A Fantastic Holiday Season - Book Review

A Fantastic Holiday Season: Volume 2 - The Gift of Stories
by Kevin J. Anderson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, Kristine Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Eric James Stone, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Quincy J. Allen, Ken Scholes, Sam Knight, David Boop, Heather Graham, Brad R. Torgersen, and Patricia Briggs
Editor: Keith J. Olexa

What is it about:
’Tis the Season for 14 magical, macabre and merry tales to make your Holidays Fantastic.

Gingerbread houses, caroling carolers, brightly trimmed trees, big family dinners, pristine snowfalls-the familiar pleasures of the season.

But what better pleasure is there than a good holiday story? So open this winter solstice sampler and indulge in fully festive fantasies, nightmares before Christmas, and stunning space-age celebrations. These stories will warm hearts and minds like a blazing Yule log.

What did I think of it:
I will confess I totally got this anthology for Patricia Briggs' story, which is about Asil, one of my favorite characters from her books.

That being said: this is a very entertaining Holiday Anthology. There's lots of Santa Clauses, holiday cheer mayhem, and more.

I will tell a bit about the stories I liked the most.

The Longest Night by Mercedes Lackey:
A story that takes place in a world where there are mages who pose as some kind of super humans as far as I understand. The story is set at a boarding school (one of my weaknesses) where the students get a visit from something a lot darker than Santa Claus. I had some minor grumbles (Midwinter does not fall on December 24!), but otherwise this story was very enjoyable.

Midnight Trains by Kristine Rusch:
A bittersweet story set in Paris. It's about loneliness, belonging, and hope. I loved the mood and setting of this story.

A Christmas Feast by Jonathan Maberry:
This story is set in Maberry's Rot and Ruin world, so that means zombies! It's about a man and his very young brother trying to find a safe place in a zombie filled world. Both full of despair and hope. This story makes that I want to pick up the third book in the series one of these days.

Yes, Virginia2097c, There Is a Santa Claus by Sam Knight:
Not being from the US, I didn't know the editorial this story is based on, but I looked it up and read it afterwards. This story is set in a future driven by consumerism. A young girl starts to question the world around her. It's very touching and a great tribute to the original editorial in my opinion.

A Sufficiently Advanced Christmas by Eric James Stone:
Humans try to colonize a world where an ancient city sleeps... This sounds a lot more ominous than this story is. In fact this is a really fun story that made me laugh and was touching at the same time. A perfect SF short.

Unappreciated Gifts by Patricia Briggs:
Asil, a lone (were)wolf, gets set up by 'well meaning' friends for a blind date. Things turn out a bit different than everyone expected though. I loved this story. As mentioned above, Asil is a favorite character of mine. This story gave him even more depth and character than he already had. I wouldn't mind if he gets his own book, or stars in more short stories.

All in all this was a fun read. There were some stories I couldn't get into, but overall I had a good time with this anthology. I might even check out other books by some of the authors I hadn't heard about before picking up this book.

Why should you read it:
It's a very entertaining Holiday themed anthology.

Heart In A Box - Book Blitz

Heart in a Box by - Catherine Stine

ISBN: ebook: 978-1-939590-62-6

Print: 978-1-939590-63-3

YA contemporary romance

Inkspell Teen

 

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B017VM7250

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1059206934

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-in-a-box-catherine-stine/1122967577?ean=2940151079440

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartinabox-1925744-149.html

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/heart-in-a-box-2



Put Heart on your Goodreads TBR list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27830593-heart-in-a-box

 

Each heartbeat leads Joss closer a shocking truth that will change everything.

Joss Olstad has finally talked her clingy, stoner mom into springing Joss from her stifling private school and into the labyrinth of a prestigious Brooklyn public high. Searching for “a way out, a way in, and something I can’t even put into words, yet” Joss longs to find missing pieces of herself she lost when the father she never met died on a faraway road in India. All she has of him is a painted box he made. Joss is also itching to escape the hippie hell of her mother’s bong shop, and the hypocrisy that is her life. With her honey skin, and long brown hair, she passes for white, even though she’s half Indian. This culturally diverse school will be her chance to find out who she really is.

Day one, and Joss is terrified by how different things are. Has she made a horrible mistake? Before long, she gets into the pace. Her sights are set on her own “Bobcat in black denim”, the tall, handsome Will Torres. She’s met Katya too, a popular glam queen, who’s a blast to hang out with. She’s even joined an Indian Culture Club, who invites her to live music clubs. Life is perfect!

