Hex the Halls

Easy Bake Coven #5.5 (Frost's Bite)

by Mindy Klasky, Liz Schulte, Kristen Painter

Just in time for the holidays! Check out this magical holiday collection of eight original short stories by some of today's bestselling paranormal authors:

Dreaming of a Witch Christmas by Mindy Klasky
It's beginning to look a lot like Yuletide...

And newlywed Jane Madison needs to find a gift for her husband and warder David Montrose. A pen set and a necktie would be easy, but those are hardly gifts of the heart. Fortunately, Jane does a little witchy research and discovers the perfect present. But now that she's found it, she's not certain she can afford it - in terms of money or of magic! Will Yule turn out to be the most wonderful time of the year? Or is Jane destined for a blue Christmas?

Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon by Christiana Miller
Love is hard. Speed-dating is harder. Speed-dating with a Christmas Demon can be terrifying.

Gus's sister decides to get Mara out of her dating slump by taking her speed-dating. Soon, they're facing a whole new set of problems, when they find themselves sitting across the table from a demon.

The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter
Bridget Merrow has almost everything a werewolf could wish for. And it's not that her awesome family and popular business aren't enough - she just wants someone to share it all with this Christmas. Too bad the someone she wants doesn't want her. Or does he?

A Miracle on Bourbon Street (A Jade Calhoun short story) by Deanna Chase
It's Christmas Eve and Jade Calhoun's ready for a quiet, magical night with her husband Kane. But when Santa demons and energy-stealing elves start wreaking havoc, it's going to take a miracle on Bourbon Street to save Christmas.

A Very Merry HEX-Mas (A Woolven Secret Novella) by Saranna DeWylde
Eleanor Westwood, resident Woolven caretaker and wicked witch extraordinaire, has a slip of the tongue that conjures a real-life goblin king. Enoch needs to give his subjects a white Christmas, but only a certain wicked witch will do for a very Merry Hex-mas.

Cupid's Christmas (Broken Heart Worlds #1) By Michele Bardsley
As the winter holidays approach, love goddess Aphrodite and her personal assistant, the wood nymph Daphne, decide it's time to make another love match. After all, their interference... er, help... in the relationship of werewolves Darrius and Alaya worked out. Now, it's time for a human couple to get the benefit of Aphrodite's gift for matching mates. But can she really convince a movie star and a wedding planner they can have a happily-ever-after? Damn right she can.

Frost's Bite (An Easy Bake Coven short story) by Liz Schulte
Orphan bounty hunters don't celebrate Christmas, at least Frost never had. But now that she is officially part of a coven of witches who are determined to include her in the festivities, she has no choice but to go along with them. However, when her long buried past starts coming to the surface, Frost will need her friends more than ever.

Ghost of a Chance by Angie Fox
'Tis the season...for ghosts. Verity Long has come to terms with the fact that she can see spirits, and talk to them, and...she's actually making cookies for one of them. But she's drawing the line at any more ghost hunting or mystery solving. Until a dear friend needs help locating a missing antique at the party of the year. Verity straps on her sparkly heels and sneaks in to see what she can find...and uncovers a holiday secret that will change everything.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Christmas, Anthologies, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Witches

424 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2015

About the author

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.

Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including romantic comedies, paranormal romance, and traditional fantasy.

In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and two cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes in her days.

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hex the Halls, a paranormal Christmas anthology

New and Fun, spirited series novellas. I enjoyed that the ecopy included a book plate cover for some of the indivual novellas which is unusual in an anthology.

The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter
Bridget Merrow has a Christmas wish and that's to spend a little time with Sam Kincaid. Maybe get a little frisky. They are werewolves after all. But Sam doesn't think he's good enough for Bridget. Guess it's up to her to convince him!

A light, cute short novella where Bridget decides to talk things out wth Sam. I really like a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. Yeah, team.

Dreaming of a Witch Christmas by Mindy Klasky
Jane wants a special Yule gift for her husband David.

A twist in the tale reminds you of long ago where you heard a similar story. Nostalgia. Quite a few references to problems that without having read this series were a bit disjointed but bottom line was the holiday love. A nice message.

Ghost of a Chance by Angie Fox
Verity goes on a errand for a ghost and reunites a mother and son. A touching holiday novella where family and friends are the most important part of the season. You don't need to be familiar with the series. The author does a good job with background information.

Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon by Christiania Miller
A short story that tells you a positive attitude can lead to a love story. A nice message.

A Miracle on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
An evil version of a demon Santa and elves threaten Jade's world.

A Very Merry Hex-Mes by Saranna Dewylde
The goblin king, Enoch, asks Eleanor Westwood on a date in lieu of an immediate abduction into marriage. Will she accept and enjoy or shoot hm down?
Several typing or contest errors in the version I read. Very distracting.

Cupid's Christmas by Michele Bardsley
Famous actor Reece Cadwell has agreed to a win-a-date contest. Abby Reed and Reece share instant sparks. Can he trust Abby with more than just a date?
A cute passionate novella where a tryst triumphs and trust is questioned. Enjoyable but a few typos here as well.

Frost's Bite by Liz Schulte
Frost learns a bit about her mother while her coven tries to be better friends.
This short novella should not be read without reading prior series books. It was without context for me but rather a short story introducing me to the characters. The best description would be a chapter summary of a novel. Interesting, but not complete on its own.

[Una · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely disappointing. Only a couple of really good stories. Most were mediocre at best.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year I read a holiday anthology (Kiss of Christmas Magic) and really enjoyed it. So, when I found this one free on Amazon, I grabbed it. I'm typically the type of anthology reader that buys them for 1-2 stories only and, while I'd like to check out new-to-me authors, I typically only read the stories by authors I know. This time, I read all the stories and I'm happy I did. Several of the shorts were a part of an on-going series that I hope to check out later this year.

✮✮✮✮☆ Dreaming of a Witch Christmas (Jane Madison) by Mindy Klasky

It's beginning to look a lot like Yuletide...

And newlywed Jane Madison needs to find a gift for her husband and warder David Montrose. A pen set and a necktie would be easy, but those are hardly gifts of the heart. Fortunately, Jane does a little witchy research and discovers the perfect present. But now that she's found it, she's not certain she can afford it - in terms of money or of magic! Will Yule turn out to be the most wonderful time of the year? Or is Jane destined for a blue Christmas?

✮✮✮½ (New2Me) Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon (ToadWitch) by Christiana Miller

Love is hard. Speed-dating is harder. Speed-dating with a Christmas Demon can be terrifying.

Gus's sister decides to get Mara out of her dating slump by taking her speed-dating. Soon, they're facing a whole new set of problems, when they find themselves sitting across the table from a demon.

✮✮✮½ The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter

Bridget Merrow has almost everything a werewolf could wish for. And it's not that her awesome family and popular business aren't enough - she just wants someone to share it all with this Christmas. Too bad the someone she wants doesn't want her. Or does he?

✮✮✮½ (New2Me) A Miracle on Bourbon Street (Jade Calhoun) by Deanna Chase

It's Christmas Eve and Jade Calhoun's ready for a quiet, magical night with her husband Kane. But when Santa demons and energy-stealing elves start wreaking havoc, it's going to take a miracle on Bourbon Street to save Christmas.

✮✮½ (New2Me) A Very Merry HEX-Mas (Woolven Secret) by Saranna DeWylde

Eleanor Westwood, resident Woolven caretaker and wicked witch extraordinaire, has a slip of the tongue that conjures a real-life goblin king. Enoch needs to give his subjects a white Christmas, but only a certain wicked witch will do for a very Merry Hex-mas.

✮✮✮☆☆ Cupid's Christmas (Broken Heart Worlds) By Michele Bardsley

As the winter holidays approach, love goddess Aphrodite and her personal assistant, the wood nymph Daphne, decide it's time to make another love match. After all, their interference... er, help... in the relationship of werewolves Darrius and Alaya worked out. Now, it's time for a human couple to get the benefit of Aphrodite's gift for matching mates. But can she really convince a movie star and a wedding planner they can have a happily-ever-after? Damn right she can.

✮✮✮☆☆ (New2Me) Frost's Bite (Easy Bake Coven) by Liz Schulte

Orphan bounty hunters don't celebrate Christmas, at least Frost never had. But now that she is officially part of a coven of witches who are determined to include her in the festivities, she has no choice but to go along with them. However, when her long buried past starts coming to the surface, Frost will need her friends more than ever.

