Book Review: All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire

All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire (Love At Stake #5)
Author: Kerrelyn Sparks
Mass Market Paperback, 350 pages
Published November 1st, 2008 by HarperCollins Canada
(First published October 16th, 2008)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampire Romance, Christmas romance





Dracula would be shocked to see how the vampire has evolved in modern fiction.  Originally a terrifying, remorseless killer, the vampire, whether male or female, can now be found in lighthearted, funny romances such as this one.

Kerrelyn Sparks, like Lynsay Sands, writes funny vampire romances full of sparkling, witty dialogues and characters as unforgettable as those in the more traditionally angst-filled novels of authors like Christine Feehan, Amanda Ashley, Stephenie Meyer, and Kresley Cole.  Like the vampires created by Sands, as well as Meyer, the ones in the Love At Stake series refuse to drink from humans.  Sparks's vampires drink bottles of synthetic blood, though. 

The main character, a vampire named Ian MacPhie, is 500 years old, having been created in the Scottish Highlands when he was dying from a battle wound.  He was rather young at the time -- only 15, as a matter of fact.  Therein lies his very comical dilemma; while he grows and matures -- intellectually as well as emotionally -- his body remains that of a 15-year-old boy, because vampires stop aging, of course, from the moment they are transformed into denizens of the undead world.  Poor Ian wants to be taken seriously, but he looks like a teenager, which puts a real cramp in his style, especially where the ladies are concerned...  So he decides to try the new "Stay Awake" drug, which allows vampires to remain conscious during daylight hours.  The drug makes him age 12 years, and the effect on the ladies is remarkable, to say the least. 

Now Ian is intent on finding his soul mate, because he wants to get married.  Och, bless his old-fashioned Scottish heart!  Unfortunately, he goes to the wrong place -- a nightclub named, of all things, "The Horny Devils", which is strictly for vampires.  Since the club features male strippers (I must say that's a bit sleazy for a Christmas-themed romance), he knows it will be teeming with vampire women. 

This is where the comedy of errors begins, for Ian runs into Vanda, a friend who barely recognizes him, since she only remembers the teen-faced Ian.  Once he presents her with his dilemma, she insists on posting his profile, which she herself writes, on a dating site -- "Single In The City".  The results are hilarious, and very surprising to Ian, as literally hordes of women begin to pursue him.

Enter one Toni Davis, a human woman, expert in martial arts, and recently hired by McKay Security to guard the vampires while they sleep in a townhouse owned by one of their leaders, Roman Draganeski, inventor of the "Stay Awake" drug as well as synthetic blood.  While Ian tries to deal with his new-found fame among vampire women, he struggles with his growing feelings for Toni, whom he initially believes is all wrong for him.  Toni, too, attempts to fight her increasing attraction to Ian, with no success.

The romance is complicated by skirmishes with rogue vampires who do kill for blood.  They are known as "Malcontents", and are as much a threat to the good vampires as they are to humans.  Thrown into the mix is the greedy uncle of Toni's friend, Sabrina, who has his niece committed to a mental asylum in order to use her money to pay off his gambling debts.  Toni and a good neighbor and friend, Carlos, plan to rescue her.  Ian offers his help, and they accept it.  And meanwhile, the Malcontents must be dealt with...

The book is full of equally memorable minor characters, such as Phineas, a wise-cracking, African-American vampire and ladies' man, Roman and his son, Constantine, who is half-vampire, and Carlos himself, whose true nature surprises even Toni, who had thought she knew him so well...

This is my first Kerrelyn Sparks novel, and it surely won't be my last!  Now I will have to go back to the beginning of the series, in order to meet all the other characters in her vampire world. 

I decided to give this book 4 instead of 5 stars because I thought the sex was a little too graphic.  The novel is supposed to be a Christmas romance, after all.  This aspect of the novel could have been handled with a bit more finesse, I think.

All in all, though, All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire is a fun read, full of comical as well as serious moments, and the romance is "verra" sweet, indeed!

Book Review: A Christmas Kiss

A Christmas Kiss
Author:  Elizabeth Mansfield
Mass Market Paperback, 263 pages
Published December, 1990 by Jove Books (first published April, 1978, by Dell)
Reading genre: Christmas Regency romance




I love romance novels of all kinds, but my favorites are the paranormal, Christmas, and Regency sub-genres.  This one has two out of three; it is certainly not a paranormal.  It's also a wonderful, very sweet, feel-good comedy of errors, reminiscent of Shakespeare's own comedies, that had me glued to the page, so I breezed right through it, even chuckling aloud in some places as I read.

