Secret Santa Anthology by Fern Michaels, Marie Bostwick, Laura Levine, and Cindy Myers

This is an anthology of Christmas stories that have a Christmas theme and some romance to make the read sweeter.  They're a great way to relax after a busy day wrapping presents or cooking, or maybe you want to take a break and have a little read before you hit it again.  I enjoyed them; I think you will, too.

Zebra Fiction sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

Mister Christmas by Fern Michaels seemed a bit contrived to me.  Claire is summoned by a dying client who lives in Ireland and is fine.  He just wants to play matchmaker.  She leaves angry, but her potential mate goes back with her...

The Yellow Rose of Christmas by Marie Bostwick is easily my favorite.  It's an old fashioned story about a spinster that has given up on love.  And then someone starts leaving her yellow roses and sweet messages...

Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine is a hoot.  Jaine takes a job as Christmas elf and worries more about her thunder thighs then the kids.  But when someone kills Santa, it gets worse...

Room at the Inn is a sweet story that's a little too good to be true, but I liked it.  They're snowbound in temporary lodging and have neighbors of all nationalities and personality types.  How are they going to celebrate Christmas there with no food except canned food from summer visitors?  Barb finds a way.

All in all, these were all good, fun reads.  The only thing that would make it better would be a nice mug of hot chocolate.

Happy reading.

Death of a Neighborhood Witch by Laura Levine

Jaine has a really quirky neighbor.  She's an old woman who once starred in a Zombie movie and is now thought of as a witch.  If only her cat, Prozac, hadn't gotten out of her yard and scared Cryptessa's bird to death.  Now the old witch thinks she owes her...

Kensington Books sent me an ARC of this story for review (thank you).  It's being published this month so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

Jaine Austen is quite the character.  I've never heard of anybody naming their cat Prozac before.  Her eating habits leave something to be desired.  Her house is no cleaner than it needs to be.  But she's really a good person.  She may be a bit desperate to find a man, would like to lose some weight, but she sure wouldn't kill anybody.  So who swiped her ape suit during the Halloween party and did?

Lance, her neighbor is gay.  He's got his eye on the new neighbor in town, Peter.  So does Jaine.  Watching these two fight over Peter is a hoot.  Unfortunately, the party was at Peter's, so Jaine has to prove she wasn't the killer.  If she didn't, she wouldn't have time to develop a relationship with the new hunk in the neighborhood.

This author fills her story with humor, talk of good food (of the sweets variety), and an interesting plot.  It's a good cozy mystery.  There are more in this series, but this was the first one I read.  It's a stand alone story if you want to start here.  I'm sure all the books in the series would be enjoyable.

If you'd like my copy of this ARC, please leave a comment here on my blog and email me at info at bookfaerie.com with your name and address and why you'd like to read the book.  I'll pick a winner in about a week.

Happy reading.