✮✮✮☆☆ Ghost of a Chance by Angie Fox

'Tis the season...for ghosts. Verity Long has come to terms with the fact that she can see spirits, and talk to them, and...she's actually making cookies for one of them. But she's drawing the line at any more ghost hunting or mystery solving. Until a dear friend needs help locating a missing antique at the party of the year. Verity straps on her sparkly heels and sneaks in to see what she can find...and uncovers a holiday secret that will change everything.

Anthology Rating: 3.25 stars

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only rating this for Kristen Painter's story since it was the only one I could read as a stand alone.

"The Werewolf's Christmas Wish" is short, amusing and sweet. While I don't doubt Sam had what he thought were good reasons to turn tail (literally) from the chemistry between him and Bridget shared, she was determined to convince him otherwise.

Surprisingly all the random bad happenstance things that trapped them together were not revealed to be orchestrated by anyone but good luck on Bridget's part.

It gives a good overview of Nocturne Falls without feeling over burdened by info. Also gave a nice sense of the residents who I believe feature in other stories.

[JB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter. The story takes place in Nocturne Falls (a place I would love to move to) where it is Halloween 365 days of the year. In this story Bridget the owner/operator of the local bar has to deliver a last minute case of champagne as one of her employees failed in his task. Since her car won't make it on the snowy roads, Sam and his truck are called to help her out. On one hand, Bridget is glad, now she will be able to ask Sam why he stopped flirting and visiting with her. On the other hand, she is not looking forward to the confrontation. Enjoy! I received a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Miracle on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

An awesome Christmas short in the Jade Calhoun series. All Jade wants is quality time with her husband Kane. A demon Santa puts a kink in their plans. Add soul stealing elves and it's gonna take a miracle to save Christmas.

Love the witty dialogue, unique characters, and engrossing plot. An emensely satisfying story. As a fan of the series, my only complaint would be I wanted more!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love anthologies. I've revisited so many older favorite authors, and this is a terrific way to get acquainted with new ones. Michele Bardsley and Angie Fox feel like old friends, and they always draw me in and make me care about their characters. Also found some new ones I have to catch up on, Liz Schulte and Mindy Klasky - here I come.

All these stories were great, and I now want to get deeper into all the series!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Boxed Set!
This is a great boxed set with eight magical holiday books by eight wonderful authors. I was so excited that I got this boxed set, it has some of my favorite authors in it.
Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon by Christiana Miller- Mara has not been out much since she had the baby. When Gus’s sister comes to visit, she drags Mara out to a speed-dating party. When a demon falls for Gus’s sister, they have to find out if he is good or bad. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
A Miracle on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase. This book is part of the Jade Calhoun series. Jade Calhoun has been looking forward to a magical night with her husband Kane. Jade ends up having to fight demon Santa’s and figure a way to get her magic back from the trapped souls of the elves.
Dreaming of a Witch Christmas by Minday Klasky. Jane Madison needs to find a gift for her warder husband David Montrose. She believes that she has the perfect gift for him. The problem is she can’t afford to pay for it, so she offers up a trade. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter. Bridget Merrow is a werewolf and the owner of the local bar in the small town where they celebrate Halloween 365 days of the year. She has had a crush on Sam ever since he came to town. When they get locked in a freezer, she decides to make her move. I can’t wait until the next book in this series comes out.
Cupid’s Christmas by Michele Bardsley. Aphrodite is a love goddess she decides to put her matchmaking skills to the test along with the help of her personal assistant, the wood nymph Daphne. I can’t wait until the next book in this series comes out.
Ghost of a Chance by Angie Fox. Verity Long has finally come to turns with the fact that she can see and speak to ghosts. She is tired of the ghost hunting and mystery solving and just needs a break. When a friend asks for her help locating a missing antique, she can’t say no. I can’t wait until the next book in this series comes out.
Frost’s Bite by Liz Schulte. This book is part of the Easy Bake Coven series. Frost has never celebrated Christmas, but now that she is part of a coven of witches they want to include her in their festivities. I can’t wait until the next book in this series comes out.
A Very Merry HEX-Mas by Saranna DeWylde. This book is part of the Woolven Secret series. Eleanor Westwood is a witch and ends up conjuring a real-life goblin king. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am looking forward to reading more.
A Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, I'm glad I stuck with this rather than abandoning it like I'd originally planned. Unfortunately, this is a rather mixed bag, and the earlier stories were making me think there wouldn't be anything good here. Turns out I was wrong. Dreaming of a Witch Christmas was a cute little story and the characters seemed interesting. I appreciate that the author included just enough hints at the previous stories to provide context without confusing me, and I am kinda interested in reading the earlier books, but the cliche ending kinda turned me off. Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon had a funny premise, but it didn't really work for me. The Werewolf's Christmas Wish had some stuff that bugged me, especially stupid alpha male behavior on the part of the guy werewolf, but it turned out okay in the end. I may check out the first book in that setting, since I've read a sample and it seems fun. A Miracle on Bourbon Street was just plain wacky and ridiculous in a good way. It features elves trapped in Hell and Santa's demonic brother. The pacing of some things was a little off, but I know that's the hazard of the short story format. This is another one I might check out at some point. A Very Merry HEX-mas was awful, though. The real goblin king premise was cute, but everything about the execution was terrible, and I ended up skimming through much of it. Thankfully, Cupid's Christmas more than made up for any problems I had with the anthology. It's a cute and pretty hot bit of erotica about Aphrodite hooking up a movie star and a wedding planner. I really cared about the characters by the end, and I'm a little sad that the series clearly followed Aphrodite rather than them. Frost's Bite was pretty good. I liked the main character and felt a lot of empathy for her struggles. She's a necromancer who can't touch people and has a mysterious past - not a fun life to deal with. But she manages, and by the end, I definitely wanted to learn more about her. The final story, Ghost of a Chance, was just okay. In fairness, I'm not sure I'm a big fan of ghost stuff, and I found some concepts, like ghosts getting married, to be pretty ridiculous. Still, I did like the author's writing, and I've already downloaded the first book in one of her other series. All in all, I'm glad I stuck with this, since it looks like I've got a bunch of new authors and stories to explore, and I guess that's worth putting up with the crap.

