My favorite stories in this anthology were "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" by Kim Harrison and "Six" by Marjorie Liu. Ironically, they weren't Christmas stories.

"Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" by Kim Harrison

This story looks into Rachel's past, when she was eighteen, fresh out of community college, and determined to recover from her childhood of severe illness and to get a job working for Inderlander Security. Her brother Robbie is in town for Solstice Night, and wants her to go back to west coas More...

For the most part I liked this anthology better than the first one, Dates from Hell. I think most were on the "good!" side.

"Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" by Kim Harrison. In Dates from Hell we got a story about Ivy set before she meets Rachel, and in this story, we get a story about a young teen-aged Rachel before she ever joins Inderland Security. I thought this was well done because you don't have to have read the Rachel Morgan books to understand the world (much less confusing than the story More...

My overall rating (3) is for the book as a concept and based on the two (of four) stories I've read. This is a theme collection for stories set in modern fantasy series and I don't read the other two series, so jumping in with these stories seems unwise.

I'm not sure I'll ever get around to reading the other two stories, so here are comments on the two I did read, Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel by Kim Harrison (in the Hollows series) and The Harvest by Viki Pettersson (in the Signs of the Zodiac se More...

Honestly, I was a little disappointed by this anthology. I'd really been looking forward to Kim Harrison's story because I love her Rachel Morgan series and this story was supposed to explain why Rachel is the way she is. I'm not sure I buy that this story explains that, even if Kim Harrison thinks it does. It was nice to get a look at Rachel's brother and mother, but I think Ivy's back story in Dates from Hell was much more interesting and revealing.

Lynsay Sand's story was straight up romance More...

Kim Harrison-- decent-- I enjoyed seeing Rachel as a teen before she got into being a runner. I liked getting to know Rachel's brother a little since we don't get to know him in her Hollows series much at all. I don't know how much you'd get out of this if you don't read the series though.

Lynsay Sands-- a little too much of a straight romance for me but good humor and at least mildly entertaining.

Marjorie Liu- I found this to be the most interesting. Seems like this could be a stand alone and th More...

This was a fantastic collection of very different but entirely amazing stories. I literally couldn't put it down til I was finished last night. I would've finished earlier if darn it, I didn't have to work. However, my nose found its way back between the pages come lunch time. If you haven't ever read these authors, I highly recommend picking it up and seeing if you like their styles. If you're already a fan, this is a read you simply won't want to miss.

Kim Harrison and Marjorie M Liu produced to well-written novellas that can be read and appreciated by any lover of urban fantasy, even if those unfamiliar with their works. Vicki Patterson's short is excellent, but might be a harder read for those not familiar with her freshman series - but is a must-read for anyone who reads her books (explains the mysterious disappearance of Zoe Archer). The only disappointment was the short by Lyndsey Sand - written at a level best suited for a intermediate r More...

I picked it up 'cause I'm trying to finish off all the Kim Harrison stories/novels. It was just ok.

Harrison: The story of how Rachel (a witch from Harrison's series) attempted to bring back the ghost of her father to ask him his opinion on what she should do with her life.

Sands: She was in the last multiple-author books w/ Harrison. She continued the story she started in the last book...yep, still kind of stupid. Now the scientist's *sister* gets hit by the science-ray and now SHE can shapeshift More...

Series: "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" (The Hollows, 0.2)
"The Harvest" (Signs of the Zodiac, 1.5)

Four paranormal short stories with Christmas as the theme.

The Stories
Kim Harrison's "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" is a snapshot into Rachel's life before she joins Inderland Security and is her first meeting with Gordian Pierce.

You can find this short in Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond---a much better deal as it provides all the current Kim Harrison short stories for The Hol More...

Like all anthologies review, we’re going to look at the stories in this separately and then consider the book as a whole.


Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel by Kim Harrison

This story follows Rachel Morgan from the Hollows series, as a teenager before she joined the IS. This is the moment, mentioned in the book, when the young Rachel accidentally summons the ghost Pierce when trying to summon her father and with him manages to foil a crime for the IS. This is where Rachel’s path is set where, still rec More...

