Cozy Christmas Shorts

Tahoe Tessie #1.5

by Gemma Halliday

11 holiday themed cozy mystery short stories by New York Times, USA Today, and National Bestselling authors! Short holiday bites perfect for enjoying while waiting in holiday lines or binge-reading over a cup of hot cocoa.


**The authors are donating a portion of proceeds from this collection to Toys for Tots!**


This LIMITED TIME collection includes the holiday short stories from some of our most popular


Baby It's Cold Outside (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries)
by Gemma Halliday & T. Sue VerSteeg


Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Greatest Hits Mysteries)
by Leslie Langtry


Sleighed at Castle Rock (Amelia Grace Rock 'n' Roll Mysteries)
by Anne Marie Stoddard


The Blonde Before Christmas (Barb Jackson Mysteries)
by Anna Snow


Rosolio Red (Franki Amato Mysteries)
by Traci Andrighetti


Christmas Al Dente (Southern Pasta Shop Mysteries)
by Jennifer L. Hart


Ornamental Danger (Working Stiff Mysteries)
by Kerri Nelson


Christmas Canapés & Sabotage (Culinary Competition Mysteries)
by Janel Gradowski


A (Gingerbread) Diorama of Death (Helen Binney Mysteries)
by Gin Jones


Motion for Mistletoe (Jamie Winters Mysteries)
by Kelly Rey


Christmas, Spies & Dead Guys (Gianna Mancini Mysteries)
by Jennifer Fischetto

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Anthologies, Short Stories

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2016

About the author

Gemma had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic, before finally selling her first book, Spying in High Heels, in 2005 and deciding to be a writer.

Since then, Gemma has written several mystery novels and been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Reader's Choice award and three RITA nominations. Her books have hit both the USA Today and the New York Times Bestseller lists.

Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area where she is hard at work on her next book.

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed as I began to read this book finding that the majority of the shorts were already published in the Cozy Cristmas Capers I read. It appears that maybe about 3 stories are new as I compare the list. I didn't bother with the new stories, feeling I'd been duped into purchasing a book with repeats. There was nothing in the general description that would indicate a bunch of repeat stories, otherwise I would not have bought it. If I could easily get my money back I would, but instead I will be very wary of buying books with short collections in the future from this publisher.

[Cecelia Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like this because it gives me a chance to read books by authors I have yet to discover. Each story is a look into the authors style. I loved this book and enjoyed all the stories. It is a great way to spend a few days and to get into the Christmas spirit.

[K-BRC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection that does not disappoint. Must read.

[moxieBK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy Christmas Shorts: holiday short story collection (11 short stories) Dec. 25, 2016-Jan. 24, 2017

When I started to read this set of holiday cozies, I was thinking I was going to read it over break in the few days leading up to Xmas. Then, life got in the way and had to go ruin everything. So, a new plot was hatched when I was able to pick this set back up again: I’d read one short story a day over a course of many days, until it was finished.

I decided to review each one separately, as though I had purchased each one individually, and then write my over all review here. So, that’s what I did. If you are curious about a particular short included in this book, look it up individually to find my review.

Here are the holiday stories included in this set:
Baby It’s Cold Outside ***
Have Yourself A Deadly Little Christmas *
$Sleighed At Castle Rock ***
The Blonde Before Christmas ***
Rosolio Red ***
Christmas Al Dente **
Ornamental Danger ***
Christmas Canapès & Sabotage *
A (Gingerbread) Diorama Of Death **
#$Motion For A Mistletoe ***
#Christmas, Spies, and Dead Guys **

Overall, this is a “something for everyone” book set. Literally. There were stories in here than did nothing for me whatsoever….and there were stories in here that really were written right. Don’t feel bad if one of the stories doesn’t strike your fancy; there is bound to be one that does.

Most of the stories in this set are those that only take place during the holiday season; they could be read during any part of the year, and still be enjoyable. (# before title listed above are stories that seem to me to be more interwoven with the holiday. Stars after rating = book rating.)

I wasn’t sure what the overall rating would be since five of the stories didn’t do a lot for me. But I’m happy to say that most of them were decent, and even some of them were so dang fun, that the ratings did go because of them. Also, only two of the shorts stood out as series that I might follow up on. Those books are marked with a $ before the title.

Three stars.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't consider a story a short story if it takes longer than twenty minutes to a half hour to finish it. I also don't think a short story should have seven or eight chapters. I the first two, one of which was mildly entertaining, and then sampled chapter ones until I gave up. These are just not to my taste.

[Brandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Christmas collection of short stories

I like this collection. I wasn't familiar with all the books so it gave me a glimpse into the ones I was unfamiliar with and a better look at the series I had read before.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were fun, entertaining, interesting characters, nice feeling of Christmas, good mysteries. Some were bizarre, uninteresting, poor characters, no real Christmas atmosphere, weak mysteries. Real variety. Loved some. Hated some.

[Jennifer Artiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holiday shorts

This was a group of holiday short from some authors I was familiar with and some I wasn't. I enjoyed most of the stories and picked up a couple of authors to look into further.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Frothy holiday short mysteries, readable and lightly entertaining.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to say I enjoyed this, but it was really only okay. Fluff reading, some better than others, the quality varied all over the place. A good reminder of why I usually don't read short stories.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not enamored with these short stories. I did like 3 of them, but the others did not hold my interest. It will be awhile before I read cozy mysteries. I might try to read these again next year. Maybe I will like them better.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Christmas collection is 11 wonderful stories, each a part of an established series by a fantastic author. You would be hard pressed to come up with a group of better cozy writers anywhere. The stories are fun and if a series is new to you, it is a great introduction! If you like to chuckle and read about sleuths with attitudes, this is the collection for you.

One of my all time favorites is author Leslie Langtry and her fictional Bombay family of hitmen/women. I love the names-each member of the family named after a different location...Dakota, Virginia, Paris, Carolina, Liverpool...you get the idea. They are creative with their methods of killing their marks, and often work with their cousins or siblings. Family meetings, while on a family owned tropical island, can be a little nerve wracking since you never know if someone has a hit out on a family member! Once you meet the Bombay family I guarantee you will be ready to read more of the series!

Another favorite is the Jamie Winters mystery, Motion for Mistletoe, by Kelly Rey. Jamie is a secretary at the sleaziest law firm in New Jersey. She solves crimes that she becomes aware of through work, often partnering up with her landlord's teenage niece, Maizy. Maizy would much rather hang out with her Uncle Curt than her parents, and by extension, with Jamie. Between the two of them they come up with incredible plans and carry them out fearlessly. Typical teenage tricks paired with Jamie's sometimes hairbrained ideas make for fun reading!

All of the authors in this collection are top notch, and you won't be disappointed by any of the stories. At an average of 45 cents per story and knowing part of that will support "Toys for Tots", you owe it to yourself to but a copy to enjoy before the holidays get too hectic. You'll be glad you did!

[Carol Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, it has its ups and downs. Each of these short stories fits into a series, but the only series I had read before is the Southern Pasta Shop mysteries. I will say that each story gave a good feeling for the main character and style of mystery and I’d like to read more of a few of them.
Most of the mysteries were cute and fun, but I did have a few favorites. I didn’t really hate any of them, but there were a couple that I wasn’t fond of.

Favorites:
“Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas” by Leslie Langtry – The Bombay family may be assassins, but they are funny, pragmatic, inventive and really care about each other. And I loved the spin they took with And Then There Were None.
“A (Gingerbread) Diorama of Death” by Gin Jones – Helen, the main character, seems like an interesting lady, even though she’s one of the people who seem to attract murders. I loved some of the descriptions of the gingerbread houses and even though the mystery was wrapped quickly and maybe too easily, it was a short story so that’s forgivable.
“Motion for Mistletoe” by Kelly Rey – I just loved the characters in this one. And the bit of Christmas magic.

Least Favorites:
“Rosario Red” by Tracy Andrighetti – Grandma’s missing and of course her granddaughter the PI comes home to investigate. I just didn’t like where the plot went, it all seemed a bit silly.
“Sleighed at Castle Rock” by Anne Marie Stoddard – This one actually took place in the summer, with a “Christmas in July” theme. I didn’t care for the characters and the mystery was blah.

Overall, this collection was a good Christmas read. The mysteries are light and easy to read and I liked the little sparks of romance in several of them. They are short stories, so the plots are not overly involved and a couple are barely mysteries, but I enjoyed it.

