These stories are all about werewolves finding love.
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I read this because I have been reading the Queen Betsy series, and this ties in to it. I'm glad I did because I now know where Antonia the werewolf came from. Her sudden appearance in the main series was a complete mystery.
The first three stories, especially, are all quite similar, which is a little disppointing, but they are the usual entertaining style, just a bit more, well, raunchy.
If you are a fan of either series this ties into, you will enjoy it. ( )

http://www.literaryfeline.com/2015/04/from-archives-mini-reviews-of-books-by.htm... ( )

'Santa Claws':*** Alex, a Scottish werewolf, is wildly attracted to Giselle, a chubby human lady being a Salvation Army Santa Claws. Their first date doesn't go well, from her viewpoint. That viewpoint is about to be changed. Expect sex scenes. If you're wondering where this Wyndham Werewolf story fits in with the Queen Betsy timeline, Lara Wyndham was possibly six years old when she met Betsy in Undead and Uneasy, which is set in 2007. Betsy became a vampire in 2004. Lara's a fairly new baby here, so Betsy is still human and a secretary at this point.

'Monster Love':*** Janet Lupo, our werewolf heroine, is feeling grumpy because Alex and Giselle got married. She leaves their wedding reception. That's when she meets Richard Will, a vampire. Janet Lupo has a personality not unlike Antonia Wolfton from the Queen Betsy series. I have to wonder if Ms. Davidson intended to keep her werewolves and vampires on separate Earths because Richard has no problem listening to the Lord's name being taken in vain, nor does it sound as if he was just a thirst on legs for the first 8-10 years of his undead life. There's lots and lots of sex in this one, with a thin coating of story line. At least, unlike the male lead in one Victoria Holt book, Richard feels remorse about his most appalling action. Unless Alec and Giselle waited years to get married, and that seems very unlikely, Betsy is still human in this one. I have no idea if Richard even knows about Nostro the Evil from Undead and Unwed, let alone cares.

'There's No Such Thing as a Werewolf':*** Drake is a blind werewolf. He's also a doctor. See chapter two for why handicapped werewolves have been very rare and why they might not be so rare in the future.

To say what Crescent Muhn is would be a spoiler, so I won't. Janet Lupo and Richard Will make a guest appearance. Janet's behavior toward Drake reminds me of Michael Wyndham's toward Queen Betsy when they first met. There will be sex, but there's more story to this one.

'A Fiend in Need':**** My favorite of the stories in this book, this is set firmly within the Queen Betsy series. It takes place between Undead and Unreturnable and Undead and Unpopular, with a touch of foreshadowing for Undead and Uneasy and Undead and Unworthy . In this book we learn why Antonia Wolfton, the psychic werewolf who can't shape-shift, came to Minnesota. We also learn how George the Fiend became a vampire. If you're a Queen Betsy fan, this story alone is worth the price of the book.

Notes:

'Santa Claws', chapter 3: 'Groundskeeper Willie' is the elementary school teacher from 'The Simpsons' TV show. He's a well-built Scott.

Chapter 6: 'Buckaroo Banzai' is the lead character from the movie, 'Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension'.

Chapter 7: 'Wither thou goest, I will go' is part of Ruth's promise to her mother-in-law, Naomi, in the book of Ruth from the Bible. See 'Ruth,' chapter 1, verse 26. The wording is from the King James version.

'Monster Love': Chapter 2: Dick and Jane and their dog, Spot, were the characters in a 20th Century series of books that were supposed to teach children how to read. From what I've read about them, either I was very fortunate and none of the many schools I attended (military brat) used those books, or I have mercifully blocked them from my memory.

'There's No Such Thing as a Werewolf', chapter 4:

To name one's son 'Drake' when one's surname is 'Dragon' is like someone whose last name is 'Lion' naming his son 'Leo,' if the listener doesn't assume the kid was name after male ducks.

'Lead on, MacDuff' is a partial misquotation of Macbeth's line, 'Lay on, Macduff, and damned be him who first cries ‘Hold! enough!’” from Act 5, scene 8 of Shakespeare's The Tragedie of Macbeth, to use the First Folio title and spelling. By the way, in that edition, 'Macduff' is spelled 'Macduffe'. See http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/facsimile/book/Bran_F1/759/?zoom=1200 (The things one learns when trying to look up a quotation...)

Chapter 11: 'Blind Man's Bluff,' the insult Janet uses for Drake, is a corruption of 'Blind Man's Buff,' a game where one person is blindfolded and tries to catch the other players. According to Wikipedia, a version of it was played in Ancient Greece and China (as far back as 500 B.C.) Cool.

['A Fiend in Need'], prologue: Find out the name of the werewolf from whom Antonia traces her ancestry here.

See chapter 2 for Antonia describing the blond Tina as a brunette.

See chapter 4 for a remark which foreshadows Undead and Unworthy.

Chapter 8: Betsy is quoting from the movie, 'Dirty Dancing' when she makes that remark about nobody putting Baby in a corner.

See chapter 12 for George the Fiend's backstory. ( )

anthology of shorter works ( )