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Mistletoe Magic: A Christmas Anthology
In Joe DeRouen's Mommy's Favorite, the bond between a mother and her child is supposed to be unbreakable. When Alex comes home for Christmas, however, he'll learn the hard way that sometimes even a mother's love can go too far.
In Sahara Foley's Silent Night, Deak is a man lost in his grief. Faced with another empty Christmas, ready to end his suffering, he's interrupted by a young girl pleading for his help. Will he be able to help her, and in the process, save himself?
In Heather Osborne's Simple Blessings, return to the world of the Mansfield and McCafferty families, as they celebrate their first Christmas together after the end of the American Civil War, with several unexpected guests.
In Patricia Rose's Hershey's Christmas, Hershey, the big, brown, hound dog from Iron Mike, is back! Everyone's favorite character, Hershey stars in this sweet Christmas prequel. Everything that Christmas Eve starts out perfect ... but it soon becomes clear somebody is destined to die that night. Can Hershey save them ... or is he just a dog?
In CJ Rutherford's Claude Saves Christmas, the week before Christmas, Claude and his nephew, Cedric, hear such a clatter. Who can it be, and what role will dragons play in the human festive season?
In Jada Ryker's Just in Time for Christmas, a time-travelling stalker targets a beautiful college student. Terrified for the girl, Macey Malloy tries to help her, only be trapped in the web of lies and deceit. Macey reluctantly joins forces with a handsome stranger who makes her heart race... with both attraction and the fear he may be following a secret, deadly agenda. Even with her grumpy black cat's help, will Macey be in time to save the girl?
My name is Paimon, and I love Christmas. Not for the presents, or the food but for the souls that are ripe for the taking. Guard your soul well this holiday season, or yours could be the next one I claim. Find out in DM Singh's A Soul for Christmas.
In Sahara Foley's Silent Night, Deak is a man lost in his grief. Faced with another empty Christmas, ready to end his suffering, he's interrupted by a young girl pleading for his help. Will he be able to help her, and in the process, save himself?
In Heather Osborne's Simple Blessings, return to the world of the Mansfield and McCafferty families, as they celebrate their first Christmas together after the end of the American Civil War, with several unexpected guests.
In Patricia Rose's Hershey's Christmas, Hershey, the big, brown, hound dog from Iron Mike, is back! Everyone's favorite character, Hershey stars in this sweet Christmas prequel. Everything that Christmas Eve starts out perfect ... but it soon becomes clear somebody is destined to die that night. Can Hershey save them ... or is he just a dog?
In CJ Rutherford's Claude Saves Christmas, the week before Christmas, Claude and his nephew, Cedric, hear such a clatter. Who can it be, and what role will dragons play in the human festive season?
In Jada Ryker's Just in Time for Christmas, a time-travelling stalker targets a beautiful college student. Terrified for the girl, Macey Malloy tries to help her, only be trapped in the web of lies and deceit. Macey reluctantly joins forces with a handsome stranger who makes her heart race... with both attraction and the fear he may be following a secret, deadly agenda. Even with her grumpy black cat's help, will Macey be in time to save the girl?
My name is Paimon, and I love Christmas. Not for the presents, or the food but for the souls that are ripe for the taking. Guard your soul well this holiday season, or yours could be the next one I claim. Find out in DM Singh's A Soul for Christmas.
133 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2015
6 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Joe DeRouen
19 books93 followersJoe was born in Carthage, Illinois, and currently lives in Rogers, Arkansas with his wife Andee, their son Fletcher, and their cats Archer, Biscuit, Frosty, Weiss, Cheese, and Eclipse. In addition to being a best-selling author, Joe is a web designer and substitute teacher. When he’s not writing, you can usually find Joe playing City of Heroes: Homecoming on his PC, or Pokemon Go and Stardew Valley on his phone. He also collects Mego action figures and Bicycle playing cards. You can write to Joe at Joe@JoeDeRouen.com or visit his website at JoeDeRouen.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2015
I'm a little late posting the review for this anthology, but it's full of little gems that can be enjoyed year round. I've got my favorites, of course, but everyone did a really excellent job with this project.
DM Singh gives a supernatural twist with her story, "A Soul for Christmas." Who doesn't enjoy a demon with a midlife crisis? I know I do!
