Who Offed Holiday Spirit by Wayne Greenough is a humorous, suspenseful tale. A young boy hires Thanet Blake to find the man who brings joy to the neighborhood from November first through December. Thanet is always broke but not miserly. His friends know he can’t pay for anything but his search for Holiday Spirit gets them to give one more time to their friend. This well-done story sets the tone for the book in a great way.

I expected a lot after the first great story and wasn’t disappointed with Christmas Ink by Skylar Sinclair. Our Santa Claus, Chris Kringle keeps hoping his son Christopher will find a mate. He can’t take over the family’s holiday deliveries without a wife. Christopher is a physician, wants to do his own thing as a healer. His life changes when Candi Kane has a motorcycle accident while driving through the town where he’s set up his clinic.

Each story just keeps getting better. I don’t think I’ve ever read a better anthology. Every story is an excellent present. They’re fun to unwrap as the stories unfold. Some bring many smiles at the dialogue, the characters, the themes. Some take us back in time. Many involve us with faery magic, goddesses, dreams coming true. Each author has imbued a hint of the magic of the season for us in their tale. This is well worth the read from first page to last.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Dee Dailey
August 7, 2008