[Chatel Casto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing set of short stories for Christmas! I have only read 4 of the stories so far and here are my opinions of each of those.
The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter
This was a great read that I am so happy to have finally gotten to read. Ever since we were introduced to Bridget I have been waiting to read her story and see who she ends up with. It was a fun read! This to me was a true love story where the man thought he was no good for the woman but she didn't care about what he has or don't. She just wanted him for him. If you have not read any of Kristen Painter's other Nocturne Falls books you should they are amazing and can be read by anyone in my opinion.
A Miracle On Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
This was a fun short story about Jade Calhoun and demon Santa and elves. It was great, perfect story for Christmas. Jade has to save the onlookers from the elves who are being controlled by the demon pretending to be Santa. At the end she gets help from her coven, Kane and the demon hunters, as well as a very unexpected source of help. Great story can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the Jade Calhoun series.
Frost's Bite by Liz Schulte
I was so excited to hear we were finally getting a story about Frost. Not only do we get that but we get introduced to a new character that seems like he will play a big part in the next book that will be about Frost. Can't wait for that!! Anyways we get to learn some of the backstory about Frost and her curse and how it came to be. And learn there may be a way to reverse it. But we wont know about that until later on in another book i figure. Great read and you should definitely read the Easy Bake Coven series so that you can fully understand who everyone is and how they are connected and some of there back stories.
Ghost of a Chance by Angie Fox
This is a short story from the Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery series. It was also a great fun read. Its about Verity trying to help one of her ghost friends get an item but as usual things don't always go the way they should. Frankie the ghost is there to help is his own gangster way.

These are all wonderful stories by amazingly wonderful authors!!!

[Akemi Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a Kristen Painter fan and I was excited for "The Werewolf's Christmas Wish" since it exists in the world of her Nocturne Falls series. (Nocturne Falls is a town that is home to many supernatural beings and it exists in our current world. They are a tourist trap that advertises that they celebrate Halloween all the time as a way to explain away the co-mingling of vampires, werewolves, gargoyles, witches, etc.) It was fun to see Bridget, the werewolf bartender, get her own story since she's been a supporting character and her bar appears in a couple of the books.

Okay, to be honest, I didn't finish one of the stories. I felt that "Frost's Bite" just had way too much going on that I didn't understand because I haven't read the series it belongs in.