Or is it? Her friend, Katya starts acting like a royal slut, her mom’s flinging insults and lies at her, and the Club girls are pressuring Joss to reveal her sketchy pedigree. Joss finds herself spinning stories about her past to fill in the holes. Even Will becomes leery of her. And the Personal Iconography class that Joss signed on for because kids claimed the teacher was “nuts in a good way” is the toughest class she’s ever taken. In it, Joss starts to make her own, heart-shaped boxes, with private messages in them. They help guide her forward. Not only is she forced to figure out who she is beyond the “nice girl” she always hid behind, her search leads her to the fringes of the outer boroughs, to a scary industrial section of Queens, and a shocking family secret that changes everything.

 

About the Author:



Catherine Stine writes YA and romance. Her novels span the range from futuristic to supernatural to contemporary. Her YA sci-fi thrillers Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire are Amazon bestsellers and indie award winners. Her YA, Dorianna won Best Horror Book in the Kindle Hub Awards. She also writes romance as Kitsy Clare. Her Art of Love series includes Model Position and Private Internship. She suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her as a child, and her love of contemporary fiction comes from being a jubilant realist. Visit her at catherinestine.com and subscribe to her newsletter for news of releases, workshops and appearances.

Catherine’s Media links:

Catherine’s website: http://catherinestine.com/wp/

Subscribe to Catherine’s newsletter: http://catherinestine.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1fe566b1e53f7d3e95b7443e4&id=93554d599e

Blog: http://catherinestine.blogspot.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kitsy84557/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1018139.Catherine_Stine

Catherine’s Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Stine/e/B001H9TXJC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1439242205&sr=8-2-ent

Catherine on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcatherinestine?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crossoverwriter

 

Read Below for an excerpt from the book:

Interesting how the world’s becoming one enormous neighborhood to explore. I sigh, and settle in to history class.

I open my binder and take out a pen, glance up. A tall, slim boy with wavy brown hair weaves toward me, through the rows. A bobcat in boots and black denim. He hesitates a beat, then sits right next to me and grins.

Hot, hot, hot, I stutter silently.

“Hey,” he says, grabbing a bunch of books from his pack. His binder slides down under his elbow. It smacks the floor and careens under my chair. With my foot, I nudge it, lean over to pick it up then begin to straighten up. Speckled eyes the color of rust stare into mine. I’m buzzing. He reaches to take the notebook. The hair on his arm grazes mine, and I smell limes. The room drops away.

The two of us are on some Hollywood set, not a sugary and over-the-top High School Musical one, more of an urban fascination set in a dark club. The set swirls us around to the thrum thrum of Skrillex or Pharrell.

Hey, I don’t know this guy from John Q. But love at first sight? Heck yah! He whispers thanks as we lift the book together.

My deity in the flesh.

I peek at the name scratched on his spiral binder as he pulls it away.

William. William Torres.

 

The Giveaway:

Giveaway includes $40 gift card, signed paperback of Catherine’s Heart in a Box, signed paperback of Catherine’s Dorianna, ebooks of Catherine’s Amazon bestselling YA futuristic thrillers Fireseed One & Ruby’s Fire, super-pack of cool YA eBooks (Danaan Trilogy by Howard, Changeling by Herbert, Drawn by Ledbetter).

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Heaven's Queen - Book Review

Heaven's Queen (Paradox #3)
by Rachel Bach

What is it about:
From the moment she took a job on Captain Caldswell's doomed ship, Devi Morris' life has been one disaster after another: government conspiracies, two alien races out for her blood, an incurable virus that's eating her alive.

Now, with the captain missing and everyone -- even her own government -- determined to hunt her down, things are going from bad to impossible. The sensible plan would be to hide and wait for things to blow over, but Devi's never been one to shy from a fight, and she's getting mighty sick of running.

It's time to put this crisis on her terms and do what she knows is right. But with all human life hanging on her actions, the price of taking a stand might be more than she can pay.

What did I think of it:
An awesome conclusion of a really cool trilogy.

The stakes are still high in this last book of the trilogy, and at times I worried about how everything would turn out. Luckily Devi isn't daunted and keeps fighting for her life and for what she thinks is right.

I like that Devi has her own code of honor that she tries not to break, even when it would be so much easier to do so. This time she's not on her own, but has help from Rupert, although Devi's not sure if she can trust him not to betray her again. I loved how Devi doesn't turn into a damsel in distress as soon as she has a man helping her, she can handle herself and stays in charge of her own life.

