Mistletoe and Mischief: A Collection of Magical Holiday Tales

by Melanie Karsak

Limited Edition Holiday Collection!

Sixteen magical holiday stories from NY Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. This collection will whisk you from Christmas season in steampunk London to Yule celebrations with the coven to Hanukkah celebrations with a supernatural twist. Battle Krampus, ghosts, vampires, demons, and a hell of an eggnog hangover in this special collection of paranormal, horror, urban fantasy, and steampunk holiday tales.

PEPPERMINT AND PENTACLES: A Steampunk Christmas Fairy Tale by Melanie Karsak
HELL'S SILVER BELLS by Margo Bond Collins
A HARKER CHRISTMAS by Erin Hayes
POINSETTIAS and POLTERGEISTS: A Southern Stones Short by Blaire Edens
HEARTLESS IN NEW ORLEANS by Pauline Creeden
ALL IS BRIGHT by Jayne Fury
MISTLETOE AND MONSTERS by Katie Hayoz
THAT OLD FAMILIAR FEELING by S. K. Gregory
'TWAS THE NIGHT by Evan Winters
HOLIDAY MAGIC by Carrie L. Wells
FESTIVAL OF GASLIGHTS by Bokerah Brumley
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST by Anna Albergucci
DAWN by T.K. Bradley
THE TOWN IN THE MOUNTAIN by Angelique Archer & J. Mills
EGGNOG & EXORCISM by Deb Christie & Margo Bond Collins
HIGH TIDE HOLIDAY by Ella Malone

Genres: Christmas, Fantasy, Short Stories, Paranormal, Anthologies, Steampunk, Holiday

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2016

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling historical fantasy author Melanie Karsak is the author of the Celtic Blood series, Steampunk Red Riding Hood, Steampunk Fairy Tales, the Road to Valhalla Series, and other works of fantasy and fiction. The author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

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Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mistletoe and Mischief is a Christmas Anthology collection compiled by Melanie Karsak in 2017. She has the first novella-length story, and quite frankly it is the best of the bunch. Like most anthologies, this one is uneven. Some of the stories are just a few pages long. Those are among the worst. As a whole, I would say the stories slant toward fantasy-paranormal-horror-steampunk. Karsak’s novella is fully one quarter of the book. For me, (full disclosure, I am biased. I love her horror work) if it had just been her story, I probably would have bumped it to 4 stars. I would have preferred there would have been fewer, longer better-edited stories. Sure, they are all holiday-themed, but some are just not good, which is odd considering that most of these stories are written from established urban-fantasy type authors. It struck me as a quickly prepared compilation where some of the stories do not fit the established parameters but were included anyway as participation trophies.

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

Incredibly uneven collection of short stories. A couple were good, but several seemed incomplete. Save your time and find something else.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

16 paranormal short stories about Christmas. This was a freebie from Amazon. I haven't heard of any of these authors.

Melanie Karsak - 2 stars. Heroine is kind of slow on the uptake. This seems like part of a series, although I had no problem following along. Victorian Steampunk. Characters didn't sound like they were from England. Didn't sound like they were in the 1860s either.

Margo Bond Collins - 3 stars. Contemporary paranormal. VERY short. We get the bare bones of a story. Part of a series, but I was able to read it without a lot of explanation. I would have liked more.

Erin Hayes - 2 stars. A short bit from an established series. Not a fan.

Blaire Edens - 3 stars. Another short bit from an established series. Liked this one, but too short.

Pauline Creeden - 5 stars. - Now this is what I'm talk'in about! Great steam punk story set in New Orleans. Loved it!

Jayne Fury - 4 stars. I liked this one too. More fantasy/scifi, not really Christmas. Still, the loss the heroine feels comes across.

Katie Hayoz - 4 stars. Another winner! You are a monster killer with a heart. Very good short story.

S.K. Gregory - 3 stars. Witches in this one & not much Christmas. Still an ok story with some twists to keep it interesting.

Evan Winters - 5 stars. Great Christmas vampire story. Small Kentucky town with resident vampires.

Carrie L. Wells - 1 star - 4 pages of WTH is this? Worst story in this collection.

Bokerah Brumley - 3 stars. Pretty short magical Jewish do gooders.

