first published in the Brisbane Courier-Mail 2 December 2006
‘Tis the season for Christmas themed stories, at least in the romance genre. It might be the mistletoe, it could be the parties, or it may be that strong egg nog, but love is in the air and on the pages.
Harlequin has drenched its series labels in Christmas spirit, with 18 stories across all their lines. Also, in MIRA, Debbie Macomber, who was in Australia in August for the RWA conference, has released a new romantic comedy in her Blossom Street series called Christmas Letters.
In single-title releases, anthologies seem to reign supreme, with Yuletide stories across all subgenres. If you’re into scary Christmas, go for Avon’s Sugarplums and Scandals, which features 6 short stories by Lori Avocato, Cait London, Dana Cameron, Mary Daheim, Suzanne McPherson, and Kerrelyn Sparks.
For some sweet Christmas, Zebra has released Sugar and Spice, an anthology that includes new stories from the perennial favourite Fern Michaels, as well as Beverly Barton, Joanne Fluke, and Shirley Jump. This anthology gets my vote for best cover, pretty ice cream colours and sparkles. It also comes with a free tree ornament and some dessert recipes intermixed into one of the stories —a nice festive touch.
With a byline reading “Sometimes it’s the naughty ones who get the best presents”, Kensington provides sexy Christmas in their holiday release, A Very Merry Christmas. Lori Foster, the reigning Queen of Anthologies, makes her first of two appearances here. She is joined by Gemma Bruce and Janice Maynard.
If you’re looking for historical Christmas, try Five Gold Rings, an older medieval anthology from Dorchester. This anthology features interlinked stories from Constance O’Banyon, Stobie Piel, Flora Speer, and my second favourite Christmas story this year, “Three French Hens” from Lynsay Sands. Some readers accuse her of writing wallpaper historicals, but she never fails to make me laugh.
Finally, the best Christmas story I’ve found this year rounds out this overview with funny Christmas. Most readers will be familiar with the extreme joy of a new Jennifer Crusie novel, and she doesn’t disappoint with her novella “Hot Toy” in St. Martin’s Santa Baby. The characters are funny and charming, the relationship believable, and the plot wonderfully outrageous. Unfortunately, the rest of the anthology is padded with disappointing, re-released stories from Lori Foster and Carly Phillips. If you’re a Crusie fan, you’ll probably buy this regardless, but do try to hold off reading the other two. They’ll only ruin the experience.
Whether you’re in the mood for naughty or nice, you’re sure to find something you’ll like for Christmas this year.