The characters are certainly unforgettable, so real that, once the book is closed for the last time, the reader feels bereft, wishing that the story could go on and on...  At least, this reader did.  I shall have to re-read it at some time in the near future.  And here I thought I wouldn't find anyone to compare with Mary Balogh!  Next I'll have to investigate Georgette Heyer, because, the more I read this type of romance, especially at Christmastime, the more I LOVE it!

The plot immediately starts off on a humorous note.  Two young aristocrats, Reginald Windle, who has the title of Viscount Farnham, and his friend, James Everard, the future Earl of Gyllford, are quietly having a drink in the library at Carbery Hall, where they are guests, when they hear a body rolling down a nearby staircase.  It's Geoffrey Carbery, who has just been hit on the head with an Atlas!  The two friends arrive on the scene just in time to see the governess, one Miss Evalyn Pennington, still holding the book in one hand, come calmly down the stairs to make sure that Geoff, who had been accosting her, is all right.

When Geoff's tyrannical mother discovers what has happened, she promptly dismisses Evalyn, even refusing to give her a letter of recommendation.  James and Reginald -- who has a lisp and is affectionately known as "Reggie" -- come to the rescue.  They manage to get Evalyn invited to the Christmas festivities at Gyllford Manor.  Their plan is to allow Clarissa, Jamie's aunt, to get to know Evalyn, and thus recommend her for another position.

The comedy of errors begins when Philip, Jamie's father, misunderstands his son's explanation for the invitation, believing instead that Jamie, as he calls him, intends to marry the hapless young girl.  Thus, he feels honor-bound to deny his growing feelings for Evalyn.

Among the guests at Gyllford Manor is Sally Trevelyan, a scheming, self-centered social butterfly, who has been trying for quite some time to trap Philip into marriage.   This cannot happen, however, since Philip not only actively dislikes her, but is well aware of her intent, and is very adept at avoiding her.

Sally takes an instant dislike to Evalyn, naturally.  Through her, Mansfield criticizes the class discrimination of the time.  Sally simply cannot understand why Evalyn, whom she holds in contempt, is obviously taking up Philip's attention, although that gentleman does his best to make it seem that he is only being kind to the young governess.

Philip himself reflects the author's modern concerns with class discrimination.  He writes political books under a pseudonym, and has such radical -- for the time -- notions as the enfranchisement of all social classes.  He refuses to consider Evalyn beneath him just because she's a governess.  He sees her true worth, her inner spirit, irrevocably falling in love with her without any thought for the class difference between them.

Humorously complicating the plot are the love stories of four minor characters -- Reggie, Marianne, Joseph, and Annette, who happens to be Sally's personal maid.  These stories, too, are resolved by the end of the book, and, as I pointed out above, are related to that of the main characters.

In short, this book, while seemingly "just" a romance, is also a comedy and a critical review of the social customs of the time.  The author's skillful storytelling makes all these elements fit together seamlessly, while the tale unfolds without a hitch, amidst the vividly depicted merriment of the season.

This is my first Mansfield romance, which I recently acquired on eBay as part of a used Regency book lot.  It most definitely won't be my last.  This novel not only provided a good dose of the holiday spirit, but was a delightfully entertaining read, as well!

Merry Christmas!!

 

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th' angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!

May you have the merriest Christmas ever,

full of divine blessings

and all the joys

of this beautiful season!





Book Review: A Dreamspun Christmas

A Dreamspun Christmas
Authors: Marilyn Campbell, Carole Nelson Douglas, Justine Davis, Edith Layton, Emma Merritt
Mass Market Paperback, 379 pages
Published November 1, 1994, by Topaz (Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA, Inc.)
Reading Genre: Christmas paranormal romance

The combination of Christmas and the paranormal is one that I especially treasure.  My all-time favorite movie, after all, is “It’s A Wonderful Life”.  

It wasn’t just the sweet, tender cover of this book that caught my eye.  It was also the title.  What kind of Christmas, I wondered, would dreams spin?    

Although one of the stories didn’t quite give me that satisfied feeling at the end, I decided to give the book an overall rating of five stars, because just one story shouldn’t affect the general impression, I think.

The first story, titled “Ghosts of Christmas Past”, by Marilyn Campbell, is a total delight from start to finish.  The author skillfully portrays the humorous, even eccentric, side of small-town life.