Kim Harrison's story was very good. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much before I read Black Magic Sanction. Although it is clearly intended to be read first, I think I was more intrigued because of the references to the story made in the book (and Pierce being a main character in both). Either way, I think it's a good story that should be enjoyable to Rachel Morgan fans and newbies alike. I enjoyed getting insight into Rachel's past.

Lynday Sands' story was awful. I was disappointed More...

I picked this up because of the backstory for both Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series and Vicki Pettersson's Zodiac series. I liked three of the four stories in this book, which is one more than I expected to like. I would have kept it for the Harrison and Pettersson stories alone, and the Liu story made me want to check out her books.

"Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" Kim Harrison--It's Rachel Morgan as a teenager. Seriously, how was I not going to love this? We get some time with her mother, the More...

I give this 3.5 just for the Vicki Pettersson story. Which is the only one I am going to talk about.

I HIGHLY suggest reading this short BEFORE moving on to book 3 of her Signs of the Zodiac series, even though it is technically a prequel.

It is pretty integral to the series. Gives us a huge amount of background information that I know I very much needed as a reader. And over all the story is very cool. ***SPOILERS BELOW****



The story is about Zoe Archer, right after her daughter Joanna's rape. Zoe More...

Let's be honest upfront, I'm rating this book based on only 3 of the 4 short stories I read in the book. I was in a rush to finish this book (since it was due back to the library) and more importantly, I had just received Ilona Andrews' Magic Slays in the mail and I just had to finish up this book quickly in favour of Kate Daniels and Curran. No offense to the authors who contributed to this book in anyway, but I'm simply a HUGE fan of the Kate Daniels series...

I really enjoyed Kim Harrison's st More...

The first story was by Kim Harrison and it was called “Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel”. If you have ever read any of her books about the I.S. runner, Rachel Morgan, then you will love this story. It takes you back to the days before she entered the I.S. She was only 18 and hadn’t fully come into herself yet. Her brother was trying to talk her into going to the University instead of following in her dad’s footsteps and joining the I.S. He convinces her to cast a spell at the huge Winter Solstice ev More...

Kim Harrison's story was really the reason I bought this book. Love, love, loved reading about Rachel Morgan's first meeting with Pierce. The story was really well-written and showed Rachel's character so well. It also gave really good insight into her family, which was very welcome.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the other stories in the collection were very high quality too. Though I hadn't previously read Liu or Sands, I liked their contributions and will likely check out their other wor More...

Anthologies are always hit and miss for me. I'm usually happy if one story makes an impression. I picked up Holidays Are Hell because of the Kim Harrison story. Surprisingly, it was my favorite story in the book.

Here is my breakdown:
Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel by Kim Harrison - 4 stars
This is the story of an 18 year old Rachel Morgan. It takes place before Dead Witch Walking, before Rachel joins the I.S. and before she meets Ivy. We learn more about Rachel's illness as a child, her talents as a More...

This completes my 35th book of the year and I am really psyched to have met my goal. This is a compilation of 4 novellas written by 4 well known women authors in the paranormal genra. Kim Harrison's was of course my favorite and now I finally know how she first met Pierce. I was pretty disappointed in Lynsay Sand's, I have read some of her paranormal romances which have been pretty good, but this novella was really slow and somewhat boring. My favorite next to Kim's was the tale Six, written by More...

Holiday Are Hell was not what I was expecting. Instead of all Christmas stories, each novella revolved around a different holiday. In addition, it wasn't the holiday that was the focus or center of each story, but they were simply a common thread to loosely link the novellas. I loved the story by Kim Harrison, but of course I am a bit biased because I love her Hollows series. In this story set at the Solstice, we get a glimpse into Rachel's family life before the Hollows series begins. It's inte More...

I was hoping for Christmas horror, maybe something like
Rare Exports.
Didn't get it.

This is a pretty uneven collection but generally oriented towards
the female reader, with more of a romantic emphasis than I really
cared for. Every one of these is in some way a love story.

