I'm Your Santa by Lori Foster

The Christmas Present by Lori Foster 
Levi and Beth had an out of control weekend after Beth discovered that her fiance cheated on her. Since then she has been running from Levi, ashamed of herself. Levi doesn't want it to be over. This story was another hard one to get into. I was uncomfortable with the stalker-ish behavior of Levi, the bases were covered with her family present and at some point I got into it. The other thing is I think this goes with a series I haven't read.
It's A Wonderful Life by Karen Kelley
Playboy actor Jeremy Hunter has to try to live the life to learn and earn his next role. Along the way he finds out a whole lot more than he expected. This story was very sweet and pretty loosely a Christmas story though there were shades of it. My only complaint is the length, I felt pretty rushed., 
Home For Christmas by Dianne Castell
This story was extremely confusing. I found myself going back and rereading whole pages multiple times to see if I was missing something. The air of mystery is really just confusing and the flow was very rushed. I also didn't much care for the premise. Lulu and "handsome" are a great characters, even if I didn't care for their names, and they seem to have some chemistry. Really though the story could have been so much better. This one is my least favorite in the book. 

Overall this anthology is average. ~Michelle 

Legally Hot Anthology

Legally Hot Anthology ~V^^^V

Sheila's Passion by Lora Leigh- This has all the trappings of what you expect from Lora Leigh. The first 5 pages are a vividly described intense sexual scene. It ends in some high school type drama and proceeds from there. There were pages where I was on board with the hero and others where I was on board with Sheila but mostly nothing really stuck out as original. I gave it an OK rating but I don't feel more stars are warranted because its much like any other LL you may have already read.

Deadly Dance by Cheyenne McCray- This was a VERY sweet romance. Despite the length it was never rushed and though there were a few time jumps it wasn't disrupting. I liked how the romance progressed smoothing and slowly and the story felt whole. 

Caught by Red Gardnier- I don't know how I feel about this one. I kept reading to see what would happen but really didn't feel rewarded. The whole story is pretty dark and disturbing. Meghan came off as a little clingy and desperate and Cody was the typical "I'm ruining my own life and your for your own good" guy. It got on my nerves. The back story was pretty gruesome but definitely has potential I just feel like, in my opinion, it petered out rather than really exploding. ~Michelle 

Blood Lite Anthology

Blood Lite (Blood Lite #1) ~V^^^V

by Kevin J. Anderson, Nancy Kilpatrick, Jeff Strand, Don D'Ammassa, Charlaine Harris, Sharyn McCrumb, Steven Savile, Jim Butcher 

The Horror Writers Association Presents Blood Lite...a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in An Evening with Al Gore...

In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a Harry's Day Off for the Chicago P.D.'s wizard detective, Harry Dresden...

Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in Where Angels Fear to Tread...

Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, inKelley Armstrong's The Ungrateful Dead.

Plus tales guaranteed to get under your skin - in a good way - from:
* Janet Berliner
* Don D'Ammassa
* Nancy Holder
* Nancy Kilpatrick
* J. A. Konrath
* F. Paul Wilson
* Joe R. Lansdale
* Will Ludwigsen
* Sharyn McCrumb
* Mark Onspaugh
* Mike Resnick
* Steven Savile
* D. L. Snell
* Eric James Stone
* Jeff Strand
* Lucien Soulban
* Matt Venne
* Christopher Welch

So let the blood flow and laughter reign - because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way
!

I read two of the stories in this Anthology. 

The first "Where Angels Fear to Tread" by Sherrilyn Kenyon, says "Dark Hunter World" but I really didn't think it was related. I also didn't recognize it as any other SK series I read. However despite the shortness of the story it was still quite interesting and had all the usual things that hook me into one of Sherrilyn's stories. 


The Ungrateful Dead by Kelley Armstrong was a Women of the Otherworld novella. Necromancer Jaime has a run in with a truly awful ghost. When calling in help to banish him, Savannah comes to "help". It was an amusing story and some what frustrating. I can see what Jaime means when she says the "dead can be way too needy". ~Michelle 

Otherworld Stories by Kelley Armstrong PART 1

This is a review of the novellas, and other short stories or deleted scenes form the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. There are so many that again I will do two parts, check back for the second half. 

 Men of the Otherworld ~V^^^^V
An excellent collection of short stories involving Werewolf Alpha Jeremy and his "son" Clayton. I thoroughly enjoyed the background stories on both of them. I am anxious to go ahead and begin the full length novels.

Tales of the Otherworld ~V^^^^V
I am going to review just Bewitched because I haven't seen it listed separately anywhere. Bewitched is the story of Eve and Kristof's meeting. Eve trains Kristof and soon things start to develop, before they are in love. Just when things can't be anymore perfect Kristof's father interferes. I really liked this story and was heart broken by the ending. I am curious however to meet these two again later in the full length novels. 

The whole collection of Otherworld short stories is excellent. I suggest reading this if you are checking out the Otherworld novels. 


Rebirth ~V^^^V
Well it was very short but I liked it. This was my very first Kelley Armstrong story. I met Aaron and learned of his "turning" into a vampire. He was quite reluctant to live that way and met Cassandra who helped convince him to keep on living. I liked the writing style and am intrigued by this world Kelley Armstrong has written. I am going to keep on reading.


