Hex Appeal (Phoenix Chronicles; The Shadowfae Chronicles, #4.5; Kate Daniels, #5.6; The Dresden Files, #11.9)

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Hex Appeal (Phoenix Chronicles)

by P.N. Elrod (Editor), Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author), Carrie Vaughn (Goodreads Author), Ilona Andrews (Goodreads Author), Erica Hayes (Goodreads Author), Rachel Caine, Carole Nelson Douglas (Goodreads Author), Simon R. Green , more…

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 1,103 ratings · 190 reviews

Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal…

In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conj...more

Paperback, 1st Edition, 356 pages

Published June 5th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

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Jul 06, 2012 Alyssa Ricks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Retribution Clause, Ilona Andrews - 4.5 Stars This story takes place in the Kate Daniels world, but follows characters we've never met before. The main character is Saiman's cousin, but a very different personality (he prefers his true form and subdues it with a magic watch to go unnoticed) and with less magic. He works for an insurance company and when a woman is murdered by her husband he and his partner are assigned to carry out the retribution clause in her life insurance policy within 11 ho...more Retribution Clause, Ilona Andrews - 4.5 Stars This story takes place in the Kate Daniels world, but follows characters we've never met before. The main character is Saiman's cousin, but a very different personality (he prefers his true form and subdues it with a magic watch to go unnoticed) and with less magic. He works for an insurance company and when a woman is murdered by her husband he and his partner are assigned to carry out the retribution clause in her life insurance policy within 11 hours, before the man is set to surrender to authorities.(view spoiler) There are romantic undercurrents and I would like to see these two come to Atlanta.

Bigfoot on Campus, Jim Butcher - 4 Stars Bigfoot, aka Strength of a River in his Shoulders, is Harry's client and he wants him to look in on his son, Irwin; he's had a premonition that something bad is going to happen to him. Harry visits Irwin at college and realizes that his girlfriend is (view spoiler), but she doesn't know it and doesn't seem to be hurting Irwin in any way. Of course, her evil father shows up (view spoiler) Harry, being Harry, can't let that happen and sets out to save the day. I had one major problem with the premise of this story: (view spoiler)

I did not enjoy the other stories in this anthology; in some I just didn't like the characters and in others I liked them just fine...up until the end when they pulled a bonehead move.(less)

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Feb 19, 2013 Christal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, urban-fantasy

So I read this book a while back and wrote a review of each story, and I just found out that somehow Goodreads had deleted the whole thing. Since I borrowed this from the library, I can't go back and see what each story was but this is what I do remember:

Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews
Probably my least favorite Ilona Andrews short. Still good, but it left me with too many questions to be satisfying.

Bigfoot On Campus by Jim Butcher
Loved this one. Butcher is great in short form and this stor...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I have to say that I am becoming such an Ilona Andrews fan girl that any anthology that has a story by them has an immediate leg up. While Andrews story was my favorite, there were enough other entertaining hexy shorts to make this a worthwhile collection for me.

In the order that I read them...

Bigfoot on Campus - Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden short, this is episode number three of "Harry and the son of Bigfoot" -Irwin's dad has a vision of his son in lethal trouble and again sends Harry in to pinc...more

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May 01, 2013 Darkpool rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: auckland-library, vamps-weres-and-beasties, fiction, read-in-2013, short-stories

First up: the Ilona Andrews, which is the point of me having this book out of the library. Highly enjoyable, and should tine me over until the next Kate Daniels comes out later this year.
Next: Bigfoot on Campus. I'm only up to about #3 for the Dresden Files, but really that makes no difference to my ability to appreciate this short story - which is utter gold, really. I fear the rest of the anthology can't live up to the standard of the first 2.
Didn't enjoy Holly's Balm as much as I wanted to.
S...more

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Aug 18, 2012 JennyJen added it

Shelves: can-t-get-enough, author-can-do-no-wrong, fun-times, dual-pov, gritty, kickass, read-2012, magic, fave-authors, read-in-one-sitting, shifters, uf, she-is-not-just-a-pretty-face, short-story

★★★★ for Ilona Andrews' Retribution Clause only.

These authors never fail to produce fascinating characters. Every short story of theirs makes me wish it was a full-length novel. This one was no different. Two fascinating characters, a solid little plot, a hint of undeveloped love, and the magic-filled Kate Daniels world can't go wrong.

