Eleven all new stories from twelve top paranormal romance authors. From Heaven to Hell, fae worlds, superheroes, and even through the looking glass, these holiday themed short stories bring a whole new meaning to the 12 days of Christmas.All proceeds from the sale of the anthology will be donated to charity.Featuring:Stacey Marie Brown – Descending Into Madness (A Winterland Tale)Chantal Fernando … (A Winterland Tale)
Chantal Fernando – Suck Me
Jessica Florence – Hero Holiday Trials
Amelia Hutchins – Oh, Holy Knight (Wicked Knights Series)
S.L. Jennings – Devil’s Darling (A Se7en Sinners Short)
Amo Jones – DYAVOL
Knox & Miers – Deck the Demons (A Halfblood Huntress Prequel)
Kim Loraine – On A Cold Winter’s Night
Anne Malcom – Buried Destiny
R. Scarlett – The Winter Solstice
Alice K. Wayne – The Nutcrackers (A Breed Christmas Short)
more
I love Kim Loraine’s On A Cold Winter’s Night, especially the unexpected revelation.
I haven’t finished the whole anthology yet, but I have to say that it’s definitely a good read.
At first, I was so excited for this anthology to come out mainly because of On A Cold Winter’s Night by Kim Loraine. She’s become one of my fave PNR authors and her character Gabriel is my fave angel in her books series. Eventually though, after reading the stories from the other authors (who are new to me), I found that I liked their stories too and plan to check out their other works.
If you are a fan of the Seven Sinners series at all, this anthology is worth the download for Devil’s Darling alone. I haven’t had a chance to read the other shorts as of yet, but if this one is any indication, it will be a nice collection that’s a bit different from your standard holiday stories.
Here’s your chance to see what awaited Luc after that fateful night at the tail end Fallen Reign. Devil’s Darling picks up some months after Luc leaves Eden in the New Orleans cemetery, immediately offering up Luc’s brash boldness and stark honesty that fans of the Seven Sinners series grew to love, even when it was sowed with seeds of distrust. I really liked seeing Luc and Michael together, their dynamic was fun and feisty- yet serious enough to see the bond between brothers. I also liked that, once again, the readers get those glimpses of the caring yet malevolent side of this devilish hero (pun entirely intended). Unfortunately, this was only a brief glimpse into Luc’s current life after giving up Eden, so Devil’s Darling left me wanting a bit. I did enjoy the emergence of a potential new character and love interest for Luc, and the open ending left me hopeful there will be more to this wonderful cast of characters and unique storyline in the future. Overall, this was an interesting continuation of the Seven Sinners and one I’d definitely recommend to fans of the series.
Oh Gabriel how I love thee, let me count the ways.
Kim Loraine delivers another five star read with On a Cold Winter’s Night. My favorite gorgeous angel is back gracing the pages leaving me wanting more, always more when it comes to Gabe.
This book is a novella but never falls short on delivering all the feels. It makes a perfect addition to the Such Violent Delights, A Holiday Paranormal Romance Anthology.
The ending lets you know that there will be more of Ruby and Gabriel. The anticipation of what’s to come is going to keep me glued to Kim Loraine until she delivers more of her magic.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was the perfect Anthology! It got me excited for what’s next from some of my favorite authors and it introduced me to a few that I haven’t read before…Absolutely loved it
These short stories will be the perfect addition for the holidays! Each story is so different but still completely captivates and keeps you up all night reading. From a different type of Wonderland to Fae and down to demons, there is a book for everyone. I highly recommend this book book to get a taste for the authors if you’ve never heard of them. Even if you have read these authors books you will love these previews of what’s to come.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat! I have only read 3 of the authors before this book. But definitely found some new favorites.. there are 11stories in this book so it’s hard to list everything, but wash one of them sucks you in from the beginning and leave you wanting more! Definitely recommend this book!
Amazing Anthology by these authors!! I can’t wait to read Stacey Marie Brown and Kim Loraine’s conclusions!!
These holiday themed short stories gave me a chance to read some great new to me authors and get a peek into one of my favorite authors upcoming book. One of my favorites is On A Cold Winters Night by Kim Loraine and I can’t wait to read the rest of Gabriel and Ruby’s story! I also loved Devil’s Darling by S.L. Jennings and I will definitely be checking out the Se7en Sinners Series.
This is a great Holiday Paranormal bundle! Eleven shorts stories in one book!! I enjoyed the stories and found some new interesting authors! I’m alread a fan of Kim Loraine and Stacy Marie Brown and their stories are really great! I can’t wait to read more about Alice and Scrooge and Roby and Gabriel! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of Dyavol by Amo Jones
It’s only the beginning…Dyavol sucked me in and got me invested and now I
am impatiently waiting to find out what happens to Tatyana and all the hot men that have made an appearance.
