Book Review: Holiday With a Vampire

Holiday With A Vampire: Christmas Cravings/Fate Calls

Authors: Maureen Child, Caridad Pineiro

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Published December 1, 2007, by Silhouette/Harlequin
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampire Romance, Christmas Romance

OVERALL RATING:



Usually, I find novels much more appealing than short stories, since there’s ample attention devoted to character development, world-building, and so forth.  However, I also enjoy treating myself to the short literary form, especially in the case of romance, whether paranormal or not.

This book, the first in a series dealing with Christmas and vampires, contains two stories, as do the subsequent two volumes.  The idea of combining the undead with the holy, joyful season of Christmas is a fascinating one.  I prepared myself to be delighted.

The first story, “Christmas Cravings”, by Maureen Child, certainly gave me the desired effect.  The hero, Grayson Stone, craves love, and still grieves for the family, as well as the humanity, he lost one Christmas Eve, at the hands of a brutal vampire.  He meets Tessa Franklin, a human woman on the run from an abusive stalker.  

Although I did think a couple of things in this story were a bit contrived, overall, it successfully combined the poignant vampire longing for normality with the peace, love and beauty of the Christmas season.  Yes, the love story was a bit rushed, but still, quite satisfactory.  Furthermore, the ending, in which a true Christmas miracle takes place, had me in tears.  

It’s too bad this story was not published by itself.  I give it the following rating:

What followed next, titled “Fate Calls”, by Caridad Pineiro, was a terrible disappointment.   

In sharp contrast to the first story, this one had only a smidgen of the true Christmas spirit, and even that was marred by very graphic depictions of sex, which included some bondage, that totally disgusted me.  Yes, the heroine volunteers to stand at a mall corner, dressed as Santa Claus, ringing a bell to collect donations for the poor.  However, the vampire she meets, Hadrian, is a jaded, cynical creature who not only actively dislikes Christmas, but Christians, as well.  The author has vampires being persecuted by Emperor Constantine’s “sun worshippers” (in other words, Christians) in ancient Rome. 

In spite of “the happy ending”, which is very forced, this story did not give me any warm, fuzzy feelings   The Christmas spirit?  Hardly there.  Love and romance?  Very dubiously depicted. 

I give it the following rating:

Unfortunately, the editor who combined these two very different stories did not show much discernment.  The second story brings down my overall rating for the book to only two stars.

Fan Fiction: "Twilight Into Night" (One-Shot)

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight Saga. These are Stephenie Meyer's characters, and no copyright infringement is intended, now, or at any time in the future, near or far.

So the twilight deepened into night, and still you held me, and we both watched the moon rise, our breaths mingling with the soft night breeze.  You whispered to me as you bent your head to my own, and I did not understand the words, for they seemed to be in an unknown tongue. 

Then you smiled gently into my eyes, and I understood you were telling me you loved me.  I had been too breathless to take the words in before.  I did not focus on them, but on your face, nearly invisible in the low light.  Your eyes gleamed as they stared into mine, and I sighed. 

I had no wish to be anywhere but in your arms that night.

“Edward…”  Your name slipped out on a breath, and so, of course, you kissed me. 

“I love the sound of my name on your lips,” you said, as you made me more comfortable in the circle of your arms.

I sighed again, and you caressed my hair as I sank as much into you as possible without entirely losing myself. 

Then you began to hum, softly at first, until you formed words to fit the melody, and began to sing.  Your song wafted into my heart as tenderly as the night breeze caressed the moon, and the trees, and the silvery leaves of grass that formed a natural carpet beneath us.

You sang of our love.  You sang of the impossible love between a human girl and a vampire boy, and of how that love would conquer and endure, despite all obstacles.

I really began to wish it were daytime, so I could see you sparkling, asking myself, once again, if all that we had so far gone through was real.  But then, you’re just as glorious in the moonlight.  Your paleness creates a pool of awed silence around you, and I sit very quietly at your side, wondering if you will suddenly flit away like a fluttering leaf, leaving me alone once more.

“What are you thinking?”  Your melodious voice raised the hairs on the back of my neck. 

“Why have you stopped singing?”  I turned to look up at you, at your shimmering, golden gaze.

You smiled again, and I blushed, ducking my head.  Blushing is an uncontrollable habit of mine.

“It’s not quite fair to answer a question with another question, is it now?”

“Guess not!”  I was grinning as I looked up at you again.

Then suddenly the night wind shifted, and so did he.  I could feel the uneasiness in him, the coiled power as he suddenly sprang to his feet, completely alert to our surroundings.

“What is it?”  I asked, my heart now pounding furiously.  No matter how much I strain my ears, I cannot possibly hear sounds as well as he can.

But then I heard it, too  – a melancholy cry, the howl of a wolf in pain.  Edward’s face tightened, and I felt the pain anew.

