***This book contains the first part to Angela Knight’s Mageverse Series, Book Fourteen in Christine Feehan’s Dark Series, and number Six in Emma Holly’s reading order!***“ “Dark Hunger” by New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan
“In a dark jungle, a beautiful activist liberates animals from a secret laboratory—and stumbles across an unexpected prisoner. She releases the Carpathian from his bonds—only to unleash his voracious appetite on herself…”
This was the first work by Christine Feehan that I’ve read. I’ve been meaning to read her—I have a list of her books all set to go—and it just worked out that I was reading Angela Knight once more and this short story by Feehan just happened to get caught up in the mix.
Overall, it was good. Her writing style is different and I liked it. The story itself was a little bit difficult to understand—though I am fairly certain that has to do with the fact that this is actually the fourteenth installment in a series… My fault for not having read the other thirteen… Anyhow, the characters were nice and I loved the descriptions of the environment.
I must admit, however, that this was fairly similar to one of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s short stories: “Winter Born” in the Stroke of Midnight anthology. I’m not implying that one author copied the other; I’m just saying that if you liked one, you’ll probably like the other.
This story was interesting and I’ll be reading more of Feehan in the future!
“ “Awaiting Moonrise” by New York Times bestselling author Maggie Shayne
“A science professor enters the steamy bayou to find a new species of animal, convinced that its presence is behind the stories of lycanthropy in the region, but finds herself tempted by a legendary creature straight out of her most sensual nightmare…”
I’ve only read Maggie Shayne once before, but the more I read her, the more I find that I like her. The first one I read by her was good—it wasn’t my favorite, but parts of it were really good. This one, however, was VERY good! I loved the plot and the story behind it all. It was so interesting and I really devoured it! Again, there was that element of gruesomeness, but it really ended up enhancing the story. Her characters have this mystery about them that only seems to work with Shayne’s writing. I have seen other writers attempt creating characters in this manner, but none seem to pull it off nearly as well as this one.
Of course, I will be reading more of Maggie Shayne in the future: especially after this short story!
“ “The Night Owl” by Emma Holly
“Little ever seems to stir in the sleepy woods of a small Vermont town, until a new owner takes over the exclusive local inn. He is centuries old and has traveled far and wide to find his queen—and now nothing will stop him from claiming her…”
As with Christine Feehan’s short story, this was a later installment in a series. I have been meaning to read Emma Holly’s works and was excited to see her name on the cover of the anthology.
I will admit that I have discovered another author whom I would be thrilled to read again! Her writing was unique, yet it maintained the style that captivates me. The characters were extremely likable and the plot remained interesting throughout. Even though this is book six in a series, I felt as if I was able to understand a good enough amount where this short story could stand alone. It was really impressive. I loved the new twist that Holly has thrown in to the mix and—I really don’t want to give it away—but it may either thrill or completely turn off the vampire-lover.
You’ll be sure to read more reviews of Holly’s works in the future!
“ “Seduction’s Gift” by Angela Knight
“All’s fair in the war between desire and resistance when a lady cop pulls over a speeder—and finds an immortal lover who is determined to seduce her into accepting her own passionate destiny…”
I’ve read Angela Knight before and this book definitely lived up to my expectations. The writing was captivating and it flowed very well. I had a bit of a hard time following the plot in the beginning, but it was quickly clarified. It was so cool to see a different side to one of the Knights of the Round Table! (Actually, part of the story actually rang of the research paper that I wrote for my Honors English Comp. I class… Pretty neat if you ask me.)
Of course, I will be reading more of Knight’s works in the future!
“When the sun goes down, each woman will discover the man she desires—within the beast that drives her wild…”
