A Vampire for Christmas: An Anthology

by Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro, and Alexis Morgan

All they want for Christmas is you...

It's the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.

And they don't care if you've been naughty or nice.

Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there's no place like home for the holidays--and these dazzling vampires can't wait for an invitation.

• ISBN10: 0373776446
• ISBN13: 9780373776443
• Publish Date: 25 October 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 8 February 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Mills & Boon
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

First off, yes I know...it's not Christmas. I didn't get around to reading this during December like I had planned, so since it is still Winter I figured you guys would forgive me. Besides, vampires are good anytime of the year. This is a collection of short stories by four different authors, each with their own ideas on mixing the sexy paranormal with the joy of the holidays.

The first story, Enchanted Blood, is a short story from the Sweetbloods series, which I haven't had the chance to read.. I really liked the connection between Charlotte and Trace, and enjoyed the world enough that I will probably look into the series before too long. I didn't really get why her reaction to Trace's confession was so small though. It just felt too nice compared to the severity of the situation.

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf is one that I found fairly odd. I didn't really understand the main character Olivia, who insisted that she was a monster just like her new vampire interest. As far as I could tell she wasn't even remotely monster-like, even when she was in the spotlight because she is a pop star. I kept waiting for her inner diva to rear it's head but no dice. Sadly the story sort of fell flat for me after awhile.

When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pirneilo is the third story and the one I found to be the most original. It had a storyline that I don't think I've ever seen the likes of and it was fairly interesting. I will say that this is one of those stories that you really wish had been given a full length book instead of 60 or so pages. The flashbacks were done really well and there was a fair amount of detail, but there really isn't any world building so I was a little lost on some aspects. I just wish it had been longer because it would have been much better I think.

All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan is the last story and by far my favorite of the bunch. It's not connected to any series and it doesn't require a lot of explanation to get the point across, instead it's a great short story that draws you in. The relationship between the main characters is really sweet and the writing is very smooth and easy to read. This one certainly felt more Christmas-y then the others, and I would say is a perfect light read for the holidays.

Overall it's a nice collection of Christmas time short stories, that have the perfect amount of romance involved. By the end of it I'm fairly certain you'll want a vampire for Christmas

I received this from HQN Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Doesn't every girl want a Vampire under her Christmas tree? A Vampire for Christmas is an anthology containing very sexy, troubled vampires who meet woman during the holiday season. These paranormal romances were absolutely delightful and the perfect tales to get you in the holiday mood. I was thrilled that I enjoyed all four stories. I would have loved for two of them to be full length, but each was written well, and left me satisfied.

In the first tale, Enchanted Blood, interior designer Charlotte is almost attacked late at night, when Trace steps in and saves her. She’s never met him but why does she have this niggling feeling that she has? The steamy interaction between them is sure to put you in the holiday mood. Can Trace find the balance between his promise to his father and his own happiness?This is part of Laurie London's Sweetblood series and fans are sure to love it.

In the second story, Monster’s Don’t Do Christmas by Michelle Hauf we meet Olivia a rising pop star invites troubled vampire Daniel into her home. He is intrigued by this sexy down to earth girl, who doesn’t fear the monster inside him. Together will they discover that even monsters deserve love this holiday season? This tale is sure to warm your heart.

The third tale is reminiscent of the classic A Christmas Carol and is entitled When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Piñeiro. This heartwarming tale involves vampires, angels and demons. This is a classic tale of good verse evil. Can vampire Damien learn from past Christmases? Can the guardian angel Angelica step back and let Damien choose his fate? Damien needs to make the right choice or the devil will take his soul. This story will have you flipping the pages to race to its suspenseful conclusion.

The fourth story, All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan introduces us to sexy, undercover cop and vampire, Eagan. He is working a case about missing young boys and can’t help noticing the sexy, trusting and compassionate owner of the local dinner. Della owns the dinner, and is captivated by Eagan and his piercing blue eyes. Eagan is drawn to her light and goodness. He uses his stake-out as an excuse to hang out there. The sexual tension between the two and Eagan’s fear of rejection provide the reader with an enchanting romance, laced in suspense. Can Eagan find happiness?