Anna Albergucci - 3 stars. Very depressing story about a Confederate officer who loses it all one Christmas.

T.K. Bradley - 4 stars. Christmas day in post apocalyptic America.

Angelique Archer & J. Mills - 3 stars. This started out so good & the ending ruined it. Strange small town in the mountains sacrifices tourists to a monster.

Deb Christie & Margo Bonds Collins - 3 stars. OK story about a Wiccan coming into her powers in time for Christmas.

Ella Malone - 1 star. Pointless story about mermaids that ends before it even begins. Not sure why this is a Christmas story.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of winter holiday short stories, mostly centred on/about Chirstmas/Yule.

My favourite of the bunch was Festival of Gaslights by Bokerah Brumley, both for the storytelling and the spirit of the story. I also enjoyed High Tide Holiday by Ella Malone, which was very short but I loved to focus of the story, and would definitely like to hear more about that world. I also liked Peppermint and Pentacles by Melanie Karsak, which I read back when I started this collection two years ago so the details are a bit fuzzy.

I read this for Holiday Book Bingo, both this year and when I started back in 2017. I think I can officially say I'm not a seasonal reader. I rarely finish anything seasonal "on time" , and this time I managed it, but it took two years! That's okay - it was still a fun way to get excited about the holiday season and read so many stories set in different times and settings.

Please note: Tag indicate there is *a* story of that genre (not the whole collection)

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these short stories deserve more than 3 stars, and some deserve less. So, I’ve placed the entire collection in the 3 star category. I wouldn’t mind reading more from a couple of these authors.

[Keith Beasley-Topliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmassy fun and spookiness

This collection of novellas and short stories features fantasy both light and dark, most with a Christmas connection of some sort. Many are also connected with existing or forthcoming works. So the collection offers the authors a chance to introduce themselves. Some I might follow up on. Others not likely.
The one constant in the collection was poor proofreading: misspelling, homonym substitions (like the last tail about a mermaid who'd lost her tale), random use of apostrophes, and mangled quotations. Big rush to get things in and available for Christmas?

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/03/2017)! 💝

[Julian White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of tales with an end-of-year holiday theme (not all Christmas-related) and I think all female protagonists... Variable in length and quality - the best is probably the first story (and the longest - 25% of the total length) by Melanie Karsak; one or two others are good and certainly terasers for authors I may look out for. A few are barely puffs, introducing a story that is not then completed (or followed through at all).

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a great short story collection, this isn't it. But if you want to go to a nice cocktail party and chitchat with a number of new authors to see who might be interesting or have potential, this is the book for you. The quality is uneven here for sure - some entries are more like brief character sketches or even plot outlines, while others are richer. Some of the short ones will make you want more, while some of the long ones may lead to "never again" - and vice versa. Still, like any good cocktail party, you can decide who to talk to and when to say, "Excuse me, I think I need another drink now."

[Jennifer Prescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

(1) "Peppermint and Pentacles" by Melanie Karsak Rated 5★ Interesting concept, I usually don't like Steampunk, but I'm interested in this series! (2) "Hell's Silver Bells" by Margo Bond Collins Rated 4★ I liked this story, interested in reading more by this author in this series. (3) "A Harker Christmas" by Erin Hayes Rated 3★ enjoyed this *super short* story, interested in more.... (4) "Poinsettias and Poltergeists" by Blaire Edens Rated 3★ prequel story to series, would be interested in this series and/or author. (5) "Heartless in New Orleans" by Pauline Creeden Rated 3★ very short story, but interesting concept. (6) "All is Bright" by Jayne Fury Rated 4★ interesting story. (7) "Mistletoe and Monsters" by Katie Hayoz Rated 4★ another interesting concept, steampunk style. "Clockwork Siren series". (8) "That Old Familiar Feeling" by S.K. Gregory Rated 3★ interesting. (9) "'Twas the Night" by Evan Winters Rated 3★ interesting take on vampires.... (10) "Holiday Magic" by Carrie L. Wells Rated 2★ very short story, may be interested in more by this author in the future. (11) "Festival of Gaslights" by Bokerah Brumley Rated 3★ sweet short Chanakah story. (12) "The Ghost of Christmas Past" by Anna Albergucci Rated 5★ prelude to book coming soon, "Whispers Among the Pines" which features Liam, I'm very interested in reading that! (13) "Dawn" by T.K. Bradley Rated 4★ interesting post-apopolyptic storyline, is continued in "Shade", which I'm interested in reading. (14) "The Town in the Mountain" by Angelique Archer & J. Mills Rated 4★ very attention grabbing story. Well written and unexpected. (15) "Eggnog and Exorcism" by Deb Christie and Margo Bond Collins Rated 5★ super wickedly unique! Definitely want to check out "Vodka & Vengeance: Mixology Magic" series when it comes out! (16) "High Tide Holiday" by Ella Malone Rated 2★ too short to get much of a feeling, but may check out author's other works. Rated (all): 4★ A good mix of holiday paranormal with a variety of tropes.

