This was a book I counted in the 2007 Challenge but never blogged my full review. So I'm doing it now but this does NOT count towards the 2008 challenge, hence why it is a blog entry and not a book review.
HarperCollins Publishers/Harper Fiction
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Rating: 4.5
Whether your preference is Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice, Christmas, or New Year's, you'll find a paranormal adventure here to suit your spirit.
Kim Harrison shows us in Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel what happens when a spell to call a ghost goes haywire and brings the wrong one to you. Rachel Morgan is a teenager trying to prove she has what it takes to make it in her dream job at Inderland Security, in spite of her frequent illness growing up. When her brother challenges her, Rachel is determined to win, no matter what, even if it means fighting vampires.
If you are a fan of her Hollows series, or as in my case, are new to the series, you'll enjoy this prequel. Rachel is a spirited young woman full of spunk who won't take no for an answer, even when it means running around on the night of the Solstice celebration to help a young girl in danger. Rachel even gets to experience a little love and romance with the ghost she accidentally summons, which adds a little touch poignancy to the story.
Lynsay Sands gives us a humorous take on a psycho stalkers obsessed with studying shape shifting abilities, even if it means said stalker has to trick people into "participating" in his scheme in Run, Run Rudolph. Here we meet Jill, who is tricked into being blasted with a shape shifting ray while babysitting her niece. Now she's on the run just when her love life finally seems to be heating up neighbor store owner, Nick, in time for them to play Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the annual Christmas parade.
This story is a sequel to a novella featured in the book Dates from Hell. Having not read the previous story I still followed along fairly well, though I was missing the back story on why our villain was so desperate to trap Jill and use her in his science experiments. We had a very enjoyable, and funny, story here nonetheless and I'm going to now have to go read the preceding story. I especially loved watching Jill come to terms with her new ability and how to control it, when constantly changing her appearance (even becoming a reindeer at one point!)
Marjorie M Liu has us spend Chinese New Year with a young government agent who unwittingly finds herself caught up in a war against soul sucking vampires in Six. Orphaned at a young age, all Six has ever known is her training and later her career as a government agent. When her latest mission introduces her to hideous soul stealing vampires, her only aid is in the form of a sinfully seductive necromancer who has his own job to fulfill where the vampires are concerned.
This story probably had the most romance of any in the book. Be forewarned however, if you are a fan of the Dirk & Steele series, Six is completely different from the stories found there. This is a very dark and gritty story though it still showcases Liu's incredible talent for word building and character development. I've come to love Liu's books and found Six to be quite captivating, though I could see it working a little better as a longer novel.
Lastly, the story I was most waiting for, Vicki Pettersson's The Harvest rounds out the collection. Pettersson gives us a prequel to her Zodiac series when former Light Agent Zoe must spend Thanksgiving trying to rescue her granddaughter from her greatest enemy and leader of the Shadow Zodiac, the Tulpa, who happens to be the grandfather of this special child.
I love the Zodiac series and have been waiting for this story since I read the first two books earlier this year. I knew Zoe was a fascinating person and had so much story to tell. The Harvest only scratches the surface of Zoe's complex life, but it was enough to satisfy this eager fan, at least for a little while. Another added bonus was discovering more about Warren, the leader of the Light Zodiac. This story sheds a lot of light on his reasons for treating Joanna the way he does in the other books in the series. However, while fans of the story will be sucked right in, readers who are new to Pettersson's world may find themselves confused here and there, trying to keep all the details straight.
Holidays Are Hell is a wonderful collection of paranormal holiday tales. Keep in mind that while this is not a romance anthology, we do have a bit of romance in every story, some more than others. What a perfect book to read when needing some relaxation during the hectic holiday season.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2007. All rights reserved.
~eHQ April 2008 Member of the Month~
