A Very Alpha Christmas

Fire Bears #4

by T.S. Joyce, Michelle M. Pillow, Chloe Cole

From the creators of the NY Times & USA TODAY Bestselling Anthology Taming the Alpha comes...
A Taming the Alpha Big Box Set of Spicy Paranormal Romance Tales featuring OVER 25 ALL NEW, NEVER RELEASED stories from New York Times, USA Today and Bestselling Authors

Limited Time Boxed Set


Stories include:

Mandy M. Roth - Heated Holiday: Bureau of Paranormal Investigation
She's fire. He's fangs. It's a match made in...Ohio?

Michelle M. Pillow - Stirring Up Trouble (Warlocks McGregor)
Magick, Mischief and Kilts. Some Warlocks excel at brewing up trouble.

T. S. Joyce - Baby It's Cold Out Bear
All she wants for Christmas is a sexy bear shifter.

Chloe Cole - Hunted
Librarian by day, vampire hunter by night...

V. M. Black - Vampire Games
A yacht trip with a billionaire vampire holds even more dangers and secrets than Cora can imagine.

Terah Edun - When Darkness Falls
If New York City falls, the rest of the world will follow. Holidays be damned.

Carina Wilder - Christmas Past, Christmas Presents
Sometimes the best gifts are the ones that you can't wrap.

Cathryn Fox - Wrapped Up
Thanks to a little holiday magic, Carter Reed might finally get off the naughty list.

Cristina Rayne - An Impossible Gift (Tales from the Vampire Underground)
Ellie has never met the handsome owner of her hotel, so why does he insist that she seems so familiar?

Jaycee Clark - Thief of Souls
Devon and the playboy vamp will do whatever it takes to stop an evil witch from devouring more souls.

JC Andrijeski - A Glint of Light
Can the leader of the seer military save the imprisoned woman he loves from her own darkness?

Tasha Black - The Clockwork Dragon
A dragon's fire can melt the coldest heart.

R. E. Butler - Blitzen's Fated Mate
On Christmas Eve, Arctic shifter Arian finds his fated mate in a human woman.

Jaide Fox - Star's Fall
A lone wolf finds his beast roused by a wildcat.

Michele Bardsley - In Good Spirits
She only has a ghost of a chance to prove she didn't kill her ex-boyfriend.

Renee George - Midnight Before Christmas
When a dragon shifter rescues an ice princess, their passion is hot enough to melt glaciers!

T.J. Michaels - Winter Blues (Pryde Ranch Shifters)
When a lioness shifter comes calling in the dead of winter...you'd better have ice cream.

Elsa Jade - Wish Upon a Werewolf (Wolves of Angels Rest)
Annie is asking for one Christmas gift: a werewolf's bite. But Blaze wants to give her so much more...

Allison Gatta - A Christmas Caroline
He needs to change his ways to win her heart...

Arial Burnz - Frostbitten Hearts
Only one woman could melt the heart of Jack Frost...but will she burn him in the process?

Mandy Rosko - The Lady And The Dragon's Holiday
This dragon prince will melt your heart!

Candice Gilmer - Not a Gentleman's Christmas
Saving her from her curse is a gentleman's job.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Anthologies, Romance, Christmas, Shapeshifters, Fantasy

1717 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2015

About the author

T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. She werebear swears there'll be no swooning heroines in her books. It takes tough-as-nails women to handle the shifters of Bear Valley.

She lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.

Bear Shifters? Check
Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check
Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it's gonna to be a wild ride.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine your life being used as a sperm donor at the command of the Vampires who hold you captive. Hey! No smirking, someone has to do it and through it all, Jack only felt the magical pull of love for one woman. Jack is a water mage, Aideen is a fire witch and when these two were together, trust me, there was steam. When the magicals stage a breakout from their vampire lab rat, baby making prison, Jack gets free, but Aideen is left behind. Fast forward ten years, as Aideen is coerced by the vampires to bring Jack in, any way she can, or else. Can Aideen convince Jack to follow her back to the lair of the vampires? The lives of other magical beings depend on her success, but Jack has another plan, one that will freeze his heart forever or cause an avalanche of joy to cascade around him!

Talk about Hell freezing over! Arial Burnz has shoveled a mound of story into just a few pages as magic takes on the dark immortals with attitude, snark and a flicker of the fingers! Jack Frost is one hot hero with heart and Aideen is the beat it feels, as Arial Burnz shares her gift of imagination while teasing us with a brief “bite” from her Bonded by Blood Series! Vampires beware, Jack Frost’s bite can be a shattering experience!

I received an ARC edition from Arial Burnz, author of Frostbitten Hearts in exchange for my honest review. If every other tale in this amazing collection is only half as good, I'm still seeing Five stars on the horizon!

Anthology - A Very Alpha Christmas
Publication Date: November 17, 2015
Publisher: The Raven Books
Genre: Paranormal Holiday Romance
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Roxanne Johnson-bisland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow so far I have only read Frostbitten Hearts by Arial Burnz but wow Jack Frost.
Elementals being kept bound by vampires being forced to try and make a special child.
A young couple forced to do things they would never do outside of their prision fall in love.
One day part of the group decides to escape their prision forcing the 2 to part ways.
After 10 years of searching they find each other. Jack has learned to use his powers and uses them to free other captives.

I have more books to read and cant wait to read more of the books.
I will update my review as I go

I received this as an arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Abby ~ Bringer of Chaos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vampire Games by V.M. Black ✯✯
Part of me wants to give this story only 1 star. The title of this anthology says Christmas. I would accept any holiday themed story in this collection, but this story had no connection. Alas, I will not punish the author submitting a non-Christmas story for a Christmas collection. I will blame the editor for accepting it, and for placing it first.

When Darkness Falls by Terah Edun ✯
No. Just NO! I DNF'd this story about half way through. I wish I could unread what I read. Every country has a history. A professor once told me the difference between culture and history is the age of the writer. If the writer was alive when the event place, it is culture. If the event occurred before they were born, then it is history. This distinction gives the writer impartiality. I mention this because there
are defining tragic moments that should not be twisted for fiction. This story turned the tragic events at the World Trade Center and turned it into a demon attack. The real event is too current, the author could not have impartiality. It should not have been done. The author showed an extreme lack of respect to those who died that day, and all that were impacted. I will never read another thing written by this author. And I will strongly discourage anyone else to as well.

Wrapped Up by Cathryn Fox ✯✯
Finally a story that has a Christmas theme!! I enjoyed this story. It was cute. It was heartwarming. I would read something else written by this author. My only complaint was that there were a ton of editing errors. Christmas was misspelled. That alone lost them 1 star.

Christmas Past, Christmas Presents by Carina Wilder ✯✯✯✯✯
DRAGONS!!!!!!!
Sorry, that is a spoiler. But if you got this far in my review you need something to make you want to read this book. This story alone was enough to make the whopping 99 cents I spent on this book worth it.

Carina accomplished everything a short in an anthology should accomplished. She introduced me to her work. I have already added several of her books to my to read list. She built a world. I have no doubt about the world that Kiara lives in, nor the world Micah comes from. She provided backstory and action. There were sexy times. I loved both characters. I loved the world. Go read it!

Blah blah blah

Somewhere I got distracted and stopped writing reviews for each story. That happens when there are 25 of them.

I'm DNF'ing this anthology at 31%. I think it is me. I'm over my sappy Christmas phase. But I don't think it was me. Most of these stories are sub-par. They couldn't hold my interest and were very slow to read. I have better things to be reading. Perhaps I will finish this next December if I remember.

