Review: Seduced by Santa by Mina Carter

This is the fourth book in the Paranormal Protection Agency series.  I believe that I got in a blog hop during Christmas time.  I have not read anything by Mina Carter before, but was willing to give it a try since it was more like a novella with only five chapters and about 86 pages.  I was looking for something short to fill in some time one evening, and this fit the bill very nicely.  

We are introduced to Candy Kane as she is trying to figure out how to save the Christmas Party at the Chapel Community Centre, that she runs.  The kids will be expecting a Santa with toys, but with repairs needing to be made due to a break in and vandalism, it doesn't look like they will be able do both.  After calling to cancel the supplies, she found many willing to offer them at a discount or alternatives for free.  Except for Santa.  She is short 1 Santa Claus for the party. It is at this point, I kinda guessed where we would be going with the story.

Next up, we are introduced to Rhod Claus, a bodyguard at the Paranormal Protection Agency.  Everyone at the agency thinks he is a snow elf, because all elves who leave the North Pole take the sur-name Claus.  Be he is the real deal, one of the actual bloodline of Claus' who become Santa on December 24th each year to help deliver presents to all the good girls and boys.  But he hates Christmas and has hung up his belt forever. They meet when Candy is being mugged not far from the Agency headquarters and she is saved by Rhod and his partner, Stone.  

There was a lot packed into this little story and it moves fairly quickly.  Coming in on the fourth book, I do feel like I missed some things, especially dealing with the world building, but I didn't really mind, because I was quite wrapped up in Rhod and Candy's story.  I think this could have probably been expanded into a full length novel, with more world building, more back story, the characters dragging their feet about the relationship and the action strung out, but I liked it as it was.  I am going to find  the first 3 books in the series and check them out.  The concept is great and I think I am going really like Ms. Carter's world.  It got 3 Stars on Goodreads.

Goodreads:

Former socialite turned community centre worker Candice Kane loves Christmas. In the run down area she works in, economics and rising unemployment mean that there isn't a lot of Christmas spirit to go around. Determined to do something about it, for the last couple of years she's arranged a Christmas Party, complete with a visit from Santa for the neighbourhood kids. This year though, a break in and damage from vandals means the party could be cancelled...

A Santa who hates Christmas...

Rhod is...was a Santa. For years he joined the other men in his family delivering presents, until the attitude and ungratefulness of the rich children he delivered to made him hang up his red suit. Working for the Paranormal Protection Agency, he's convinced himself that he's happier without being the big guy anymore.

When he and his partner rescue Candy from an attack in a deserted alley, all Rhod's decisions are put to the test. Can he hold out against a woman with Christmas spirit in her heart, or will he lose his own in the process?