[Sara Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great short. Would love to see this as a longer story as it has great potential

[Lena Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining collection

Overall this collection of stories was entertaining. Most of the stories are stand-alone but tie-in to existing or upcoming series.
My favorite stories were "Peppermint and Pentacles" and "All is Bright". Peppermint and Pentacles is the first and the longest story in this collection. It is an exciting mystery with romantic elements. The plot was very clever and the characters were interesting and authentic. I also liked that the romance was sweet and not over the top. All is Bright was emotional and heartbreaking. It introduced me to a world and characters I would love to explore in other works.
The rest of the stories were entertaining though not particularly memorable. The main reason I am giving this collection a 4 instead of a five is it ended on a low note. I did not enjoy the last story in the collection. It lacked a sense of completeness, feeling like a scene plucked from a larger work and not a complete story. It was lacking in background information and the plot was weak to non-existent. It also did not like the characters.
Overall I would recommend picking up this collection.

[Emmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why, oh why did I attempt this anthology? I unsubscribe from newsletters when the plug them. Inapt writers trying to ride on coattails or hope a lot of people want a "steal" for X many stories for $0.99. Even free - as it was today. If I could only recall whose email offered this freebie ...

I haven't heard of most of the contributing writer wannabes and I tried several. They were utterly so beneath unimpressive and uninteresting , I started scrolling - just because it was more interesting than the characters and words. I think it bored me so much I started word searching at random, you know, just because, well •that• was more fun?

Obviously unedited and ramblings put together with hopes everyone will download and catapult these people on a best seller list. Smh. It used to be a privilege and ard work to get on that list. These days, anyone can do it.

It's a shame and I wouldn't recommend this book. It doesn't even qualify for the one star ....
If I had a hard copy, I wouldn't even keep it long enough to start fires in my fireplace through the winter.

[IslandRiverScribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entry is much better than it's predecessor, "Savage and Silver." As a short story, it is well laid out and complete from beginning to end and, yet, there is a legitimate hook for a sequel. We get more information about both Blaize Silver and her mysterious companion, Wolf. And the action scenes in the climax are both chilling and psychologically intense.

My main complaint, which caused a four-star rather than a five-star rating, is that the author does not seem to have done her due diligence in the physical research for the short story. The cities of Sweet Grass, Montana (where the story opens) and the town of Creede, Colorado (where the majority of the action takes place) do exist. But no one with any knowledge of the area - historical or residential - would ever include Montana or Colorado as being part of the American Southwest, the area that the author continually reinforces as the area to which Blaize's curse painfully and physically limits her.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Christmas-themed instalment in the steampunk Little Red Riding Hood series was a very fun read. Starring the kickass Little Red, this time working alongside her new (and very hunky!) boss Agent Hunter, as they fight an unknown foe to save the missing children and, ultimately, Christmas. I also really enjoyed the appearances of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and am very in love with Red's Grand-Mère (despite all the "oranges and lemons", which made me want to scream at times!!). The only downside to the story was the number of spelling and grammar errors, including missing words (hence 4* instead of 5), but this is something that can be somewhat overlooked (though not entirely!!) in the name of a good read, when it's legible overall! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and would definitely recommend it to all adult fairytale lovers, or those who love their supernatural and paranormal stories with a "happy ever after" ending.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short story that leaves you wanting more and leaves you filled with intrigue. But there were FAR too many adjectives. I felt as though everything was described to death where it actually took away from the story and what was actually going on. I felt as if the pacing was slowed down and a story that could have been thrilling was bogged down. If I picked up a book and it started like this I'm not sure if I would have finished it. But it was free, and I do love short stories. I feel like this one had great potential, but got lost in too many words.

