Christmas with a Bite
Publisher: Entangled: Covet
Release date: December 15th 2014
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 224
Format: eBook
Source: Entangled
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Star rating:Heat rating:
A paranormal category romance from Entangled's Covet imprint…
Sometimes the holidays totally bite...
This Christmas, Mara Livingston is determined to start over. But as she's driving to her "new" home, a freak winter storm forces her off the road. Now she's stranded in the middle of nowhere. Then he shows up. And there's something strangely familiar about him...
Connor Reese never expected to see Mara again. Nor is he prepared for the onslaught of emotions―including an unimaginable rush of desire―she stirs within him. Now he has a chance to claim the woman he's always wanted. Except, there are a couple of small details that Mara doesn't know. The first is that Connor is a vampire. And the second is that if his family finds out about Mara, she will most certainly be killed...
The Faerie Queen’s review
My two sentence review: This started really well!!!!!!!!! And then it became increasingly bewildering…
Basically, this book was nearly impossible for me to give a rating for. On the one hand, the plot got weirder the further along I read, with far too much convenience with some things. (“Oh hi, this thing exists that you’ve never heard of in your centuries of being alive and guess what? We have it!”) On the other, I did actually enjoy reading it. If anything, the outlandishness of some things made it more fun with the addition of a friend I could go WTF to in DMs.
The romance itself is hard for me to judge. I liked it and I didn’t. It started with some fun, a nice building tension with banter and boardgames. But then it escalated, with professions of love in a matter of days. It was bizarre that Mara got upset with Conner for keeping secrets because, really, who would divulge everything about themselves to someone they only really knew for a few days??? The whole romance side of the relationship was entirely too rushed, even taking into account the whole “mate” thing. The bedroom scenes were spicy, though, so the physical aspect of the relationship was en pointe.
It lost a star from me for a particular reason: the use of suicide as a plot device. Apparently Conner’s ex was so shocked at discovering he’s a vampire that she shot herself in the head. She was later described as needy and reliant on him. This was used to achieve two things. First, so Conner would have a reason to be Sad and withdraw from his family, and for Mara to then be all “oh, you poor man sad face“. Second, to provide a convenient contrast and show that Mara isn’t Crazy and Dependent (even though she does act like she can’t ever leave Conner). I didn’t think it was necessary to throw in a “crazy lady” suicidal ex just to prove how perfect Mara and Conner are together. Soz.
So yeah, I think 3 stars is a happy medium. It was fun and sexy and different, but it was also a little ridiculous and insta-lovey, with a “crazy” ex thrown in for drama.
PS – It needs an extra round of proofreading. People were eating “desert”. Sounds…dusty…
About Patricia A. Wolf
Patricia A. Wolf lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, and two English mastiffs (who act more like horses for her little girl). Aside from writing, Patricia enjoys reading every kind of romance book she can get her hands on, cycling behind her husband (so she can check him out), watching movies in the comfort of her home (which she doesn't get to do often since most of her time is spent chasing after a two year old, being a wife, and writing), and traveling (whenever possible, that is). Her current series are: Immortal Secrets, The House of Elysian, and The Miracle of Christmas. Patricia is currently working on a top secret new series that is sure to set your romance taste buds on fire.
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