She’s an angel. Just getting her wings, yet she had no idea that they would be black. She’s from a pure lineage, just not the one they originally thought. She is no longer safe and needs to flee for her life. She has no idea of her past and now what that means for her future.
She has to run from the only place she has ever known, in order to survive. Now she finds herself in NY and relying on a stranger to keep her safe. But everyone has a secret agenda and we are left wondering what’s coming next.
These reviews are for the two books I’ve read from the Anthology. I will add more at a later date as I read them.
Devils Darling – S.L Jennings.
OMFG!!! This book has amped up my Love for Luc, I’ve missed him. I’m not gonna lie he actually broke my heart in the Se7en Sinners Series. Who’d of thought the Devil could reduce me to tears.
Anyway this little novella gives us a glimpse at what he’s been up to sine then.
Luc has actually been laying low trying to stay off the radar. All the while trying to move on from the love of his life.
But saving a young damsel in distress gives Luc a chance to let his wicked side loose and gives him a reminder of who and what he is and reminds us just why we love him.
This Novella packs a lot in, it was exciting, fun and hott mixed in with a side of depravity expected from The Devil.
Luc is back and I’m excited, terrified and anxious for what’s to come.
The Se7en Sinners Series is Phenomenal and a must read for PnR lovers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suck Me – Chantal Fernando
I’m already a huge fan of Chantals so I had to dive straight into this one after Devils Darling.
This was a fantastic taster of a new book that I can’t wait to be released. It drew me right in and I’m desperate for more.
I quickly became obsessed with the arrogant self centred Luca. They way he believes he’s superior to everyone made me want to slap him, but he still managed to be alluring and intriguing.
Valerie didn’t let Luca talk down to her, I liked that about her. It’s gonna take a strong woman to handle this Vampire and she seems more than capable.
I can’t wait to see what happens between Luca and Valerie there’s definitely chemistry there. It’s going to be fun seeing how long she resists him.
I hope to see more from the Eternal Darkness MC too. I mean come on Vampire Bikers……HELL YES!!!!
Perfect book to warm you on the cold nights to come! Hot, sinfully delicious stories that will keep you reading until the end. Started out to review for one author, but had to read them all! Great job by these talented authors!
WOW! What a fantastic Anthology full of Wicked Christmas Delights!!! My highlights were:
Anne Malcom’s contribution was dark and twisted. My favourite witch Sophie wakes up in the unlikeliest of places and I have to say that I am more than a little anxious about what’s to come…
SL Jennings gave me the Luc I adore. He’s filthy. He’s violent and he’s oh so delicious!!! And I gotta say Michael is definitely growing on me. These fallen angels are Yummy with a capital Y!! Cannot wait for more.
Chantal Fernando is a favourite – giving me royal vampires, sassy heroines & an MC full of hot vamps. Yes please! Can’t wait for the full story to come.
R Scarlett is back in PNR land where I first fell in love with her words. Lust filled & frightening – this was the perfect taste of what’s to come.
Overall, I’ll give this anthology 4 stars. I enjoyed it for the most part, but a big problem I had with this anthology is that most of these stories were incomplete. They were the first 5-10 chapters of books that will be released next year. So, it was like, once I started really getting into a story, it just stopped and it kept pissing me off.
My absolute favorite story in this anthology was Devil’s Darling by S.L. Jennings. It was definitely a 5 Star read. If you’ve read the Se7en Sinners series and met Luc, then you will salivate over this little treat that Ms. Jennings gave us in this anthology because the devil is back and he’s badder than ever. And the best part about it is… spoiler alert: LUC IS GETTING HIS OWN BOOK!
I’ll give you a run down of the other books in the series and how I rated them.
DESCENDING INTO MADNESS by Stacey Marie Brown – 4 Stars
This was a crazy retelling of Alice in Wonderland: the Christmas edition. The white rabbit was Rudolph – half man, half reindeer and the Mad Hatter, which in this story he was named Scrooge, was a broody, mysterious and hot as hell grumpy bastard. It was quirky, it was fun, it was a little on the dark side and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t a full story but I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on it when the author writes more to this story and releases it next year.
SUCK ME by Chantel Fernando – 3 Stars
I didn’t enjoy this story as much. Valerie was kidnapped by a vampire prince who had plans to marry her but it was cut off after only a few chapters with promises to release the full book next year.
HERO HOLIDAY TRIALS by Jessica Florence – 3.5 Stars
This one was actually a full story. It’s part of the Hero Society series, which I’ve had on my TBR since the first book was released and still haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, but I liked having this short story introduce me into their world.
A.J. is the tech genius of the Hero Society but he’s only human. He’s at a wedding when he meets a Lana and it’s love at first site. As soon as their lips meet, they both feel a spark. Lana is a witch and if she feels that spark, it means she’s found her mate…except there’s one problem. The witches in her coven don’t approve of having a mate that’s not another witch, let alone a human that has no powers, so they make A.J. go through a series of mate trials to prove his worth to be Lana’s mate. He’ll fight to the death for Lana, but will he survive?