As with all of their shorts, one star off for ending too soon and just before things between the MC's got really good. They always make me want more. Moar, dammi...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Leiah rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are a bunch of really good reviews of this anthology, most I agree with totally. There are some great stories in this anthology, and a couple my particular tastes didn't care for. But even the ones I wasn't crazy about, I still liked well enough. As with all anthologies I read, I also found a couple of new authors that I didn't know that much about - but find that their work is worth looking into! Overall, I would say a 3.5 more than a 4 in total, but a couple of the stories threw it over...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Laurla2 added it

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, anthology

retribution clause by ilona andrews. he events of Retribution Clause take place in Kate Daniels world, but this novella is completely separate from the main storyline. It takes place in Philadelphia and features a cousin of perhaps the most controversial character in Kate’s universe. Frost giant cousin of Saiman (see Kate Daniels), Adam and his partner Siroun enforce a life insurance retribution clause to assassinate anyone who killed their client.

bigfoot on campus by jim butcher. harry is calle...more retribution clause by ilona andrews. he events of Retribution Clause take place in Kate Daniels world, but this novella is completely separate from the main storyline. It takes place in Philadelphia and features a cousin of perhaps the most controversial character in Kate’s universe. Frost giant cousin of Saiman (see Kate Daniels), Adam and his partner Siroun enforce a life insurance retribution clause to assassinate anyone who killed their client.

bigfoot on campus by jim butcher. harry is called in to help when bigfoots son is in danger from a white vampire draining his power during sex because she's unaware she's a white vampire.

holly's balm by rachel caine. Holly the witch resurrected Andy (see Strange Brew) but now works a paranormal serial killer case that andy unwittingly helped.

snow job by carole nelson douglas. Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator, reluctantly assists her enemy Snow by entering the Inferno Hotel and Casino. and defeating lilith.

outside the box by p. n. elrod. Hard boiled (female Vampire Files’ Fleming) Mars the witch works as a Company field operative who, along with her partner Ellinghaus the vampire, go after a fledgling to bring the newbie back to headquarters. but its a trap.

how do you feel by simon r. green. In the Nightside, Walker informs Dead Boy that his death thirty years ago was deliberate. sends him after mother macabre. he's saved sil, by his car/sex droid from the future with full trans-morph capabilities.

there will be demons by lori handeland. Summer the fairy met Jimmy the dhampir because they hunt Nephilim (see the Phoenix Chronicles). jimmy and his multiple deaths has haunted her dreams for years.

cherry kisses by erica hayes. The Demon hires Lena the troublemaker to obtain an amulet in Hell (see Shadowfae Chronicles). her fairy enhanced cherry lipstick gets her out of trouble.

the arcane art of misdirection by carrie vaughn. In Vegas, Julie the blackjack dealer watches a man and then a woman win every hand; magician Odysseus Grant tells her how (see Kitty Norville). (less)

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Oct 11, 2012 Niall Teasdale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-books, urban-fantasy

I picked up this anthology because I'd heard about it from somewhere and thought it might be an interesting sampler for a collection of today's better urban fantasy authors. While I've heard of some of the authors, the only one I'd ever read anything of was Jim Butcher, so I came in here with no clue as to the nature of the worlds or the kind of storytelling I was expecting.

Unfortunately, many of these made poor short stories for the simple reason that they had to expound huge amounts of backsto...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

As you would expect with collections of short stories, some were good and some were bad. As a whole, I didn't like this collection nearly as much as Dark and Stormy Knights, also edited by P.N. Elrod, with a large overlap in short story authorship between the two collections.

For Harry Dresden fans, it's worthing checking this book out of the library to read Bigfoot on Campus. It's what you would expect from Butcher. [It was also my impetus for getting the book in the first place.]

Unlike Dark and...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

These stories are mostly set in the authors' existing series or attached to stories previously published. I tend to like themed anthologies and there have been a lot of them recently, often with stories connected to stories in other themed anthologies, or novels. Sometimes they star minor characters from other stories, sometimes they star major characters, sometimes they're merely set in the same world. All 3 scenarios are represented here.
Retribution clause by Ilona Andrews (magical Atlanta wor...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nine stories of paranormal magic that will change the way you look at the world around you. Some of the authors share new little pieces of their more popular tales with readers while others create whole new worlds. As a big fan of The Phoenix Chronicles by Lori Handeland, I picked up this book hoping to read more about sexy skinwalker Sawyer but he was only in a little snippet of the story. Her story, There Will Be Demons tells the tale of Summer meeting Jimmy and falling for him, which plays a...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Paige rated it 4 of 5 stars

Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews—4 stars
Set in the world of Kate Daniels, this story introduces Adam, cousin of Saiman (both are frost giants) and Siroun. Adam and Siroun are partners who work for POM Insurance.
Retribution Clause deals with the death of a prominent figure’s wife and the retribution clause in her insurance policy (and eye for an eye sort of thing). Despite the brevity of the story, the details are fantastic.