[Yvonne Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Very Alpha Christmas
By Various Authors

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heated Holiday by Mandy M Roth:
Mandy doesn't disappoint. This is an amazing holiday story. We start out with the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. We get to see some familiar faces with Mimi and Finn. However, this story centers around Cambridge Sutton and Cassie McGowan.

Cambridge is a vampire and is in charge of supernatural and human negotiations in Columbus, OH. Cassie is half human and half fae (as we find out later in the story). She is the step daughter to Albert McGowan; who is a purist and plans to kill many supernatural people and humans in order to stop negotiations.

Cassie finds out about his plans and does everything she can to stop it. Unfortunately, due to the amount of protesters she thinks she will be too late. At the same time Cambridge has an inexplicable need to go outside. As soon as he does he meets Cassie. They are instantly attracted to each other. She has time to warn him about the bombs and for him to get others to safety before the bombs go off. However, one of her step-dads followers finds her and tries to kill her by detonating the bombs he tied to himself.

This is an amazing story. It has love, drama and intrigue. Will you find out who Cassie's biological father is? Can they save each other from her step-father's nefarious plots? I could not put it down and recommend it as a must read.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Stirring Up Trouble by Michelle M. Pillow:

I absolutely fell in love with the McGregor Warlocks from the first book and this one is not any different. My heart broke when we heard about Fergus losing his love in the previous story and now we get to see what has happened. We start with a prologue of his wife's death and he vowed to never give up on her. For the past 400 years he has been trying to bring his wife back from the dead but has been unsuccessful. Now he meets a new woman, Donna, and she is the first woman he has been attracted to in 400 years. I love seeing the McGregors contests, tricks and how when Donna sees magic she is not shocked like most people would be. This is a quick but sweet story. You see his first wife's ghost attacking Donna. You later find out that he has actual brought his wife back to life many times but not in human form...for example she once was a fly and he squished her. It is amazing to see everyone come together at the end.

[angelblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for Mandy M. Roth's Heated Holiday only.

Cassie McGowen is the step daughter of a high ranking Purist and when she uncovers his plot to bomb the meeting place of peace negotiations between the human and paranormals, she knows that she has to warn someone. As she's investigating the alley next to the building where the talks are being held she runs into Cambridge Sutton who happens to be one of the leaders of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations and a member of one of the ruling paranormal families.

Cambridge can't explain why he is drawn to the alley but when he sees Cassie for the first time he releases why, she is his mate. After hearing her warning about the bomb, Cambridge and team just barely get the building evacuated before it goes off. A purist suicide bomber finds Cassie in the alley helping the paranormals and sets off the detonator. During the explosion everyone in the alley learn that Cassie is more than human as she shields Cambridge and herself from most of the blast.

Cambridge and his team take Cassie back to the place they are staying at where they find out about her connection to the purist leader and she learns more about the magic inside of her. The two are unable to resist the intense draw to each other and Cambridge claims Cassie as his mate.

This was a quick, steamy little read. My only complaint is that it was a little too short, Cassie and Cambridge's relationship seemed a bit rushed, but when you have a fated mates storyline, that's to be expected. So no harm, no foul, it worked. I just really enjoyed their characters and would have loved to read more about them. The supporting characters were hilarious and I would love to see a story about Mimi and Finn someday! *hint hint* :)

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This box set includes over twenty-five paranormal holiday tales that will not only delight you but put you in the holiday spirit.

While the stories are short the readers can’t help but be delighted by all the variety of paranormal available in this box set with the added benefit of them all having a holiday setting of one type or other. The romance is sweet, the chemistry is sizzling so you have quite the passionate encounters in these fast paced and smooth flowing plots full of suspense, excitement and romance. Now you have twenty-five different authors which means different writing styles so not every story can be perfect (that depends on personal preference_ but there’s not one in this box set that won’t delight and entertain readers as they are well written stories that captures the imagination and have anticipation building throughout with wonderful characters some more imaginative than others but every one of them captivate and charm readers right into their stories whether its warlocks, shifters, vampires, elves, Santa Claus, dragons or ghosts and there’s at least one or two that will surprise you.

I have to say that reading them all at one time is a bit much but I was completely caught up in the magic, so much so that I felt like a kid at Christmas and that I just got the best present ever, so grab some hot chocolate and enjoy!

[Jenny Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of FROSTBITTEN HEARTS by Arial Burnz, included in this anthology, in exchange for an honest review.

In this book we meet Jack and Aideen, both are elementals in their own way. Jack can manipulate water and Aideen can manipulate fire. Both are trapped in a place called a nursery. There are magical chains on their throats and wrists to control their ablitites. The vampires are concerned that if they aren't controlled they will rebel against them. The vampires are looking to create the ultimate elemental and they think if they bread the existing ones they will get it. Over time though the elementals are sick of their treatment and want out. The only way though is escape. Jack would never leave without Aideen but something happens to separate them. Jack will never give up on his quest to return to his love and claim her as his again. Aideen always hold out hope that Jack is out there somewhere looking for her.

This is an amazing short story. It is full of adventure and drama that will have you on the edge of your seat from the first word to the very end. It is a story that will have you believing in the power of love all over again. I would highly recommend you getting this box set if for nothing else than this book alone.

[JKAF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heated Holiday by Mandy Roth: Cambridge is a vampire part of a magical agency. Cambridge is sent to negotiations but just before entering the building after several days he meets Cassie who tells him about a bomb in the building. Is Cassie on the side of good or evil?

Stirring up Trouble by Michelle Pillow: Fergus has lost the love of his life many years ago and has finally fell in love to Donna. However things start off on the wrong foot for these two. Donna finds out that Fergus is a Warlock and her past lives are back!

Christmas Past, Christmas Present by Carina Wilder: Billionaire Micah has a secret! Micah is a time traveling dragon shifter. Kiara is a reporter for an architecture magazine and was sent to Micah's mansion to write a report on his art collection. Micah tries to share his secret with Kiara but she doesn't believe him until the tapestry....

The Clockwork Dragon by Tasha Black: Marie is desperately trying to get her magic to work so she can become the Matriarch of her family. Marie starts dreaming about a golden eyed prince and when a family friend from the past comes to visit with a gift things get interesting!

[Racy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Santa Shifter In Manhattan: The Wolves of Central Park by Lexy Cole
I received this for an honest review. This was a great little story and so enjoyed it. It shows that Christmas miracles can come true.
Cole Parker was a handsome werewolf who loved Christmas. It was a special time of year. He got to be more than the billionaire that everyone knew around the city. He got to put on a Santa costume and work on making kids dreams come true. He truly had this amazing heart.
Alexis Hayes was this beautiful woman who was a werewolf that was back in Manhattan after her parents death. She was also part of the Bronx pack. The Bronx pack was enemies with Cole’s pack. Alexis she was one that Christmas did not mean much to her but that did not stop her from helping at the soup kitchen during the season. She could not help but notice Cole staring at her.
There is some strong chemistry going on between Cole and Alexis problem is they are not able to be together due to being part of rival packs. Will Cole and Alexis able to find around the conflict?

