Review: Christmas with a Bite by Patricia A. Wolf

Christmas with a Bite
Patricia A. Wolf
Published: Dec. 15, 2014 (Entangled: Covet)
Purchase at: Amazon
Review Source: Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Mara Livingston is headed home for the holidays. Just ending a marriage that’s already been over for too many years, Mara’s ready to get home to her family and heal. When weather slows down her trip, she tries taking an alternate route, but that also proves futile as she ends up crashing her car into a snow bank.

Luckily, help comes in the form of handsome stranger Connor Reece. It’s been too long since Mara has felt that pull toward a man, but considering she doesn’t really know him, she’s going to keep herself at a distance for now. Being snowed in at his cabin for a few days will give them plenty of time to become acquainted.

Connor’s cabin has been his sanctuary for the last two years. Retreating there after a terrible event in his life, he’s cut himself off from friends and family. So he’s obviously not looking for company, but when Mara shows up in need of help he definitely won’t turn her away. Howsoever much he’s attracted to Mara, there’s one tiny little secret that keeps him from pursuing thing further with her. That secret: He just happens to be a vampire.

For all that this is a story about vampires, Patricia A. Wolf does a great job of truly evoking the holiday spirit of this time of year complete with snow, sitting by the fire, Christmas shopping, opening gifts, etc. I love this time of year and if, like me, you are looking for a book to curl up with on the couch on a cold (and possibly snowy) night, then this sexy vampire romance will fill those shoes.

Mara and Connor’s romance starts out like one would expect a “handsome stranger rescues me and offers me shelter in his cozy cabin in the woods” story to start out, meaning the sparks certainly fly between the two, but both are hesitant because, well, they don’t really know each other and have been hurt in the past. What starts out as a pretty predictable romance, Wolf turns around as soon as our characters move things into the real world. Once there the issues with Connor being a vampire really come to light and the story does have an interesting take on vampire lore. All while being ensconced in Christmas-y goodness.

Now, the bad news. For all that Christmas with a Bite offers interesting take on vampires, I honestly felt like I started reading a book that is in the middle of an already established series. Believe me, I checked to see if maybe I missed a novella or something to no avail. While checking to see about any missed books, I did happen to learn that this is supposed to be part of a writing-in-progress series. So it’s the first one, and while I myself oftentimes feel like world-building can put a damper on a first book in a series, I felt it definitely needed more. Plus, I wanted to learn more about Connor’s family.

Secondly, there were a lot of “coincidences” that popped up between Mara and Connor. Some of these I will chalk up to fate and some the magical power of love, but others just didn’t seem to fit right and really, for me, held no purpose.

But looking past these pretty minor negatives, Christmas with a Bite, provided some hot, steamy sex and decorated it with a nice Christmas bow. And because it’s the season of giving, I leave you with this little morsel:

“He pressed her body into the mattress, his touch igniting desires that burned within her. Wicked arousal claimed her, setting her world on a tailspin. Heat pulsed at her neck as his lips stayed latched onto her flesh.”

Happy Holidays!

Sexual content: Graphic sex