Review: 3.5 stars - 2 scifi, 2 pnr, 5 shorty HEAS
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2014
The mix in genes in Alphas Unleashed was 50/50  - two sci-fi romances and two paranormals. While I do read the occasional sci-fi romance, paranormal romances are my staple and I liked those the best. That said, it might be that since the sci-fi stories jumped straight into fairly complex, and apparently established worlds, they will probably work better for the fans of these series dying to get a peek at favorite supporting characters.It is rare for me to read an anthology in order - and I actually bought this for the My Immortals short -but I missed the table of contents when I looked, so first to last it was.Warrior's Heart -SE Smith - Smith's story was a twofer - two alien sisters each paired with one of two human brothers. This was a bit ambitious for the short space - I found one pair far more interesting and would have been happy with just their story instead of trying to squeeze into this story two sex scenes and two HEAs, plus cameos by characters who are obviously important in other books in the series. (Ok)Sealed with a Kiss - Mina Khan - This story had all the right stuff  - with the Djinn chef leading man and the heroine with a magical problem. And although I did like this, I really wish it had been longer to take advantage of all that setup and to allow for a more solid transition from what essentially was enemies to lovers. I do have to admit that I had WTH moment near the end too <spoiler>when they've just crisped the bad guy and then they are kissing- that gave me pause.</spoiler> (pretty good)Dead Drop - Carolyn Jewel - My Immortals -  Again this short had  a good enough setup that it could have easily been longer, but the transition in the relationship worked for me and Jewel still managed to deliver the intensity that made me a fan of her series even though I am pretty vanilla in my comfort zone  and the stories do have a touch of kink to due to inhuman/human 'couplings'. (I really liked it)Chimera Born - Michelle Callahan - The world building here is pretty complex for newbie me. There were definitely things I liked about this story - the hero assimilating memories of an elderly man's life, loves and losses -and I liked the heroine, so this would have probably worked better for me if I'd been familiar with this series.(ok plus)