[Janette Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is A great series of books for the holidays. The review I am doing is for heated holidays by Mandy Roth. In this book we meet Cassie the step daughter of the leader of the human purist group. She is on A mission to find a liter of the paranormal to tell them that her stepfather from the building and turn them all into a pile of goop. Pushes her way through the crowd of protesters to a dark alley where she finds herself face-to-face with one of the leaders of the vampires.
Cambridge go to the alley finds himself face-to-face is a protester she warns him about a bomb in the building. This is where their journey really starts, after the bomb goes off it all goes downhill from there will these two with their big differences be able to find true love.
With the story Mandy has really done it again I just love her holiday stories they really put you in the right move it for the winter season if you were looking for a great series of books look no further.

[Scrap · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of Arial Burnz

I really loved all the stories in this anthology, a few were not my kind of book but most were amazing, I know I have added a few authors to my TBR/Favorites list now!!


I really really enjoyed it, I have not read any of her books before today

This story was her version of Jack Frost, and was also a continuation of
her Bonded by Blood series, although I have not read any of these books before
now, This story has made me want to read them all, It is very well written.

Even if you have not read her series you will not be left feeling like anything
is missing, This could easily be a stand alone story. with a wonderful HEA.

Thank you Arial Burnz for allowing me this chance to read it, I will also be back
with reviews for the other stories in this anthology when I am able.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Clockwork Dragon by Tasha Black

The Clockwork Dragon is a brand new novella set in Tarker’s Hollow written by Tasha Black. Marie Ironwood is a twenty-two year old young woman waiting for her magic to arrive. Harry Dross is an old family friend who has a talent for making toys. On the eve of a very important night, he gives Marie a spectacular clockwork dragon. Marie is enchanted with not only the clockwork dragon but also the man who made it.

Tasha Black has once again done an excellent job in bringing Tarker’s Hollow and its residents to life in this novella. Marie is enchanting and Harry is charismatic. The author’s description of the clockwork dragon is detailed and captures the reader’s attention. I found The Clockwork Dragon to be an enjoyable read and recommend it to other readers.

[Laticia Overton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heated Holiday by Mandy Roth

This story was awesome, just like the other stories in the BPI series. Roth has another winner on her hands. Cambridge and Cassie are two strong characters who find each other in the unlikeliest of places. Cassie grew up with hate filled purist who are calling for the genocide of supernaturals, but she wants nothing to do with this evil and cruel people. She makes it her mission to alert anyone who can help of the dastardly plans her fiendish stepfather has in store. On her mission she runs into the one person who will irrecoverably change her life. Cambridge never thought that he would ever find his mate but he literally walks into her and she saves his life and the lives of many others. Their connection is combustible, and spicy. I loved these characters together. I wish the story was longer. This story was fun, sexy, and very well written.

[Lauren Pena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Glint of Light - JC Andrijeski

You finally get to see behind the iron curtain that is Cass, and Balidor is the one who lifts it! What perfect match these two make while they are struggling to trust each other.
JC does a wonderful job, as always, separating these characters and showing very realistic character growth.

It's a crazy ride watching Cass and Balidor test each other while fighting off demons of their own. I guarantee that you will be sucked in and won't be able to put it down until the last words.

The only thing bad about the book is that it's a novella and it's just not long enough! JC paints such an amazing picture and I'd love to be lost in that world for even longer. Definitely a MUST READ!

[Sharon Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted, then bought, this book for an honest review. OMG Where to Begin...Awesome stories

"Vampire Games" by V.M. Black starts the book off with pow! Need a fan for this read.
"When Darkness Falls" by Terah Edun keeps this steamy book set heating up, along with Cathryn Fox's "Wrapped Up".
There is so many great authors and stories in this set that I have added all the author books to read in here and their next one.

Some of my absolute favorites from A Very Alpha Christmas is Blitzen's Fated Mate by R.E.Butler, Wish Upon a Werewolf by Elsa Jade and Reindeers, Elves and Cookies...Oh My by Lissa matthews just to name a few.

I can not say enough good things about this set. Loved all the stories..

[Noreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of FROSTBITTEN HEARTS by Arial Burnz, included in this anthology, in exchange for an honest review.

Lucky me! I was privileged to read one of the stories in this collection, FROSTBITTEN HEARTS by my good friend Arial Burnz, before the collection release. This collection will be a luscious treat for fans of paranormal fiction. FROSTBITTEN HEARTS is a story of Jack Frost. In this story he is not cold and frosty, but hot-blooded and in love. It's a fun story that is a worthy embellishment of the BONDED BY BLOOD series. The entire collection should be a thoroughly enjoyable fun read.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome spread of great authors coming together to bring you stories form every walk of life from the ghost who haunts us to the most dangerous vampire and demons. An exciting read and couldn't put it down and kept turning the pages. Enjoy, the holidays can be quite exciting on the written pages of this book.
**I was given an ARC of FROSTBITTEN HEARTS by Arial Burnz, included in this anthology, in exchange for an honest review.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Glint of Light by JC Andrijeski

Balidor and Cassandra are sizzling. Both are damaged. Balidor is valiantly trying to save Cass and bring her back to the girl he once knew even though everyone else has given up on her and would rather see her dead. It is a Christmas that neither one of them will forget. Thank you to JC for the copy to read and review.

Five Stars

[Tracy's Place · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5
Only read the story by TS Joyce.

Tried to read others but got bored.

[Kym · Rating 3 out of 5]

This holiday anthology was a mixed bag, with some good stories, and some not so much.

1. Vampire Games by V. M. Black
Too insta-sex that felt like it was leading nowhere, very slowly. Add to that, it was in first person POV, which is not my favorite. DNF

2. When Darkness Falls by Terah Edun
Look, I tried to read it all, but the heroine was too irritating. She wouldn't shut the f*** up to find out what was going on. She wouldn't listen to anything without argument. She's like an ill-behaved adolescent with anger management problems who won't even listen to the answers to the questions she asked. Also, I tried skipping through to find out what it had to do with Christmas, since it takes place in September 11th. Yes, that 9/11. But there's mention of Samhain, which is at the end of October, and Christmas, which is 2 months after that. And you can't get eggnog in September. It just confused me. Also, aside from one kiss, there's no romance. This must be the first 8 chapters of a really irritating book.

3. Wrapped Up by Cathryn Fox
I enjoyed this story about a Scrooge of a lawyer finding meaning in the holiday. He slowly forms meaningful relationships while snowed in with a nice girl and others in town.

4. Christmas Past, Christmas Presents by Carina Wilder
This story was okay. Gorgeous guy in a mysterious situation and the ever-curious journalist with whom he shares a mutual attraction. The story started slow, with all this semi-exposition about the man, and I'm not really sure it sped up much. It wasn't a big page-turner for me, but it did have a lovely, but slow rhythm for me.

5. Hunted by Chloe Cole
Good story about a guy who sets out to hunt a vampire hunter. Does that make sense? Gabriel needs to find out if Zara knows something about the existence of his kind and plans to do something about it. Zara just wants to find out what killed her dad. The author handled the dual POV well.

6. Heated Holiday by Mandy M. Roth
A novella from Roth's Bureau of Paranormal Affairs, well written, with interesting plot and likable characters. It would have benefited from an increase in length, but I don't know if she could have fleshed it out to full book-length. Overall, quite enjoyable.

7. Stirring Up Trouble by Michelle M. Pillow
A Warlock MacGregor novella. I've never read any of this series, but I'm going to have to do so. This started with a prologue set in the 1700s, then jumped to modern day. A well-written tale about the new warlocks in town (though the humans don't know about magic), and a bad cook. Very well-written, nice characters, and an interesting plot.

