Vampire for Christmas

by Felicity Heaton

• Publish Date: 2010
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 91
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Initially, I had difficulty getting in to the story. At one point, I thought of giving up on it, but I placed it aside for a while and read other books in the process. Eventually I picked it back up, and realised it was not all bad.

When I took up this book, I thought I would be reading about vampires, oh boy was I wrong. The story explored the concept of reincarnation, immortality, curses and time travel.

What I liked

Fascinating Premise

I found the story unique It is my first time reading a romance where reincarnation combined with time travel and immortality was a major theme. I thought the author handled the concept well.

Supense/Mystery

The suspense/mystery thread kept me on my toes. Honestly, I never expected that much intensity, but I found myself on edge as I tried figuring out who was behind the attacks on the island. As the story progressed so did my suspicions about the stalker’s identity. The author tried to throw me off the scent, however another attack happened, which led me to I was correct in my initial assessment.

The Story

I loved how the story played out for the most part. The writing is exquisite. I was fascinated by the vivid descriptions of the island and the detailed history of the protagonists’ past lives.

The Romance

At first I thought this would be another insta-love romance, but as the story developed, I realised it was not the case. Instead their love spanned several centuries, so when Connie came to the island, his soul instantly recognised her. It was easy to buying into Sylvester’s the instant connection with Connie


What I did not like

The slow start to the story is a challenge. It took me a while to warm up to it.

Characters
I did not connect with the characters. They lacked depth, which is surprising given all they went through. Since her attack, Connie had been looking over shoulder and living in fear. However, I did not get the feeling she was scared. Her actions were contrary to her experiences. Sylvester did not fare any better for me. For someone who has lived many lives I did not expect him to get caught off guard by the events on the island.

Conclusion/Recommendation

This was not a favourite read. There were some enjoyable moments, but it was not enough to wow me. This is my first time reading the author’s work, but I am not averse to giving her another shot.

The purpose of this review is not to deter you from picking up this title. It is my perspective and it is possible your experience will be different from mine. That being said if you enjoy suspense, romance, time travel and reincarnation then you may enjoy Immortal Billionaire.

[EBookObsessed]

I have had Felicity Heaton on my Wanna Read list for awhile now and was happy to find this short story before the holidays. The story doesn't revolved around Christmas so you can read it at any time.

This was a great read and great for a short since the characters have worked together for two years and know each other very well so there was no awkward "we just met yesterday, but I know you're my soul mate" story that is always so hard to get into.

Since she was a demon hunter and he was a vampire, she has resisted any feelings she might have had for him, but he has acknowledged his feelings since they first met. The story begins with their last case just before they will be reassigned.

I would have enjoyed a full story with these characters but I didn't feel shorted at all.

[Berls]

Actual Review 3.5 stars.

My Initial Reaction...

I've had so many Felicity Heaton books on my TBR for such a long time, so when I saw this short holiday novella I decided it was time. I really really enjoyed it and will definitely be making my way to her other books as soon as possible.

The Characters...

For a novella, the characters in Vampire for Christmas, were remarkably well developed. Shannon and Rafe both work for the Agency hunting down demons and vampires and the like. Shannon had an encounter in her past, which unfolds for us as the story progresses, that made her want vengeance. Working for the Agency just made sense. Rafe is her vampire partner. And after two years working together, he's in love with Shannon. If she's honest with herself, she loves him too. But she's too scared to love a vampire after what happened to her, and the big question is - will she let down her defenses before it's too late?

I enjoyed the relationship between Rafe and Shannon - it felt natural and not forced at all. Felicity did a good job making me believe that these two characters had a long history that I believed, even though I didn't actually get to see it. That's so important for me, because I really don't go for insta-love and was thrilled that this didn't even feel like it. As for their background stories, they were developed well, but I really didn't find myself caring too much. I knew that Shannon had something bad happen to her, but I really didn't care if I ever found out. I guess I wasn't invested in the characters at that level. That was fine though, because I cared about them in their present and the back story only served to make the present a little more complicated.

The Story...

Technically Vampire for Christmas has a plot besides the romance between Rafe and Shannon. Their work for the agency has them fighting some goo demon. I frequently forgot that the demon was part of the story and found it more funny than scary or something to be worried about. He flew slime at them... slime that seemed to be nothing more than gross. So there was never any anxiety or feelings of danger on my part. It was neat to see Shannon holding her own, to an extent, with the demon and Rafe though. I did find myself wondering how these two had survived for two years, considering the trouble they were having fighting off this laughable goo demon.

The real story in Vampire for Christmas is the relationship between Shannon and Rafe. And that was very well-written and enjoyable (as I've already suggested above). Felicity is very good at creating a believable relationship and sexual tension is so few pages. And when she gets to the good stuff... it's oh so good! Hot, sexy, steamy!

I have to say I was a little disappointed by how small a part Christmas played in the story, since I did pick it up as a holiday read. It's part of the story, yes. But it could have easily been left out and the story wouldn't have been changed at all. So it was a backdrop of little importance and that made me a little sad. Oh well, I still enjoyed the novella.

Concluding Sentiments...

Vampire for Christmas is fun, sexy paranormal romance. Don't expect to be thrilled by the action or thrown into the holiday spirit, since both elements are backdrops for the romance. But if you like a quick read with some great sexual tension that does pay off by the end, this is one for you!

[Linda]

Cute, quick read, with some nice romance and some hot fluff. Things were a bit predictible, but still good.