What Legends are Made of is a collection of four short stories all written by author Heather Beck. The blurb for the book promises a collection of stories filled with suspense, terror and romance. All the stories are set in a normal world but each time something strange and unbelievable happens. With twists and turns in each tale these stories are supposed to be unforgettable and leave you spellbound. Each story has its merits but does the book really hold what it promises?

The first story in this anthology is called Sir Tristan's Estate and was my favourite of the collection. The story starts off by introducing the reader to Skye Huntington. A photographer on a new assignment she is shocked to find out that the estate she is supposed to be taking photos of is actually closed. Sir Tristan was the owner of the huge estate that produced cotton by using slave workers. He finally set them free and died a lonely man with no heirs. Now the estate that was turned into a B & B has been claimed by a confirmed heir.

Skye meets Tom when she arrives at the estate and he takes good care of her. At first she thinks he is a nice guy but then she starts seeing things and then Tom starts to show his true colours. Skye finds herself going from one scary situation to the next in this great short story. Quite spooky and very interesting this did have some suspense, terror and romance. A nice start to the collection of stories.

Following the stay at the estate the story Blue Water takes the reader on a trip to Hawaii. This time the story is about Mandy and her best friends brother Ed. When they finally get to spend some time together he asks her on a date that has them meeting more than just sharks in the depths of the ocean.

A nice story but not exactly full of suspense or terror in my eyes. Definitely romantic in its own way and certainly an interesting tale this had shaky start but a good plot. I think this story would have had more power if it had been longer. It showed alot of promise, could have been built on but was too short.

Freaky Frank is the title of the third story in this anthology. Brittany Adams is turning to the carnival for her summer job this year and it isn't really what she wanted. Meeting Frank gives her some hope but he turns out be very freaky.

A nice fairy like tale with a unicorn, spelling fish and a talking tree. I felt Brittany was a bit naive at the beginning but was glad to see her make a grown up and responsible decision at the end of the story. Not really suspense filled but a nice helping of romance. This was well written and well thought out. A story that leaves you wondering what happened next.

This fourth and last story in this collection is called One Stop Horror Shop. Karyn and Max Shield's relationship took off because they both wanted to own a magic shop. Now that they are older and married they have the chance to buy one. However when everything is signed and sealed the previous owned falls ill.

Brother and sister act, Jodie and Mitchell, are the first customers to buy anything in the new magic shop and want to use their new purchases to start a magician show. Their first gig doesn't exactly go how they expected and when they go back to the magic shop to complain the horror begins making this not a bad story. This was a little unbelievable but certainly like nothing you will have read before. A nice ending to an unusual collection of stories.

All in all this book was made up of unique and interesting stories. Not exactly as suspense and terror filled as I expected but as the majority of the characters were in their twenties I think this would be a perfect for young readers. The author obviously has a talent for coming up with something new and different and I am interested in seeing what else she has on offer. Give this a try if you want to read something different and spooky.

Labels: Book Reviews, Books Read