It was Jacob, of course, expressing his soul’s agony.  It was the agony of a boy deeply in love with a girl who loved him too, although her heart irrevocably belonged to another…

“Come on, Bella.”  Edward spoke softly, but I heard the tone of command in his voice.  “It’s time I got you back home.”

He helped me to my feet, and I climbed onto his back for my usual return ride to my truck.

Without a backward glance, we sped away from our meadow, as dark clouds swept across the moon, stealing away its pearly light.

Blingee: "Eternal Soulmates"

This is another blingee I created at blingee.com.  I really have to get back to making more, especially since we're in the Christmas season! 



Personalized Glitter Graphics

Book Review: The Forbidden Game

The Forbidden Game
L.J. Smith
Trade Paperback, 750 pages

Simon Pulse, June 8, 2010

(first published 1994)

Horror, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

I read this back in October, finishing it exactly on Halloween night.  That's the right time of year to get into this book, because certain events in it do take a bit of a macabre turn, which is not my usual cup of tea, considering my opinion of the horror genre.  However, Smith is such a masterful, imaginative storyteller that the book kept me hooked all the way to the end.  It takes a remarkable writer to be able to maintain a reader's interest even when that reader isn't quite comfortable with what's going on in the story.

This is actually an omnibus edition, containing three books previously published separately: The Hunter, The Chase, and The Kill. 

At the beginning of the first book, a group of high school friends get together one night, in order to celebrate a birthday.  Tom, Jenny Thornton's boyfriend, is a star athlete, and her childhood sweetheart.  Jenny wants him to have a very special birthday party, so she goes shopping for a special game, one which will ensure everyone, including Tom, will have a good time.

She does purchase a game, packaged in a simple white box, from a mysterious, silver-haired boy named Julian, whom she meets in a very mysterious store that specializes in all kinds of weird items. 

Once she and her friends open the box and start to play, they realize this is much more than an ordinary party game.  It's an actual portal into the Shadow World, where each of the friends will have to confront their most dreaded nightmares.  This is where I nearly stopped reading, except that I couldn't.  I just had to see what lay beyond that portal.... 

Jenny, the female protagonist of all three books, turns out to be Julian's obsession.  He is a Shadow Man, and has been observing her from his world ever since her birth.  He's madly in love with her; in fact, he stages the first game, as well as the subsequent ones, for the sole purpose of winning her love.  Although this sounds very romantic, Julian's behavior actually becomes scary.  He has all of the characteristics of a stalker, dangerously bent on attaining the one girl he knows he's not supposed to have, the girl he's drawn to like a moth to the flame...

The second book is even scarier; all but one of the friends have emerged from the game, which has subsequently been stolen. Julian devises new riddles to keep the friends in his web of mystery, which means they must constantly attempt to solve them, as the consequences, if they do not, can be deadly. 

This book also introduces Aba, Dee's wise, artistic grandmother, who loves to tell African fables. She's also a great help to the group of friends as they do their best to outwit Julian.

In this book as well as the third, the group is drawn into a new game -- a "treasure hunt", as Julian calls it.  The prize is a double one, and all the friends are very motivated to attain it.... 

As is evident from what I've written thus far, this is a fascinatingly complex story, full of very unexpected twists and turns, scary suspense, and even some very touching moments.  The end, too, is totally unexpected.  I was saddened and surprised, but realized that it was a totally fitting ending, nevertheless.

The story has strongly drawn characters.  I especially like Jenny. Her strength comes from what she is -- a truly innocent soul.  She therefore possesses the power of Good, although she's not aware of this.  She is very loyal to her boyfriend, Tom, in spite of the fact that she initially feels a very powerful attraction to Julian.  She is also the stabilizing center of her group of friends, the natural leader, even though no one has appointed her to this role.  She simply grows into it through her actions, which are geared to keeping her friends safe.  She feels responsible for them, knowing that, if it weren't for Julian's obsession with her, they wouldn't have been dragged into these strange, spooky adventures.

Dee is another of my favorite characters. She too, is a strong heroine, but in the physical sense, as Jenny is in the spiritual sense.  Dee is totally fearless, confronting evil head-on.  She has an intellectual side to her, however, which she downplays because she mistakenly believes she's inferior in this area. She, too, is a leader within the group, and a great ally to Jenny.

Then there's Julian.  He seems to be the quintessentially evil villain --  at least, at first.  But his love for Jenny changes him in unexpected ways. Unfortunately, he's not willing to accept these changes, as he feels they make him too vulnerable. At the end of the book, the reader is almost ready to forgive him for all his nefarious deeds, and he has become more of a dark, tragic hero.  Highly compelling stuff, this!  You want to hate him, but somehow, you can't, not completely.  He reminds me a bit of Damon in The Vampire Diaries, although I would say that Julian is much more attractive, as well as much more fascinating.