[Julie Baswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen had waited three long days for Milton to be buried. She couldn’t have lasted much longer. She had to get the key. The key that would allow her freedom. The key that would keep her alive.

This was a very short story previously published, that only took ten minutes to read. It may be short, but it captures you from the start, and keeps you wondering where it is going to lead. Weird and creepy, but very entertaining. It makes you want to know how everything came about, and more so, how it continues.

[Amy Webster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh...While some of the stories were OK, others were not. The best ones are first in the book and it goes downhill from there. There are too many really good things to read to waste much time on this book. The editors do take time to give a bit of information about each author if you really find one you like, but I certainly didn't.

It's tough to do a credible job with paranormal subject matter and this book proves that point admirably.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, light reading

These are easy, light short stories. I would probably give 3 or 4 stars except there were way too many typos and grammatical mistakes. I don't understand how it is that a book can get published with soooo many mistakes. I'm a freelance proofreader, and it's just too easy and cheap to get someone to proof your work before it gets out there for people to read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Mischief and Mistletoe by Stacy Reid. This delightful romance starts with a mischievous young woman playing matchmaker for her mother and winds up with her falling into her own trap. I love the older couple in this story as they are so sweet with their stolen glances and obvious shyness in approaching each other, but the steamy attraction between Callie and Graham is scorching hot! Great characters and a lovely plot make for a quick page turner.

[Stephanie Bolen · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good stories and really bad ones

I'd skip the last half of the book unless you actively read any of the authors. Nothing stood out as extraordinary and there were some that weren't even full short stories. Heck, I think the last one in the back is too short to even be the three chapters most publishers require for novel submissions. I'd rather read five decent short stories than 10 of various qualities but, I'm old school like that.

[Kat Gracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have only read S. K. Gregory's story so far, but I will update as I read the rest of the stories. That Old Familiar Feeling was a great story. I loved the author's take on familiar's and their role with witches. Stone seems like an interesting character and I would have liked to have read more about him, but my favorite character is Ebony. She kicks butt. Very enjoyable.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peppermint and Pentacles by Melanie Karsak
A fast fun and entertaining story.
Clemeny is a agent for the Red Cape Society and hunts werewolves.
Agent Hunter is her boss and puts her in a different case but can they stop the thing that is kidnapping children if they don't know what it is?
I wonder if Clemeny will ever find out who her mother is?

[Tim Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good collection

I don't usually care for anthologies. They tend to bre more boring stories than any thing else. This collection though has a good set tales. I found only two I didnt care for. That said the best stories in my opinion were thee novella at the beginning of the book and the story by Pauleen Creeden.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It ranges from 3-4 stars.

All the stories were enjoyable. The longer ones were the best. Some were too short to really be anything. All in All, fun to read. Christmas with paranormal instead of some heartwarming contemporary. I could read more Christmas books if they were like some of the stories in here.

[Andretta Schellinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good collection

This is a good collection of stories that range from hunters to innocents to mermaids and everything inbetween. There is hate, there is love, there are sexy men and women. Give it a chance there is at least one story that will grab you.

[Karen Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly uneven collection, in terms of quality and length - a couple are barely a blurb set in an established world. But there are some fun bits mixed in that tempt me to try out some new authors, so I won't complain.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Collection With Something For Everyone

The first story is probably my favorite, but I skipped a few as they weren't my taste. Some were more holiday related and some were stretches, but it a nice way to pass the time.

[Lisa Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take what you want and leave the rest

I didn't like all the stories, more than half. However the stories I did like I have already looked up the authors for more of their stories. For the amount of money I spent on it I am ok with how it turned out.

[Treena Beavers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very unique selection of seasonal short stories.
A range of diffrent styles from Steam punk to witches & demons it's a great way to try something new.

I love these multi author sets I always find a new favourite to follow.