Although short and a whole lotta insta-love, this story makes me want to bump the Hero Society series up on my TBR because I love me some superheroes, and add some romance to that, and it’s a winner in my book.
OH HOLY NIGHT by Amelia Hutchins – 4 Stars
Damn… Eerie was a badass chick. She kicked ass and took names, which is my kind of heroine. And the love/hate relationship she had going on with Callaghan was scorching!
I’m a bit confused on the specifics of this story because, again, we don’t get a full short, only the first several chapters for a new book that’s promised to come out next year *sigh*
DYAVOL by Amo Jones – 3 Stars
This wasn’t a full short story…only sample chapters from an upcoming duet Amo plans on releasing early 2019, but I didn’t realize that until I reached the end and I wished I would’ve known sooner because I probably wouldn’t have wasted the time reading it. It wasn’t bad, per say, it was just incomplete and there were a lot of plot holes which made me not enjoy this as much and I didn’t really understand what was going on. All I know is that Tatyana is exiled from her home in Nirvana because she is in danger upon finding out that she is an angel of the purest kind, and also that her mother is the Queen of Darkness…but she was supposed to be killed centuries ago and the Devil, Dyavol, can’t know that she exists. Eh, I guess I’ll find out more next year.
DECK THE DEMONS by Graceley Knox & D.D. Miers
I didn’t even finish this one. I felt so lost and confused and had no idea what was going on with this story. I think it must’ve been a continuation of a series they had written together because I felt like they threw me into this story and automatically assumed that I knew what was going on, which I didn’t.
ON A COLD WINTER’S NIGHT by Kim Loraine – 3.75 Stars
I believe this story is more than likely going to be a prequel to another upcoming book. It didn’t give any info about it at the end, but it left off on a cliffhanger. I did enjoy it though, except for the ending. Ruby gets stuck in a snowstorm and almost freezes to death before Gabriel, the archangel, saves her. He was sent to protect her because Ruby is a witch cursed to live many lives that she has no memory of it and doesn’t even realize she is a witch. Gabriel has to keep her safe so he can take her to the witches to protect her because if Lucifer finds her before that happens, he’ll make her his…and he wants her because she is the missing member to the Siren’s Coven and the key to unlocking all of their power. There is also a budding romance between Gabriel and Ruby. He also feels such a strong connection to her, that he’s willing to clip his wings so that he may fully love her, of course we don’t get to find out if he actually does because the story ends right at that moment…ugh.
BURIED DESTINY by Anne Malcom
I didn’t even bother reading this one. But let me explain why… The author was gracious enough to point out in the beginning (unlike the others) that this story was a continuation of her Vein Chronicles and was an exclusive sneak peek at the 4th installment and not a full story, although I did skim through it and I really liked her writing style and I checked out the other books in this series and put them on my TBR.
THE WINTER SOLSTICE by R. Scarlett – 3 Stars
Ahhhhh!!!! Another story that’s to be continued…all I want is a full short story!
Emma goes to a party with one of her friends for the winter solstice…except it’s not a college frat party that she’s used to. She’s given certain rules to follow: Don’t say your name and don’t insult anyone….and what does she do? Insults one of the most powerful people there because he said that she was ‘easy’ after a makeout session, except she doesn’t know any better because she thinks he’s a normal, spoiled, rich frat boy, but he’s anything but. He’s a trickster, wicked, cunning, mischief – dark Fae, and he’s going to make her pay.
The story was engaging but had lots of missing words and grammatical errors. I’m not sure if I’m sold on these teaser chapters to read the full novel when it comes out.
THE NUTCRACKERS by Alice K. Wayne – 3.5 Stars
This book is a part of the author’s Breed series. Baylor is after revenge for the Hunters that slaughtered his pack, for what happened to him and for what happened to his mate because of what they did. It was well-written and the way it ended, it seems like there’s going to be more of the story continued with Baylor and Remy at some point.
End result, I was a bit let down since these weren’t full short stories, but S.L. Jennings saved this anthology with Devil’s Darling and I can’t wait for Luc’s book to come out! A lot of these stories showed promise from some new to me authors that I’ll be keeping my eye out on for their books when they release.
Next to dark romance, paranormal romance stories are my favorite. This is a beautiful collection of stories from some fantastic authors. Each one is different and captivating in its own way.
“I created every realm of Hell with my bare hands. However, nothing in the underworld could have prepared me for the soul-crushing, everlasting torment known as Walmart.”