8. Baby it's Cold out Bear by T. S. Joyce.
I love T. S. Joyce. This is kinda sorta part of her 2 Saratoga series', but set in Breckinridge, Colorado. Emry is a woman recently dumped (though not so recent as to make this a rebound romance) for political reasons. Seems she wasn't enough the right kind of wife a man running for public office needs by his side. Graylan is a wandering registered bear shifter who has no love for the Christmas holidays. As their relationship develops, he becomes more invested in the spirit of the season, but he is still compelled to move on. I enjoy Joyce's writing so much. Even with the constraint of length, the characters were well developed. The plot? Well, although it is very much complete, I would have liked it fleshed out to a full-length novel because, well, T. S. Joyce.

9. Blitzen's Fated Mate by R. E. Butler
Cute little story about a guy who falls from the sky. Well, he's a reindeer shifter working as part of Santa's team. In this Christmas tale, the reindeer are actually positions that a shifter has to earn. The heroine is a romance writer who has retreated to the country to get back her mojo. Relationship develops, love, and a bit of angst.

10. Thief of Souls by Jaycee Clark
Francisco Beauxchamp and Devon McClane have a history. She has come to New Orleans to warn him about a soul eater who may have targeted him. The rekindling of their relationship is interesting to watch with the backdrop of evil action. And action it is, rather than a passive telling of events. There are multiple points of view, but it's well handled. Overall an enjoyable read.

11. A Glint of Light by JC Andrjeski
What I read of this seemed to be good. However, it appears to be a novella following a book I haven't read yet. I may come back to this.

12. A Clockwork Dragon by Tasha Black
I really enjoyed this story about a young woman who helps to set a dragon free. Well written. Protagonists as well as antagonists were well developed, and the plot sticks with me even after I've read the following stories.

13. An Impossible Gift by Christina Rayne
Part of a series, I believe, but this novella is complete. It's about a young woman and a vampire who is sue they've met before. He's a hotel magnate and she had car trouble and has been caught in town by a snowstorm in an unnamed Texas city. Well-written characters inside an interesting plot.

14. Star's Fall by Jaide Fox
Cross species shifter romance. He's canine, she's feline. She arrives half dead almost on his doorstep, he finds her by chance. Nothing here to crank my grammar geek, and I liked the characters. The plot kept my interest.

15. In Good Spirits by Michelle Bardsley
The first in a series involving Violetta Graves, a 30 year old ne'er do well who sees ghosts, who finds herself involved in a crime. There is, of course, a handsome homicide detective to round out the story. First person narrative, well-written, and makes me want to check out the next one.

16. Midnight Before Christmas by Renee George
5th in a series. I haven't read the others I the other books. A man out to prove himself, and the woman who needs help dealing with her problems. She isn't, by any means, a "damsel in distress", but there's growth in the character outside of her badassedness. Good character development, and a plot that keeps you reading to the end.

17. Winter Blues: Kotara Pryde by T. J. Michaels
Part of the Pryde Ranch Shifter series. I don't know where in the series this novella falls. Third maybe? Anyway, Kotara is a lion shifter bounty hunter following up on a lead to a murderer. Harrison Blue lives out in the middle of nowhere dealing with PTSD. Not much action, but a nicely written study of the development of a relationship.

18. Wish Upon a Werewolf by Elsa Jade
Part of the Mating Season series set in Angel's Rest. Hearing the rumor of werewolves, Annie hitchhikes to town looking to be turned. Blaze isn't exactly Alpha material. Really, he isn't even Beta. He's young and still finding his way in life, but may be able to meet Annie's needs. The characters in this story aren't really well-developed. The plot is okay, but most of the action takes place at the end. It would have benefitted from a little bit more length to provide better development of characters and plot. Otherwise well written and, if these characters show up with a little bit of significance in following novels, a good addition to the series.

19. A Christmas Caroline by Allison Gatta
A well written take on A Christmas Carol about a man who basically marries his job. The characters, even the secondary ones, are nicely fleshed out, despite the constraints of length. A good read.

20. Frost Bitten Hearts by Arial Burnz
A man and woman, Jack and Aideen are captives of vampires. They fall in love, but are separated during an escape attempt. The story is about their efforts to reunite. Very sweet story, nicely written.

21. The Lady and the Dragon's Holiday by Mandy Rosko
This story is sort of an epilogue to a book written in 2012. Due to that, I was lost. But nice as far as I read.

22. Not a Gentleman's Christmas by Candice Gilmer
Delightful story about a girl who's dealing with a curse, and a werewolf's determination to help her out. A fun read with an interesting plot and well rounded characters.

23. Claimed by the Dragon King by Dawn Michelle
The writing is good, and it's an interesting premise, however... Recent college graduate goes to a job fair looking to be hired. She is offered a job, but without even listening to the details, she starts accusing the man of being a rapist and/or a serial killer. I got soooo irritated. It starts out with stupid as a plot device. Come on! There has to have been a better way to get the meat of the plot. Plus, the ending was inconclusive.

24. The BBW and the Beast by Sylvia Frost
As the title suggests, this was a take on the beauty and the beast trope. It is relatively well written, but there's a lie of omission at the center of the plot, which irritates me. It's in my top 5 plot devices that bother me.

25. Reindeers, Cookies, and Elves... Oh my! By Lissa Matthews
Cute, well written story about a shifter who has started having a problem with how he thinks about Christmas, whole holiday season, and his role as one of Santa's reindeer. And there's an unrequited interest between him and an elf. It really is a lovely little story that actually gave me the feels.

26. Santa Shifter in Manhattan by Lexy Cole
I liked this story for its language usage and lack of glaring grammatical errors? The characters were well written and the plot was cute. This could have been a real tear jerker, but thank goodness the author didn't make gratuitous overly emotive plot devices. The story is about a wolf shifter in the Manhattan pack who meets a woman who recently moved from California. There's a real attraction, but she is also a wolf shifter, and belongs to a rival pack. They also work in rival companies, so there's tension added to the mix. There could have been a West Side Story vibe going on, but luckily Ms Cole didn't take it too far into that territory.


My assessment of the anthology is that is a mix of okay, really good, and wha...? Some of the stories had little more than a tree, or snowflakes to indicate Yuletide. And there's the one that mentioned Halloween and Christmas as though the author wanted to be able to throw it into an anthology for either season. There were a couple of the novellas I couldn't read because they're set sometime in the middle of a series I haven't read.
I'd say that this is worth the time it takes to read it.

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received this ARC from the author in exchange for a honest review*


A VERY ALPHA CHRISTMAS by Various Authors

This book is a collection of very enjoyable Christmas shifter reads. Here are some of my favourites:


WRAPPED UP BY by Catherine Fox
-Carter Reed gets stranded in small town of Stone Cliff and gets rescued by a woman, Josie Walker, who is the exact opposite of him. She loves Christmas, he doesn't. As he has nowhere to go, she shares her home, her family, her life. And eventually he realises that what he wanted, was not what he needed.
-A really, really sweet Christmas story. It's a feel good story with a HEA!



CHRISTMAS PAST, CHRISTMAS PRESENTS by Carina Wilder
-Kiara is an aspiring journalist and gets an assignment to attend a party at Micah Drake's home in Silver Creek. She has to write about his house and contents for a local architectural magazine. She knows his different, and a little odd.
-Micah Drake, also known as "The Duke", is a dragon shifter and a reclusive billionaire art collector. When he meets Kiara he knows she his one. But he has a complicated life, a life of fighting and wars. But Kiara is his light that pulls him from the darkness. His happiness.
-This is not your typical Christmas story but still a really sweet story. I really loved this story, it was interesting and entertaining. I loved the conversation she has with the cabbie, it was humorous('Buddy McChattycakes' thats all I'm saying) I would have quiet happily carried on reading. So I do wish it could have been longer and had an epilogue, of some form. But overall a very enjoyable read!