I was a bit disappointed that some of my favorite characters were shoved out of sight, apart from a minor walk-on part near the end, but there's so much going on that it was probably inevitable. That aside I loved this book. Devi almost doesn't get the time to catch her breath. There's lots of action, danger, and hidden conspiracies.

The ending is very satisfying, although I will confess feeling a bit sad I had to say goodbye to Devi and the cool universe she lives in. I really hope Back will write other books set in this world, because I want more.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool, action-packed SciFi read.

A Very Zombie Christmas - Book Review

A Very Zombie Christmas: A Horror Story
by Rebecca M. Senese

What is it about:
As if working Christmas Eve in the perfume department at Wellingsons isn’t hard enough, Melissa has to contend with a zombie outbreak.

Now the shoppers aren’t just hungry for bargains, they’re just hungry and Melissa must find a way to survive long enough to close the store.

No refunds ‘til January!

What did I think of it:
This isn't so much a horror story as a funny zombie romp.

I very much enjoyed reading this. There's zombie mayhem, zombie silliness and more.

It's a short and quick read, but long enough to get you in the zombie Christmas spirit. Just don't read it just before you go out for your Christmas shopping ;-)

Why should you read it:
It's Holiday themed zombie mayhem.


Buy from Amazon

Christmas Home - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Christmas Home (Off World Series #5)
by Rebecca York

What is it about:
Faith has come on a bride ship to Palamar, but the man she's married to seems to keep her at arms length—until he discovers the secret she's been hiding.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
Although this is a Science Fiction story, set on another planet, it could just as well have been a Western/frontier setting.

Still this is a sweet and enjoyable short story. Faith married Cash without knowing him and it seems like he doesn't want anything to do with her. It was heartwarming to read how these two lonely people try to reach out to each other and find happiness.

It's a very short read: perfect if you want a quick Holiday Romance fix.

Why should you read it:
It's a sweet and quick Christmas read


Buy from Amazon

A Bewitching Christmas - Book Review by Voodoo Bride + giveaway

A Bewitching Christmas (Under Realm Assassins #1)
by Amanda J. Greene

What is it bout:
It has been seven years since Analette Dyson stopped practicing magic and headed to New York, where she created a new life, complete with a fabulous job, an apartment in Central Park West, and a sexy werewolf fiancé. She never planned on returning to her small home town in Maine, but when she learns her grandmother is ill, she decides to pop over for a visit and what better time than Christmas? Excited for her fiancé to meet her family, they head up a day early.

Worst idea ever!

After doing some last minute Christmas shopping, Analette returns to their hotel to find her fiancé in bed with another woman. Cursing the universe for her never ending bad luck with men and dreading telling her family about her cheating fiancé, she heads to the bar to self medicate.

Not one to celebrate the holidays, vampire and assassin, Cole McRae, has followed a lead to a rustic town in witch territory. But after a few days of research and waiting for his target to show, he begins to suspect he has wasted his time. That is, until he meets a curvaceous blonde with bewitching green eyes at the local bar. One night with the enchanting Analette could make this useless trip well worth his time.

Their passion is undeniable and unbeknownst to them, their fates are intertwined. Magic and romance will strike on Christmas, changing their lives forever.

~ A Holiday Novella, Erotic~

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
This is a hot Christmas romance.

Analette and Cole are introduced to the reader, they meet, and soon after they indulge in a steamy one-night-stand. The morning after they discover they have to work together to make it to Christmas alive. Can they turn lust into love?

I loved the steamy scenes between Ana and Cole. They were deliciously hot. The story that followed after their one-night-stand was really enjoyable. There was some suspense, but mostly it was about Ana and Cole connecting on a less physical level.

The world building was very intriguing. I think this novella works very well as a standalone, but it's a perfect way to introduce readers to the setting and get them interested in the Under Realm Assassins series as well. I know I am more than tempted to read more in this series.

All in all this is both a hot and sweet read that I can advice to anyone who's looking for a Paranormal Christmas read.

Why should you read it:
It's a steamy holiday read.


Amazon Kindle
All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble Nook
Kobo

Giveaway:

Amanda J. Greene kindly offered a digital copy of A Bewitching Christmas for giveway.
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Teaser Tuesdays - A Fantastic Holiday Season

After rummaging around in the kitchen, Sheyenne flitted into the main room, carrying a plate with three stale chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of milk. "Look what I found for you, Santa!"

(page 19, A Fantastic Holiday Season, Naughty & Nice by Kevin J. Anderson)




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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!