Truth be told, I took this just to read S.L. Jennings’s story. While I did enjoy each one of these, that one was out of this world. It’s from her Se7en Sinners series. It’s about Lucifer, and I was flipping out over a chance to get more of him. Not only do we get more of Lucifer but we get to dive back into that world and find out what’s been going on. His signature humor is still going strong, and there is a lot more to their story then what we thought.
“Ready to go?” I look up as Micheal makes his way from the Champaign Room, which is probably more like the Malt Liquor Closet.
I am dying to get my hands on the 5th book of the Se7en Sinners. I didn’t know we were getting one, but apparently, we are!! My heart has belonged to Lucifer since I finished those books. I hope if nothing else you read this addition to the anthology. If you haven’t read the series, please get on it!!
So far I have only read 2 stories, which I have enjoyed so much, the only drawback is that both end on cliffhanger LOL.
*Falling into Madness* by Stacey Marie Brown.
Wow ! This is a holiday twist of Alice in Wonderland, but here we have Winterland, and it was fantastic, it grabbed my attention from the beginning and couldn’t put it down.
Alice is so “much more” she is so funny and witty, as for Scrooge, he is kind of a mistery but I have a feeling he is sensitive and caring for what I could see.
Overall it was really great, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the story, hopefully soon.
* On a Cold Winter’s Night* by Kim Loraine.
What can I say about Gabriel. I believe this is the story that all of us, who first meet him on “Waking The Watcher”and have been in love with this romance novel reading angel have been waiting for.
I cannot wait to know the rest of the story, and learn more about him and Ruby.
On a Cold Winter’s Night Review
We get a start to Gabriel’s story and it’s great! I can’t wait to see how Ruby fits with the coven and how it will all work out between her and Gabriel. It definitely leaves you wanting more and I can’t wait to see what’s to come.
***5 Stars***
When this anthology announced, I knew I NEEDED to get my hands on it one way or another since it had a mix of authors I adore, authors I’ve wanted to read but there aren’t enough hours in a day and brand new to me authors, and as most of the stories within would be short story length or shorter (some are simply “samples/teases” of stories the authors are working on for future publication) I figured they would be a good way to get introduced to the new to me authors and find out what some of my favs were up to and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Though these stories are short, they were all enjoyable and gave me a very good idea of which authors I’d be adding to my very extensive TBR.
Reviewing stories in an anthology, especially when they are short stories or simply the beginning chapters of one, is difficult so I’m just going to go with which stories/authors I liked the most.
As far as the authors I’ve read the stories Stacey Marie Brown and Amo Jones have in here are my favs. Descending Into Madness by Stacey Marie Brown is a story inspired by Alice in Wonderland and I loved the crazy she gave us and cannot wait to see what else will be coming from this world. DYAVOL by Amo Jones is just the first few chapters of the book which is a WIP, but I was hooked and that last chapter has me making grabby hands for the final product because things are definitely going to be taking a batshit crazy sideways tilt that I know she’ll rock.
In regards to the authors I’ve either yet to read or are new to me, the ones that peaked my interest the most based on their writing style and flow were Jessica Florence, Anne Malcolm, S.L. Jennings and Kim Loraine. Their stories, though short, hooked me and have quite interested in diving deeper into the worlds they have created.
All in all, I really enjoyed this anthology as a whole. The offerings may be on the short side, but they all give a good idea of what all the authors have to offer a reader and while some intrigued me more than others, they were all well done in the end.
~ Copy provided by Social Butterfly PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
3.5 stars Such Violent Delights is a really good compilation of paranormal romance “short stories” by 12 different popular authors with an underlying holiday theme. I loved all the stories included in this book – ranking them 4-5 stars. They were clever, creative, and unique. The authors all did a great job with world building and creating likable, paranormal characters. This anthology has stories by some of my favorite PNR authors as well as some new authors to me. Of those new authors, many of them I plan to check out their other books. I would ordinarily give this 4.5 stars because of the intriguing storylines, interesting characters, and originality, but this book feels like extended excerpts of upcoming full-length novels. The stories all ranged from 5-10 chapters long – just enough to suck you into the story, but then I felt hanging with having to wait for the full-length book. I enjoyed discovering new authors that I normally wouldn’t have known about, I am left frustrated and would rather have waited for the full-length novels. If you are someone who wants to get a little taste of books before they are available or read excerpts to see if you like new authors, then I would recommend this book. If you don’t want to be left hanging, then I would recommend waiting until each authors’ full-length novels are out. I received this book as an ARC and I voluntarily leave this review.
On A Cold Winters Night by Kim Loraine – I loved loved this. Gabriel and Ruby were perfect. This was very short but I can tell they are going to have explosive chemistry. I cannot wait for the full book!
Dyavol by Amo Jones – I liked this. It was a different read but it was good! I can’t wait to read more about Tatyana!
The Winter Solstice by R. Scarlett – I loved this. Emma and Reed were very intriguing. I am dying to read more!
Will update with reviews for the rest once read