This time out, I have a little early holiday read for you. Heidi Betts is taking a bit of a turn with her October release, The Bite Before Christmas (Brava, received from author). This one features three stories, all centered around vampire matchmaker Angelina and her friends. In 'All I Vant for Christmas', vampire Connor wants to tame his wild-child younger siblings a little and thinks a family-style holiday would be just the thing. So, based on the recommendation of he hires event planner Jillian to help him out. Human Jillian's a newbie to the world of vampires, but knows if she's successful at this job, she'll have a steady stream of clients for her business. But she's unprepared for the sexy Connor, though it eventually occurs to her that seducing a vampire might make her feel better about her ex cheating on her with a vamp. 'A Vampire in Her Stocking' has vampire Vivian with a crush on her human boss. When he confides in her that he's dying, she declares her feelings for him, right before she tries to show him just how much and in a way far different from the affection he feels for her. She talks to her buddy Angelina about the situation, and Angelina takes matters into her own hands, changing Sean into a vamp and leaving him on Vivian's doorstep. Except Sean isn't all that thrilled about the change. In fact, he doesn't even believe her. At first. Then he's even more unhappy about the fact that he was changed into this sort of creature without his permission. 'It's a Wonderful Bite' is Angelina's turn. She and Ian have been together a long time (they are vampires, after all), but Angelina would love to have the whole happy ending, even if their forever really is forever. Ian, however, seems content the way things are. But her Christmas Eve dreams of what would happen if her life were different, a la It's a Wonderful Life, make her decide she has to tell him how she really feels. Betts is terrific at making readers laugh as they fall in love, and this turn into a paranormal realm is a lot of fun. For fans of holiday romances, this is a perfect way to start off your holiday reading season, with some laughs and sexy vampires. I'm not sure which is my favorite, but I'm kind of leaning toward Sean, who has a lot of things to adjust to in his new life, though Ian is pretty hot, too, and full of surprises. I'm borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows for this one. This will definitely be one to read now and then pull back out closer to the holidays for a quick, fun read!
Until next time, happy reading!
