A new anthology of novellas by four prominent authors in the field of urban fantasy and paranormal fantasy. This book was such a blend between the two fields that I had a bugger of a time finding out where the bookstore had shelved it.

Ilona Andrews contributed the story "Magic Dreams" to this anthology and fans of her previous work will not be disappointed. And folks who are new to the author's work will be looking for more. This novella pairs the somewhat hapless vegetarian weretiger Dali with the sleek, deadly werejaguar Jim. A combination that fans have been begging for...did I mention that it doesn't disappoint?

Yasmine Galenorn is a new author to me and contributed the story "Ice Shards". I must say that I was thoroughly disappointed with this offering. The underlying story was fine, but the execution came off stiff and stilted, making it almost impossible to connect with any of the characters. It reminded me of playing an RPG where the story was afterthought...not a great thing in a novella.

Allyson James was also new to me and contributed "Double Hexed" to the anthology. Unlike the previous author, James drew me into the story immediately with real characters and organic dialogue. I am definitely going to be investigating her other work, especially that which pertains to the characters in this novella. So, what happens when you trap a Stormwalker, dragon, witch, god, human, vampire, and a plumber in a hotel and make their magic and moods go haywire? Oh, yeah...and a magic mirror that sings showtunes. Can't forget that...

Jeanne C. Stein contributed "Blood Debt" and I don't believe her fans of the Anna Strong series will be disappointed either. I did read the first novel in her series, but while well-written, I never really connected with the characters. Ditto here. Certainly this will not be the case for others, different strokes and all. My only other complaint is that the romance seemed a bit tacked on.

So, two absolute top winners, one stinker, and one that was an okay story but not my thing. Overall, a four star rating and definitely worth the reading time. Excuse me, I have to go track down some more Allyson James...