tangleroot_eli's review
4.0
Those of you who know me might wonder why a Naturalistic Pagan is reading a Christmas-themed misteltoe collection. Short answer: it looked fun. Longer answer: I was hopeful that at least some of the stories would offer something besides the tried-and-true "kissing in doorways" trope. On that score, this anthology delivers: three of the five stories use mistletoe in a different way, and even in one of the oens where there is kissing under mistletoe, that's subsidiary to the role the plant has already played.
"Here for You," J.K. Pendragon: My least favorite of the set and an inauspicious beginning for me. Kyung's refusal to accept Warren's repeated "no" borders on the coercive. "How do you know you don't like it if you've never tried it?" is no less a dick move when trying to convince a self-identified straight person that they may be bi than when trying to convince a self-identified gay person that they may be straight. And I would much have preferred Warren actively consenting to that blow job, rather than just . . . kinda not fighting it.
"The Christmas Spirit," Talya Andor: This is a sweet one, and I enjoyed it, though I would've liked better integration of the action and romance plots, rather than having the action plot resolve completely before the pursuit of the romance plot, which feels almost tacked on.
"A Beautiful Thing," A.F. Henley: I love this one, maybe because pre-enlightenment Scott perfectly reflects my crotchety anti-Christmas grumpiness. And despite the mistletoe and the nod to A Christmas Carol, Scott's wake-up call feels less "the magic of Christmas saves a life!" and more "wow, I should stop being a dillhole," which I really appreciate.
"Ad Meliora," E.E. Ottoman: Another nice one, with plenty of danger, intrigue, and magic, and a pair of relatable characters. But I felt like there was room for a lot more depth and development. The "why" of the curse felt rushed; I wanted to know more of the why behind M.C.'s reluctance to meet An-An's family, and An-An's concern that she's more of a hindrance than a help to M.C. could have been explored more. And, again, the sex scene (which I couldn't finish, btw, because of the way one partner talks to the other, but YKINMK and all that jazz) feels poorly tacked on and hampered by a seemingly unnecessary setting change (seriously, once the job was over, why couldn't they have sex in the ginormous cottage?).
"Two Parts Mistletoe," Megan Derr: A great, strong ender. My favorite use of the thematic mistletoe, and just a solid, engaging, well-plotted story with the romantic and action plots nicely intertwined and equally paced.
"Here for You," J.K. Pendragon: My least favorite of the set and an inauspicious beginning for me. Kyung's refusal to accept Warren's repeated "no" borders on the coercive. "How do you know you don't like it if you've never tried it?" is no less a dick move when trying to convince a self-identified straight person that they may be bi than when trying to convince a self-identified gay person that they may be straight. And I would much have preferred Warren actively consenting to that blow job, rather than just . . . kinda not fighting it.
"The Christmas Spirit," Talya Andor: This is a sweet one, and I enjoyed it, though I would've liked better integration of the action and romance plots, rather than having the action plot resolve completely before the pursuit of the romance plot, which feels almost tacked on.
"A Beautiful Thing," A.F. Henley: I love this one, maybe because pre-enlightenment Scott perfectly reflects my crotchety anti-Christmas grumpiness. And despite the mistletoe and the nod to A Christmas Carol, Scott's wake-up call feels less "the magic of Christmas saves a life!" and more "wow, I should stop being a dillhole," which I really appreciate.
"Ad Meliora," E.E. Ottoman: Another nice one, with plenty of danger, intrigue, and magic, and a pair of relatable characters. But I felt like there was room for a lot more depth and development. The "why" of the curse felt rushed; I wanted to know more of the why behind M.C.'s reluctance to meet An-An's family, and An-An's concern that she's more of a hindrance than a help to M.C. could have been explored more. And, again, the sex scene (which I couldn't finish, btw, because of the way one partner talks to the other, but YKINMK and all that jazz) feels poorly tacked on and hampered by a seemingly unnecessary setting change (seriously, once the job was over, why couldn't they have sex in the ginormous cottage?).
"Two Parts Mistletoe," Megan Derr: A great, strong ender. My favorite use of the thematic mistletoe, and just a solid, engaging, well-plotted story with the romantic and action plots nicely intertwined and equally paced.
mordredrisika's review
5.0
Final Verdict: A great collection of winter holiday themed stories that make for a fun way to take a break no matter the time of year.
A Touch of Mistletoe is a wonderful collection of five short stories that have to do with Christmas/A Winter Holiday, and where a sprig or two of mistletoe plays a key role in the romance. Being a fan of Megan Derr and the Less Than Three Press, I found I could not resist requesting this from NetGalley. Below is a list of the short story titles and brief descriptions of the stories.
Here for You by J.K. Pendragon
At a friend’s Christmas party Warren, a blind man still getting over the loss of his wife, has his world rocked when Kyung-Sam kisses him under the mistletoe. It causes Warren to slowly re-evaluate his life and the possibility that there may still be love left out there for him. Kyung-Sam meanwhile is dealing with knowing he is gay, but is a full time career for his dying father who does not know this. Is there more in store for these two?
The Christmas Spirit by Talya Andor
Ash, a paranormal consultant and occult shop owner living in Japan, is surprised to be hired to investigate the haunting of a famous figure skater. While investigating the apparent ghost that has latched itself to Yuki, Ash has to fight his growing attraction for the exuberant younger skater because he feels it would be inappropriate to start anything between them. However, no one has told Yuki this, and with a mistletoe inspired cake things might change between them, but only after the ghost is dealt with of course.
