Sunday Book Review: Fifty Shades of Santa

 Yeah, that was my husband's reaction when he saw the title of my latest holiday purchase, as well. Well this isn't really that kind of book. Fifty Shades of Santa: 12 Nice, (not Naughty) Humorous Holiday Romances is a collection of short stories published by Welkin Press. I'm not typically drawn to reading romance, but I am often drawn to short stories. This book contains one called One Cool Cat, by Peg Nichols, and it was my hook to buy this book.

 Peg is one of the many wonderful people I have "collected" as friends via my membership in the Kansas Authors Club. She is warm, adventurous and always has a kind and encouraging word ready for an in-progress writer (such as myself). As long as I've known Peg, I've never really had the opportunity to read much of her work. One Cool Cat did not disappoint. At the beginning of the story, the cat's name is Outside, and I immediately began picturing the many directions the story might be headed. A down and out family moving to a remote cabin, it easily could have been the start of the type of horror story I might have enjoyed reading in my teens. As a "cat person" I always worry a little that the cat might end up the bad guy. 

 No spoilers, but little Outside found his way in. As the subtitle of the book promises, these are "nice" holiday romance stories, and when I was done reading I was thinking that I don't spend nearly enough time reading nice these days. It was very pleasant to drift off to sleep with a smile on my face rather than a chill in my bones.

 Peg Nichols, thank you for hooking me up with some pleasant holiday stories to warm me up for what should be a happy holiday season. Now that I've had the pleasure of reading your short story, I shall enjoy the rest of the stories the book has to offer, as well.

 *reposted from my previous blog entry on 3/23/2013 TS