Small towns, of course, tend to be traditional places, and this is the case with Haversham, Vermont, founded in 1710, with a total population of 956, soon to be 958…

Wesley Haversham XII, the town’s mayor, and Janice Fowler, a free-lance journalist, are paired off in the minds of the townspeople, as well as by Wesley’s antic-loving ancestors, from the very beginning. 

Janice is doing an article on haunted towns, although she's a skeptic.  This is her last stop of a tour of such towns, and she has so far seen nothing to shake her skepticism.  Wesley assures her that  his town is different, since his own ancestors, as well as those of other townspeople, regularly make appearances. 

Meanwhile, a very strong attraction has sprung  up between Janice and Wesley, and, after a night of passionate lovemaking, he suddenly proposes.  While Janice is reluctant at first, telling him that, after all, they've just met, she finally becomes convinced that Wesley, is, indeed, the right man for her.  Talk about a whirlwind courtship!  With some help from the spirits, she decides to accept his proposal  Yes, this is the stuff of every girl’s dreams and fantasies…although I have heard of such lightning-fast courtships taking place in real life, as well.  The end of the story is certainly awe-inspiring, as a miraculous event takes place on Christmas Eve. 

My rating is, obviously, five sparkling stars!



The second story, “Christmas Magic”, by Carole Nelson Douglas, shows a lot of potential at the beginning and throughout.  It’s the ending that I find somewhat disappointing.

Melody Johansen, usually known as “Mel”, is a window display designer for Macy’s in New York City, and just getting over a failed relationship.  One day, after work, she stops at a quaint little store, “The Santa Shoppe”, to buy a Christmas tree.  Somehow, she is transported back to the year 1896, where she meets Jeremy Gardner, a struggling young actor/songwriter whose father is determined to push into the banking business. 

The unusual thing here is that Melody is invisible, and Jeremy thinks she’s the spirit of a long-dead aunt.  However, she begins to solidify as the story, and their romance, progresses, until, nearly at the end, she has become fully solid.  Then she and Jeremy return – still in his time – to “The Santa Shoppe”, in order to find Jeremy’s brother, who had been disowned by his father due to his choice of bride. 

It is the story’s ending that spoils everything.  I’m not giving anything away.  Suffice it to say that all the charm and beauty just kind of disappear....

The story wasn’t entirely disappointing in spite of the ending, though, so I’m giving it four stars.

The third story, “Star Light, Star Bright”, by Emma Merritt, is another winner.   Once again we have a whirlwind courtship, and a very beautiful one, too, with an unexpected surprise thrown in along the way.

On December 24, 1852, Architect Nicholas Devlin returns home to Port Huron, Michigan, to celebrate Christmas with his loving adoptive mother, Adeline Peabody Stimms, affectionately called “Addie”, and her “family”, consisting of a cook, a housekeeper, several stray dogs she’s taken in, and “Tommy” (Thomasina), a formerly homeless old woman who can see angels and stardust.

Nick soon meets Sara Finley, a nurse from Chicago whom Addie has hired to look after Tommy.  Nick learns that Tommy has been wanting to go home to heaven; she tells Nick that Sara is really her angel, sent to take her there. 

Sara is indeed an angel, one with a hard decision to make.  If she chooses to stay with Nick, she will have to endure a mortal life, with all its sufferings and vicissitudes.  Much as she loves the heavenly realm, she can’t give up Nick, and I can’t say I blame her! 

My rating is definitely five stars!



The fourth story is “It’s A Wonderful Christmas”, by Edith Layton, and the title is no coincidence.  The story borrows its theme from the great film classic, but what Layton does with that theme is amazingly inventive.

Lady Maude has been married to Miles Randal, the Viscount of Southwood, for several years.  The couple has three children.  It’s Christmastime, 1835, in Merry Old England, and Lady Maude has gone to gather some mistletoe growing in a grove on the outskirts of the village.  There is an ancient well in that grove, and people frequently make wishes there.  She unexpectedly runs into the village vicar, accompanied by a young man, Mr. Clarence.  Fans of the movie will remember that George Bailey’s guardian angel was also named Clarence.

The family gathers together at Southwood Hall, as is their yearly custom, to celebrate the holiday.  Maude, who carries a burden of unnecessary guilt over the childhood death of her brothers, is stunned to meet Cressida, her husband’s ex-fiancee, at the reunion.  Other circumstances lead her to believe that she is not really wanted, and, in desperation, she runs back to the well, where she fervently wishes she had never been born.