Bigfoot on Campus by Jim Butcher—5 stars
Jim Butcher has managed to b...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Jill Bradley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Most stories were bad. but a few were good.

Ilona Andrews - stupidly short, not enough at all. It's like she had a page count limit and wrapped it up in two sentences. about two insurance agents that love each other, and a crazy wife and sociopath husband. the end.

Jim Butcher - horrifically cheesy. about bigfoot's kid in love with a sex vampire.

Rachel Cain - meh. cute but kind of annoying and i'm not sure why. very predictable. I knew he did it after page 5.

Carole Nelson Douglas - this series...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal

An anthology of nine short stories revolving around a central theme of magic.

Series
Retribution Clause (a side story to Kate Daniels, 5.6)
Bigfoot on Campus (Dresden Files, 11.25; Bigfoot Trilogy, 2)
Holly's Balm (Holly and Andy, 2)
Snow Job (Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator, 5.5??)
Outside the Box (Vampire Files universe: Ellinghaus and Goldfarb, x.5)
How Do You Feel? (Nightside, x.5 Walker is still in charge)
There Will be Demons (Phoenix Chronicles, x.5)
Cherry Kisses (Shadowfae Chronicles, 4....more

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Jul 02, 2012 Rooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

So I got this book for the remaining Ilona Andrews short story, but I made some other discoveries along the way, so I'll type them out. I would definitely recommend the anthology though - as such things go, it was a pretty good primer on discovering some new authors.

The Ilona Andrews story was fine - I've basically come to believe that, as much as I adore IA, they work best in longer books, otherwise things get a bit confusing. To be clear, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't great, and I'm used to lo...more So I got this book for the remaining Ilona Andrews short story, but I made some other discoveries along the way, so I'll type them out. I would definitely recommend the anthology though - as such things go, it was a pretty good primer on discovering some new authors.

The Ilona Andrews story was fine - I've basically come to believe that, as much as I adore IA, they work best in longer books, otherwise things get a bit confusing. To be clear, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't great, and I'm used to loving all things Kate Daniels related with an unholy passion.

The Jim Butcher story, on the other hand, *was* great - I'd never read him before, and now I shall. Apparently he's one of PapaRooks' favorites, and I never even knew, so somewhere there's a treasure trove of Butcher books to borrow, and I plan to get on that sooner rather than later.

The Rachel Caine story was pretty good as well - I knew EXACTLY who did what as soon as a plot point was revealed, so as a mystery . . . it was a bit of a fail. I know I read and watch enough mystery type stuff that I might just be a preternaturally good guesser, but I really do think this one was twelve kinds of simple to sort out. Despite that, I didn't hate it. I will probably acquire some Rachel Caine and give her normal stuff a go.

The Carole Nelson Douglas story - ok, what. the. hell. What was going on here? It was ridonkulously confusing! After finishing it, I did some research to see if you really, really, REALLY needed to have read the series in which this story is set in order get what was going on - short answer, it would've helped somewhat - and many of the reviews for those books (Delilah Street) also talked about how the author seemed to want to throw everything at you all at once. The books are set in Vegas, and one reviewer compared reading it to being on the Strip - way too many flashing lights. I have to agree. (Which is a shame, because there were some interesting things happening plot and character-wise, but I'm not prepared to slog through something that constantly leaves me feeling like I must've accidentally skimmed a page or five somewhere.)

PN Elrod - Interesting enough, though not much happened. I'll probably read more of this author at some point, but I'm not almost impatient to do so (unlike Butcher).

Simon R. Green - This one was . . . odd. I didn't have a problem with the world or the concepts or the plot, for the most part, but it felt really weirdly racialized for a modern story? Like, do people actually still think saying "chinaman" is kosher for dialogue that's not supposed to be from someone who's kind of an asshole (and in this case, is our protagonist)? And would they in whichever century this book takes place in (given that the cars are sometimes from the 23rd or 24th century and not an anomaly, I'm guessing later than 20th)? That was just the most explicit example, but yeah, I didn't enjoy the story enough for it to overcome that fatal flaw, so I doubt I'll be seeking out more Green.

