Three authors I love all in one place is a pretty damn good thing. And I really enjoyed each of the stories but man are they really short. Especially Frost's. The page counts don't quite mesh up with real live book pages in my opinion. Total it took about 1 1/2 hours to read the whole thing. It's a great read if you have a fondness for shifters with a touch of magic and are you're looking for something really quick to fill a little time.
The cover kicks ass too! I'm loving the eerie haunted feel!
* These all previously appeared in the The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance anthology *
Type: Paranormal Romance- novellas
Heat: 1 out of 5 (very, very tame)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pack by Jeaniene Frost- 3 stars
Marlee, a human, has managed to get herself lost in the woods and finds herself on the wrong end of a very aggressive group of wolves. She's got some sassyness to her and has some insta-lust going on with her rescuer. There's some pretty funny quips and banter between them.
I really enjoyed Frost's novella but would say it was the least developed of the three. It had good bones and an interesting set up. And the characters were great. But there really wasn't much to bite into. It would have been a knock out if it had been more fleshed out and maybe doubled in length.
"Marlee," it-Daniel-rumbled.
I felt light-headed. Nope, you're not crazy, and neither are they. But that's the bad news.
I had moved toward the door without even being aware of it. Daniel sat on his haunches in front of it, those golden eyes drilling into mine.
"Sit," he said.
A rather unhinged cackle came out of me. What looked like a huge dog was telling me to sit. How backward was that?
"Woof." I replied in a shaky voice, but sat in the chair he'd recently vacated. The wolf's lips pulled back in a canine version of a grin.In Sheep's Clothing by Meljean Brook- 5 stars
Meljean is an author I'll definitely be reading more of. She rocked the novella. It's a quick read but the relationship between Emma and Nathan felt real and the story nicely developed even in such a short time. These two have known each other for years but always stayed just friends until Emma moves back to town and winds up helping Nathan, who is the sheriff, track down a serial killer that has his sights on Emma. I really liked their interactions and how things turned out. Nice and satisfying :)
It took a long time for his heart to stop pounding.
He climbed out of his truck, pointed at the wolf. "Do you know how dumb that was?"
Probably not any less dumb than talking to an animal. And definitely not as stupid as feeling chastised when it gave him a look, then trotted a few yards up the highway.Grace of Small Magics by Ilona Andrews- 4 stars
This one was interesting. Grace has just found out about her family's debt to a shapeshifter clan and they're calling her in to pay it on a dangerous mission with a sexy head of their family, Nassar. I really enjoyed the world Andrews created. More on the urban fantasy, gritty side I'd say. I love Grace who took a very infuriating situation and dealt with it in a remarkable way. She spoke her mind and had courage in spades. Nassar was pretty awesome as well. I love a hero who can admit when he's wrong and grows as a character. There's some really good action and a bit of an ick factor as they fight for their lives. Excellent read.