Mr. Clarence mysteriously reappears at that precise moment.  After chatting with him briefly, Maude proceeds to walk toward the village, and he strolls along with her.  As in the movie that inspired this story, everything, and everyone, has changed.  Even her husband is a cynical, hardened man who boasts about his illegitimate offspring.

Distraught, Maude finds herself back at the well, where Mr. Clarence explains that her wish has been granted.  Maude begs him to make everything as it was before.  She breaks down and cries, and, when she looks up, he’s gone.

The ensuing events mirror the ones in the movie.  Maude is ecstatic at seeing how blessed she really is, and discovers that her husband is not secretly pining for his former love, as she had mistakenly thought.

Layton’s writing is not only extremely engaging, but also evokes the appropriate mood without sentimentalizing.  I give this one five stars, as well!



The fifth and last story, “The Crystal Dove”, by Justine Davis, is the most unusual one in this anthology.  

The dove in question appears one morning on the hotel desk of one Case Rafferty, a hard-working business tycoon who leads a rather lonely existence, and doesn’t know it.  He’s totally indifferent to anything that might distract him from accomplishing his business goals.  Naturally, he considers holidays, and most especially Christmas, a total nuisance.

Mystified by the dark-blue glass dove, he contacts the hotel’s security department in an attempt to discover how it could have gotten into his penthouse suite.  No evidence of anyone entering his apartment is found.  So, on the recommendation of a hotel butler named, significantly enough, Raphael, Case approaches Kestra Shepherd, the proprietor of "Celebration", a shop in the building he owns.

Need I say that this is a truly magical tale?  Case and Kestra are immediately attracted to each other, discovering that each of their fathers has painfully marked their personalities, thus affecting their children's future love lives.  The dove continues to mysteriously appear in different locations, its color getting lighter and lighter as Case gradually changes, discovering the power of love, while Kestra herself gradually gets over her own distrust of men obsessed with their work.

Beautifully and simply written, this story is a wondrous tale of redemption, admittedly a clichéd theme, but masterfully handled by the author.  I give it five stars, too!




This book is well worth acquiring, even if it takes some time and effort to find it.   It will make your Christmas a warmer, more love-inspired one!

Christmas Traditions

Christmas is a holiday rich with traditions; in fact, no other holiday can compete with it in this respect. It is a fascinating mixture of Christian and pagan customs, so much so that, like intertwined threads in a multicolored tapestry, they can no longer be separated, although many devout Christians insist that the real reason for the holiday is the birth of Jesus Christ, and everything else is commercialized, pagan, and therefore superfluous.

The birth of Our Savior is, indeed, the fundamental reason for this holiday. Yet, the traditions that have become attached to the celebration of Christmas make it what it is today – a beautiful, joyful time of light, love, and peace.  Christmas traditions cannot and should not be done away with, for they give this holiday its distinctive style, which is strongly appealing at various levels of the human psyche, not the least of which is the emotional one.

The one basic theme of all of these traditions is that of loving relationship with God and one’s fellow human beings. The legend of Santa Claus, for example, is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, who gave gifts to poor children at Christmastime. Christmas trees blaze with lights and glittery ornaments, reminding us of the light of goodness that shines in the midst of the winter darkness. Mistletoe has long been used as an excuse to kiss that special person one loves, or would like to get to know better….

These traditions and customs also serve to remind us that the Christmas season is a time of miracles. If there really is no physical Santa Claus, still, the Christmas spirit is alive and well. It can move someone to make an anonymous donation where it’s most needed. An embittered veteran of a horrible marriage can suddenly encounter a new love, a new beginning. We can even entertain angels unaware…

Books are also, of course, an integral part of Christmas, especially such classics as Dickens’s A ChristmasCarol, as well as the story “The Gift of the Magi”,  by O’Henry. One of my own Christmas traditions, which I’m sure I share with many readers, is that of reading Christmas romances. If there’s anything truly magical in this world, it’s the magic of love, which can transform people and situations almost overnight. So, last year as well as this year, I went on a little shopping spree for such books, buying a couple of book lots on eBay, for instance. I have plenty of them now, so I need not fear that I’ll run out of romantic holiday material!

I especially enjoy Regency Christmas romances and paranormal Christmas romances. I recently reviewed the first installment of a series of three Silhouette Nocturne romances, dealing with Christmas and vampires, and am almost done reading the second.

Mary Balogh, my all-time favorite romance writer, has a number of absolutely beautiful Regency Christmas romances. One of them, which I read last year, is titled A Christmas Bride. I really should revisit it so that I can review it.

