A Review of Season of Love

Title: Season Of Love
Category: Paranormal Romance
Reviewer: Michele Rioli
Reviewer Email: Deseng@crown.net
Author: Susan Blexrud, Bill Haworth, Kate Hofman, Miriam Newman
Publisher: DCL Publications
Release Date: November 2009
ISBN Number: 9780984282838

Rating: 5 Fangs
Format: E-BOOK

MISTLETOE FANGS by Susan Blexrud is a fast, fun blend of vampire thrills and chills. Get ready to buckle in for a creepy, thrilling ride!

When Lauren mentions to her friend Meredith that she still hasn’t fully recovered from her kidnapping event, Meredith puts her in touch with a highly recommended psychiatrist called Dr. Erasmus Gephart. Lauren has pregnancy woes along with crying jags that come unexpectedly stemming from paranoia over her kidnapping event with the Mafia. Lauren’s visit with the psychiatrist goes smoothly on her first visit but he is rather odd. Her loving husband John, vampire vigilante, is concerned for her welfare. Does Lauren finally get some relief from her symptoms? Is Dr. Gephart who he says he is?

Ms. Blexrud delivers another great vampire adventure starring all the main characters along with a skeptical, weird doctor and his faery sidekick. The faery almost steals the show! When things unexpectedly take a turn for the worse, John calls in Luc to help him out. Ms. Blexrud does a superb job throwing in right and left curves and I was anxious to see what would happen next! MISTLETOE FANGS is a crazy, funny, sexy vampire tale with a lot of oomph!

THE OFFICE PARTY by Bill Haworth is the story of a Scrooge in a suit and a Christmas Eve miracle.

Fred Perkins, a charismatic sleaze ball but a sharp businessperson, commandeers a Christmas Eve party to celebrate his big promotion. Unfortunately, the coworkers get the full lip from him as he progressively gets drunker at his own party. Mattie, a pretty brunette and the secretary, makes her excuses to leave the party. Mr. Perkins, totally blasted, from excessively drinking, talks cruelly to Mattie about leaving his party early. She has had enough of his overt sexual advances on her. She wants to get home to her husband and kids. A phone call comes through from her husband, telling her that the weather is supposed to turn nasty and to leave as soon as possible. Just when she is about to leave, the caterer for the party calls to say they can’t deliver the food because the weather is dreadful. Mr. Perkins angrily protests at her leaving “his” party, asking if she can stay to help out, and boldly pronounces that only a miracle can save this party. In walks a little old office cleaning lady. Will she possibly save the day?

THE OFFICE PARTY plays homage to the rude, dude called the Scrooge of Christmas stories. It is a fast-moving story with bantering office employees, a scrappy boss, a pretty secretary and a very unassuming old cleaning lady. Bill Haworth expertly depicts teasing office employees to the hilt. The dialogue is peppered with smart-alecky innuendos and snappy comebacks. Mattie and the cleaning lady save the day with their sudsy-bubble optimistic attitudes, which brightens the whole story. You never know what will happen at an office party, let alone the one in this story that has an ending that delights and warms the heart!

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT by Kate Hofman is a luminous love story about the reunion of two lovers who are inexplicably torn apart by treachery and deceit.

Glenda St. George, a beautiful blonde-haired lady, is busily creating decorations with her two-year-old son Jason, a couple days before Christmas, when her door buzzer goes off. Whom could it be she wonders? She opens the door and is startled to see Alexandros Manitakis, her lover from three years ago, standing there. She goes white, as if seeing a ghost, and practically passes out but Alex catches her. She discovers that Alex’s office assistant, Nana Demos, was infatuated with him and wanted to marry him. Thus, she deliberately broke up their love affair with devious plans and lies. Will Alex win Glenda’s heart all over again? What surprises and battles await them?

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT is a touching story of love walking in again. Glenda and Alex unfortunately have their love tryst wrecked by a deceitful lady who is Alex’s assistant. After three years, Alex finds the woman of his dreams again, along with an unexpected surprise. Her two-year-old son is his. Ms. Hofman weaves a beautifully written romance story that tugs at the heartstrings. Ms. Hofman throws in some strong and unique secondary characters that add to the story’s appeal. Exquisite and stylish, A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT is a heartwarming romance and the risks we take for love.


PEACE ON NEW EARTH by Miriam Newman is a uniquely romantic futuristic tale of two different races cohabitating together on the same planet in the twenty-fifth century.

Avron, leader of a powerful tribe called the Megastes, has volunteered to undergo treatments to be vaccinated against a virus that has infected his tribe. Some have fallen ill and some even have died due to this illness, which was inadvertently spread to them through the colonists. The colonists are an advanced human race called the Terrans who are cohabitating with them on their planet. When Avron travels to their dome, he is surprised to meet the doctor. She is a woman with beautiful blonde hair who pleasantly stimulates his nose.

Jadelle Reid, a research med-tech doctor and specialist in antiquities, doesn’t get out much with the opposite sex since she is to busy with work. In fact, it seems most men don’t find her as suitable dating material. She spends a lot of time at home baking lots of cookies and breads to fill the void. When she meets Avron, she is immediately taken aback by his presence. What a handsome, muscular body, she muses to herself. She offers him a peace offering, a Christmas cookie. He helps himself to a second one after eating the first savory treat. Happy with herself, she secretly looks forward to spending time with him but then remembers to act professional. After all, if all goes well with the injections, maybe the Terrans and Megastes can cohabit peacefully. What does the future hold for these two and more importantly will the injections work?

PEACE ON NEW EARTH brings a new dimension to the futuristic genre in an enthralling tale that breaks down boundaries. When Avron and Jadelle discover there is chemistry between them on an aromatic level, things soon heat up from there. The clever story line of two different races trying to find peace amongst illness balances the plot out perfectly! A fascinating premise, strong characters and a powerful message make this a perfect ending to a collection of holiday stories.

SEASON OF LOVE, a brilliant diverse collection of holiday stories, with romance as the underlying theme, is at times scary, then refreshing, and sprinkled all over with good holiday cheer!