Cats aren't traditionally equated with Christmas, but perhaps they should be. After all, what is winter without a roaring fire nearby and a purring cat at your side or feet while you read a good book and drink some rich Christmas cocoa? This book gathers together four tales of cats and Christmas and wraps them up in a pretty bow for your enjoyment.
"Stroke of Enticement" by Nalini Singh focusses on Annie Kildare. Annie is a normal human in a world of Psy- humans with psychic powers, and Shapechangers, humans who are part animal and can shift into animals. When one of the students at the school she works at- a Shifter child, misbehaves and hits another kid, she meets Bryan's Uncle Zach, she is attracted to him, and he to her.
But Annie comes with lots of baggage, her own and her mother's. Wounded in an accident as a child, she still walks with a limp. and her mother clings to her because her father loves his work more than his wife and child. Can Annie break free from her mother's restrictions and find love with Zach while convincing her mother that she doesn't need to be protected any longer, she can stand on her own now?
"Christmas Bree" involves Bree Murphy, one of a trio of witch sisters who still lives in her grandmother's house. When one of her sisters announces that she will meet her future husband at the door, wearing a pink shirt, Bree scoffs- until the doorbell rings and she meets just such a man, Lawyer Ian Carrington.
He's only met her once, and been having hot sexual fantasies about her ever since. She's also been having fantasies, but has never been able to see the man's face. He's come there to try and buy her house from her for a client who wants it way too much, But while they create sexual magic together, Ian's client will really do anything to get the house, even report Bree for the back taxes she owes, leaving her no choice but to sell. Can their love and relationship survive what Bree sees as the ultimate betrayal?
"Sweet Dreams" by Linda Winstead Jones takes Ruby, a baker who wants love, and gifts her with a green jade cat from an anonymous Santa. While her hunky next door Professor neighbor Zane Benedict seems interested in the cat, she wonders why she can't get him interested in her as well, and what the man has against sinfully rich cookies and cakes.
But Zane knows that the green Jade Cat means Ruby has been marked for death by a secretive demonic entity that is trapped in the small statuette. He knows, because he's been assigned to watch Ruby by the organization he works for. But when he starts having feelings for Ruby, and she starts dreaming of the last sacrifices from the statue, is there any hope for her to survive, given that the statue always geta a loved one to do the actual killing?
"Christmas Heat" by Lora Leigh takes place in the world of the Breeds. When Librarian Haley McQuire is witness to two men betraying the Breeds in Sanctuary, she becomes a target for retaliation from those responsible. Noble, a leopard breed who Haley is dangerously attracted to, is assigned to guard her when an attempt is made on her life.
But Haley doesn't want him around. She knows their attraction could distract Noble at a crucial time and end up killing them both. But that's just too bad, because Noble knows how she feels about him, and he wants her, too. And he isn't about to take "no" for an answer. But can Haley compete with all the tall, beautiful competent women that Noble interacts with on a daily basis?
This was a very good compilation, but one of then, "Christmas Bree", had a cat who was extremely incidental to the story. But at the same time, it's the only story with an actual cat. The other stories have a cat who is a statue (and a demon at the same time) and two stories with people with cat DNA or who can shapeshift into cat form (big cats, mind you), so I found "Christmas Bree" a little less compelling than the rest, since the cat in it is so forgettable. It's like it was tacked on to make the story fit the collection rather than being integral to the story.
All the stories are good, but Ms. McCarthy seemed kind of out of her depth here. I'll confess that I am very familliar with the other authors and have ready plenty of books by them before. All are capable of writing stories that practically set my eyebrows on fire. But based on this collection I won't be seeking out stories by Ms. McCarthy. I just felt that she was an outlier in a collection that was otherwise completely wonderful.
Read this book. The stories are great, and you'll find something to enjoy in each of them. If you've never read Nalini Singh, Lora Leigh or Linda Winstead-Jones, you will definitely find yourself looking for more from each of them afterwards, Erin McCarthy? Maybe not quite so much. Not that her story was bad, just not on a level with the others. Highly recommended.
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