Lori Handeland - I found this really interesting, only to discover upon research that the protagonist in this book (it's an offshoot of the Phoenix Chronicles), whom I liked, is kind of justifiably not happy with the protagonist in the actual series, which wouldn't be so bad if the series itself weren't in what appears to be publishing purgatory. I learned my lesson with L.J. Smith's Night World; if I *know* a series languishes in limbo, I try to avoid it. I may try some of her other stuff, though.

Erica Hayes - Ok, this one was interesting enough to send me searching out her other books, and wooboy. I will be reviewing one of those shortly. It wasn't that the story itself was particularly great, but I found the author's style both interesting and sufficiently dark. (I don't like fantasy/sci-fi books where life is Super Dangerous and the protagonist has a problem with killing or becomes rather moral simply because they meet someone who's actually a decent sort. It strains credulity for me.)

Carrie Vaughn - So, that whole problem with killing/ferocity/etc. thing? Yeah, it's why I stopped Vaughn's Kitty books, because homegirl is *awfully squeamish* for a shapeshifter alpha, and I just . . . couldn't get behind that. (I read like 8 of those books, so seriously, I tried really hard.) This story is set in that world but followed one of the most interesting characters, and I gotta say, I dug it. If Odysseus Grant got his own series, even having sworn off Kitty, I'd probably give it a shot.

And that's all of 'em! Not a bad anthology, with plenty of good leads on authors I may want to follow up on.
(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of the 9 stories, two didn't really appeal to me. In fact, if it weren't for those two stories, I'd rank this as a 4.5 or 5. Arguably the best anthology I've ever read!

The Bigfoot story by Jim Butcher was absolutely superb! The method of delivery was clever, the characters were very quickly given depth and likability, (no small feat in a short story), the action was brisk, and the humor elicited a number of chuckles. The man truly is a genius at story telling!

The stories by Illona Andrews, Simon...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Bookmom rated it 4 of 5 stars

The anthology carries novellas from—I believe--ongoing series of nine established authors of Urban Fantasy. This book, while received free for review, was already on my ‘To Buy’ list because I regularly read four of the authors and used to read a fifth one. The stories run anywhere from 30 – 50 pages and do a good job of filling you in on the different worlds and characters and tell the story without a too-rushed type of feeling.

Ilona Andrews – Retrubution Clause. This story is set in Kate Danie...more The anthology carries novellas from—I believe--ongoing series of nine established authors of Urban Fantasy. This book, while received free for review, was already on my ‘To Buy’ list because I regularly read four of the authors and used to read a fifth one. The stories run anywhere from 30 – 50 pages and do a good job of filling you in on the different worlds and characters and tell the story without a too-rushed type of feeling.

Ilona Andrews – Retrubution Clause. This story is set in Kate Daniels’ world, although it takes place in Philadelphia with Saiman’s frost giant cousin, Adam. He doesn’t have the same level of magic as Saiman does, and he works as an insurance adjuster. He and his partner Siroun are sent out on an impossible task; a client had a retribution clause in her life insurance policy, to kill any person that kills her. They have to determine if the person they’re after is guilty, but even more difficult is getting to the guy. If you need a fix from the Kate Daniels’ world, this one works nicely and I wouldn’t mind seeing future stories about these two. You shouldn’t have a problem getting into this world if you haven’t read the series.

Jim Butcher – Bigfoot on Campus. From the Harry Dresden series, this is the story I enjoyed the most. Bigfoot has used Harry before and hires him to go to his son—whom he’s never met—as he has a premonition that his life is in danger. The story is laid out for us after the fact as Harry explains to a college campus police officer why he was found in the middle of an orgy, how a car ended up on the fourth floor of a dormitory, and why there were reports of seeing Bigfoot. This is an out-of-town story, so the white vampires encountered here are new to us. Again, I believe it would be easy to get into the story if you don’t read this series.

Rachel Caine – Holly’s Balm. I don’t know if this story is part of a series, but the author mentions that Andy and Holly were introduced in the 2010 anthology, Strange Brew. I’m going to have to go back and read that story as I enjoyed this one. Holly is a resurrection witch and Andy had died back in the Old West but had been resurrected by Holly three months ago to help find a killer. They’d fallen in love and against the normal laws of nature, he still shouldn’t be alive. He’s got his own magical skill set which is needed when a serial killer starts having his victims raised so he can get the thrill of killing them all over again. I really like this duo.

Carole Nelson Douglas – Snow Job. From the Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator series. I had a difficult time getting through this story. The world is very different from anything else I’ve read and I had a hard time understanding some of what was going on, or why, even though an explanation is given. Those who follow the series will no doubt get a kick out of Delilah having to go to the Inferno Hotel/Casino to help out Snow, a person normally considered an enemy, when everything there goes wonky. She’s got to figure out what’s going on and to rescue Snow who has gone missing.

