Review: Tempting enough to want more from these authors
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2014
There was a lot of punch packed into this well-edited and well-done collection. I enjoyed each and every one of the stories and will look into purchasing other titles from some of the authors."Imprint" by Pippa Jay was one of my favorite stories in the collection. The first three sentences of the first three paragraphs had me totally hooked. The cat and mouse shenanigans of Tevik and Jiona drove the first part of the story, but Jay did a terrific job of building romance and heat - even in their thoughts and memories. Greats twists and turns throughout and interesting sci fi elements."Allure" was very short and left me wanting a little more of the story.If there is a sequel to "Nobody's Present" by Marcella Burnard, I'll be looking for it.  This book was another home run in the collection. I liked how the intelligence of Finlay Selkirk appealed to Trygg Carrollus and that she had a real opportunity to let that part of her character shine in the story. The sequence of events happened so fast about 3/4 of the way into the story that I felt a longer treatment would have been appropriate.Kyndra Hatch's "The Stranger" fit well into the anthology. I liked it even though it was short. Nice, romantic twist.Although she is a queen of romantic sci-fi, I've read only one of Linnea Sinclair's books. I liked the story of "Mission: Nam Selan," but felt a little lost since I hadn't read the prequel stories and was unfamiliar with the characters. I felt the offerings by Jay, Burnard, Brooks and Rae were every bit as good."Prime Sensations" by Liana Brooks took you on an adventure suited for many more pages. I really liked Lana and Kaleb and would have liked to see their story fleshed out in a full book. Great descriptions, great world and very appealing characters and plot. Five stars."Envy's Revenge" by Berinn Rae was everything you expect to see in a well-written short story. Contained plot within a larger context, limited characters and appropriate but hopeful conclusion. Having this story take place over several days added to the depth of the story. Very well done and some nice heat.I had a harder time liking "Whiskey and Starshine" by Erica Hayes, largely because of the abuse suffered by the heroine. She was such a victim it was hard to feel hopeful about the romance. However, like all of the stories, it was well-edited and very descriptive. I could picture Hayes's settings very vividly. This story was an interesting mix of Old West and sci fi.If you like sci fi romance at all, definitely pick up this anthology and read each story.  You won't regret it.