Published: 21 November 2021 (print)/21 November 2021 (audio) 
Publisher: Bryant Street Publishing/Bryant Street Publishing
Pages: 226/4 hrs and 21 mins
Narrator: Jessica Craig, Biff Summers and Faith Connor
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Paranormal Romance
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars
Christmas is the perfect time of year to fall in love; especially if you’re a specter or a retail employee, that is. At Holiday Falls Mall, love blooms in sweet and spooky ways for four shop employees during the holiday season. This collection features two stories from queer romance writer Imogen Markwell-Tweed, and two stories from sweet romance writer Wendy Dalrymple for a unique, intertwined anthology of paranormal romance novelettes.
This collection of queer paranormal stories was one I picked because I was looking for a quick read and being the holiday season I thought what was more perfect, the queer paranormal element was an added bonus and didn’t disappoint.
The focus of these stories, despite the holiday setting, wasn’t actually Christmas stories per se. They were at Christmas, but not about Christmas. Each one was about love, finding love and discovering love, and both authors balanced the sweetness perfectly so it never became saccharine. The paranormal was balanced perfectly too. As a reader there was mystery to tantalise you, unspoken things, little hints and clues that laid traps or meant nothing. Sometimes you were waiting for the reveal, like the first story, Up to Snow Good where I forgot there was a paranormal element I was so caught up in Gemma’s story. Or Heavenly Reads where Markwell-Tweed drops crumb after crumb so we know Something isn’t right, but not sure what.
The stories are short, simple, some certainly more engaging than others but that was a personal choice. With four stories there isn’t going to be a wide range of opinion, I certainly liked some more than others but all were enjoyable and unique. The paranormal elements different than what I was expecting.
You can purchase Holiday Haunts via the following
Booktopia | Dymocks | Blackwell’s
Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
