This is not exactly what I thought it was going to be, I have to admit. Normally, I really enjoy short story collections; they give me a chance to try out new authors, see if I like their style of writing before I commit to a full-length novel. This anthology is OK, but truthfully, I thought the stories were a bit too short and that there were too many of them included. Guess it turns out that I'm more of a novella girl than a short story lover!
And lovers are what you get with this book, believe me! Basically the "stories" are just set-ups for sex scenes, something that I wasn't overly thrilled with, either. Some of the authors did a better job on creating a bit of plot, others - not so much. In case you're wondering, the ladies that were asked to submit works for this were none other than Tanya Huff, Marjorie M. Liu, Cheyenne McCray, L. A. Banks, Susan Krinard, Keri Arthur, Heidi Betts, Lilith Saintcrow, Susan Sizemore & Denise Little, Carrie Vaughn, Linda Winstead Jones, and Kim Harrison herself. I've read Huff, Liu, Banks, Arthur Vaughn and Harrison, so I was already familiar with their works. The others were first-time reads.
Overall? Well, as I said before, some of the stories were a bit stronger than the others, but honestly, none of them were awesome. I was surprised that the Arthur work wasn't too bad; I'd tried reading her before and wasn't impressed. I was disappointed by Saintcrow's piece; I think you'd need to have a passable knowledge of her Dante Valentine books (which contain info about Santiago City) to enjoy her story. It felt like I started in the middle and ended in the same place with no resolution. Sigh.
Of all the pieces, I probably enjoyed Liu and Vaughn's the best. Harrison's is good, but it's not nearly as endearing a character as her Rachel Morgan. Give this book a shot if you like any of the authors, give it a shot if you like hot sex scenes, or even give it a shot if you're bored and just want little tidbits rather than a full-course meal.
And lovers are what you get with this book, believe me! Basically the "stories" are just set-ups for sex scenes, something that I wasn't overly thrilled with, either. Some of the authors did a better job on creating a bit of plot, others - not so much. In case you're wondering, the ladies that were asked to submit works for this were none other than Tanya Huff, Marjorie M. Liu, Cheyenne McCray, L. A. Banks, Susan Krinard, Keri Arthur, Heidi Betts, Lilith Saintcrow, Susan Sizemore & Denise Little, Carrie Vaughn, Linda Winstead Jones, and Kim Harrison herself. I've read Huff, Liu, Banks, Arthur Vaughn and Harrison, so I was already familiar with their works. The others were first-time reads.
Overall? Well, as I said before, some of the stories were a bit stronger than the others, but honestly, none of them were awesome. I was surprised that the Arthur work wasn't too bad; I'd tried reading her before and wasn't impressed. I was disappointed by Saintcrow's piece; I think you'd need to have a passable knowledge of her Dante Valentine books (which contain info about Santiago City) to enjoy her story. It felt like I started in the middle and ended in the same place with no resolution. Sigh.
Of all the pieces, I probably enjoyed Liu and Vaughn's the best. Harrison's is good, but it's not nearly as endearing a character as her Rachel Morgan. Give this book a shot if you like any of the authors, give it a shot if you like hot sex scenes, or even give it a shot if you're bored and just want little tidbits rather than a full-course meal.
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