P N Elrod – Outside the Box. I’m not sure if this is part of an ongoing series; possibly the Vampire Files. Marsha (Mars) is a witch working for “The Company” which registers newly risen vampires and magically binds them to rules that keep vampires a secret from human society. She’s partnered with Ellinghaus, a vampire that’s supposed to keep her safe while Mars calms down the new vampire and gets it to The Company headquarters so it can learn how to adjust. The vampire they’re helping out is a little more than they bargained for. Interesting story and I wouldn’t mind reading more of this world where there are different types of vampires with different abilities.

Simon R Green – How Do You Feel. Story is from the Nightside series about Dead Boy, who’d been killed thirty years ago at the age of seventeen during a mugging. He exists; he doesn’t feel or even taste anything (except with the help of a pill). When Walker approaches him and says his killing hadn’t been an accident, Dead Boy knows that taking out the one responsible is one of the few things that would actually feel good. Someone not already familiar with this very strange world might have some problems with it, although it’s not quite as ‘out there’ as most of the stories in this series.

Lori Handeland – There Will Be Demons. From the Phoenix Chronicles series, told from Summer’s point a view. We experience Jimmy’s (dhampir) first meeting of Summer (fairy) and Sawyer (skinwalker), all of them demon killers working for a secret organization that takes out the various types of Nephilim that are doing their best to bring around the Apocolypse. It’s been two years since the last book in the series and no release date yet on the next one. This story should help placate those needing something from this series, although there's not a whole lot to it. Non-readers should have an easy time getting into this world.

Erica Hayes – Cherry Kisses. I believe this is from the Shadowfae Chronicles. A female con-artist in a world populated with psychotic fae and vampires with a protection racket, is offered a job by a demon. Fetch an amulet from Hell; it contains something of his. In return he’ll fulfill one wish. This story had potential and plenty of action, but I just couldn’t relate to the female lead.

Carrie Vaughn - The Aracane Art of Misdirection. From the Kitty series. Set in Las Vegas, this one follows the magician, Odysseus Grant and a blackjack dealer, as they try to find someone using magic to win at the tables. This will be easy for a non-reader of the series to pick up.

Read as an ARC for Library Thing.(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Jess the Romanceaholic added it

I'm not giving this a rating, as I only got this for (and read) Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews.

I loved a glimpse of the Kate Daniels world outside of Atlanta (though, honestly, it sounded almost identical), and seeing characters outside of the Atlanta packs.

My only real complaint is that while there were romantic undertones, there was no HEA of any sort (or even really a hint that there was one to come in the future like there was in Magic Dreams). While I realize that this is technically a...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Liv rated it 4 of 5 stars

I only read a few of the short stories in this anthology. So my reviews and rating were only based on those that I actually read and not necessarily reflective on those others that I didn't read.

Retribution Clause - by Ilona Andrews, 3.5 stars

As a big fan of Ilona Andrews, I was dying for something, anything, from the Kate-universe. This story featured Adam, who was Saiman's cousin and also of frost giant descent. He worked for an insurance adjuster and was investigating a case with his partner,...more I only read a few of the short stories in this anthology. So my reviews and rating were only based on those that I actually read and not necessarily reflective on those others that I didn't read.

Retribution Clause - by Ilona Andrews, 3.5 stars

As a big fan of Ilona Andrews, I was dying for something, anything, from the Kate-universe. This story featured Adam, who was Saiman's cousin and also of frost giant descent. He worked for an insurance adjuster and was investigating a case with his partner, Siroun. Due to its length, it was just enough to convey a simple plot, but the actions and resolution were rather simplistic. It contained relatively good magical elements and I enjoyed it, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was written from the POV of one of the key characters from the Kate series. In any case, I liked it enough that it was okay to sate my craving for Kate & Curran, for the time-being.

Bigfoot on Campus - by Jim Butcher, 4 stars

This story was told retrospectively from Harry Dresden's POV after something happened on campus and he was being interrogate by the police. The story was basically about Bigfoot hiring Harry to look after his son. Upon Harry's investigation, he found that he was dating a White Court vampire fledgeling, who actually didn't know that she was what she was. As usual, whenever Harry was involved, there'd be lots of (vampire) troubles and magical explosions/blasts etc. The plot was simple but interesting, and the dialogue was witty, and sarcastic, as expected. A crisp, light, and enjoyable read.

