| Title | : | Christmas with a Vampire |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0373776136 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780373776139 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 537 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2008 |
It's a time for bloodlust and stolen kisses, for clandestine bites and forming new bonds beneath the mistletoe. Succumb to the forbidden as these powerful vampires give you a Christmas you'll never forget….
Christmas with a Vampire Reviews
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Merline Lovelace's A CHRISTMAS KISS was a solid little vampire novella. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing out of norm, just a straightforward little story of a Oklahoma Stat Trooper falling for a female vampire despite her strange lisp due to her recent trip to the dentist. ;)
Lori Devoti's THE VAMPIRE WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS was the strongest story of the bunch, still toward the end it slipped and didn't regain its balance. There was just something annoying about an "angel" trying to reform a vampire. Sure, she had her point, but the message came through a little too forceful.
Linda Winstead Jones' SUNDOWN was yet another good female-vampire-human-cop novella with a good murder subplot thrown into the mix. I resented the whole let's-shag-his-brains-out-and-make-him-forget-everything angle. Once it worked, but did we really need a repeat performance?
Lisa Child's NOTHING SAYS CHRISTMAS LIKE A VAMPIRE was by far the worst in this collection. The story was all over the place without any good ties holding it together. It seemed rushed, the characters were bland...I just didn't care for it.
Bonnie Vanak's UNWRAPED wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. While I like a good vampire/werewolf mix, this one didn't deliver as it could have. If we forget the betrayal at the beginning, the whole story lacked in some major background presentation. I don't know if it's part of some series, but I severely missed some much needed info on the Morhp species. -
Christmas with a Vampire
Description: (BN.com) Prepare for an exhilarating journey across the boundary of death into a shadowy, daring new world. As darkness falls on another year, five fanged rebels are ready to celebrate like never before.
It's a time for bloodlust and stolen kisses, for clandestine bites and forming new bonds beneath the mistletoe. Succumb to the forbidden as these powerful vampires give you a Christmas you'll never forget….
From My Point of View: Christmas with a Vampire is an anthology containing five Christmas related vampire stories. I've reviewed each book separately below, with a final review of the book as a whole after that!
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Christmas with a Vampire: A Christmas Kiss
(Story 1 of 5)
Author: Merline Lovelace
Characters: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
A Christmas Kiss is a story about Oklahoma State Trooper Brett Cooper. One night, he stumbles upon Delilah Wentworth, a one-hundred year old vampire, in the woods near his house. Against his better judgement, Brett takes Delilah home with home with him where he soon discovers Delilah's dangerous secret.
I thought this story was a great read. I really wish it would have been longer than 100 pages. I loved both Brett and Delilah's characters. I loved to storyline and I was honestly surprised by the ending. There isn't much to say about a story this short aside from, "it was a great read." It's highly likely I will be looking up more books by this author as I adored this tale.
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Christmas with a Vampire: The Vampire Who Stole Christmas
(Story 2 of 5)
Author: Lori Devoti
Characters: 5 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
The Vampire Who Stole Christmas is a story about Drystan Hurst, a vampire who falls in love with Aimee Polk, a daimon who's most recent charge killed himself on her watch. This short story follows the two as they battle with who they are and who they really want to be.
This story was a good as the first in the novel, actually better I would say. Again, I really wish the story was a book of it's own. I loved Aimee's character and her abilities. I also loved Drystan's character. I would have liked to see the relationship between Drystan and Ben fleshed out a little more after Drysten's reappearance at the end, but given this is a short story, I can see why the author didn't do so. This is another author that I will be looking up for some more good reads. =)
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Christmas with a Vampire: Sundown
(Story 3 of 5)
Author: Linda Winstead Jones
Characters: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5
Sundown is the tale of vampire Abby, who runs the local bar called Sundown. Leo is the local cop who moved to town three months ago and is smitten with Abby. I think we know where the story goes from here. =)
Sundown was not my favorite novella in this book. I like the author's writing, but after already having read a story about a cop and vamp, I wanted something new. Additionally, I didn't like the way Abby was so standoffish with Leo and then all of a sudden, she was hot for him. I know she's a vampire, but does that mean she's bipolar too? I felt like there should have been more of a transition from point A to point B. Other than my weariness at the near repeat of the story, it was a nice, good read. Since it's already in the book, you might as well enjoy this one too. =)
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Christmas with a Vampire: Nothing Says Christmas Like a Vampire
(Story 4 of 5)
Author: Lisa Childs
Characters: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
Nothing Says Christmas Like a Vampire is the story of Julian, resident vampire for this novella, who sweeps Sienna off her feet, literally, at her grandmother's funeral. Turns out the two have quite a past, but Sienna doesn't know it yet. Nor does she know her life is currently in danger and Julian is the only one who can save her.