A few of the other stories were parts of other series that I haven't read. Those worked okay for me because there was enough explanation to understand the worlds they were in and also, not to much depended on the reader knowing the backstory, at least in my opinion.

"Cupid's Christmas" and "Ghost of a Chance" both prompted me to sign up for those authors' newsletters and put some of their titles on my to-read list.

I thought this anthology was an interesting blend of stories. Some are definitely more R-rated with more swearing and explicit sex scenes while most are on the PG to PG-13 side of things with innuendo and fading away when things start to get hot and heavy. "A Very Merry HEX-mas" is the only one where the language and imagery turned me off. I read the whole story, though, because the world and the whole story were so interesting. Making a wicked witch and a "Labrynth"-type goblin king protagonists in pretty amazing. Also, the style and story of the werewolves is very different from other things I've read and it was very intriguing.

Overall, I would recommend this collection if you're a fan of any of the authors, if you're looking for an introduction to new paranormal romance worlds, or if you need some supernatural Christmas in your life.

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this anthology while only familiar with one of the series, so take that for what it is.

Dreaming of a Witch Christmas

Kind of yawn-worthy. Yet another take on the Gift of the Magi story. I probably would have appreciated it more if I’d been familiar with the series and the characters. As it is, I’m not really tempted to read the series based on this story. 2 stars.

Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon

Again another story I might have liked more if I’d been familiar with the series. As it was, the story was rushed and I had no idea how the main character could take back her baby daddy when he was such a putz during the short story. Oh well – probably won’t read the series. 2 stars.

The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish

This story is the main reason I read the anthology. I liked it well enough, though the characters involved hadn’t gotten much page time prior to this story. Still, very cute. 3 stars.

A Miracle on Bourbon Street

This story was pretty funny, without knowing any back story. I may check out this series. 3 stars.

A Very Merry HEX-Mas

Here’s where my spotty memory stinks. I read this anthology over a month ago, and I don’t remember all of it. I believe I liked this one enough that I’m curious about the series. 3 stars.

Cupid’s Christmas

The short was ok, but for it to be the first installment of a series, it was definitely missing something. There wasn’t enough back story and some plot holes. I’d be willing to check out the next book in the series to see if these missing parts are explained. 2.5 stars.

Frost’s Bite

This was a cute, ok story. It could be a series I’ll look into later. 3 stars.

Ghost of a Chance

I liked this one, it was a sweet story. I may also look into this series. 3 stars.

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book mostly because of Kristen Painter's Nocturne Falls Novella featuring Bridget and Sam, The Werewolf's Christmas Wish (Nocturne Falls #4.75). And I am so glad I did because there were some beautiful stories around it.
But first thing is first, Bridget finally got her story. She shows up here and there a bit and a bit more in the second book, where we also meet Sam. It is a short story but not rushed. They are both familiar and lovely characters and now we get to know them better. It could work as a standalone but since I love Nocturne Falls, I highly recommend the series, especially in order: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride (Nocturne Falls #1), The Werewolf Meets His Match (Nocturne Falls #2), The Gargoyle Gets His Girl (Nocturne Falls, #3), The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls, #4), and The Witch’s Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls #4.5) in Spell of the Ball compilation. I can't wait for the next book and I hope they go on forever.
Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon by Christiana Miller is a cute love story, a bit rushed but I loved it anyway. I wish there was more. It worked well as a standalone, but I want to read the series because I like the characters a lot.
A Miracle on Bourbon Street (A Jade Calhoun short story) by Deanna Chase is full of action but because it is a part of series, I did feel like I was missing something, like background and characters. Nevertheless, it is a very good story.
A Very Merry HEX-Mas (A Woolven Secret Novella) by Saranna DeWylde is absolutely lovely and it works really well as a standalone. The main characters are funny and the dialogues hilarious.
In summary, I really liked this book and I recommend it for holidays. There is something for everyone.

[Stephenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

* This review is for The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter. * * I received a copy of the ebook for this novella only in exchange for an honest review. *

This series is one of my absolute favorites! I love the town of Nocturne Falls and all of the unique residents that live there! My only complaint about this story was that it was too short!! I wanted, no I needed more of my favorite residents! I felt like I could have spent another month with Sam and Bridget getting to know them and getting to spend time with their pack. Bridget is the perfect alpha daughter - she knows what she wants and she doesn't back down from getting it. Sam is still working on regaining his footing after his father (the alpha) is arrested and he knows that what he wants may not be obtainable...but neither one of them realizes that their goals and ideas are closer than they think.

This is easily a quick afternoon read that will get you a bit more in the holiday spirit. It is a fun short and it is done with the familiar writing style that readers have come to love and expect from author Kristen Painter. The more I read by her the more I want! I can't wait to see where she takes us next in this amazing town - and I can't wait to see what adventure is in store for the reader and the characters. Dive into the world of Nocturne Falls and you won't be disappointed, at least not by the stories, but you may be when you discover that this place doesn't exist in real life....yet.

Add this and all of the other Nocturne Falls books to your TBR list and be prepared for a massive book hangover when you have finished reading them. There is nothing better than an adventure with your soon to be favorite characters!! Enjoy!

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of holiday themed short stories!

Reminiscent of The Gift of the Magi, is Mindy Klasky's Dreaming of a Witch Christmas. The story is sweet. It has me wanting to read the previous books in the series, especially since it refrences a few events.

Christiana Miller takes her cues from Beauty and the Beast with her story, Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon. I really enjoyed this story. It has me eager to read the other books in the series, I haven't read yet.

The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter is about two people who like each other and neither one making a move to be together. This is a great addition to the Nocturne Falls series. I look forward to reading more in this series.

A Miracle on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase is another great addition to the Jade Calhoon series. Jade must fight off demon Santas, and figure out how to save the trapped souls of elves. Jade gets some unexpected help.

Cupid's Christmas by Michele Bardsley is the first in a new series. Aphrodite and her assistant try their hand at matchmaking. This is a fun story, I hope to read more of this series.

Overall, these are fun stories with little miracles that occur. This is an enjoyable book for the holidays!

I was gifted a copy of this manuscript from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all but one of these spooky Christmas stories.
Dreaming of a Witch Christmas by Mindy Klasky: great, characters, evocative writing, interesting plot, but the ending will make you groan. I will check out more of this series.
Speed-Dating the Christmas Demon by Christiana Miller: Humorous paranormal story. Fun characters.
The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter. I bought the book for this story. It fits right in to the rest of the excellent series, but I guess you could read this on its own and still enjoy it.
A Miracle on Bourbon St. by Deanna Chase: Maybe I would have liked it more if I had read other books in this series. Surreal.
A Very Merry HEX-mas by Saranna Dewylde: A wacky entry with cute werewolf pups, a wicked witch, a troll, and vampires. Sloppy writing though. One of those authors who uses capital letters after closing quotes even if it's a continuation of the same sentence. "'I do.' He said."
Cupid's Christmas by Michele Bardsley. Other than a supernatural introduction and closing, this one dealt entirely with mortals and I skimmed it. Dull.
Frost's Bite by Liz Schulte. This was a short story missing a beginning and an ending. The writing was excellent though, save a few typos. I may explore this series.
Ghost of a Chance by Angie Fox. A sentimental ghost story. It did not have the heft of the other stories that I liked.

[David Vise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of these little anthologies of short stories - they are a win win situation for me. You get new shorts by authors you already love, which often add and expand upon already established series, and you get introduced to new authors and series that may have otherwise escaped your attentions.

My main interest here was in Kristen Painter's new Nocturne Falls story 'The Werewolf's Christmas Wish', another well written and welcome addition to her current ongoing PNR series - but I was also taken in by Liz Shulte's 'Frost Bite' and Angie Fox's 'Ghost of a Chance' and have bookmarked these for further investigation!

Of the other 5 stories here, yes some entertained me more than others, but there's not really a bad one among them, and that makes this collection great value for money!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hex the Halls looks to be a great mix of short, fun holiday reads! Not having read all of the stories, this review focuses on A Miracle on Bourbon Street (A Jade Calhoun short story) by Deanna Chase.

A Miracle on Bourbon Street
All dressed up and no Kane to show, it seems as through Jade never gets a break. To continue with the evening plans, Kane sends Pyper in his place. A lovely sleigh ride complete with hot chocolate and magical displays awaits Jade and Pyper. That is until the elves take over the holiday festivities. Determined to gain their freedom, the elves will stop at nothing to use Jade's magical energy. Never fear though Bea and Santa are never too far away.