HEATED HOLIDAY: BOPI by Mandy M. Roth
-Cambridge Sutton is one of the heads of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, billionaire, and a member of one of the ruling vampire families. During a peace meeting, he gets a strange feeling to go outside. He doesn't know why but he must go. The last thing he expects to find is his mate and get a warning of a bomb.
-Cassie McGowan is a elemental fae who manipulates fire. Her stepfather is a purist. Their mission is to kill all supernaturals. They are plotting to blow up the building where peace talks are been held. And Cassie can't stand by and let that happen, so she goes to warn them. She doesn't expect to run into tall, dark, and handsome Cambridge Sutton.
-Cambridge knows straight away that she's his mate, but Cassie is oblivious to it. She manages to warn him, and he takes off to alert the others in the building. But Cassie's not so lucky. Will Cambridge save Cassie from the explosion. And will Cambridge get the one thing all supernaturals treasure.....their mates!
-This book was absolutely awesome. It was entertaining and exciting. I loved the characters. The whole book just worked for me and I hope to see some of the characters get their own stories. Very enjoyable!



BABY IT'S COLD OUT BEAR by T.S. Joyce
-Emry Mason loses control of her car on a icy road and lands up in a ditch. She's rescued by none other than her new neighbour. But she doesn't expect to have the feelings she has towards him.
-Graylan Young is a bear shifter and a loner. He isn't one for the holidays, he just wants to work. But when he meets Emry, everything changes.
-This was just the sweetest Christmas shifter story. I loved it. The storyline was entertaining and I loved the characters. Loved this read, it was amazing!



BLITZEN'S FATED MATE by R.E.
Butler
-Arian is a arctic quad shifter and one of Santa's new sleigh reindeer, Blitzen. On his trial run, his harness breaks and he falls. When he wakes, his looking at his fated mate. He can't believe it. All is great in his world, until his friends turn up and tranq him to calm his beasts down. But he has nothing to fear, his mate is not letting them take him anywhere.
-Charli is a romance writer and lives on her own in a secluded cabin, and she loves it. On Christmas Eve, drawn to her window, she sees a falling star land in the woods. She goes to check it out. What she finds, is not what she expected but something stronger, more powerful......magical.
-If it weren't for a broken buckle, he wouldn't have the family he so desperately wanted and the future he could only have imagined!
-I loved this Christmas story. When I think of a Christmas shifter story, this story would be perfect. Very enjoyable. I hope we some of the other characters get their own stories!



WISH UPON A WEREWOLF(WOLVES OF ANGELS REST) by Elsa Jade
-Annie Belle goes looking for werewolves in Angels Rest. She's looking for revenge, a wolf bite to turn her, so she will never be pushed around and abused again. She finds what she is looking for in tall, dark and handsome, Blaze Domingo. They have an instant attraction. For once in her life, will she get what she wants for Christmas.....maybe more than she thought.
-This story took me a little while to get into, but once I did I really liked it. It was an interesting and different. I really loved the characters. Overall It was a great read!



A CHRISTMAS CAROLINE by Allison Gatta
-What happens when life gets away from and you miss out on what's important, you get a visit from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Eric Spade lost his way but soon learns there is more to life than work and proving himself.....family, happiness and love.
-This was a lovely story of the original Scrooge. The storyline and characters were sweet but also made me a bit teary. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!



THE BBW AND THE BEAST by Sylvia Frost
- Bel Booksmore is a successful writer. When her father steals a million dollar rose, she makes a deal with a beast, and it's not money his after.
-Samson West is a alpha werewolf and lives with his two brothers. Twelve years ago his mate ran out on him, when the opportunity arises for him to get her back, he'll do it anyway he can.
-This is a version of Beauty and the Beast, albeit with werewolves, billionaires, and a rose. Really sweet story and it was very enjoyable. I hope his two brothers get their story!



REINDEERS, ELVES, AND COOKIES....OH MY! by Lissa Mathews
-Rand is a reindeer shifter and this year his taking lead on the sleigh. But his also a hot head and he has doubts about the cheer for those at the North Pole and around the world. So his given a choice, to either continue and do his duty or be banned. But before he can make the choice, the choice is made for him. He ends up in a cabin far away and alone. His only regret is that he never got a chance to tell his mate how he felt about her.
-Blix is a elf and the head baker at Wishes Bakery. She loves her job and she also loves Rand. But he doesn't seem to see her like that, just a friend. When his banned, she knows what little chance she might have had with him is gone. Blix knows that one day his memoirs will fade to nothingness. So she bakes him some treats in the hopes that slowly he might start believing again.
-Another amazing Christmas story. Loved the storyline and the characters, who were actually really sweet. Nice lighthearted read!



SANTA SHIFTER IN MANHATTAN by Lexie Cole
-Cole is a billionaire and the oldest Parker. Christmas is his favourite time of the year. Every year he helps out at Manhattan’s largest food pantries and plays Santa. Thats where he sees her, standing across the room, curvy and beautiful.
-Alexis Hayes doesn't do Christmas and works through the festive period, so she doesn't have to think about it. She just moved back to Manhattan and volunteers at her local food pantry. Whilst handing out food baskets, she notices Santa is watching her. Lucky for her she knows whose in the suit and she's not interested. Until she steps outside to go home and his waiting for her.
-He offers to walk her home and he asks her out go for a drink. They fond out that they're from rival packs. But decide to see each other with no strings attached. Which leads to more dates and some sleepovers. That is until they are spotted out and have to end their relationship. They are both lonely and miss each other. When Lexy finds out her work colleagues have hurt a friend of Cole's, she tells him.
Things take a positive turn and they end with their Christmas HEA!
-This was a sweet read. I liked the storyline and the characters of this story. I felt though the storyline could have been stronger and less rushed. It was a sweet read!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful surprise. I regularly buy anthologies as a way to try out authors before I buy individual books. On average, I've found them to be hit and miss (often more miss than hit) but I have discovered some wonderful writers that I might not have otherwise read except for a short story in an anthology (Nalini Singh comes to mind off-hand). This particular anthology had 26 stories and only four stories were bad (with a few more that I skipped based on the description of the story). Still, more than 75% of the stories were decent or even enjoyable for me. Follows is my reaction to the stories --if a story from the anthology isn't listed, I didn't even try to read it. Also of note, given the title of the anthology I expected all of the stories to be based in the paranormal world and there was some level of 'magic' in all of them, but there were a couple (Wrapped Up and A Christmas Caroline both come to mind) where there was only a hint of paranormal in an otherwise contemporary Christmas story. Not a detraction, I consider this a good purchase well worth the price for the overall quality of the stories, I had just expected at least one of the lead characters to be of a paranormal variety in all of the stories and that wasn't the case.

Thumbs Down
1. Vampire Games by V.M. Black: I've never read anything by this author and this story really didn't compel me to go looking for anything else by this author. It was one of the few misses in this anthology for me. It didn't do a very good job of introducing the world of this author or the characters, it was mostly a PWP sex scene between two characters immediately following the events in a book. Good writing and if you're a fan of this author or enjoyed the story introducing these characters it might be better, I just didn't care for it and had to force myself to finish (okay skim through) it.