This was a truly fantastic novella. It was my favorite one so far from the book. Again, I wish this would have been it's own novel. I felt the story moved along too quickly, but given the short nature of the tale, that was to be expected. My only other complaint was the Grandfather. He was seemed too quick to forgive and forget all his trials and tribulations with Julian at the end of the novel.
Aside from those to quirks, this novella was everything a love story should be. In my opinion, it's a perfect wintertime read.
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Christmas with a Vampire: Unwrapped
(Story 5 of 5)
Author: Bonnie Vanak
Characters: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
In Unwrapped, Adrian, resident vampire, is gifted Sarah, the werewolf, for Christmas by his gremlin pals. Turns out the two have a history -- one that involves both of them being horribly wounded. The two have not seen each other since that fateful day when Sarah fled Adrian's side, leaving him burning in the sunlight. Now that she's back, will Adrian discover the real reason she ran? More importantly, will they finally discover how to make a relationship between a werewolf and vampire work?
This was definitely the most creative novella in the book, that's for sure. The concepts the author dreamed are pretty creative -- in a good way. Fortunately, the author provides enough background in this short tale that we are able to understand what's going on and who has what strange powers. This was a great conclusion to the book!
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Entire Christmas with a Vampire Anthology:
Characters: 4 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
All in all, I would say this book was a good read. I don't usually read books comprising of many novellas, so for me it was a bit weird to be engrossed in one story for 100 pages and suddenly it's a whole new world with new characters. I thought the novellas flowed relatively well together. Obviously they were all very different stories, but the Christmas theme helped to bring some consistency to the book.
If you're a fan of vamps, or even paranormal in general, then I'd say this book is for you. =) -
Man I wish I had a vampire bf 😭😅🖤
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5 shorts stories by some of my favourite authors. Light reading easily fitted in around busy time for me. Got my reading fix in without losing track of stories as just long enough to enjoy.
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Good holiday novellas!
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Nothing exciting here, just some average, predictable vampire stories to pass the time...
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This is an anthology of five different stories by five different authors about vampires and love. Each one was different and each one was either good or bad.
A Christmas Kiss by Merline Lovelace was the first story in the collection. Overall it was an okay story, but it had some problems.
First of all, the characters were a bit unbelievable. I didn't feel connected to either of the main characters. Brett, the officer, seemed to be less of the rough and tough character I believe he was meant to be, and Delilah, the vampire, didn't seem as dangerous or as interesting as she was meant to be. Her fear of her leader and his quest for a dangerous killer don't seem overly important. In fact the most interesting part was when they helped a sick woman take care of her kids. Other than that, the rest of the story was kinda boring.
The Vampire Who Stole Christmas by Lori Devoti was more interesting. The only danger that was to be had was that the main characters were involving themselves in an affair. Aimee, a guardian angel, is getting married to Drystan's, the vampire, human brother Ben. Drystan wants revenge against the family that took him in and raised him only to leave him to die. Aimee wants to escape her responsibilities after one of her charges kills himself. Drystan decides to use Aimee to complete his revenge, and Aimee senses darkness in Drystan and can't help but want to save him from it.
The best part of this story is that it is simple. They are both fighting their feelings for different reasons and yet can't help but be attracted to one another. It is very beautiful and sweet.
Sundown by Linda Winstead Jones is another okay story. It wasn't great, but at the same time it wasn't horrible.
Once again, the danger didn't seem so strong and everything seemed to happen kinda fast. Abby, the vampire, owns a bar in a small town where Leo, the cop, just moved to after a messy divorce. He is instantly attracted to Abby and wants to do out with her, and she continually refuses. Then one of her customers is murdered and the evidence points to a vampire. Leo is confused by the evidence and wants nothing more than to solve the crime. He knows the last place they were seen was Abby's bar and he has to work with Abby to solve the crime. Abby lets herself fall into Leo and then resorts to erasing his memory. Where is the danger?
This one was very sweet and had interesting moments, but the danger never really made itself known and when it did it was destroyed so easily that it didn't really matter anymore.
Nothing Says Christmas Like a Vampire by Lisa Childs was perhaps the worst story in this collection.
Once again, there was no real danger. Both Julian, the vampire, and Sienna, the woman, fell into this love so quickly that it seems almost impossible. Sienna had just lost her grandmother when the "danger" appeared. Plus, there is a lot of love talk. Don't get me wrong, I love it when the characters admit their feelings, but it was getting ridiculous. It was starting to seem like every other word was love and I couldn't help but get a bit annoyed at it. I almost stopped and skipped the story because I felt nothing for any of the characters. Not the best in this collection.