Kim Harrison: Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel. I've read some of these stories before.
OK, but I wouldn't want to make a steady diet of this. Set in a world where
witches and vampires aren't necessarily evil.

Lynsay Sands: Run, Run, Ru More...

Great story for those who have read the series! We already knew the big lines, the story of Rachel's first encounter with Pierce having been told before but it was a pleasure to revisit it in details and to discover a younger, more vulnerable Rachel. It had an emotionally charged ending that simply delighted me. It was simply a pleasure to revisit that story from a different time and angle.

RUN, RUN, RUDOLH - Lynsay Sands

A very good chase, fast paced, funny and even a little sexy! Not exactly li More...

get the next Marjorie Liu book

Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel - Kim Harrison
Rachel and Pierce and Robbie and Mom... Rachel is one of a few who survived a childhood illness that has kept her weak - though she struggles year by year to get stronger, pushing herself, mastering martial arts, etc. She is a strong natural witch, but rather than train more she wants to join the I.S. - paranormal police, following in her father's footsteps. She is 19 and of an age to apply, though too yuoung to do it with More...

I purchased this for one reason only - Kim Harrison! In this there is a story called Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel which is a story that goes along with the AWESOME series (the hollows) that I love. It introduces us to a character named Pierce who we later learn to love in the series.

I was thrilled to read this story that was touched on in the series. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer! It went way too fast which is why I gave it four instead of five! :-) She could have made thi More...

As much as I agree with the title of this book, I only read it for the Marjorie Liu story, so that is what my rating is based on.

Kim Harrison, "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" - I don't see a lot of difference between teenage Rachel and adult Rachel, except teenage Rachel gets tired more. Same amount of whining.

Lynsay Sands, "Run, Run, Rudolph" - No. What? No. Just.....no.

Marjorie Liu, "Six" - In a book supposedly about kickass heroines, Six is the only standout. What an awesome character. Six is More...

The stories in this collection all have to do with a holiday. That is the theme that ties them all together and works quite well in my opinion. The intresting thing was that I found the stories to be too long to be true short stories and too short to be novellas.....they sort of fell somewhere between. The only author with whom I have previous experience was Kim Harrison and her contribution(Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel) was well done. I was not thrilled with the story from Lynsay Sands (Run, Ru More...

Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

Kim Harrison - Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel - I had a bit of a falling out with Rachel Morgan's The Hollows series after book four. I've long maintained that Ivy is in need of some serious staking, and as her relationship with Rachel increasingly became more of the focus of the series my enjoyment decreased (if a guy pulled half the possessive, needy, territorial garbage that Ivy does Rachel would never have put up with it). Plus after what ha More...

❤❤❤

I thought this book was going to be more romance and less action-adventure. I was wrong. I thought it was going to be about Christmas specifically, hence the Santa-esque dress on the cover, ok, with a graveyard and dagger, but still, I was wrong. It was about the Holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. That actually ended up being cool. I thought I'd hate it. I was wrong. While I didn't love it to pieces, it was good for what it was, even if it's not my cuppa ☕. But if you More...

Run Rudulph Run by Lynsay Sands
This story begins in Dates From Hell with the story of Kyle and Claire. I did not read that one yet.
Jill's brother Kyle as invented a machine, a destabilizer. Kyle's old co-worker, John Heathcliffe, wants to test it out. He has his chance when Jill wanders into the basement. When she bends down to look for her niece, who is hiding under the table, Jill feels a sharp pain on her head and than blacks out. Jill does not realize that John has zapped her until he tries More...

3 1/2 stars

Four novellas, 2 of which I really enjoyed.

The first story, by Kim Harrison didn't appeal to me as much as the Rachel Morgan stories I've read in the past. I couldn't feel any empathy for Rachel as a teenager.

The Lynsay Sands story was cute and silly, though, since that's not my usual taste, can't rate it too high.

The Marjorie M. Liu story really surprised me. I've read a Crimson City story by her, and really didn't care much for it. Six was well-written, full of tension and exciteme More...