2. When Darkness Falls by Terah Edun: I've never read anything by this author and this story put me off this author permanently. The writing technique was fine, it was the characters--especially the main character that made this almost unfinish-able (it's particularly sad when an author can't keep me engaged long enough to finish a short story considering how fast I tend to read). I disliked Rhiannon just on the basis of her characteristics--so my thumbs down is based solely on my dislike of the main character; that combined with a weak story (my opinion) is why I had to force myself to finish it.

15. In Good Spirits by Michele Bardsley: Again, first work I've read by this author and more than likely the last. The writing itself was fine, between the story set-up and the main character, who I took a dislike to within four pages, ultimately I didn't even finish reading this story. Violetta Graves is immature and the story set up (the courtroom scene that starts the story off) is asinine. I wasn't sure if it was meant to be some form of humorous work or not, it didn't matter enough to keep me interested.

23. Claimed by the Dragon King by Dawn Michelle: First work by this author and no interest in any more. A too stupid to live heroine with clunky storytelling made this extremely difficult to get into and I had to force myself to finish.

Thumbs Up

3. Wrapped Up by Catherine Fox: Good writing, cute little story, enjoyable characters--somewhat fluffy but in a Christmas anthology it was a good entry.

4. Christmas Past, Christmas Presents by Carina Wilder: the story started a little slow--enigmatic, mysterious billionaire and an aspiring journalist who gets a chance to attend a party at his house. By the end of the story I was putting this author in a 'check out other works at some point in the future' list. A unique an interesting premise with good writing and interesting characters.

6. Heated Holiday by Mandy M. Roth: one of two authors this anthology introduced me to whom I've already sought out other books by. The writing is solid, the storytelling engaging and the characters are unique and fun. The Bureau of Paranormal Investigation looks like an enjoyable setting that I plan to read more of as I get to those books in my 'to read' list.

7. Stirring up Trouble by Michelle M. Pillow: the second author I've already added books from to my wish list. The Macgregor Warlocks are a fun group, the story is well-written and engaging.

8. Baby It's cold Out Bear by T.S. Joyce: I've read other stories by this author and this is a cute Christmas story, enjoyable read. Good introduction to her shifter stories for someone unfamiliar with her writing.

9. Blitzen's Fated Mate by R.E. Butler: I've read one other book by this author and this one was a good Christmas story. Nothing spectacular and it leaves some dangling threads, but for a short story it was an enjoyable read.

10. Thief of Souls by Jaycee Clark: not really a 'Christmas' story to me but interesting premise, interesting characters and solid storytelling make this a good story nonetheless.

12. The Clockwork Dragon by Tasha Black: this one was a surprise. I've read one other story by this author and wasn't impressed so I didn't expect to like this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was fine as a short story, but it could also have been expanded on and played out as a longer tale. Very interesting premise and storyline in my opinion.

16. Midnight Before Christmas by Renee George: I've seen other stories by this writer but this story made me tag the Midnight Shifters series that it comes from as 'definitely to be read'. The characters are engaging, the premise (mythos of this series) and the writing all clicked wonderfully for me.

17. Winter Blues: Kotara Pryde by T.J. Michaels: this story, as well as the previous one by Renee George, both do an excellent job of 'selling' the series they represent. I felt a little lost in the beginning--the world of the Pryde Ranch Shifters is apparently fairly well established by the time this story takes place, but the author does a decent job of keeping the story moving without getting bogged down with exposition. The premise of the series is strong and the characters seem very interesting. It made me curious to check out the other stories in the series.

Decent stories (Neither thumbs down nor thumbs up)

5. Hunted by Chloe Cole: Decent story, ending kind of glossed over the conflict but for a short story 'introduction' to the world created by the author in her books it's a strong enough story with interesting characters. A bit of a fake-out in the description since this story takes place before the 'librarian by day' becomes a vampire hunter by night. It's a prequel to the series, I don't know that I'd seek out the series, but for fans of vampire fic, it would probably be a good read.

13. An impossible Gift by Christina Rayne: decent entry in the anthology, for die-hard vampire fic fans I'd say she's a strong writer. All in all, good story.

14. Star's Fall by Jaide Fox: nothing spectacular but the characters were interesting and the writing good so overall decent story and I might check out the series this story comes from at some point.
18. Wish Upon A Werewolf by Elsa Jade: Not a bad (thumbs down) story for me, but definitely one of the weaker stories. Two damaged main characters (not irredeemable, just the usual hurt-comfort sort of damage), the story is fine, decent characters overall this one just failed to pull me in.

19. A Christmas Caroline by Allison Gatta: Just a cute re-telling of a Christmas Carol, decent entry in a Christmas Anthology.

21. The Lady and the Dragon's Holiday by Mandy Rosko: Cute Christmas story, probably more enjoyable if you've read the previous books in the series this comes from.

22. Not a Gentleman's Christmas by Candice Gilmer: Unique premise, I had a couple of issues with the storyline, but only in terms of choices the author made in setting the story up. Overall, it's an interesting Christmas story.

[Fireslily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average rating of 3.65 stars, so I rounded up to 4 stars. There are some great stories and some that I hated. Generally, the ones I hated are the ones that ended in a cliffhanger or had too many references to previous stories in the series. I just feel like any story in an anthology like this should be a complete story that can be fully enjoyed as a stand alone.

The stories also had some general editing issues, some more than other. I feel like all of the editing was only done by the authors of each story, without a general editing of the entire anthology before release.

This set is worth getting, but be prepared to encounter some stories that you may just want to skip completely.

Individual ratings for each story:

Vampire Games by V.M. Black
Rating: ***
Felt more like an excerpt instead of its own complete story. Very steamy and a bit kinky. Liked it, but the continual references to events not in this story drove me nuts.

When Darkness Falls by Terah Edun
Rating: *
Ended on a cliffhanger, which just pissed me off. I went into this book expecting full stories, not partials. Wasn't long enough for anything to develop between the main characters, so there isn't even any romance. A big disappointment.

Wrapped Up by Cathryn Fox
Rating: *****
I loved this one. A very sweet romance. Whether or not this should be counted as paranormal is up for debate. Good characters with a sweet HEA.

Christmas Past, Christmas Presents by Carina Wilder
Rating: ***
Interesting, but didn't captivate me. I felt this would be better as a full fleshed novel.

Hunted by Chloe Cole
Rating: ***
Another cliffhanger. Good chemistry between the characters and the plot is interesting so far. I might read the rest of the story if I can get over being annoyed about the cliffhanger.

Heated Holiday by Mandy M. Roth
Rating: *****
I loved this! There were references to a previous book, but nothing that made it seem like I was missing anything important. The characters are awesome, there is a good amount of plot for such a short story, and the romance was awesome. I'm going to buy the first book and read the next books as they come out.

Stirring Up Trouble by Michelle M. Pillow
Rating: ***
A bit funny and some fun characters. The story felt rushed and the romance felt forced.

Baby It's Cold Out Bear by T.S. Joyce
Rating: *****
A wonderful story! Great new characters in a town from her other books. You don't need to have read any of those books to enjoy this story though. The romance and characters are fully developed. The plot is simple, but sweet.

Blitzen's Fated Mate by R.E. Butler
Rating: ****
A sweet shape shifter romance. The characters are cute and there is a HEA. The girl was way too quick to accept that shifters existed, but that is the only problem I had with this story.