Infusion ~V^^V
The story of Malcolm finding and impregnating Jeremy's mother. We get glimpses into Malcolm's mind, which is all kinds of sick, as well as insight into what might be the differences in Jeremy. Obviously Jeremy's grandfather is the sane one. It was short and not necessary to read but you might as well.



Savage~V^^^^^V
The story of how Jeremy found and raised Clayton as his own. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I gained an in depth understanding of how Clayton's mind works. I also saw Jeremy in a less overbearing light. Well I guess I saw him as more of a mother than anything else. I laughed quite a bit while at the same time I found some parts evoking other emotions. Overall its an excellent story, a must read.

Ascension ~V^^^^^V
This short is about Jeremy's coming to power. How much that had to do with Clayton and how sick Malcolm was. I liked this one for the insiders look at Clayton's way of thinking but there were times when I was freaked out. Nonetheless I really enjoyed this one. I recommend this one to complete your Otherworld reading.

Demonology~V^^^V
This story is of Talia, a young single mother who has a child with some strange "abilities". She is on the hunt to figure out what is "wrong" with her son, when she meets Robert Vasic. They meet at which point she becomes convinced he has answers for her. This story was short and though I don't know any if any of these characters appear later in the Otherworld I am definitely intrigued. I think I am really going to enjoy this series.

Birthright~V^^^V
The story of Logan joining the pack. He doesn't know his father or anything or really anything about himself. A letter arrives in the mail with a name and address which he follows. The story is short but gives you a quick background on a few characters. I thought it was OK, just wish it was longer but in the grand scheme of things I think I will get plenty of Otherworld by the time I am through.

Beginnings ~V^^^V

A very short story telling us why Clayton bit Elena. The insight into his mental workings is always fun. I also saw Elena in a new light. I am not sure how I feel about her yet but we will see how I feel after reading Bitten. Another unnecessary read but you might as well.

Becoming ~V^^^V
Excellent inclinations and an interesting look into Elena's change. I still need to read the full length books but according to reading order I am doing this correctly. I think I will have a very thorough knowledge of all the Otherworld players by the time I start Bitten. I am really enjoying the whole thing so far.

The Case of the Half Demon Spy ~V^^^V
A cute little story about Adam and Paige's first spying case. We meet them as two close friends in their teen years. Looking to stop a possible spy for the good of Adam's father. There are hints of later romance between the two, should be interesting to find out what becomes of them as adults.

Expectations ~V^^^V
The youngest Cortez excepts a job t o steal some Grimwar from Eve. We get a glimpse at Savannah and a reminder that Eve kicks major ass. This story was another really short one but it was worth it.

Truth & Consequences ~V^^^V
The first story written of Elena. As a paranormal investigator she and her partners are looking into a story of werewolves. This story was super short but it did show how kick as Elena can be. I liked it.


Territorial ~V^^^V
I am thinking that this short story is about how a deal was struck between Karl and Daniel? I am not to sure, there was definitely plenty of back story layed out for Karl so I can honestly say going into a story with him I will have a real character understanding. Alright, time for the next short.

Ghosts ~V^^V
This is a Otherworld short about Werewolf Alpha Jeremy. He is haunted by ghosts of memories of decisions he has made. It mostly just gives you some insight into his personality and his father figure mentality to his pack. It is really just a refresher of the events from Bitten. Another great short, for anyone who is committed to the Otherworld series.

Escape ~V^^^V
Eve and her daughter Savannah have been kidnapped. This short gives a little background about the two and mentions a few other names that you will come to know in the series. The story is a hear tin your throat cliffhanger. I NEED to read the full length story to find out what happens.

Wedding Bell Hell ~V^^^V
A cute story about the stress of planning a wedding. Paige and Lucas are counting down the days to their wedding and trying to make all the decisions. It reminded me of the stress of my own wedding. It is well written and understandable for everyone either planning or who has planned a wedding.

 

Adventurer ~V^^V

This Otherworld short is about Kenneth, a shaman. He helps Jeremy the Werewolf Alpha get a set of blueprints for an upcoming event. It really doesn't have much bearing on the overall story and was very short. If you like the Otherworld stories and want all the information you can get, go ahead and read it.

Bargain ~V^^^V
A short story where Xavier plots to get Elena's help in collecting the "From Hell" letter. This is just a back story, it really has no barring in the entire story and will not give insight to anyone who is unfamiliar with the Otherworld.

The Case of El Chupacabra ~V^^^V
This is really just a look into how Paige and Lucas found an office and really established themselves. We get insights into Paige and Adam's friendship. A look at the power that Lucas' father wields and see how much Paige and Lucas love each other. Savannah and Cassandra are awesome. Frankly I love the lunatic Cassandra and Savannah has no problem calling her out. I was cracking up. We also have an inspiring story of Sean. He finds the courage to say no to expectations and come out of the closet. A fun but unnecessary read. I say do it anyway.


Framed ~V^^^V
This short story is for the Nick fans. He is drugged and blackmailed. Not wanting to cry to the pack he handles it on his own. There is no barring on the series as a whole, it is merely a look into Nick's mind and his daily life. ~Michelle