Blodeuedd's Tuesday Review: Midlife Christmas Vigliante by Eve Langlais

By: Eve Langlais

Narrated by: Anne Robert

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Release date: 12-11-25 by Tantor Media

Paranormal romance

Christmas and short, yes thank you.

Our heroine is rather sad, lonely, but she loved her cat! And then some ahole tortured it! Yes she is angry, and the legal system did nothing. So she ends up rather almost dead after a confrontation. Luckily a handsome vampire walked by and thought she had some spirit in her.

And suddenly she is a vampire at 47 and does not believe it to be true. It does take some time for her to get her head around it and soon she is getting back into shape. As the book starts with her doing vigilante stuff 2 years later. Taking down bad guys the cops can´t take down themselves.

Oh and she does find some romance too, some hot romance.

A bloody xmas paranormal romance. They are vampires after all. I enjoyed it. It worked well in audio too. The narrator was good and it was fun listening to.

Just before Christmas my life underwent a major change. And I’m not talking about the fact I hit menopause hard—I mean, we're talking night sweats and hormones gone wild. Nope, it was worse than that. I almost died, and would have actually been six feet under if I'd not been transformed into a vampire.

You heard me right. At the ripe age of forty-seven, I became a blood-guzzling, sunlight-hating, fanged menace with an insatiable appetite. Thankfully, criminals taste delicious.

But the wicked aren't the only people I'm nibbling on this holiday season. When I'm not taking a literal bite out of crime, you will find me unwrapping the handsome vampire who gave me the best present of all.

Love.

Book Review: Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh

Title: Secrets at Midnight

Series: Psy-Changeling #12.5

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 100

Published: November 25, 2014

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Bastien Smith is frustrated. A changeling male should be able to track his mate anywhere—through fire and hail, snow and rain. But he keeps finding and losing her scent in the city streets, ever since he first became aware of it two weeks earlier, when the elusive fragrance awakened the leopard within him...

Then Bastien is suddenly confronted with his prey. Kirby is an all-too-human woman who wants Bastien just as much as he wants her. But he can’t deny what his body and senses are telling him: there is a raging chaos inside of Kirby that he doesn’t understand, secrets that whisper awake at midnight and cause her terrible pain. If they’re to have any chance of forever, then he must solve the mystery that is Kirby...

Review:

I needed a nice short and sweet novella. Plus, I have been itching for a PNR. This fit the bill perfectly. 

Here we follow Bastien and Kirby. One day, Bastien came across a perplexing yet intriguing scent. It smells of mystery, and something about it makes him think it could be that of his mate. He can't quite keep track of it. After two weeks of searching, he finally finds her. Kirby has been alone all her life. She was an orphan, so her goal in life is to give love to the kids as a teacher. Since she has moved to this new town, something is wrong. She has been getting terrible pain, and there is chaos raging inside her. Maybe Bastien can help her figure out the mystery of her past. 

I adored this. I wish this had been a full-length novel because I really adored both of these characters. Bastien is a sweet bean, and Kirby is a gem. I loved watching them find each other and become more. I loved them working together to uncover the secret of her past. 

The last few chapters had me in tears. Awwwwwww! Happy tears, but tears nonetheless. So sweet. 

I'm curious if we'll see more of Kirby and Bas in the next few books. I want to see them be happy and in love. Maybe more will come out of their discovery. I won't spoil anything!

But yes, I needed this nice story. I've had a few meh books recently. 

5 stars. 

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #32

 

Book Review: A Lighthouse Cafe Christmas by Jennifer Faye

Author: Jennifer Faye

Title: A Lighthouse Cafe Christmas

Series: Bluestar Island #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 184

Published: November 16, 2021

Where I got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

As Bluestar Island prepares for a very special Christmas wedding, Santa’s sleigh crashes into The Lighthouse Café, reuniting Bluestar’s beloved waitress with her former fiancé.