Thief of Souls by Jaycee Clark
Rating: *****
This has a lot more going on than just the romance. There is a plot with some mystery, suspense, and kicking ass. A lot of fun to read.

A Glint of Light by JC Andrijeski
Rating: *
There was way too much background information missing. This appears to be part of a series called Allie's War and I feel like you have to read that in order to understand all of the references in this story. There were too many references to the other book to make this at all enjoyable.

The Clockwork Dragon by Tasha Black
Rating: *****
A sexy, paranormal retelling of The Nutcracker. The plot is actually pretty unique, with magic and a dragon. I really liked reading this one.

An Impossible Gift (Tales from the Vampire Underground) by Cristina Rayne
Rating: ****
A bit of mystery mixed with romance. The vampire is sexy and I liked the characters. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It didn't really feel completely concluded and the vampire did something that bothered me. Otherwise, this is a good story.

Star's Fall by Jaide Fox
Rating: ***
I just couldn't get into this one. There isn't really anything wrong with the story, it just didn't work for me. I think it was the historic setting that just didn't work for me.

In Good Spirits by Michele Bardsley
Rating: ****
This one was pretty fun. There were some fun characters and I liked the plot. The romance was pretty light and sometimes felt like an afterthought. There was also a bit of humor to the story that I liked.

Midnight Before Christmas by Renee George
Rating: ****
This is an interesting story, but I felt like there was a backstory that I was missing. The plot is interesting, although I felt the characters could use a bit more development. The romance was sweet.

Winter Blues (Pryde Ranch Shifters) by T.J. Michaels
Rating: *****
I loved this story. This is part of a series and I actually took a break from reading this book to go read the rest of the series. I love the characters and the plot. There are references to the other books that were frustrating for me. There are also a lot of characters to keep track of. This story definitely works better if you read the rest of the series first. Despite that, it is still my favorite story in this anthology so far.

Wish Upon a Werewolf (Wolves of Angels Rest) by Elsa Jade
Rating: ***
This book is also part of a series, although you don't really miss anything by not reading the other books first. I've actually read the other books and didn't like this one nearly as much. I didn't like the characters much and the romance was lacking. The focus was on physical attraction with a lack of concentration on emotion.

A Christmas Caroline by Allison Gatta
Rating: ***
This is basically a retelling of A Christmas Carol. I couldn't really get into it, probably because of how predictable the story was.

Frostbitten Hearts by Arial Burnz
Rating: ***
This is part of a series and I felt like this would be much better if you read the rest of the series first. The plot was good, although Aideen was a bit lacking in character.

The Lady and the Dragon's Holiday by Mandy Rosko
Rating: ****
There isn't really a plot to this story. It's just a sweet story about a couple at New Year's Eve. It's sweet and simple.

Not a Gentleman's Christmas by Candice Gilmer
Rating: *****
I loved this one. It was funny and unique. I loved the characters. It was fun having characters that are a similar age but from different generations. I'd love to see the other characters get their own stories.

Claimed by the Dragon King by Dawn Michelle
Rating: ***
Not really a romance at all`. There is a lot of action and the start of an interesting plot. The story feels incomplete and like it is just the beginning of a longer story.

The BBW and the Beast by Sylvia /frost
Rating: ****
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but not too predictable. I like the characters and the story. I'd love to have stories of each of the brothers in the future.

Reindeer, Elves, and Cookies...Oh My! by Lissa Matthews
Rating: ****
This was pretty cute. I like the holiday stories that actually take place at the North Pole. The characters were fun and the romance was sweet.

Santa Shifter in Manhattan by Lexy Cole
Rating: ***
The writing never really pulled me into the story. I was actually a bit bored while reading it.

[iliana G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampire Games V.M Black -5stars

I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

In this short story we see Cora and Dorian in his yacht in one of the endless games Dorian so much loves.
Mind games,emotional ones,sexual ones Dorian doesn't hesitate to use aything and everything he cans for his love .


No matter from whose side we see this story it simply is amazing!
I love Dorian and Cora and i love reading about them.
For all of you who have read this series....you'll love it!
For all of you who haven't read this sereis...you 'll definetely love it!



Christmas Past,Christmas Present-Carina Wilder-4 stars


I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

When aspiring journalist Kiara heads to Micah Drake’s party on a snowy
night, little does she expect to spend time with the man himself. He’s a
known recluse, a mysterious billionaire and the most gorgeous man she’s
ever seen.
Christmas is going to be interesting this year.

An excellent story by Carina !!!!!
Fast paced and with lots of imagination!!!


Hunted-Cloe Cole - 5 stars

I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Librarian by day, vampire hunter by night...
Bookish librarian, Zara Matheson, is living a double life. By day, she
catalogues and indexes books, but by night, she hunts the undead. She knows
in her heart that one of those elusive monsters is responsible for her father’s grisly murder, and she won’t stop until she proves it. But when her latestattempt is cut short after she mows down a gorgeous stranger with her car,she starts to wonder if maybe she’s gone off the deep end…

When Gabriel Thorne is called on to protect his brethren from a potential
vampire hunter, he expects it to be just another day filled with blood and
violence in his all-too-long life. But when he meets compelling, angel-faced Zara Matheson, he can’t deny an instant, all-consuming attraction to her. Is she really a harmless librarian grasping at straws, or will she turn out to be the most dangerous opponent he’s ever encountered?


Oh my God!!!!

What an amazing and heated start to a new Series!!!!
I loved it!!!
Fast paced ,full of action and hot as hell this book is officially on of my fav so far in the bundle.
It contains BDSM elements so if you are not a fun or you do not like reading this kind of stories then perhaps its not for you.
If you do love a bit of BDSM in your reading habits then you will definetely love this one!
I can't wait to read more about Zara and Gabriel!!!!



Heated Holiday-Mandy M Roth -5 stars

I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cambridge was not happy at all when he was sent to Ohio by the Bureau of Paranormal Invesigetion to talk about the peace treaty between the Paranormals and the Humans.

Cassie escaped her purist step father to warn someone in charge about danger in the building were the peace treaty talks was held.
What she didn't excpect was to stuble upon Cambridge...a known vampire playboy.

Cambridge saw Cassie and instantly knew.When everything went boom.

What will happen between them?
She is Fire and he is Fangs.
Its a match made in...Ohio?

I love Mandy's books and this one doesn't disappoint.
Short ,funny and hot it kept my interest till the last page and made me want for more.



Blitzen's fated mate-R.e Butler - 3 stars

I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.


On Christmas Eve, romance writer Charli watches as something plummets
into the woods behind her home. When she investigates, she discovers an
injured reindeer who quickly transforms into a man. When arctic shifter
Arian’s sleigh harness breaks during the Christmas Eve run, he knows he’s
lucky to be alive after the fall. But he’s even luckier to have found his fated
mate in the alluring human, Charli. When Arian contacts his people to tell
them the news, he’s surprised to discover they don’t believe that Charli is his
mate and are coming to see him before dawn on Christmas Day. Arian refuses
to consider a life without Charli and will do whatever is necessary to ensure
they’ll be together forever.


I am not a christmas person and this story is too christmasy for me(thats why the 3 stars) but other than that it was a really nice story.(with this statement and the 3 stars i tottally feel like Scroutz!!!!!)
I love the way R.e writes and the way she unfolds her stories.
This is the first book of a new series and i can tell we are in for a very promising series.
Fast paced,sweet and it brought a smile to my face this story gives another perspective on christmas.