Holly's Balm - by Rachel Caine, 4 stars

This short item contained a murder mystery being investigated by Holly and her undead partner Andy. They were both witches and Holly was asked by the police to investigate the gruesome murders of resurrected victims since witches were involved in the process. This story was very well-written, in the sense that it had a decent plot, a central conflict, character progression, and resolution at the end. Although the identity of the serial killer became apparent midway through, so it wasn't a mystery anymore (to me anyway), I still thought it was very good. I vaguely remember reading about Holly and Andy in another compilation sometime before. I think I might go back and re-read it.

The Arcane Art of Misdirection - by Carrie Vaughn, 3 stars

The tale involved Odysseus Grant, the Vegas stage magician from the Kitty Norville series. He found someone playing magical tricks (i.e. cheating) at the Blackjack table at the casino where he worked, he was intent on fixing it with the perpetrator. Julie, a card dealer at the Blackjack table, decided to tag along since she was both curious and had a small magical talent of her own. The story was a bit confusing but overall I thought it was good. I have always liked Odysseus and I thought it was about time that he took centre stage, for once. I just wished that Vaughn would write more about his magical abilities, because I knew he was very capable, but it still wasn't clear to me how capable he could be.(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Min rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

Retribution Clause: 4.5 stars
I love Ilona Andrews' writing style. The characters always feel fully formed, no matter how brief their appearance is. Retribution Clause is a tasty morsel of a short: yummy, complete, yet leaving you wanting more because it's so great. I'd love to read more about Adam and Siroun but if that never comes to pass, this story is filling enough.

Bigfoot on Campus: 3.5 stars
I haven't read the Harry Dreseden books, only a couple of the short stories. I think this is my favo...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: signal

Possibly the problem is I just don't like short stories.
These felt -- they weren't complex enough.

In order:

Ilona Andrews: romance-novel plot, killing monsters, that's about all we get.

Jim Butcher: ...I was about to grouch about how the Dresden novels are okay but the Dresden short stories are creepily fixated on sex, but I think in context of the other short stories in this book he's actually doing okay.

Rachel Caine: Sappy romance-novel plot.

Caroline Douglas: I skipped this one; I read one Delil...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Lynda Tatad rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very enjoyable anthology featuring some of my favorite urban fantasy and paranormal authors! 9 short stories is just about right for an anthology. I don't mind less, but when there are a lot more, it's a lot harder to get through them. I was familiar with 8 out of the 9 contributors, and the stories are set in worlds the authors have created in some of their series.

"Retribution Clause" is set in Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series, but in a different city dealing with special Paranorma...more This was a very enjoyable anthology featuring some of my favorite urban fantasy and paranormal authors! 9 short stories is just about right for an anthology. I don't mind less, but when there are a lot more, it's a lot harder to get through them. I was familiar with 8 out of the 9 contributors, and the stories are set in worlds the authors have created in some of their series.

"Retribution Clause" is set in Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series, but in a different city dealing with special Paranormal Insurance Adjusters. One of them is brother to Saimon, a shape shifting creature who has helped Kate in the past. Simone's brother Adam is different from his brother. Him and his partner Siroun are given an assignment that requires them to find and kill a lawyer who had murdered his wife, and her insurance contract included a Retribution Clause, which requires her murdere be brought to justice within a 24 hour period. Of course, the interesting part of this story is when the details are finally revealed about the murder! Very interesting!

Jim Butcher's "Bigfoot on Campus" is a fun story dealing with young love between Bigfoot's college age son and a young woman who has no clue to her true nature. Daddy Bigfoot only has a premonition that his son is in danger, so her asks wizard Harry Dresdon to help him find out what's going on and to protect his son. Always love stories featuring Harry!

"Holly's Balm" by Rachel Caine brings back Holly, a necromantic witch and Andy, her resurrected lover (also a witch) who were featured in a short story in the anthology Strange Brew. In this one, Holly is asked to help look into some murders that look eerily familiar to her from older cases she worked on before. I really like these two characters from both short stories, as they have such an unusual situation! Great mystery surrounding the murders, and Andy has some secrets of his own that may affect their relationship, as well as his life!

Carole Nelson Douglas' "Snow Job" featuring paranormal Delilah Street, who works in Sin City (Las Vegas), where supernatural creatures intersect with Sim's who work at the Inferno, a casino run by an albino immortal named Snow. There are some strange (stranger than the normal strange) changes happening to the Sims of Inferno, and no explanation as to why. Interesting, but sometimes confusing, especially when the 2 Lilliths show up. Still, I'm a little familiar with some of the characters and what Sims are from other Delilah Street short stories in other anthologies I've read.

