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Publisher:
Berkley
Release Date:
March 4, 2008
Genres:
Paranormal Romance
Shape Shifter
Erotica
Anthology
ISBN:
eBook
9781429599665
9781429599672
9781429599658
Print
9780425220351
Bookmark Rating:
Reviewed by
Jennifer Ray
Review Posted:
April 2008
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Berkley
Sensation brings four talented authors together to create one erotic anthology
infused with enough animal attraction to satisfy the most ardent lover of shape
shifter romances! Shifter
will simultaneously stir your most erotic fantasies while warming your heart
with four stories of love and romance.
~Mad
Dog Love by Angela Knight~
With not
only her life, but the entire empire at stake, empress Zarifa Lorezo needs a
bodyguard to ensure she reaches her destination safely. When she learns of a
slaver in possession of a werewolf slave, she decides that “Mad Dog” is the man
for the job.
Even wearing a slave-collar, Rance “Mad Dog” Conlan proves himself more than a
match for the empress on the run…
Whether it is a full length novel or a novella length story, Angela Knight never
fails to sweep you up in any tale she spins. She effortlessly creates edgy
characters that enthrall the reader, making you wish this story were not a work
of fiction, but real people fighting the good fight in our own world and leaving
it a better place.
And so it is with her entry in the
Shifter anthology,
Mad Dog Love. In this short story, she brings together a hero
and heroine of the highest caliber who, although they meet under decidedly shaky
circumstances, quickly learn to trust one another as they see each other with
more than their eyes, opening their hearts.
With a fantastic twist at the end that I admit to never anticipating, Ms. Knight
deftly wraps up a gripping plot while leaving the reader fervently hoping for a
continuation of this exciting universe with future stories.
Mad Dog Love is a
must-read for any reader who enjoys a red-hot interstellar romance!
~A
Jaguar’s Kiss by Lora Leigh~
Hired as
the first teacher to the Breed children in Buffalo Gap, Natalie Ricci thought
she was prepared for everything the job had in store for her. Nothing could
have prepared her for Breed Enforcer Saban Broussard and his sexy Cajun accent.
She was even less prepared for this thing they call the Mating Heat…
Saban is
determined to win the woman he recognized at first sight as his mate. No one
will come between them – not her overly aggressive ex-husband and not the evil
scientists intent on capturing a Breed Mate for their nefarious studies…
It amazes me that after so many
Breeds books, Lora Leigh is still able to find fresh angles for
stories in one of my favorite book series. With
A Jaguar’s Kiss, she
brings the story of a Breed male who finds his mate is a divorcee, with an
ex-husband all too present – something guaranteed to drive his jaguar fury wild,
but exacerbated even more when the man tries harder and harder to separate Saban
from Natalie.
As a schoolteacher, Natalie brings a no-nonsense attitude to this story, and as
a recent divorcee, she brings the pain of a woman struggling to exert her
long-denied independence even as the Mating Heat drives her into Saban’s life
and into his arms.
Even with the frenetic pace driven by the Mating Heat and Saban’s courtship of
Natalie, Ms. Leigh manages to weave a very nice dose of intrigue throughout the
story, effortlessly tidying up any loose ends by the end of this novella.
Whether you have previously read one of Lora Leigh’s
Breeds stories or not,
A Jaguar’s Kiss
is sure to tantalize, thrill, and totally titillate.
~Shifter’s
Lady by Alyssa Day~
First
Maiden of the Nereids, Marie hasn’t left Atlantis for any reason in four
centuries, much less a vacation. With her brother’s mating to a shifter in the
land Above, it is time for her to make the journey to that world to meet her new
sister and the panther pack they belong to.
With centuries of life, she has had her share of lovers, but none could have
taught her quite what to expect from a man like Ethan, the Alpha of that very
panther pack. She finds him alarmingly irresistible, a situation that Ethan is
all too happy to use to his advantage.
Ethan swears his protection for the beautiful Atlantian, a feat which proves
more and more challenging as the mysterious threat to his lands and the
creatures within them grows daily.
I have to confess, although I have read the first book in Alyssa Day’s
Atlantis Rising
series and have purchased all of the stories released so far, I am
woefully behind in reading this spell-binding saga. Because of this, I was
gratified to find that Shifter’s
Lady worked very well read out of series order, in addition to
being perfectly poised as a standalone story guaranteed to entice readers new to
Alyssa Day’s work into buying the rest of the books in this saga.
Although centuries old, Marie is charmingly innocent, having lived the majority
of those years as the First Maiden of the Nereids, a position that keeps many of
the Atlantian men from regarding the lovely woman as more than a friend. It is
that charm coupled with her beauty that instantly captivate Ethan.
Marie may have met men like Ethan before, but none who harbored the desire for
her that Ethan does, much less who stirred the same yearnings within her.
Although she never imagined herself with a warrior, it isn’t long before she
succumbs to Ethan’s amorous advances.
The ending of Shifter’s Lady
is very interesting, wrapping up some of the storylines, yet leaving room for
another tale starring this endearing couple. In the meantime, this fan will be
moving the other books in this saga up in her TBR pile…
~Sea
Crossing by Virginia Kantra~
After
being ruined by a man and summarily dismissed from her teaching post at an
all-girl’s school, Emma March forges on with her life, entering herself into
service in exchange for passage to Canada. Long before her boat reaches its
destination, tragedy strikes, necessitating the abandonment of the now sinking
ship. In the midst of the turmoil, Emma falls overboard.
Certain she is to meet her death, she is surprised to wake nude in the
company of a virile stranger on a remote yet populated island. It seems that
the chances of a ship arriving anytime soon are slim to none, but lucky for
Emma, the odd residents of the island happen to be in need of a teacher…
Virginia Kantra was the only author in the
Shifter anthology that was brand new to me, and I
wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We began the book with a futuristic science
fiction romance, and Ms. Kantra closes the anthology with a paranormal
historical romance, titled Sea
Crossing. Incorporating the myth of the Selkie into a historical
setting, it feels as if the author has transported us to another world. And I
suppose the island of the Selkies could be considered just that, with their own
ways of life, removed from the human world, although still tinged with bits of
humanity through the children they’ve fostered with mortals.
As she struggles to find her place in a world that leaves unmarried women with
few choices, Emma’s dilemma is palpable. Her resolve to find a life where she
can be of good use while still maintaining her morals is admirable. Of course,
it is just those morals that keep her and the handsome Griff apart for so long.
Well, those morals plus the secrets he is keeping from her…
It is easy to see why Emma is drawn to Griff, despite those pesky morals.
Strong, mysterious, and caring – he is the epitome of everything she could want
in a husband. For that matter, he is the epitome of what most women want in a
husband.
In the end, all secrets are exposed, and watching as Emma comes to term with
this strange new world she discovers is heart-warming. If Griff could fall any
more in love with her, then he most certainly does in the end. And the very
same could be said of Emma as she discovers the true depth of Griff’s feelings
for her and just what he is willing to do in order to be with her.
Note: This review was originally
written by Jennifer Ray for another review site. It is being reposted at
Wild on Books. |
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