[Sally Hannoush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all the stories in this collection. I liked some more than others. The ratings vary from 3 star to 5 star. I did review each story seperatly on it's book page. I was going to add them all together on this review but felt it would be a lot to read through and people would lose attention on it. So if you want my short take on any of the stories just go to their book link. Overall it was a nice Christmas Cozy set of stories. Most authors I've never read before. There is a couple I would read again and some I didn't feel like it was my cup of tea.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up for cheap and hoped I might find some new authors. I read the first five stories and wasn't impressed but I'll read the rest next year. Brief thoughts to remind myself:

3.0 Baby It's Cold Outside by Gemma Halliday and T Sue VerSteeg--this is the only one I've read yet that I would be interested in reading more of the series

2.5 Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Leslie Langtry--this one was engaging but just weird--a family of assassins who are way too cheery about murdering people in gruesome ways

1.0 Sleighed at Castle Rock by Anne Marie Stoddard--the mystery was terrible and the author tried way too hard to be twenty-something cool

1.5 The Blonde Before Christmas by Anna Snow--nothing new or interesting

2.0 Rosalio Red by Traci Andrighetti--the story was a pale imitation of a Stephanie Plum book and was too heavy on the local details

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually my last book of 2016. What a great way to become acquainted with a few new authors! All the cozies were set during the Christmas season though a lot had nothing to do with Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I had had enough of the syrupy Christmas stories I had read to get me into the mood for the holiday. This was the perfect book to transition back into normal reading. As far as reviewing each cozy, I'm not going to do it. I think the important thing is, this collection was perfect for taking a breather from all the holiday preparations we're all busy with. Whether I needed just a 10 minute break, or had an hour to kill until the next activity, I had some easy, enjoyable reading to turn to. I will turn to the same kind of book if I should run into another busy period during the year.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful fun tells of murder

I'm going to review this as I read. The first story I read was:

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Leslie Langtry
I just loved this story. It is the first I have read by this author but won't be the last. There were moments I was laughing out loud. It is set to the theme of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. But such a different take on it. When you read why the victims are being killed, you won't have any sympathy for them. I started to wait about reviewing until I had read all the stories but this one was so good that just this one alone was worth what I paid for the collection!

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have loved these stories so much because I already loved the series but I think that most of them could be enjoyed almost as much for a first time reader. I say almost because visited old friends is such a delight. I say "first time reader" instead of "as a stand alone" because once you get to know the characters, they will be friends for life. I don't know how long the donation to Toys for Tots will last but that alone is enough reason to grab the book even if you are not a fan of cozy/light mysteries.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories that centers around the holidays. There are many great stories featuring some favorite series such as Tahoe Tessie, Franki Amato, and The Bombay Family. They will give a good chuckle and are bite sized morsels perfect for this time of year when things are so busy.

I was provided a copy of this manuscript from the publisher, I voluntarily chose to submit my review.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful collection of stories from authors known and unknown to me. I will definitely have to go back and read the Bombay family assassins books as it has been several years since I laughed my way through them! Some of the other authors I have read and enjoyed more recently, and the rest have introduced me to authors that I need to get to know better. This is the perfect format for checking out unfamiliar authors!
I was happy to see that a portion of the proceeds goes to Toys For Tots!

[KIM · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK quick reads

Of the 10 shorts in this book I loved Leslie Langtry's Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas. I have already purchased more of this series. I enjoyed most of the others except for the first book by Gemma Halliday, in fact I amost didn't read on after Baby It's Cold Outside. Glad now I finished the rest as it brought me to a author which is why I like reading these compalations by various authors.

[Christine Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book of short stories at all! I thought this was going to be Christmas mystery short stories. Some of the stories mentioned Christmas but there was no mystery. Some were just poorly written and were plain boring. If all the stories there was only one I really liked and would consider another book from the author. Don't waste your time with this book if you're looking for a holiday book.

[Mariko Tsubaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved collections of short stories. This was a cheap and fun way of finding new authors and series. You will receive eleven short Christmas themed stories for under $5.00. I found a few old favorites along with some new ones.
I received an ARC from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysteries galore!! Great collection of cozy mysteries! When you are looking for something suspenseful, humorous, a little romance or even bonus recipes to read. The stories are short but complete, they stick to the plot without loads of fillers. I have some favorites but thoroughly enjoyed them all!!

[Ann Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining

I especially liked the style of, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Not to be not-picky, but a panther can't be a vegetarian. No cat can be a vegetarian - they have to have meat, it's just the way they're made. They'll go blind and/or have other health problems if they don't have meat. But it was a good story otherwise.

[Yvonne Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the Christmas season and what better than a book of short Christmas stories. Each story will make you smile and give you that "feel good " sensation. So , pick up this set, I promise you a good time.

I was gifted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I purchased this collection because it didn't cost very much and I have read a few of the authors previously, but I can't honestly say I liked it. I skimmed many of the stories - they just didn't catch my interest. Guess I'm just not a fan of shorts.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Great stories by all the authors now I can't wait to read their series. I think you will like them too

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed all the stories in this grouping. Will definitely go look at some of the books in the series.

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - I do not know why but I just can't read short stories. I read the first three and just didn't want to keep going.