.
“A vampire and his guardian angel attempt to save his soul.”
That’s new.
Too bad Christmas was only an afterthought…it would have been funny if vampires and Christmas really mixed together. An original take.
Yeah I’ve noticed, in all my Christmas reading lately, there are the real Christmas-y ones, and the ones that just kinda happen to take place around Christmas.
I love vampire stories like these. Thanks for letting us know about this one.
Maybe you’d like this!