I thoroughly enjoyed A Vampire for Christmas and highly recommend it to anyone who loves sexy vampires, weres, angels and demons. The short stories are perfect for the holiday season and individually can be read in an evening. The downside…you are sure to want a vampire under your tree this holiday season. When I finished reading this novel, I sighed and my husband asked, “Was it a sad story?” I replied, “No..I want a vampire for Christmas.” He offered to bite me…….hmmm?

[EBookObsessed]

First of all I have to say for four “vampire” stories, the fact that they involve vampires seemed incidental. These stories felt more like a love stories to me – ok, ok, if you ignore the memory wipes and the vampire teeth, blah, blah – but you know what I mean. In all these stories the vampires seemed to not like that side of themselves and tried to suppress their “evil” natures.

These were four very well written short stories with wonderfully characters. I think you will find them quite enjoyable, whether you are into the paranormal romance or you simply like a nice romance.

Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London – One year ago, Trace and Charlotte were in love. But Trace had to erase Charlotte’s memory after she witnessed a vicious vampire attack and he couldn’t allow her to know of their existence. Anyway, relationships between vampires and mortals were frowned upon and if he were to take his place on the Governing Counsel, he needed to abide by those rules.

One year later, Trace saves Charlotte from a vampire attack. She doesn’t understand why she trusts this stranger so much or why she’s so attracted to him. Now that Trace has Charlotte back in his arms, will he have the strength to let her go again. But not everyone is happy for them. Someone wants what Trace has, and they are more than willing to kill for it.

I liked Trace and Charlotte right from the beginning. Their chemistry was off the charts. Since there was a history between them, their story didn’t feel rushed or forced.

This was a very enjoyable story and I will be putting Laurie London’s Sweetblood series on my list of books to read. I have already downloaded her Hidden by Blood which was a Free Nook Book as of the date of this post.

Rating: 5 stars


Monsters Don’t Do Christmas by Michele Hauf – Young vampire Daniel Harrison would have thought that getting your butt handed to him by a pair was werewolves was the most embarrassing thing to happen, until he gets rescued by a human – and a woman to boot. How humiliating.

Until that moment Olivia Adorata, didn’t know supernaturals existed, but then again, she raised to keep an open mind. She was not surprised that “monsters” exist since she considers herself one too. A rising star, she is normally surrounded by all the trapping that go with the stardom, but the week before Christmas she goes back to her old apartment to enjoy a quiet week of vacation.

Can a vampire and celebrity have any type of relationship?

Although I don’t understand why Olivia considered herself a monster, it was a nice story and again, very enjoyable characters. Apparently I had already downloaded Michele Hauf’s Kiss Me Deadly at some point, I will have to make sure to get to it soon.

Rating: 5 stars


When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro – Damien has lost his love for the second time last Christmas. He doesn’t know why she keeps coming back to him, but he does know that her death is always his fault. What he doesn’t know is that Angelina is no ordinary woman. She’s a guardian angel. Heaven and Hell are fighting for Damian’s soul, a vampire who won’t kill.

His enemy, Pedro Ramirez, has made a deal with Satan that if he gets Damien to kill, he will get not only great power but he gets to keep Angelina for himself.

Can Angelina finally get Damien to control his temper before it is too late for him?

It took me a while to warm up to Damien in this story. Although he is declaring Angelina as his great love lost, at the time when Angelina is killed the first time, he is rather callous and he’s just using her. When she is reincarnated a second time, there is more of a relationship between them, but considering how he treated her the first time, I am surprised he was drawn to her a second time and so strongly.

Because I eventually warmed up to Damien and Angelina, I got to enjoy the rest of the story.

Rating: 4 stars


All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan – Eagan McHale is a police officer in a special unit of supernaturals. He is staking out a neighborhood where teens are ending up dead from blood loss. He suspects the killer is a young vampire. He doesn’t want to stand out as a stranger in the neighborhood, so he heads toward the local diner.

The diner is run by Della Breit. A woman who has an open heart and a free meal for those who can’t afford one. When she mistakes Eagan for someone down on his luck, he realizes that trading odd jobs at the diner for food is the perfect cover. Except the only warm meal Eagan wants is Della. He just needs to keep his hands, and fangs, off her long enough to solve his case.

Again, a pair of very likeable characters, including several great subcharacters, and it didn’t take a great leap to figure out what was going to happen when Della cuts herself badly in the kitchen and Eagan rushes to her rescue.

Rating: 5 stars

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