Heidi Betts' THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is a fun collection of three holiday novellas. All three stories are loosely tied together by the common thread of a vampire matchmaker named Angelina.

In All I Vant for Christmas, sexy vampire Connor is desperate for an old-fashioned Christmas at home with his younger brother and sister. Matchmaker Angelina recommends human event planner Jillian to help him achieve this goal, and the two are quickly consumed by much more than just holiday cheer. This novella is a quick holiday tale that is a little light on plot. I found the quirky brother and sister to be the most interesting characters and was a little disappointed when they faded out of the story. However a seriously sexy vamp and several rounds of hot sex kept me interested enough to read it in one sitting.

The second novella, A Vampire in Her Stocking, tells of undead secretary Vivian who has the hots for her very much alive boss Sean. A little interference from Angelina leaves Sean wrapped up in a big red bow on Vivian's couch, and it is suddenly up to her to teach Sean everything she knows about life as a vampire. This is a very cute story and definitely my favorite of the three. Likable characters and goofy situations had me laughing out loud at times. I almost wish this one had been fleshed out into a full-length novel.

It's a Wonderful Bite is the third and final story in the book. In this parody of the Christmas movie with a similar title, Angelina finds out what her life would have been like if she and her vampire boyfriend, Ian, had never been turned. This story is the most serious and emotional of the bunch. The plot is more involved and, though well-written, I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if it had fit in better with the other two novellas. It was definitely nice though to see the meddlesome matchmaker get her own happily ever after.

Overall THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is a good choice if you are looking for a light holiday read with a little romance, a little laughter, and a little bite.