Fantastic Holiday Season

Decided to read the Patricia Briggs Asil story again. This is the first date he goes on. I’m left wondering whether he wins and who set up the whole thing. Great, cute story about Asil being set up on a blind date through a dating site. Things definitely don’t go as planned. Wonder how the next ones go.

reread Asil's date April 15, 2023

[b:Fantastic Hope|52915421|Fantastic Hope|Laurell K. Hamilton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579737806l/52915421.SX50_SY75.jpg|73686640] has the next date, [b:Heroic Hearts|58734999|Heroic Hearts|Jim Butcher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636747653l/58734999.SY75.jpg|85291724] has another and maybe last date.
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Reread- Not quite as I'm reading some of the other stories for the first time.
Naughty & Nice by Kevin J Anderson
Someone has stolen Santa's naughty list. A zombie PI with his ghost assistant get on the case, is it Elvis the naughty elf that is trying to capitalise on the holiday and take over Santa's business. How about the missing children? Then a werewolf couple comes to say that their adoptive child is missing. Could it be something to do with it.
Pretty quick and straight forward, 3 1/2 stars
Close Knit
Family magic, a movie and dinner, then talking to his kids on everything he missed. His son who is gay, how he is overbearing for his daughter. First year as a separated dad, arrives for Christmas morning too. He discovers what went wrong. 3
Astronaut Nick by Brad R Torgerson
Futuristic Martian holiday- Talk about the old Saint Nick story from Earth. Could he bring to the children that believe in him. Kid just wants to go home but doesn't yet understand that home is where the heart is. 3 1/2
The Longest Night
Drags at first
Jimmy Krinklepot

Midnight Trains

A Christmas Feast

A World Done In

Santa's Mortuary

Yes Virginia

Christmas Eve at Harvey

The Atmosphere for Miracles

A Sufficiently Advanced Christmas

Unappreciated Gifts
I love this short about a date Asil goes on because someone from the pack is setting him up on dating sites and challenging him to "complete" the dates, with qualifiers. This date starts wrong from the beginning as "Kelly" is not female and Asil prefers women but... he also prefers to win the challenge so... what could go wrong, it is dinner then a masquerade 'vampire' ball where humans pose as vampires with no knowledge of what is around them. Asil likes to dance so of to the ball they go.
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I don't know why I rated it and never reviewed or even change the shelf to read, since I'm not going to read the other shorts but I fell down on the job.

I read only Unappreciated Gifts- a short story in the Mercy/Alpha& Omega world involving Asil. Asil is talked into going on a number of "dates", they don't turn out as anyone had hoped or planned and one has consequences.

I loved how things played out with the last date. I'm not saying anything as there is a twist, and others players are involved. It is short, read it for yourself. But every short I read of Asil makes me like him more.

Ooo, one I missed. Has an Asil story from Mercy Thompson world that I missed.