"Outside the Box" by PN Elrod features an interesting take on what happens with newly made vampires, especially when their maker abandons them. Marsha Goldfarb is a witch who works for an agency that helps keep vampires in line. Her job is to register the newly made with her current partner, the vampire Ellingaus. I liked it, it wasn't anything I've encountered before. There's a hint of danger along with some humor in the story, like able characters, and a mystery with this newly made vampire that is pretty complex!

A Nightside story featuring Dead Boy by Simon R. Green called "How Do You Feel" was really good, too! I don't read this series, but have definitely enjoyed some of the short stories I've read by this author in other anthologies. Dead Boy is kind of a zombie looking to avenge his death. He had already taken care of the original murderes long before, but he's given a hint that let's him know that his death might've been a little more than a random senseless death, and someone might've been involved in the hiring of his killers . Love Dead Boy's futurist car, too!

Lori Handeland's "There Will Be Demons" was interesting, too. Summer Bartholemew is a demon killer who works for a Seer. This Seer sends her a new partner to work with (she works alone), and it turns out to be someone she's dreamed about for centuries! She's asked to help him on his first assignment, and it turns out to be a special test between the two of them. This story takes place in the world of The Phoenix Chronicles.

Erica Hayes is the one author I'm not familiar with. "Cherry Kisses" is about Lena Falco, a fledgling witch who is more of a grifter or con artist. She has a few tricks up her sleeve, and a "job" she takes sends her to Hell with some competition to retrieve a special jewel. A little harder to be sympathetic with this character, but it was not a predictable story, so I liked the twist near the end!

The final short story is another Las Vegas setting called "The Arcane Art of Misdirection" and it's by Carrie Vaughn. Julie, a blackjack dealer is having some big winners at her table, and it's not obvious how they are cheating. Magician Odysseus Grant (featured in the novel "Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand") is on hand to help track down what is going on. Julie follows and joins him in trying to figure out who the actual cheater is, and her life is forever changed by seeing what is really happening around her world at the casino! Really interesting, and I loved seeing Odysseus Grant again!(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, short-stories

Honestly, I checked this book out because it contains a short story by Jim Butcher, Bigfoot on Campus featuring his paranormal detective Harry Dresden. It was nice to read about Harry doing a favor for a friend and not having to worry about saving all of humanity or even just all of Chicago. Butcher's sense of humor once again comes through as his character Harry tries to explain to a campus security officer how parts of a university campus were destroyed and why some students are claiming to ha...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Sarah Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Several good stories in this anthology.

Ilona Andrew's story was my favorite. Interesting new characters in the Kate Daniels world. - 4 stars.

Jim Butcher's and Rachel Caine's stories were entertaining.

The story Snow Job by Carole Nelson Douglas was interesting but disjointed. It had me wanting to read more from the series but not sure of the writing.

Outside the Box by P N Elrod was good. I liked it and would like to read more about where these two characters go from here.

I didn't particularly l...more

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Jun 28, 2012 bella rated it 5 of 5 stars

As usually happens to me I buy anthologies for just one to two stories and then put them up on a shelf for a rainy day. I did this with Hex Appeal, edited by P.N. Elrod.

I bought this just for the Bigfoot story by Jim Butcher. I love the Dresden files series and this short story sees Harry Dresden helping out Bigfoot again to look after his teenage son, who is now in college.

Irwin aka Bigfoot's son has fallen in love, but not with any normal human with a vampire of the White Court, and its up to...more

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May 20, 2013 Timm Higgins rated it 3 of 5 stars

I skipped the last two stories, as they just didn't capture my attention. If in a short story or novella if you can't grab me within the first paragraph I'm most likely going to move on. I even skipped Simon R. Green and I love his Nightside series. But I just wasn't down with a story from the POV of Dead Boy and not the main character John Taylor.

I really enjoyed the stories from P.N. Elrod, Jim Butcher, Caroline Nelson Douglas. The last author so much that I went and bought the second book in...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Mitticus added it

Shelves: fantasia-urbana, magia, witches-wizards, hexed-cursed, short-story, anthology, 2012-readings

Sólo lei dos historias de esta antología::

-"Retribution Clause" (historia en el mundo de Kate Daniels, 5.6) de Ilona Andrews.
Esta es una historia que presenta personajes desconocidos, en Filadelfia. Un primo de Saiman -Adam- y su socia trabajan en una compañia de seguros con clausulas vinculadas mágicamente. Y su trabajo puede llegar a ser muy peligroso.