A Beautiful Thing by A.F. Henley
Scott Misener has become jaded with life and downright belligerent in the face of all the holiday cheer. However, Christmas Eve night, after an incident at the grocery store over the misguided romanticism of mistletoe, he is visited by Drualus, Senior Correspondent for the Collective Assembly of Christmas Fae, working with the Night Before Reach Out Program. Scott knows the drill and grudgingly goes along for his Christmas Carol inspired night, never realizing it will indeed change his life, if only he lets it.
Ad Meliora by E.E. Ottoman
An-An and her lover, M.C., are spending Christmas in a remote lodge investigating several supernatural deaths. Instead of the usual family affair that An-An is used to, the two end up fighting for their lives against a vengeful demon, with only their arcane knowledge and mistletoe as defence. It wasn’t exactly the romantic getaway that the picturesque setting would lead one to believe.
Two Parts Mistletoe by Megan Derr
Master Potion maker Kingston is surprised when the man that he has been meeting for two years for anonymous sex turns up in his shop the night before Frost Day, especially as Kingston had been planning on asking the man if they could be more to each other. The man turns out to be Huxtable, secretary to a noble man, a man that Hux suspects has been poisoned with a love potion. Quickly the two must work together to save Hux’s friend and master, but maybe after there is time for them to discuss what is happening between them, especially now that they know who other really is.
Unfortunately due to my scholarly pursuits I was unable to read this during the winter holiday season, however once I finally started to read it, I finished within a single afternoon. It was a great collection of stories, and it is very difficult for me to pick a favourite. Each story brought in such different aspects and worlds, but was engaging in its own way. There isn’t a single story that I would skip the next time I read the book. I was pleasantly surprised by how diverse the characters in the stories were, with a good number not being white, only one story involved a female main character but her love interest identifying as non-binary with they/them pronouns, and at least one other lead was bisexual. Also, for the folk lore lover in me, it was nice the stories really covered many of the different myths around mistletoe. The only caveat for the typical readers of the blog is that this is an adult collection, with several explicit sex scenes. However, if you are into short stories with LGBTQ main characters this is a great collection and can be enjoyed any time of year, but especially in winter!
Review originally posted: https://francesandlynne.wordpress.com/a-touch-of-mistletoe/
A Touch of Mistletoe is a wonderful collection of five short stories that have to do with Christmas/A Winter Holiday, and where a sprig or two of mistletoe plays a key role in the romance. Being a fan of Megan Derr and the Less Than Three Press, I found I could not resist requesting this from NetGalley. Below is a list of the short story titles and brief descriptions of the stories.
Here for You by J.K. Pendragon
At a friend’s Christmas party Warren, a blind man still getting over the loss of his wife, has his world rocked when Kyung-Sam kisses him under the mistletoe. It causes Warren to slowly re-evaluate his life and the possibility that there may still be love left out there for him. Kyung-Sam meanwhile is dealing with knowing he is gay, but is a full time career for his dying father who does not know this. Is there more in store for these two?
The Christmas Spirit by Talya Andor
Ash, a paranormal consultant and occult shop owner living in Japan, is surprised to be hired to investigate the haunting of a famous figure skater. While investigating the apparent ghost that has latched itself to Yuki, Ash has to fight his growing attraction for the exuberant younger skater because he feels it would be inappropriate to start anything between them. However, no one has told Yuki this, and with a mistletoe inspired cake things might change between them, but only after the ghost is dealt with of course.
A Beautiful Thing by A.F. Henley
Scott Misener has become jaded with life and downright belligerent in the face of all the holiday cheer. However, Christmas Eve night, after an incident at the grocery store over the misguided romanticism of mistletoe, he is visited by Drualus, Senior Correspondent for the Collective Assembly of Christmas Fae, working with the Night Before Reach Out Program. Scott knows the drill and grudgingly goes along for his Christmas Carol inspired night, never realizing it will indeed change his life, if only he lets it.
Ad Meliora by E.E. Ottoman
An-An and her lover, M.C., are spending Christmas in a remote lodge investigating several supernatural deaths. Instead of the usual family affair that An-An is used to, the two end up fighting for their lives against a vengeful demon, with only their arcane knowledge and mistletoe as defence. It wasn’t exactly the romantic getaway that the picturesque setting would lead one to believe.
Two Parts Mistletoe by Megan Derr
Master Potion maker Kingston is surprised when the man that he has been meeting for two years for anonymous sex turns up in his shop the night before Frost Day, especially as Kingston had been planning on asking the man if they could be more to each other. The man turns out to be Huxtable, secretary to a noble man, a man that Hux suspects has been poisoned with a love potion. Quickly the two must work together to save Hux’s friend and master, but maybe after there is time for them to discuss what is happening between them, especially now that they know who other really is.
Unfortunately due to my scholarly pursuits I was unable to read this during the winter holiday season, however once I finally started to read it, I finished within a single afternoon. It was a great collection of stories, and it is very difficult for me to pick a favourite. Each story brought in such different aspects and worlds, but was engaging in its own way. There isn’t a single story that I would skip the next time I read the book. I was pleasantly surprised by how diverse the characters in the stories were, with a good number not being white, only one story involved a female main character but her love interest identifying as non-binary with they/them pronouns, and at least one other lead was bisexual. Also, for the folk lore lover in me, it was nice the stories really covered many of the different myths around mistletoe. The only caveat for the typical readers of the blog is that this is an adult collection, with several explicit sex scenes. However, if you are into short stories with LGBTQ main characters this is a great collection and can be enjoyed any time of year, but especially in winter!
Review originally posted: https://francesandlynne.wordpress.com/a-touch-of-mistletoe/
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