CJ Rutherford really out-did himself this time with "Claude Saves Christmas." Claude is the imaginary dragon who lives in Mr. Rutherford's head, apparently. Writers are an eccentric bunch, so this shouldn't surprise anyone. He finally gave his dragon the spotlight in this story and boy, did he ever run with it!
The anthology has a little something for everyone, so give it a try. You never know. You may discover a new author!
DM Singh gives a supernatural twist with her story, "A Soul for Christmas." Who doesn't enjoy a demon with a midlife crisis? I know I do!
CJ Rutherford really out-did himself this time with "Claude Saves Christmas." Claude is the imaginary dragon who lives in Mr. Rutherford's head, apparently. Writers are an eccentric bunch, so this shouldn't surprise anyone. He finally gave his dragon the spotlight in this story and boy, did he ever run with it!
The anthology has a little something for everyone, so give it a try. You never know. You may discover a new author!
January 15, 2016
If you are looking for unique Christmas stories, I recommend Mistletoe Magic: A Christmas Anthology. Seven authors collaborated to write this collection of stories with a mistletoe theme. There is the irony of O Henry, stories of hope and love, and those from a different point of view: a cat, a dog, a dragon, and a demon. Overall, love prevails to make these stories of Mistletoe Magic perfect for the holidays.
This is a great way to sample seven authors, learn about them from their bios, and link to their websites for more information.
This is a great way to sample seven authors, learn about them from their bios, and link to their websites for more information.
December 8, 2015
I had the privilege of reading all the other stories in the anthology, so this is my review of them, not including my own.
I enjoyed all the shorts, especially Silent Night by Sahara Foley. I wanted to learn so much more about Deak and his circumstances, but the short captured how he coped with loss. It was a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak world. I highly recommend this collection for anyone wanting something a little different in their holiday tales.
I enjoyed all the shorts, especially Silent Night by Sahara Foley. I wanted to learn so much more about Deak and his circumstances, but the short captured how he coped with loss. It was a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak world. I highly recommend this collection for anyone wanting something a little different in their holiday tales.
December 12, 2015
This is an interesting and quite different collection.For a Christmas anthology readers will find there is holiday spirit, but not all is as Jolly as it would at first appear. I have to say I enjoyed the collection and enjoyed the fact the an author's biography was included with each story so readers can look for more works from their favorites, If you like a little dark, a little humor and a little magic, this is one to try.
November 23, 2017
A wonderful light seasonal collection of stories
December 5, 2015
Mommy’s Favorite: Family holidays can bring out so many buried emotions, rather good or bad. The spite we’ve felt over the years can suddenly come boiling to the surface, and ugly secrets we thought were long buried are brought to light. Such is the case in this tale. I really identified with Sam’s plight as her mother dotted on her brother, Alexander. Then, one day she discovers a secret and decides to reveal it as a Christmas present to her older brother. Unfortunately, she had no idea how deep and dark the secret really was. I enjoyed the story, and the ending reminded me of my short story, Nightmare Storm.
Simple Blessings: If you’ve read Heather’s book The Soldier’s Secret, you’ll recognize the characters in this book. I thought it seemed so fitting that she chose them for her Christmas tale. To me, it felt like this story tied up some loose ends to her novel. It’s the kind of Christmas we all dream about, being surrounded by loving family and friends. I loved this tale and it brought tears to my eyes. This one is tied for first place.
Hershey’s Christmas: Heresey is a dog from Patricia’s book IRON MIKE. I’ve heard a lot of really good things about the book, but I haven’t read it yet. Reading this short story has inspired me to read it now. In fact, it’s the next book on my TBR list. Patricia has done a fabulous job portraying the emotions of a dog. We really get to know Heresey’s character, and the tough decision he has to make to save Christmas for the children. My one point of contention was, in trying to save Christmas, what Heresy was willing to scarf ice would’ve destroyed Christmas for the children anyway. Death is death, no matter who it would’ve been. I also enjoyed the dark slant she placed on Santa Claus.
Claude Saves Christmas: If you know CJ, you understand he has a dragon named Claude living in his head. So it made perfect sense to me that Claude would be the subject of his Christmas tale. How can Claude help Santa deliver al his presents in time? I found myself chuckling over some of Claude’s observations. Oh, to have some of the mermaid’s whiskey. This is a light, fanciful story which I really enjoyed, and it would’ve been one of my favorites, but I felt it ended to abruptly. Sorry.