The stories aren't standalones, but it might help you decide whether to continue reading a particular author. Hex the Halls was provided by one of the authors for an honest review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.

I got interested in this book thanks to Kristen Painter's short story that's included in it. It's basically a quick short about a couple of characters from Nocturne Falls who finally get their shot at love, and a nice addition to tide us involved with this series over until the next installment.

I was lucky enough to have the chance to read the other stories in this book. Some of which you would need insight to their series to fully understand what they are referring to. However, they are very well written and intriguing enough to have me looking into their full series. :)

I love how lighthearted this is, it's perfect for the time of year.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received an ARC from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review**
This is one of my favorite holiday anthologies now! It has several of my favorite authors and some new to me authors I will be reading again. My very fo abortive author in this bunch is Kristen Painter. I'm in love with her Nocturne Falls series. We get to hear Bridget and Sam's story. Bridget was one of my favorite characters. All these stories were fun and entertaining. If you haven't yet, pick you up a copy. You won't be disappointed.

[Diana Rising · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I have only read one story so far, Cupid’s Christmas (Broken Heart Worlds) by Michele Bardsley. I loved it! The characters were real people--a movie star and the lady owner of a down-and-out wedding chapel in Las Vegas, but they are put together for love by the Goddess Aphrodite. It was a great story. The big conflict was the reporter following the movie star around and trying to stay out of her sight and avoid more annoying, privacy-destroying press coverage. It was great how the lady handled it.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute collection of urban fantasy and paranormal romance short stories. Some of the stories fit the holiday theme better than others. Some of them really needed more attention from a good copyeditor. Some were more explicit than I had expected. I definitely enjoyed some stories more than others, but overall, I thought this collection was entertaining and a reasonable way to discover some authors I hadn't read yet. I expect some of the stories would be more enjoyable for current fans already familiar with the characters though.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought the anthology for the Nocturne Falls story The Werewolf's Christmas Wish by Kristen Painter. I was interested in Sam and Bridget when they met in book 2 of the series. This is a nice vignette with them, but I hope that there's more to their story. I also would have liked to see more of the other characters in Nocturne Falls. I'm especially fond of Bridget's Aunt Birdie who only gets a mention here.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Miracle on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase and loved it. It had a very cool twist to Santa and the elves, plus the scary demons and bad guys that Deanna Chase always writes so well. I love that I am still very surprised by things in this series. I never know what is going to happen next. I look forward to reading the other stories in this set as well. What a fun set of stories for this time of the year. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Irma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book because of Kristen Painter's story "The Werewolf's Christmas Wish" Bridget and Sam's story which while very short is very good. Started reading the rest of the short stories and didn't like them, still have 2 of them to read, will edit this review after I do read them, hopefully they are better that the other 2 I didn't finish, they were just very uninteresting and kind of confusing.
Happy reading!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Hexing

I really enjoyed reading these 9 short stories. Most has a humerus base that kept me smiling. Only 1 seemed to be of the cliff hanging variety. Usually in a book likes this they all leave you hanging and nor able to find our the ending. I do recommend this book and would be suitable doe most age groups.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review for Deanna Chase's book A Miracle on Bourbon Street. I absolutely loved the holiday themed story. Jade Calhoun as another adventure when her special date with Kane gets interrupted again. Now there's dancing nutcrackers, evil elves trying to escape hell and demonic Santa Clauses. Its a great story to ready during the holidays.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never start a book when the Holidays are looming. It's taken me a month to get through this one. But I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories in Hex the Halls and suggest you read it for yourself. I'm not a professional critic and reviews are not my cup of tea, so if you're expecting me to tell you about any of the stories...don't hold your breath just read the book.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has about 8 different authors in it. All the stories are about witches,werewolves,etc and is a fun bunch to read. I have found some new authors to follow from this book,and have reconnected with some old friends in the other stories. Very cute and easy to read.def recommend that you read this book if you need to find some new authors and want some laughs..

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Holiday anthology

I'm only currently reading two of the series that have stories in this anthology, but I enjoyed reading them all. When I get caught up, I'll look into a few more from here.