Another very nice Christmas read is A Magical Christmas Present, a paranormal anthology that I also read last year.

I’m currently reading another paranormal anthology, titled A Dreamspun Christmas, which I will soon be reviewing. This book was published back in the 1990’s, and it was one of my eBay acquisitions. As an inveterate book addict, I’m always buying books that attract me, with the intention of reading them at some time in the future…. So, this year, I went through my treasured collection of Christmas romances, and picked out this one. It’s not the only one I want to read, naturally. There will be more following! Give me plenty of romance at Christmastime!

Here are five other books I would like to investigate, as well.  Two of them deal with the central place of Jesus in the celebration of Christmas, while the other three are about the traditions associated with the season.

The first one, by Lawrence Driskill, is titled Christmas Stories from Around the World: Honoring Jesus in Many Lands. 

The next one, by Ann Christian Buchananan and Debra Klingsporn, is illustrated by Thomas Kinkade, and is titled Christ, the Light of the World: Celebrating the Glory of Christmas.



This one deals with the pagan customs that have become an integral part of the holiday.  It's titled, aptly enough, Pagan Christmas, and was written by Christian Ratsch and Claudia Muller-Ebeling.  It is lavishly illustrated.



This one deals with the evolution of the holiday in the United States.  The title is Merry Christmas! Celebrating America's Greatest Holiday, and its author is Karal Ann Marling, who is a noted art historian.

This is a decorating book, with loads of beautiful pictures of Christmas trees and other holiday decorations.  It's authored by Debi Staron and Bob Pranga, together known as "Dr. Christmas".  The title is Christmas Style.

Ah, Christmas! The wreath is on the door, the tree is twinkling with lights and several types of ornaments, Christmas carols are sofly playing in the background, and I’m all curled up with my magical Christmas romance book, sipping some eggnog, although there is no blazing Yule log in my non-existent chimney, and no snow outside. This is Florida, and all we get is a bit of cold and rain…

“MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!”

Book Review: Star Bright! A Christmas Story

Star Bright! A Christmas Story
Author: Andrew M. Greeley
Mass Market Paperback, 208 pages
Published November 1, 2004, by Forge Books
(first published 1997)
Genre: Christmas romance

What a delightful introduction to the work of Andrew Greeley this novel is!  It’s magical, mystical, tender, and humorously romantic.

The magic comes from the heroine, the unusual and gifted Odessa Tatiana Alekseevna.   Her besotted boyfriend, who narrates their story, deftly makes her come alive for the reader; she is a luminous beauty, a highly talented artist, and a mystic who is on very intimate terms with God.  

Jack Flanigan is an Irish-American Catholic boy.  Tatiana is Russian Orthodox, born in Russia.  Greeley not only highlights their cultural differences, but delves into their religious ones as well, through their funny dialogues.  I found myself chuckling at several points.  Still, Tatiana comes off as a very spiritual, shy person.  Jack, on the other hand, portrays himself as a somewhat inept, rough-around-the-edges Irishman, but the reader knows he does not see himself very accurately.    

With the pretext of perfecting his already perfect Russian, he starts meeting her at a certain Harvard campus bench every day.   He also watches her interacting with children who also sometimes meet her at the same bench.  He is delighted to discover that Tatiana is a storyteller of the first order.

Jack’s growing relationship with Tatiana is also contrasted with the one he has with his endearingly dysfunctional family.   One day, the idea is born: he will take her home with him, to spend Christmas with the Flanigans.  Tatiana’s parents are gone, after all, and she is all alone in the U.S.  Furthermore, she has no other relatives back in Russia.

The resulting interactions of Jack’s family with the young mystic are not only hilarious, but touching and sweet as well.  Odessa charms them all, and Jack is even more in love with her.  She transforms his normally contentious family into a group of people who actually begin to enjoy the beauty and holiness of the Christmas season.  Because of her, they grow closer to God, as well as each other.

The book concludes with hints that “Ivan the Wonderful” (“Ivan” is the equivalent of “John” in Russian) and “Aunt Tati” are destined to live a very long and happy life together.

This novel gave me what I was looking for – a spiritual lift, a glowing feeling of joy, hope, love and warmth.  Isn’t this what the Christmas season is all about?  Greeley communicated this message more effectively than he could possibly have done through a sermon at Midnight Mass!

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.