Jenny's boyfriend, Tom, emerges as a rather lackluster figure. Although he definitely loves Jenny, he doesn't seem to have the strong personality needed to fight for her love. I found him far less appealing than Julian, who simply took my breath away on more than one occasion, even as I practically bit my nails at the fear he inspired in me... Paradoxically, bad boys sometimes seem much more interesting than good boys.

I really loved the way the story wound itself around my mind, with all of its weird adventures, its gloomy atmosphere, and that sense of the uncanny that Smith handles so well. The book was constantly in my thoughts even when I wasn't actually reading it.

L.J. Smith has once again entertained and enthralled me with her characters, her incredibly rich powers of invention, and the flow of her story. She always  captures my attention, immersing me in the tale until the very last word has been read.  I might even want to re-read this collection at some future time!

MY RATING:

My Very First Blog Award!

Well, there I was, having just another boring old Hump Day at work -- this past Wednesday -- so I decided to sneak a peek at my blog to see if I had gotten any new followers, or maybe Rob Pattinson had left a comment, or something...

And then..."what to my wondering eyes should I see, but eight tiny reindeer..."  Naw, just kidding!  What I DID see was my very first blogger award, "Life Is Good", graciously bestowed upon me by Jennifer, of Book Noise, a new follower, and a very nice one, too!  Thank you so much, Jen!  You  really and truly made my day!! 

I'd like to encourage you guys to drop by Jen's blog -- it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! 

Now, here's how this award thing works:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave this award.
2. Answer the 10 survey questions below.
3. Pass the award along to other bloggers whom you think are fantastic.
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked to let them know about the award.


Survey Questions:

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this?   If you are not anonymous, do you wish that you had started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now?

Well, to be honest, I was a little nervous at first.  After all, I was going to be putting my thoughts and feelings out there.  Maybe I felt somewhat insecure.  Now, however, I'm totally ADDICTED to this!  I wish I had more time to do it!  It's a great outlet for all my pent-up creative energy, which I wouldn't be able to use up any other way. 


I started out just using my first name and the initial of my last name, but then decided to use my full name.  What the heck -- if I want to publish a book someday, I might as well start using my real name from the start.  So, of course, I have no wishes to suddenly begin blogging anonymously.  Also , I'm feeling much more confident now.  This is like riding a bike -- the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel, and the less likely that you'll fall!


2. Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

Oh, this is a good one!  I tend to be stubborn when involved in an ideological argument.  I have very strong values and beliefs that I will not give up easily.  I can consider diverging viewpoints on trivial matters, but it's hard for me to do so regarding matters of great moral importance. 


Also, I've noticed that, when I really make up my mind to do something, I tend to get it done.    It's the making-up-my-mind part that's hard.  Lol.


3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

Honestly?  A visitor to this planet!  I don't think I'm all here yet! 


4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

A bottle of Zephyrhills water.  (I do try to recycle, but this is a weakness....)


5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?


I always do something having to do with books -- either read, post a book review, visit a book blog, or go to my favorite book sites, to browse, buy, or both!


6. Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

I think it's high time I got a novel written and published!  I've been writing in a rather desultory fashion up to now.  I have to stop hoping the muse will come down from Mount Olympus, and simply follow Julia Cameron's advice: show up at the page!  Things will take care of themselves thereafter.


7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?

I was definitely very shy, and off in my own little dream world most of the time.  I used to wish, back then, that I was popular and belonged to some clique.  When I grew past that phase, I realized that most high school cliques tend to be rather shallow groups.


8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see?


It was the time my husband and I were driving down from a club in Fort Lauderdale one Saturday night, and he kept glancing over at me every few seconds, to say "I love you" with deep feeling.  His eyes got a little moist, too.   It was so unexpected.  I will never, ever, forget this!


9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

I think I prefer to write about other people, events, books, etc.  In fact, I'm a little surprised that I'm opening up here.  Maybe I'm starting to feel the need to do this, in order to connect with my readers more closely.  I do think, though, that every time someone posts something -- whatever it is -- on their blog, or writes a novel, short story, or poem,they are unconsciously revealing themselves.  It might not always be a very personal or intimate revelation, but it's a revelation nevertheless.


10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?


Withoutt hesitation, I will always prefer to sit down and read a book, especially since my time is pretty limited.  (I have two jobs, you see.)   Not that I'm antisocial, but....getting lost in a fascinating book is such a pleasant experience!  Besides, I prefer talking with people online, anyway.




And now, I will happily bestow this award on the following bloggers:


J-9 at Blood Rose Book Reviews
Trudy at Once Upon A Twilight
Cyndi at Dog-Eared & Bookmarked
aobibliophile at aobibliosphere





LIFE IS DEFINITELY GOOD!!