Just in Time for Christmas: I’ve read several of Jada’s books, and she always throws in a curve ball or twist. This story is no exception. Jada’s stories always have a smattering of romance in them too. My favorite character is Wikket, the cat. As I’m a feline lover, that’s a given. You’d think time travel and a Christmas tale wouldn’t mix, but it does. This is a very entertaining story, and I enjoyed it to the end.
A Soul for Christmas: This is the first story I’ve read by Singh, and I see I’ve been missing out. Imagine being the famous crossroads demon, the bargainer of souls, then one day, you no longer have the zest for your job. What is a demon to do? DM did a wonderful job building Paimon’s character. I could really feel his dilemma. I really loved this story, and it ties for first place.
Each of these stories were well-written, with good character development and they all deserve 5 stars.
Simple Blessings: If you’ve read Heather’s book The Soldier’s Secret, you’ll recognize the characters in this book. I thought it seemed so fitting that she chose them for her Christmas tale. To me, it felt like this story tied up some loose ends to her novel. It’s the kind of Christmas we all dream about, being surrounded by loving family and friends. I loved this tale and it brought tears to my eyes. This one is tied for first place.
Hershey’s Christmas: Heresey is a dog from Patricia’s book IRON MIKE. I’ve heard a lot of really good things about the book, but I haven’t read it yet. Reading this short story has inspired me to read it now. In fact, it’s the next book on my TBR list. Patricia has done a fabulous job portraying the emotions of a dog. We really get to know Heresey’s character, and the tough decision he has to make to save Christmas for the children. My one point of contention was, in trying to save Christmas, what Heresy was willing to scarf ice would’ve destroyed Christmas for the children anyway. Death is death, no matter who it would’ve been. I also enjoyed the dark slant she placed on Santa Claus.
Claude Saves Christmas: If you know CJ, you understand he has a dragon named Claude living in his head. So it made perfect sense to me that Claude would be the subject of his Christmas tale. How can Claude help Santa deliver al his presents in time? I found myself chuckling over some of Claude’s observations. Oh, to have some of the mermaid’s whiskey. This is a light, fanciful story which I really enjoyed, and it would’ve been one of my favorites, but I felt it ended to abruptly. Sorry.
Just in Time for Christmas: I’ve read several of Jada’s books, and she always throws in a curve ball or twist. This story is no exception. Jada’s stories always have a smattering of romance in them too. My favorite character is Wikket, the cat. As I’m a feline lover, that’s a given. You’d think time travel and a Christmas tale wouldn’t mix, but it does. This is a very entertaining story, and I enjoyed it to the end.
A Soul for Christmas: This is the first story I’ve read by Singh, and I see I’ve been missing out. Imagine being the famous crossroads demon, the bargainer of souls, then one day, you no longer have the zest for your job. What is a demon to do? DM did a wonderful job building Paimon’s character. I could really feel his dilemma. I really loved this story, and it ties for first place.
Each of these stories were well-written, with good character development and they all deserve 5 stars.
Want to read
June 14, 2016[Potential Spoilers below- Read at own Risk]
Mommy's Favorite: Holy Mother of God, what a plot twist! This definitely wins worst Christmas of the year award. I feel so bad for the kids. :( Seriously, though, this was so f-ed up. Like, I like the story b/c I often like twisted, angsty, dark stuff but.....wow. Tough read. Definitely be careful if you're easily triggered.
Mommy's Favorite: Holy Mother of God, what a plot twist! This definitely wins worst Christmas of the year award. I feel so bad for the kids. :( Seriously, though, this was so f-ed up. Like, I like the story b/c I often like twisted, angsty, dark stuff but.....wow. Tough read. Definitely be careful if you're easily triggered.
March 25, 2016
Simple Blessings was my favorite! A must for anyone who has read The Soldier's Secret by Heather Osborne! Great to meet up with the characters and see a holiday HEA since they went through so much in The Soldier's Secret.
December 25, 2016
Especially liked Sahara Foley's story - and the last one with the demon!
March 26, 2017
I read Safhara Foley's Silent Night, thinking it would be a gentle tale of a man's redemption . It was a raw tear jerking tale of a Christmas miracle and a renewed reason to live.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews