Chicks Kick Butt (Shifters #6.5)

Shiny by Rachel Caine: A story from her Weather Warden series, which I plan on continuing some time soon;

Double Dead by Cheyenne McCray: I have yet to read any of McCray's books, but it seemed counter-productive to begin with this short story, especially

Shiny by Rachel Caine: A story from her Weather Warden series, which I plan on continuing some time soon;

Double Dead by Cheyenne McCray: I have yet to read any of McCray's books, but it seemed counter-productive to begin with this short story, especially because the story begins with a glossary;

Monster Mash by Carole Nelson Douglas: This series is also on my to-read-eventually list, so I'll probably return to the short at some later date.

In Vino Veritas by Karen Chance: This story belongs to the Dorina Basarab series. Dorina is a dhampir mercenary, who runs into some trouble with a gang of powerful vamps, and then has to get herself out of the mess. A fun story for those who have read Chance's books, but I'm not sure how much I'd have enjoyed it if I hadn't already been familiar with the author. 4 1/2 stars.

Hunt by Rachel Vincent: I tried reading the series this story belongs to, but the series' main character was a whiny college girl asshole, and the first book was a mess. I figured, why not try reading this story, it's not like I'll be reading Vincent's Shifter books to catch up any time soon (or ever). I have to say, the story pleasantly surprised me. There was just enough action and drama to make for a fun read, and it looks like Vincent's writing has improved. 4 stars.

Monsters by Lilith Saintcrow: This was, for me, the best story in the book. I liked it so much, that I actually went in search of the author's website, to see if this was a part of a series (as far as I saw, this is, unfortunately, a stand-alone). In this world, there are the usual vamps, weres, etc. However, not all vamps are the same. Some are fighters, and some devote their immortality to other causes (I'm trying not to spoil too much here, am I being too vague?). This is a story of revenge, and an unlikely friendship made along the way. The main character was intriguing, I wanted to find out more about her and the world she lives in. All in all, an original and satisfying story. 5 stars.

Vampires Prefer Blondes by P. N. Elrod: I think this one belongs to a series as well, but it was written well enough to stand on its own. The main character is a platinum-haired actress, and the year is 1937. The setting is not the usual, the world-building is not over-powering, yet it exists, and there is enough action for some girls to kick but. This story is just fun. 4 1/2 stars.

Nine-Tenths of the Law by Jenna Black: I had some issues with this author's books. More precisely, the first book in her Morgan Kingsley series was a wall-banger for me. That must be why it was so strange to me that I actually liked this story. Morgan Kingsley is an exorcist, but in a twist of fate, she is also possessed by a powerful demon. A rich couple hires her to establish whether their teenage daughter is possessed. however, the couple belongs to a religious sect, and if their daughter is possessed, they might burn her alive in order to "purify" her. The story was packed with action, yet it was able to stand alone well. I think I've finally figured out that the biggest issue I have when it comes to Jenna Black, was the way she writes sex scenes. Here, thank God, there weren't any, and the story flowed nicely. 4 stars.

A Rose by Any Other Name Would Still Be Red by Elizabeth A. Vaughan: This story flew by really fast. I can't tell if that was because it was really short, or if it was just because the pace was at break-neck speed. This is also a part of a series, and features a female mercenary dealing with some slave-traders. The story is a bit short on the characterization, but it was still fun. I will definitely check out the rest of the series. 4 stars.

Superman by Jeanne C. Stein: This was just awful. Full of cliches, and the main character was boring. This is also the longest story of the bunch, it not only had chapters, but also a prologue and an epilogue. I was not inspired to look for the rest of the series. 2 stars.

Wanted: Dead or Alive by L. A. Banks: The parade of cliches started by the previous story continues. This story begins with the main character's inner monologue or something, and it just goes downhill from there. She is a newly created vampire, who accidentally killed her predecessor/maker, and then inherited all of his property, including the other vamps he made. However, she developed a conscience, and ordered that her underlings must now protect the humans, and blah blah blah hot guy blah blah sex scene. Also, folks are trying to kill her. Did I mention that most of the vamps were Russian? Think about all of the stereotypes involving Russians. Exactly. 1 1/2 star.

Mist by Susan Krinard: This was one ambitious short story. The author tries to cram inside as much Norse mythology as she can, and the result is just a huge mess. We have a Valkyrie called Mist (which only made me think of The Warlord Wants Forever, and trust me, that one was superior to this). We have frost giants, and elves, and Odin's sons who own bars, and someone is trying to steal a treasured blade and... Whatever. Oh, there is also the end of the world. This story broke some of the basic rules of writing like: no info-dumping, no unnecessary characters, no shout-outs to things not important to the story. Also, it was a jumbled mess. I always get pissed when authors disguise their new series' prologue as a short story, and then sell it to an anthology. Dude. No. 1 star.

Beyond the Pale by Nancy Holder: Finally, after the mess of the previous story, comes this.

If the previous story seemed like it had an agenda (introduce a new series or something), this story seemed like it had a personality crisis. What was the point of this story, I have no idea. What happened in the end, I have no idea. Basically, there are these people who have superpowers, but it's never specified which. There is an explanation of a mysterious organization of protectors, but it is just ridiculous. This whole story was ridiculous. And I had to read it to the end, just to see whether anything would make sense. It didn't. Just because it's original or unusual, doesn't mean it's good. If this is a start to a series, I will eat my hat. 1 painful, bloody star.

Overall a good compilation of stories starring strong female protagonists. Some of the stories are chapters taken from pre-existing series, and some are stand alone.

This book introduced me to authors I didn't know about before and I became a fan of at l

Overall a good compilation of stories starring strong female protagonists. Some of the stories are chapters taken from pre-existing series, and some are stand alone.

This book introduced me to authors I didn't know about before and I became a fan of at least two: Rachel Caine aka Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, author of my current favorite Weather Warden series, and Lilith Saintcrow, author of the Dante Valentine series. I already knew about P.N. Elrod and I was happy to read more about sassy Bobbi from the Vampire Files, even though she isn't the lead in that series.