Unwrapped by Bonnie Vanak was very interesting. Why? We added werewolves to the mix and created a kind of clashing of the two groups. Now, vampires and werewolves don't get along, but they also don't battle each other. The danger in this story is from a group of werewolves that have embraced a darker path and have become Morphs, which can change into any shape they want. The main characters also make you care about them. I also like this story because of the sexual tension. Adrian, the vampire, wants Sarah, the werewolf, but can't have her because she must be saved for her mate. They used to be friends and then an event caused a falling out. Now fate has dropped her back in Adrian's lap and he still resists the temptation...for the most part. Very interesting and good story. This was my favorite of the entire collection and I didn't want it to end.
Overall, this whole book was okay, the last story pretty much saved it. -
In A Christmas Kiss, Delilah Wentworth never expected that an unfortunate fang-chipping accident would completely change her life. On the way to a mandatory meeting of her conclave, she finds herself lost and alone in Oklahoma,... until she meets Brett, a state trooper with baggage of his own. Neither one would have foreseen the changes that their chance meeting would mean for their lives.
The novel opened with humor after Brett comes upon Delilah, stumbling about the road in the snow, seemingly intoxicated as she slurred her words. From that, I assumed that the rest of the novella would be as light-hearted, but it really wasn't. Delilah was extremely likeable as her story unfolded, and so was Brett as you came to understand the pain he had lived through. The plot was well-developed, with a nice blend of humor, romance, and action. I recommend this as a light holiday read. I gave this one 3 stars.
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In The Vampire Who Stole Christmas, when Drystan Hurst meets Aimee, he doesn't expect things to end as they do. He wants one thing from her, to use her in revenge against the adopted family that turned their backs on him. He has planned for this for a long time, wanting nothing more than to see them humiliated. But meeting Aimee changes that, no matter how hard he fights the effect she has on him.
I wanted to dislike Drystan, but as his character was developed, I began to feel for him and the pain that his past had caused him. He had been hurt by everyone who had ever professed to care for him, some in unforgiveable ways. That pain had made vengeance the only thing that mattered, until he met Aimee, a woman with baggage of her own. I liked Aimee from the start, relating to her feelings of failure and despair. This novella was definately the darker of the two, but I very much enjoyed it. I would have loved it as a full-length novel! I gave this one 3.5 stars! -
My thoughts:
This was a great read! I enjoyed each story very much. I found myself falling in love with the characters from the start of each new story. I kept thinking, "Oooh, this one is my favorite!" and then I would turn to the next one, fall in love with those characters and think that about that again.
I love vampire stories but had never read anything by any of these authors so I was excited to read "new to me" authors. (I am still trying to decide who I think is on the cover). Each short story is an original, fairly powerful love story and are all well written.
A Christmas Kiss by Merline Lovelace: Great characters, twisty plot.
The Vampire Who Stole Christmas by Lori Devoti: Super great characters! Multifaceted theme - revenge, need, desire, self worth and the meaning of love.
Sundown by Linda Winstead Jones: Great characters. Connected with Abby (I've worked in the bar industry for over 20 years!) and fell in love with Leo. New spin on vampire powers that was refreshing.
Nothing Says Christmas Like a Vampire by Lisa Childs: Super story. This one had me from the go. Intriguing family ties, great characters and the invincibility of true love. Don't miss it.
Unwrapped by Bonnie Vanak: Wonderful characters, new look at the vampire/werewolf battle. Long lost love, opposing families, treachery, hope...it's all here. (and I LOVE the ugly doll bit!)
A must read for vampire fans! -
Christmas Kiss- Merline Lovelace 9/6/2010
The Vampire who Stole Christmas- Lori Devoti -
AN ENJOYABLE READ BUT NOT AN OMG I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN. tHE LAST STORY "UNWRAPPED" WAS MY FAVORITE
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I'm almost embarassed that I bought this.
Juicy... -
I only read the Lori Devoti and Linda Winstead Jones story. They were ok, nothing spectacular, but entertaining.
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2
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festive based vampire sex stories, often featuring cops as well. yes I KNOW. Available at amazon, probably very cheaply now xmas is over ;)
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Pretty ok short stories....something to pass the time while you have your ipod at work and down time but have to be discreet about it!!!!!!
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Really liked the one by Merline Lovelace, the rest were just ok.
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This was a fun group of short stories, just right for this time of year.
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Not much to say about this one really. I didn't even finish it, to be honest - I found it was too much sex and not enough story. Just seemed like pointless smut to me.
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Steamy collection of vampire love stories!!!
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Read the short story Nothing says Christmas with a vampire, great story, I predicted the ending but it still kept me reading to see how they finally got there.
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Wasn't too impressed with the writing in these stories. Half of the stories weren't really Christmas stories either, only mentitionning in passing that it was Christmas.
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fun read