Current & Future Reading List

After a ten-year hiatus, Smith decided to continue the story of Stefan, Elena, Damon, and their friends in Fell's Church, in Nightfall (The Vampire Diaries: The Return, #1).  I like it so far, despite some negative reviews of it I've read.  It seems that this time, the evil Power at work in this town so frequently buffeted by the supernatural is...a group of Japanese demons!  My, oh, my....I don't much care for demons, but we'll see how it goes...

I happened to see this in a CVS pharmacy here in Miami, and the cover immediately drew me in!  It's from a new line of romance novels, based on true romance stories, and appropriately known as "True Vows".  (Yes, I enjoy reading regular romance novels, too!)  This one, by Alison Kent, is a very sweet tale (pun intended).  The female protagonist wants to open her own business -- a gourmet bakery.  It looks like her boyfriend wants to have a hand in the production of the goodies, as well as in the general direction of her life! 

Now this one is a very useful reference book for novice bloggers, which I am!  I'm still getting the hang of this whole thing, but this book, written by blogging expert Susan Gunelius,  has really helped me in several areas.  It contains excellent chapters on search engine optimization, as well as on how to grow your blog, and monetization of same.

Since the Christmas season is already here, I will be starting my Christmas romance reading cycle.  I've been meaning to read this one in particular, by Kerrelyn Sparks, since last year, but never have gotten around to it.  I have skimmed it, though, and found it pretty funny, somewhat in the vein of Lynsay Sands.  (And that's another intended pun. Lol.)

 This is a Regency romance.  I enjoy these, too, and I LOVE Mary Balogh's novels!  I wouldn't miss them for the world!  This is a reissue of a book originally published in 1992.  Hmmm...wonder how I could have missed it, what with all the used book buying I do...  Anyway, I figure it will definitely get me in the spirit of the season!

This is unusual....Christmas and vampires!  I think it makes for an interesting combination, though -- all that vamp angst and the cheerful holiday spirit....  I read the first story in this book, by Maureen Child, some time last year, but don't remember it much, except that the ending was very, very sweet!  So I'll have to re-read it, and go on to the second one, by Caridad Pineiro, which I barely skimmed at the time.

This is the second volume of Christmas vampire stories. The authors in this one are Merline Lovelace and Lori Devoti.  I have just ordered it from Amazon.

I LOVE the combination of the Christmas season and vampires!  I guess the publisher, Harlequin, knows that a lot of women feel the same way, since this is their third collection of such tales, in their Nocturne line.  The authors here are Linda Winstead Jones, Lisa Childs, and Bonnie Vanak.  Another Amazon order!

This one looks to be very, very special, and the author, Andrew Greeley, is a well-known Catholic priest who has written many bestsellers.  This one concerns an Irish-American college guy who falls in love with a young Russian woman studying at Harvard.  Of course I've been looking forward to reading it, too!

Of course, I want to read this, too!  I've heard so much about it, I just have to put it on my reading list! 

Okay, so I'm wondering if I'll have the time to actually read all these books.  (I happen to have two jobs...)  It's like when one sits down at a delicious meal -- one eats with one's eyes!  All I can say is that I sure want to read all of these books, and I sure am going to do my very best to do so!

Christmas in Goa - The Christmas Crib

The Christmas Crib in Goa

The Crib should be a cherished part of the Christmas celebration in every family. It is not only completely religious in significance but also presents to the children in a beautiful way the central event which we commemorate on this great feast. Thus it assumes the character of a religious shrine in the houses of the faithful during Christmas season. Dignified decoration might enhance its attraction and solemnity.

In Goa and around the world Christmas was celebrated with lots of fun and joy.
This Christmas as I visited my relatives and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas,
I have clicked photographs of a cribs which I came across
and I would like to share these photographs with the viewers of my blog.

A crib at Campal

A crib at Campal

A huge crib at Ribandar

A beautiful crib at Merces

A beautiful crib at Merces

Thats a sweet and simple crib at my friends place

This crib may not look beautiful on picture, but it was a very nice mechanical crib made by a Hindu artist in Merces. It had movements, light effects etc.

A beautiful crib

A beautiful crib

A beautiful Sunset as I went around visiting friends for Christmas

A star at Saligao, Goa

A crib by Heralds of Christ

A crib at a house in Campal, Goa

A crib at the Mapusa Muncipal Market Goa

Thats my little Crib

The Crib at the Panjim Church

A live crib, moving around at Porvorim Goa

Life Sized Santa at Panjim Goa

This is the crib that I liked the most, at St. Inez, Panjim Goa