The Blurb -

Their world lies between the shadows and the moonlight, between man and animal…and in the city under neon moons and through iron-treed streets, the queer wolves run.”

Bound within QUEER WOLF is an exciting collection of contemporary, urban and sensual werewolf tales; a gathering of queer wolves presented by exciting,new and established authors.

My Review -

Mystery, romance and action are just some of the genres covered in this werewolf filled anthology. Stories of prejudice, confusion and passion are just some of the feelings the authors have captured to make this set of stories unique. Totally paranormal, fully urban and all queer this is a collection of tales that will appeal to alot of readers, gay or not.

Everything starts of with 'Wolf Strap' and keeps the reader interested till 'A Wolf's Moon'. Jam packed full with unique and well written stories this is an anthology worth checking out. Like any anthology some of the stories are better than others. However each one is different and has some hidden answers, meaning or facts.

With some young adult stories and a few hot and sexy scenes this anthology covers a wide spectrum. However I have to say the men get more of a say in this one and I would have preferred to see more female writers. The first story was for me the best out of the bunch but I think each reader will find different favourites.

Find out more about the book here.

Labels: anthologies, Books Read

The Horror Writers Association Presents Blood Lite. A collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in "An Evening with Al Gore"...In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a "Day Off" for the Chicago P.D.'s wizard detective, Harry Dresden...Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in "Where Angels Fear to Tread"...Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong's "The Ungrateful Dead". So let the blood flow and laughter reign -- because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

Blood Lite has put my fear of anthologies to bed for a while. With some great contributors writing some equally great stories this is one I can say is worth buying. My favourite story has to be the first in the book by Kelley Armstrong. Her short story starring Jaime and Savannah from the Women of the Otherworld series was fun and it I can't wait for the new release in the series because I have missed that world. Sherrilyn Kenyon's addition to this collection was very interesting and made me hope that she is starting a new series and this was the taster. Jim Butcher finished things off with another Harry Dresden escapade but inbetween there were some real gems.

Of course there were some disappointments and a few that weren't amazing but overall this was a very good collection of stories and I am glad I ordered it.

Labels: anthologies, Books Read, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, New Releases, Sherrilyn Kenyon

Before I start I have to ask the question - Why? Why release a Christmas themed book at the beginning of October when there is still Halloween to get through and for Americans there is still Thanksgiving. This premature release, I am sure, would be getting a better review from me if it was at least December already. As it is these `Hair-Raising Holiday Tales` didn't get me in the festive mood at all. Acutally they didn't get me in the mood for anything other than starting another book.

Again I did the anthology thing and again I am disappointed. You would think I would know better by now! Sure there were some good stories in here and none really stood out as being that bad but one would think that with such big names contributing to this book that there would be a wow factor to the stories. I have to say I found the majority of the stories to be quite dull and were not at all special. Of course every story was well written but I found the plots to range from strange to ridiculous. The fact that Christmas was the main theme made the stories even more silly because we still have October, November and most of December to go before the festive season.

The story that disappointed me the most has to be the Sookie story from Charlaine Harris. Trueblood maybe keeping the fans happy TV wise but I was looking forward to a nice visit to Bon Temps on paper. What I felt I got was a forced few pages. Nothing spectacular. If I had to pick the best three then they would be the stories that stood out. Carrie Vaughn's Kitty story, Simon R. Green's very short but hardhitting story and Keri Arthur's romantic contribution were by far the best of the bunch and I can't wait to visit all three authors again soon.

All in all not bad but on saying that it wasn't great either. If this was released closer to Christmas I would have been in the mood for this Yule meets Werewolves mix but as it is the timing was off. Yet again the big names get together to make a book full of half good and half bad (who your favourite authors are depends on who you think the bad half are). I have to say that fans of the paranormal genre will enjoy this but should wait for Christmas. On a closing point I will add that the authors did well. I am sure it isn't easy writing a short story and I will be looking up some of the authors from this collection that I haven't met before.

Labels: anthologies, Books Read, New Releases

In this anthology everything goes and it always involves three people. This is more than hot and you will need a break after every story to get your breath back. A few of the stories are paranormal but most are not. So if you need to get all hot and bothered this is the one for you.

You can see my full review when it is posted on Paranormal Romance.

Labels: anthologies, Book Reviews, Books Read, www.paranormalromance.org

This is a great anthology to get you in the mood for Halloween. Paranormal, Romantic and a little horror in this book of seven short stories by the Jewells of the Quinn.

You can read my full review on Front Street Reviews when it is posted.

Labels: anthologies, Book Reviews, Books Read, Front Street Reviews

A lovesick count and the ghost of his servant, a serial killer who defies death, a house with a violent mind of its own. There are witches who feast on faces, changeling rites of passage and much more. This is the world of Gothic! Stories that conjure up the grotesque, desolute and shadowy side of growing up.

Ten original dark tales from ten young adult authors. With stories by Neil Gaiman, Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Celia Rees, Vivian Vande Velde and more big names this is a very interesting collection that anyone who loves anything paranormal will enjoy.

Spooky, scary and downright Gothic alot of these stories are definitely best read with the light on. A quick read, each story has a new theme and produces a different kind of angst for the reader to enjoy.

While each story in Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales was good there were none that stood out from the others. Worth checking out because it is enjoyable but be warned - the stories are quick and were over way too soon for my liking.

Labels: anthologies, Books Read

Hotter Than Hell is a baker's dozen of today's boldest and best authors of paranormal romance. This is an anthology that is literally Hotter Than Hell and boasts a story about a psychic vampire driven by a powerful love, a Greek warrior battling to save the world and a musical duo who perform better than any band ever.

Or so says the blurb on the back of the book.

The reality is that once again I believed the blurb and saw that more than half of the authors contributing to this book are on my must read list. I feel cheated and could have spent my time reading so many other books instead of this collection of rubbish.

Usually with anthologies I would review each story one by one but I won't even waste my time. This book was indeed in Paranormal, romantic and erotic and actually deserved the title 'Hotter Than Hell' as some of the scenes were quite steamy. However a short story should contain some plot and not just sex.

Sure short stories are not exactly easy to write. I actually admire authors who can do it well. However in this book hardly any of the authors had a good story to tell. The contributions from Tanya Huff, Keri Arthur, Linda Winstead Jones and Lilith Saintcrow were the only stories that I actually can say I enjoyed reading. The others were rushed, plotless and boring.

If you want to read this book I would suggest borrowing it or waiting till it is on sale. Will I ever learn my lesson and give up on the anthologies??? Someone needs to remind me not to bother next time.

Labels: anthologies, Books Read, New Releases