Three Hot Tales
This anthology of three erotic romance tales brings together some of the most well-known names in romance -- Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of paranormal 'Dark Hunter' series 'among others' Jaid Black, founder of popular 'Ellora's Cave Publishing' and Kresley Cole, who made her debut into the supernatural with the first installment of 'Immortals After Dark'.'Playing Easy to Get' opens with a fun, if slightly convoluted, entry into Sherrilyn Kenyon's wickedly-acronymed 'BAD' 'Bureau of American Defense' series. Novellas are always tricky for me to review -- and Kenyon does manage to pack a lot into less than a hundred pages 'especially in regard to her hero', but the characters' evolution on the whole and the evolution of their relationship is so fast that I had trouble swallowing it. I'm all for reading about realistic, no-strings-attached physical intimacy -- and I think it makes for more believable dimensions in fiction -- but there was very little bridge from sex to 'true love'. Vince Cappelletti is ex-mafia-turned-good-guy who gets signed up to work undercover as security on what amounts to be Fantasy Island. Allison George is lucky Georgia girl who wins a trip to said Fantasy Island. Needless to say, things go to hell in a handbasket quickly when Vince's past catches up to him, and Allison ends up caught in the crossfire. The two end up on the run, and romance grows. Not too bad, overall, and entertaining to take up an hour or so -- Kenyon's usual romp of violence and hotness. 6.5/10 I'm usually not a fan of Nordic settings, but Black offers enough twists on the usual tales to keep her offering fresh. Sofia Rowley, after losing her brother and with him the last member of her family, is taken captive by neo-Viking warriors and auctioned off at the block. As she soon learns, she is no slave, but rather the bride of a warrior whose nearly-instant love for her starts to warm even her own frozen heart. As mentioned already, this novella has a neat concept, and in a longer length and with a bit more fleshing out, it wouldn't be too bad. It has a little too much of a male-centric feel, though certainly not misogynistic, and the development between characters happens far, far too easily. Take a read if you're already buying the anthology. 5.5/10 The longest, last, and by-and-far best tale in the book is penned by then-newcomer to the paranormal scene, Kresley Cole. 'Immortals After Dark' was not yet one of the best-selling series on the market, but this is without a doubt still worthy of the same accolades.Cole introduces -- and does a remarkable job of -- creating an entire paranormal realm in under two-hundred pages, while fleshing out a believable, hot romance. Varying factions within the 'Lore' -- the supernatural side of our world -- are battling for power, even amongst their own species. Nikolai Wroth, soldier in a 'good guys' vampire army bent on destroying the killers of their kind, stumbles across a conundrum of a female who just might be his predestined mate. Unfortunately for him, Myst, a Valkyrie and immortal warrior, has other plans for the vampires she finds, and it takes all of Wroth's resources and strength to even keep her around long enough to seduce. I loved this story, and while all of Cole's following books are good, this little tale which introduces it all is one of the best nuggets in the series. Whether or not you liked the full-length novels, this is an exercise in 'how, properly, to write romance' -- not to mention 'how, properly, to write erotica'. The tale's hot as hell 'with all puns intended', with hints at D/s and fiery power-play -- this is not to be missed. 8.8/10
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