Mi opinion: No crei decir esto de Ilona , pero no me gustó, puede que sea sólo una presentación de personajes,muy corta, pero no consiguó involu...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Rugg Ruggedo rated it 4 of 5 stars

I took this off my "to read" shelf because I wanted a bit more Dresden/Butcher after reading Ghost Story. A nice bonus with this collection was that Carrie Vaughn was also in it and its been my experience that she just doesnt write any bad short fiction. The first story was Ilona Andrews, and I thought it started kind of confusing,but finished strong. Not somthing I would follow up on,but worth the read. Harry was the second story and after the first paragraph I realized this book had characters...more I took this off my "to read" shelf because I wanted a bit more Dresden/Butcher after reading Ghost Story. A nice bonus with this collection was that Carrie Vaughn was also in it and its been my experience that she just doesnt write any bad short fiction. The first story was Ilona Andrews, and I thought it started kind of confusing,but finished strong. Not somthing I would follow up on,but worth the read. Harry was the second story and after the first paragraph I realized this book had characters in it that I had never seen before. A little research told me that Bigfoot on Campus was the third bigfoot story that Butcher had told. The other two are in the collections Under My Hat and Blood Lite III: Aftertaste. I do a lot of book sales during the spring, summer and fall, so I took a chance and checked my shelf where that material had gathered and found them both! So I read the whole trilogy and put the first two collections on my "to read" shelf. This was a great story, Butcher has always had a handle on his short stuff and all three stories were fun and added to the legend of Harry Dresden. The Rachel Caine story was a follow up to one I read in the Strange Brew collection. These are really good characters deserving of a long form story. Good story. Snow Job had me interested in the character Delilah Street, I made a note to follow up on her and see where else she appears,but the story wasnt up to the lady. Up next is what might be my favorite character in this collection,Marsha Madinia Goldfarb. I have read quite a bit of P.N.Elrod and nothing has ever captured me like Mz Goldfarb. Hopefully this is just the beginning of her adventures,but the story I thought was worth the price of admission to this collection. I had a lot of fun with Dead Boy and Simon R Green's story, and might look him up again, but probably not right away. The next two stories werent bad,but, and this is odd for someone who reads this genre and understands the romance is part of it, I thought the romance broke up the stories on these two and just got in the way. Lastly Carrie tells a tale of one of her side characters from her Kitty series. Odysseus Grant isnt fond of someone magicing the casino he works his magic show in, and with the help of a blackjack dealer who has an eye for "misdirection" sets out to put a stop to it. I loved this story and wouldnt be at all surprised to see Julie,the blackjack dealer, become part of Odysseus's life and maybe part of Kitty's too by association.
One new author from a collection is always a good add for me. If Elrod decides to let us follow Marsha Madina further I have that one author from this book.(less)

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Apr 12, 2012 Cissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the best anthologies I've read recently.Almost all of the stories were excellent- whether or not they participated in an ongoing series; mostly, even if they were relevant to an ongoing series, the stories were good stand-alone and created their own context.

This had stories from a number of authors I read regularly, and I was happy to get more context into the worlds.

There's a huge variety of paranormal here- from vamps to weres through demons and fairies, etc. Spell-casters- "wit...more

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Aug 20, 2012 E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Fun reads by some of my favorite authors including an entertaining story about Bigfoot (with parental concerns being assuaged by Harry Dresden) by Jim Butcher, an eerie love story by Rachel Caine involving a resurrection witch and the lover she has restored to life, a look at the administrative expectations for new vampires as told by the talented P.N. Elrod, a new rider to an insurance policy as told through the eyes of the team of Ilona Andrews. I wasn't as enamored by some of the other titles...more

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About P.N. Elrod

Patricia Nead Elrod is an American fantasy writer specializing in novels about vampires. Her work falls into areas of fantasy and (in some cases) mystery or historical fiction, but normally not horror, since her vampires are the heroes. -Wikipedia

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Books by P.N. Elrod

My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (Dark-Hunter, #10.5; There Be Pirates, #1; Night Creature, #1.1; Kit and Olivia, #2; Sookie Stackhouse, #6.1; The Dresden Files, #7.5)

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“Maybe,” he said in a slow, rural drawl, “you could explain to me why I found you in the middle of an orgy.”
“Well,” I said, “if you’re going to be in an orgy, the middle is the best spot, isn’t it.” — 10 people liked it

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