Review: A whole lot of bang for my buck - and a whole lot of Dark and Deadly bad boy heroes
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2014
Dark and Deadly Bad Boys who are soooo good....The Bodyguard - Jennifer Ashley - I read this novella when it was previously published on it's own - If you haven't read it, the story is worth the current .99 price of this anthology by itself. From my review of the novella ...What a nice surprise to find this Shifters Unbound connected short, I actually really like this series and it was fun to see the past leads in supporting roles, but I really loved bearshifter Ronan, he was a real honey, big and protective, but still respectful of his heroine Elizabeth's independence. For those who haven't discovered Ashley's series yet, this short gives a good feel for the Shifters Unbound universe.The Forbidden Life of Alex Moore by Erin Quinn - this story is set in the same world as Quinn's Five Death's of Roxanne Love ... another being from Beyond finds love.  This is actually the story that inspired me to buy the anthology (since I really liked Roxanne's book) and even though the space is short so the romance ends up being really quick, there is a good sense of an immediate connection as two broken souls - only one of whom is human - are drawn together.  There is also a feeling that 'change' is in the air and I now I am really looking forward to Quinn's next story.Alejandro's Sorceress - Alyssa Day - I loved the first half of this, it was surprisingly fun and humorous for a Warrior's of Poseidon connected short. But honestly, I would have liked the story better without their cameo - I thought it derailed the story a bit. It's been awhile since I read this series but I suspect that Alejandro (who fought vampires in his earlier life) made an appearance in the series somewhere along the way.Bewitched - Felicity Heaton - Part of her Vampire Erotique Theatre series - This story felt long (it is 140 pages in print) probably because there was room for multiple long smexy times and also time to get to the reason for the incubus/vampire leading man's issues with a capital "I". I've liked Heaton's angels, but this series goes a bit into stuff that doesn't work for me - leading man Payne, is so down on himself that he pain gets him aroused - there is light bondage and his heroine dominates him (but she's new to that, so that part isn't too hardcore.) Fans of the series will get to touch up with past and future stars of the series.Rogue's Passion - Laurie London - book 2 from her Iron Portal series - My overall reaction to the story would have been a notch higher but the smexy times didn't quite resonant with me - she has to obey his orders or be 'punished'. But I really liked everything around that, I liked both of the leads and thought that the post giant-Earthquake Seattle with portals to another world was interesting. I will definitely consider going back to read book 1 of the series.Darkness Falls by Erin Kellison - This appears to be a new series started, and I really liked it. I thought that the world building associated with Reve, which on the surface gives people ability to experience shared dreams, but looks to be way more than that, was really intriguing. And I liked the intelligent heroine and the way she wraps the dark and deadly hero around her finger. I will definitely be on the look out for more of this series.Mating Heat by Bonnie Vanak - I think this is part of a series - I am a shape shifter fan but this one didn't quite do it for me for some reason. The pair have a history which normally makes it easier to pull off a HEA in the short space but this time the past and its scars bogged the whole thing down.Trapped by Car is Roane - Part of the Blood Rose series - I liked the pairing but the foundation of the world in the his one didn't speak to me, she is a Blood Rose (a super special vampire slurpee treat so she should mate with him before others claim her) and they have both a mating 'frequency' and a battle 'frequency' (I just had problems with the terms.) I might have liked this better if I'd been familiar with the series.