In this holiday novella, Darla Evans has carved out a quiet life for herself as a waitress at The Lighthouse Café. Up until this point, she’s conveniently avoided the one man who shattered her heart and her dreams. But when a wedding draws him back to the island, she knows their meetup is unavoidable.

Tech entrepreneur William “Will” Campbell has returned to his childhood home to be the best man in his father’s wedding. But first his father has a very special task for him—to restore a sleigh in time for the wedding. However, there’s not much time until Christmas. He just might need some help.

As snowflakes cover the small town of Bluestar, Will and Darla work together to make it a very special holiday wedding. With the past looming between them, will the magic of the season open their hearts and allow them to find love again?

Review:

Continuing on with the series! I've been excited about this one...mainly because of the cover lol. 

Here we have Darla and Will. Darla has been living a nice and simple and quiet life as a waitress. She has successfully avoided Will since he broke her heart years ago. However, there is a wedding coming and she knows Will will be there. Will is back to be the best man at his father's wedding. His father has tasked him to restore a sleigh for the wedding. There isn't much time, so he will need some help. Will and Darla must work together but their past is looming around them. Will the magic of the season help erase the old hurts and let them try again?

Oh no. I am in the minority here...............

I didn't really like this one. I struggled to like Darla or Will. I struggled to care. I think it would've been better if they just stayed friends. 

I managed to push through because I was curious to see how they would fix everything (sleigh and their broken hearts). I also have liked the series up until now so I was hopeful it would eventually suck me in. 

Sadly......not for me. But I love the cover!

2 stars from me.

 

Book Review: The Christmas Catch by Toni Shiloh

Author: Toni Shiloh

Title: The Christmas Catch

Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance, CF

Format: Paperback

Pages: 224

Published: September 1, 2024

Where I got It: My shelf (Used book store)

Summary: 

When two high school sweethearts reunite, will they take another chance at love or let life sideline them at Christmas?

Benched with a career-ending injury, NFL wide receiver Jahleel Walker is forced to return to his hometown of Peachwood Bay, Georgia, during the holidays to heal, despite his rocky relationship with his father. Nothing shocks him more than running into Lucille "Bebe" Gordon.

Bebe Gordon came home to Peachwood Bay three years ago with a divorce certificate and her daughter. When Jahleel returns--for the first time in eight years--all the memories of the past come rushing back. The connection between them is still strong, but Jahleel has no plans to stay in Peachwood Bay, and Bebe won't risk him leaving her again. As their hometown's Christmas festivities bring them together, Jahleel must decide if he's only home for the holidays or if the Christmas spirit that brought them together will last all through the year.

Review:

While at the used book store, I saw this, and it sounded cute. Look at that cover! Plus, I've been meaning to read more Football romances. And it's Xmas? *chef kiss*

Here we follow Jahleel and Bebe. They were High School friends and then sometimes more than friends. However, things fell apart when they went to college, and Jahleel had the NFL in his sights. Years later, Jahleel is back home with a career-ending injury. Bebe has been back home for the last three years, but with a divorce certificate and a kid. As their hometown's Christmas festivities bring them together, they must decide whether they can overcome the past and find love again. 

Christian Fiction REALLY needs to have a label on it. The cover states "Sweet Romance," and that is fine! I love a nice, sweet, and clean romance, but as I started diving in..........the religious stuff was peppered on heavily. I looked on Goodreads and yep....Christian Fiction. Sighs. Normally, I don't mind sprinkles of religious chat, but when it is saturated in it...I literally can't.

I pushed on as much as possible, but it was a LOT. I started skimming because I was really curious about how these two would finally find love again. I was invested at this point, but I, for sure, had to do some serious skimming. 

Overall, this was very sweet, and I liked Bebe and Jahleel, but the religiousness was too much for me. I don't mind a bit of religion mixed in, especially if it helps the plot and character development, but this one had A LOT. Meh. 

2 stars.