A quick read. This is an anthology with duel themes of werewolves and Christmas. An occasional vampire also makes an appearance. Most of the stories were fairly good and made me interested in reading the series (if any) they usually appear in. Some of the authors were writing their first werewolf story. Recommended for those who can't get enough paranormal reading.

I am not always a fan of short stories but this book was great! I loved the stories and laughed myself silly as well. I will never look at Rudolph the same again. ( )

Like all anthologies Wolfsbane and Mistletoe had good and not-so-good moments. The contributions were as follows:

Gift Wrap by Charlaine Harris - I love Ms. Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, but this short story was disappointing. Sookie finds a wounded man on Christmas Eve and takes him home with her. It just didn't sound like the Sookie I'm familiar with in all the novels.

The Haire of the Beast by Donna Andrews - A woman's brother wants her to use a grimoire from her ex to become a werewolf. After hemming and hawwing about it she agrees. It was an OK read. I realize in a short story it's difficult to develop truly three dimensional characters, but there was little if any depth to these characters.

Lucy, at Christmastime by Simon R. Green - On Christmas Eve and man reflects on the events leading to the death of his loved one. This was well written. The twist at the end was telegraphed early on, but still managed to entertain.

The Night Things Changed by Dana Cameron - A brother and sister team of werewolf and vampire must stop one of there own from doing evil. It was an interesting take on both vampire and werewolf mythos. Unfortunately, the world building wasn't compelling.

The Werewolf Before Christmas by Kat Richardson - A werewolf must take Rudolphs place pulling Santa's sleigh after he makes a meal of the red-nosed reindeer. For a short story, this one could have been even shorter. The initial scenes are drawn out. The twist at the end was unexpected.

Fresh Meat by Alan Gordon - The werewolf owner of a watchdog training facility has to rely on his dogs to help save him. The villain wasn't very well developed, but the hero was well definied.

Il Est Ne by Carrie Vaughn - A newly turned werewolf tries to clear himself of murder with Kitty's help. There was a good portion of internal dialog that added life and conflict to the characters.

The Perfect Gift by Dana Stabenow - The motives in this story were somewhat obscure. There's some discussion of thinning the herd, and then the action moves to a police officer and his partner acting on an anonymous tip. The correlation of the two is obvious at the end. The author failed to engage me in the story.

Christmas Past by Keri Arthur - The story had the typical romance scenario. A jilted heroine is forced to work with her ex. He tries to win her back. It was well written.

SA by J.A. Konrath - A man starts seeing strange things in his bowl movements, and figures out he must be a werewolf. He goes to a shapeshifter's anonymous meeting and learns the true story behind were-creatures. It was a very imaginative piece I found to be very entertaining.

The Star of David by Patricia Briggs - A boy in foster care ends up in the hospital. His Social Worker calls upon her werewolf father for help in the case. This was a very interesting story with a unique twist on things.

You'd Better Not Pyout by Nancy Pickard - Two vampires decide that Santa Claus must be a vampire, and try to get an endless supply of blood from him. There were too many characters for much depth in a short story.

Rogue Elements by Karen Chance - A war mage is assigned the task of locating some missing werewolf girls. The auther did a good job of world building in such a short story. I wouldn't mind reading more about the characters and their world.

Mild and Cookies by Rob Thurman - An offbeat tale of a teenager dealing with bullying at school. It was a good story. The only thing I can find fault with is the fact the most bullies have their own entourage.

Keeping Watch Over His Flock by Toni L. Kelner - A teen werewolf begins to adjust to life in a pack. Jake wants to go out for a run, but a missing girl means he needs to stay home with his pack alpha's daughter and the alpha. Jake sneaks out for a run, and ends up a hero of sorts. ( )

The book was ok, and there were really just a few stories that I enjoyed. The 1st holiday anthology was much better in my opinion. ( )

Short stories are a difficult genre - especially in horror - but not one of these stories hits its mark. ( )