Sugarplums and Scandal

Registered by CheriePie of Campbell, California USA on 12/14/2006
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3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by CheriePie from Campbell, California USA on Thursday, December 14, 2006
Received through PaperBackSwap.com.

Be of Good Fear, Christmas Is Here!

And just in time comes this grand gift of seasonal mystery and romance from six of popular fiction's most supremely talented "Santas"—for 'tis the season for scandals, suspense, and all sorts of unexpected surprises!

Enjoy LORI AVOCATO's tale of the sexy fraud investigator and the delinquent dentist, and DANA CAMERON's suspenseful story of a not-so-merry Christmas Eve at an English manor house. Savor MARY DAHEIM's scrumptious gathering of lively loved ones and one ghostly guest, and CAIT LONDON's blood-chilling tale of a menaced Christmas do-gooder. SUZANNE MACPHERSON delights with a Yuletide fable about a perky, persistent spirit and her haunted ex-fiancé. And take a walk with KERRELYN SPARKS on the otherworldly side to discover how the undead celebrate the holidays.



• Lori Avocato •

When nurse-turned-investigator Pauline Sokol decides to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to a helpless old man, she unwittingly discovers misdeeds of a Scrooge-like local dentist.


• Dana Cameron •

Modern detection techniques are called for on Christmas Eve in an elegant eighteenth-century English manor when murder and grand theft get thrown in amidst the Christmas cheer.


• Mary Daheim •

All the wacky relatives are together for the holidays at Judith McMonigle Flynn's bed and breakfast—but a murderous, uninvited "ghost" may dampen the Christmas spirit.


• Cait London •

When a well-meaning do-gooder lets a mysterious man into her life, she must discover if he's protecting her—or stalking her.


• Suzanne Macpherson •

A handsome hero's plucky late fiancée won't leave him be until he completes her unfinished mission on Earth.


• Kerrelyn Sparks •

Coming home for the holidays takes on new meaning when a newly turned vampire discovers his own Christmas miracle.


Journal Entry 2 by CheriePie from Campbell, California USA on Wednesday, December 12, 2007
"All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" by Lori Avocato
When nurse-turned-investigator Pauline Sokol decides to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to a helpless old man, she unwittingly discovers misdeeds of a Scrooge-like local dentist.

This was a cute little story. Not much of a mystery in and of itself, but apparently the Pauline Sokol Mystery series from which these characters are drawn is a fairly successful cozy mystery series. She reminds me a bit of Stephanie Plum. Characters were well drawn and the story imparted a nice sense of Christmas spirit despite it's brevity.

"The Lords of Misrule" by Dana Cameron
Modern detection techniques are called for on Christmas Eve in an elegant eighteenth-century English manor when murder and grand theft get thrown in amidst the Christmas cheer.

This was another cute little mystery. I didn't care for the 18th century setting as much as I do for contemporary settings, but the mystery itself was entertaining, the characters interesting, and it held my interest throughout.

"The Ghost of Christmas Passed" by Mary Daheim
All the wacky relatives are together for the holidays at Judith McMonigle Flynn's bed and breakfast—but a murderous, uninvited "ghost" may dampen the Christmas spirit.

I really couldn't get into this one and found myself paging ahead to see when it was gonna end! LOL I had a difficult time relating to the main characters or the situations they faced, possibly because they were quite a bit outside my age range, and the supposed "ghost" wasn't even really a ghost at all! :-( So overall, this was just a large group of family and friends, whose names I couldn't even keep track of, getting together on Christmas and getting a little surprise. Ehhh... *shrug*

"Partners in Crime" by Cait London
When a well-meaning do-gooder lets a mysterious man into her life, she must discover if he's protecting her—or stalking her.

This cute little mystery wasn't too bad, though it wasn't my favorite of the bunch either. It was like a cozy mystery and love story rolled up into one. At least it was interesting enough to hold my interest throughout. :-)

"Holly Go Lightly" by Suzanne MacPherson
A handsome hero's plucky late fiancée won't leave him be until he completes her unfinished mission on Earth.

When the ghost of his old girlfriend starts haunting him on Christmas Eve, Nick is led to discover a holiday secret that has been hidden from him for years. This was another good story: a little bit romance, a little bit mystery, but a good holiday story overall.

"A Very Vampy Christmas" by Kerrelyn Sparks
Coming home for the holidays takes on new meaning when a newly turned vampire discovers his own Christmas miracle.

This one was the best of the batch! It was also the longest at 86 pages so perhaps that had something to do with it. :-) This is the story of Don Orlando de Corazon, "the greatest lover in the vampire world" from the DVN soap opera As a Vampire Turns, and his discovering who he really is. Don Orlando was a minor character in the previous Love at Stake novels, and I recognized many of the other characters from the full-length novels as well, though its certainly not necessary to have read them before this; this story can easily stand alone.


This is now reserved for cheesygiraffe, who won it in December's Christmas Mystery Swap on BookObsessed.

Released 16 yrs ago (12/18/2007 UTC) at BookObsessed Swap in USPS, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases

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Cheesy won this in the Christmas Mystery Swap on BookObsessed. Mailed on 18-Dec-2007 via First Class Mail. Enjoy!!

Journal Entry 4 by cheesygiraffe from Florence, Alabama USA on Friday, December 21, 2007
Wow that got here fast. I figured with all the holiday mail even first class would take twice as long. I think I'm going to read this now because it's the perfect time of the year for it. ;)

Journal Entry 5 by cheesygiraffe from Florence, Alabama USA on Sunday, December 21, 2008
I've only read A Very Vampy Christmas (pages 243-327) since I'm trying to read the Love at Stake series in order.

It was short and sweet. It's nice to know Don Orlando wasn't a manwhore. And that Maggie found someone to take care of and that will take care of her.

Journal Entry 6 by cheesygiraffe from Florence, Alabama USA on Saturday, January 10, 2009
Added to Round 31 of the Paranormal Virtual Bookbox

Journal Entry 7 by cheesygiraffe at Virtual BookBox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Friday, January 23, 2009

Released 15 yrs ago (1/23/2009 UTC) at Virtual BookBox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases

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Smilin-heart plucked this out of the Paranormal VBB.

Enjoy!

Journal Entry 8 by Smilin-Heart from Norfolk, Virginia USA on Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thanks a bunch!

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