The CLockwork Dragon-Tasha Black- 5 stars


Most of the magic has gone from the world. So when a vision of a goldeneyed
prince appears to Marie, she knows it must be significant. On the eve of
the most important night of her life, a gorgeous older man arrives in Tarker’s
Hollow and presents Marie with an unusual gift: a magnificent clockwork
dragon. The race is on. Can Marie resist her newfound passions long enough
to solve the mystery of the golden-eyed prince and the clockwork dragon
before it’s too late? Will she unlock the magic inside herself in time to save
her family? And will the seductive stranger unleash the desires she is trying
so hard to keep at bay? The Clockwork Dragon is a steamy, standalone
novella, set in the world of Tarker’s Hollow, home to the bestselling Curse of
the Alpha and Fate of the Alpha serials.



I love love love Tasha....

I love love love Dragons and i abso-freaking-lutely love Tarker's Hollow.

Sooooo simple as that i have to say i am head over heels with this story.

Fast paced filled with excitment it kept me reading from the first page to the last.
The action in his book will make your heart bit faster and as the mystery slowly unravels you will find yourself holding your breaths.
I so want to see more of this story and more of Tarker's Hollow.


Not a Gentleman's Christmas-Candice Gilmer -5 stars

I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Saving her from her curse is a gentleman's job. He, however, is no gentleman.
Ruthie, cursed by a djinn, has been trapped in a recipe box for seventy-five
years, and this Christmas is her last chance to break the curse. She assumes
that when Lee opens the box, he would help her escape the djinn’s magic.
Because that's what a gentleman does.
She learns very quickly, though, that Lee is no gentleman, and his wolfside
is positively beastly.
And she might even like it.


I've only lately started reading this authors work and this specific series is one of my favorite.
Every time i read one of her books i enjoy it greatly and it always leaves me with a smile at the end of the book.
Eac book never fails to impress me.
Fast reading ,well written with amazing Alpha males ,different kind of supernaturals and a refreshing drop on each story.
Once again i have to say i am amazed !
I can't wait for more!!!!!

[Cherri-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ALPHATASTIC set of HOLIDAYTACULAR stories!

Heated Holiday (Bureau of Paranormal Investigation Series World) by Mandy M. Roth

Winter my wonderland 5 GOLD FANGS

HA! What a FANGTASTICALLY magical story! I loved ... well ... EVERYTHING!! There are Vampires, Fae, Shifters, Humans and…well, what else do you need? *smile* I just loved how this story flowed, the characters, the beginning, the ending and everything in between! The banter between friends was PAWSITIVELY hilarious! But the hot romance part is of course my favorite! No wait, that’s not true, my favorite part is… VAMPIRES!! Well, one in particular, to be specific. This is EXACTLY why I love Mandy's books so much! They have every. single. thing. you could ever ask, and more, and this one is no different! I won't even complain about it being too short, because, really, I say that about all of her books! They are just so magical, so romantic, so hot, so funny, so heartwarming, and so very, Very, VERY PERFECT that I don't ever want them to end! However, I will point out that the upside to the shorter stories is that everything happens quicker and usually STAYS “happened”. Meaning no fighting, no break-up, (if they have mates) mates are recognized almost right away. Mandy has a genuine gift for crafting SHIFTACULAR stories that are FANGTABULOUS regardless of the word count, and her shorter stories are just as exciting, hot, romantic and full of… story as her full length novels. Mandy has this astronomical talent that shines through every one of her stories regardless of the length, series, dark, light hearted, or the genre. I can read & re-read her stories numerous times over and STILL love them as much as I did the first time, if not even more! Because of all of that, and more, Mandy is at the absolute top of my All-Time Favorite Authors list and will always hold a special place in my heart!!

Stirring Up Trouble (A Warlocks MacGregor Novella) by Michelle M. Pillow

Whatever lies ahead 5 MAGICAL STARS

What a positively magically sweet romance story! Instantly I was intrigued and couldn't wait to figure out the 'mystery'! It started off with a heart-breaking story but of course, those MacGregors are always hilarious, which perfectly lightened the ghostly sad side. I laughed & cried throughout the whole story! I was hoping for one happy ending, but in true unpredictable Michelle fashion way, the ending was not what I thought it would be. It was even better!!! In fact, it was so much better I had to read & re-read the last part a few times to understand & take it all in - all because I couldn't stop crying!! Have you ever tried to read through lots of tears? It IS pretty hard!! Such a perfectly beautiful & romantically hot ending! Combine Michelle's astronomical talent with her genuine gift and you get these beautifully romantic & enchanted creations that pull you so deep in, you become immersed in their enriched depths where you wish to remain forever. Michelle does this over & over again, with every. single. book. For these reasons and more, Michelle shares the top spot on my All-Time Favorite Authors list and will always hold a special place in my heart. Even though I have read at least half of her published works, if not more, I still have yet to find a story that I haven't loved! And this one is no different! Of course, this story has a hot MacGregor in a kilt starring in it, so... enuff said!! Once again, Michelle has written one fantastic romance story that I think EVERYONE will love!


Midnight Before Christmas (Midnight Shifters book 5) by Renee George

You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. 5 GOLD SNOWFLAKES

Rachel smirked. “You don’t get out much, do you?” HOLY SNOW GRAYMAN!!! This is one of the most FROSTASTIC winter stories I have read in a long time!! In fact, it is now my favorite winter story! I love winter & the snow, and Renee has captured all of the magic & wonder and everything I love about it! Now if only my winter story was as hot & magical as Rachel's! Excepting for the bad guys of course. But I LOVE IT TO THE MAX!!! Renee sure has the magic touch! I found myself sunk head first into this AWESNOW story immediately and I still haven't emerged. Of course with the opening perfectly describing my dream guy, I knew this story would be SNOWRRIFIC, and boy was it ever!! There is so much SHIFTASTIC story snow-packed in here that it is more like a GIANT short story! I lost track of how many times I was laughing, crying, gasping, worrying or smiling from ear to ear. I was blown away by the array of paranormals & the surprises that came with them! I LOVE how SHIFTACULAR this Midnight Shifters series is with all of the unique paranormals, their abilities, powers, histories, etc. and WHEW! all of the HOTNESS! I have been friends with Renee and reading her books for close to two years now, and I love how much Renee has grown as an author!! She has ALWAYS written stories that have not only captured my attention, but my heart too! But her more recent stories - especially this series - show just how phenomenally talented she truly is! There is so much thought, care, love & attention given to the characters, their worlds, powers, abilities, situations, their histories, just ALL OF IT, adding depth and enriching every single story!! I LOVE Renee and all of her stories so much that she has earned a permanent spot on my All-Time Favorite Authors bookshelf as well as a special place in my heart!!

[Joy Ki`Ili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Frost like you've never read before. I received an ARC for Frostbitten Hearts for an honest review and it was a great read. This is the Jack Frost I want to remember that's for sure. Arial keeps us in one of her worlds and gives us a view of a different set of characters, I think it adds to the whole. Great book for the season.

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touches all tastes and imagination


If you like short stories this the book for you. Gives you an ideal about other writers

Good for all tastes

[Stella Shahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Great collections of Christmas stories. I loved them all with a few being my favorite. Great action great characters and the loving so beautiful.

[Allison Ripley-Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a riveting tale. I couldn’t put it down. I got so engrossed in the story that I actually felt like I was apart of the story.