What do you think?
Rate this book
His Immortal Embrace
The Yearning - Hannah Howell. Tormented by an ancient curse, the young men of Clan MacCordy reach manhood only to walk forever in darkness, thirsting for blood - and Alpin MacCordy is no different. He must wed for coin and land, despite his betrothed's terror-and his own fascination for another woman, Lady Sophie Hay.
Bitten - Lynsay Sands. After brooding Keeran MacKay saves Emily Wentworth Collins from a storm-tossed ship: he offers her shelter in his secluded castle. But when a savage kiss reveals Keeran's true nature, Emily realizes that yielding to Keeran's untamed desire may change her own life...forever.
Stranger In The Night - Sara Blayne. Georgiana Thornberry hopes to unearth ancient treasure while exploring the moldering ruins of her ancestral home. Instead she encounters Julius Lathrop. Does the enigmatic - and disturbingly attractive - stranger hold the key to a family legend? Or something far more sinister?
The Awakening - Kate Huntington. Orphaned Thalia Layton is stricken to hear that her beloved, eccentric Aunt Cordelia has taken ill. But upon her arrival at Cordelia's remote estate, Thalia discovers that her aunt has harboured dangerous secrets - and that Thalia's own attraction to Adrian Lucerne, Cordelia's mysterious - and oddly nocturnal - companion, may prove to be a sensual temptation that will cost her life...
Please note: The Yearning by Hannah Howell and Bitten by Lynsay Sands were also republished in the anthology, Eternal Lover.
Bitten - Lynsay Sands. After brooding Keeran MacKay saves Emily Wentworth Collins from a storm-tossed ship: he offers her shelter in his secluded castle. But when a savage kiss reveals Keeran's true nature, Emily realizes that yielding to Keeran's untamed desire may change her own life...forever.
Stranger In The Night - Sara Blayne. Georgiana Thornberry hopes to unearth ancient treasure while exploring the moldering ruins of her ancestral home. Instead she encounters Julius Lathrop. Does the enigmatic - and disturbingly attractive - stranger hold the key to a family legend? Or something far more sinister?
The Awakening - Kate Huntington. Orphaned Thalia Layton is stricken to hear that her beloved, eccentric Aunt Cordelia has taken ill. But upon her arrival at Cordelia's remote estate, Thalia discovers that her aunt has harboured dangerous secrets - and that Thalia's own attraction to Adrian Lucerne, Cordelia's mysterious - and oddly nocturnal - companion, may prove to be a sensual temptation that will cost her life...
Please note: The Yearning by Hannah Howell and Bitten by Lynsay Sands were also republished in the anthology, Eternal Lover.
Paperback
First published September 1, 2003
77 people are currently reading
1229 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Howell
117 books2,650 followersHannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna Jennet (see below).
She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 19, 2017
Four great authors, four sexy stories of vampires who rule the night and the strong-willed, courageous heroines who love them!
The first two stories, THE YEARNING by Hannah Howell and BITTEN by Lynsay Sands, were both basically Scottish historical stories where the brave warrior laird just happens to be a vampire. In both cases the heroine is a lassie with courage, optimism, and passion who brings the lonely vampire hope and kindness and gradually helps him come back to "life" within his eternal darkness. My personal pick was the Lynsay Sands story, just because Emily is such a warm, loving girl and she relies on her inner strength rather than spells and curses to get her way. Her friendship with Mrs. McBain the housekeeper was so authentic and true to the time period, the servant mistress connection gradually becoming more like mother and daughter. And the final scene in the brightly lit ballroom nearly moved me to tears!
The second set of stories, STRANGER IN THE NIGHT by Sara Blaine and THE AWAKENING by Kate Huntington, were much closer to being vampire stories in the classic sense. There was more of an atmosphere of horror and menace, with a lot of people bleeding out and dead animals left on the side of the road and angry villagers storming around with torches and things like that. Neither of them really did much for me, though there was some fascinating research in Stranger In the Night, mostly about the Albigensian Crusades and the witch hunts of medieval Europe. It was clear the author would rather have written a full length novel about that than doing a quick Regency novella about a spirited miss unearthing a vampire!
The last story, THE AWAKENING by Kate Huntington, was really a little too outre for my taste. The vampire hero has fed off the heroine's aunt for thirty years before he even meets the young miss. That really made me uncomfortable. And while I appreciated a lot of the points the author makes about religious hypocrisy and the cruelty of forcing women to deny their desires, a lot of the time I just didn't like Adrian and Thalia all that much. He was a little too eager to reminisce about all the other lovely ladies he'd drunk from, for one thing.
And a vampire named Adrian. Come on. I mean, "Yo, Adrian!"
The first two stories, THE YEARNING by Hannah Howell and BITTEN by Lynsay Sands, were both basically Scottish historical stories where the brave warrior laird just happens to be a vampire. In both cases the heroine is a lassie with courage, optimism, and passion who brings the lonely vampire hope and kindness and gradually helps him come back to "life" within his eternal darkness. My personal pick was the Lynsay Sands story, just because Emily is such a warm, loving girl and she relies on her inner strength rather than spells and curses to get her way. Her friendship with Mrs. McBain the housekeeper was so authentic and true to the time period, the servant mistress connection gradually becoming more like mother and daughter. And the final scene in the brightly lit ballroom nearly moved me to tears!
The second set of stories, STRANGER IN THE NIGHT by Sara Blaine and THE AWAKENING by Kate Huntington, were much closer to being vampire stories in the classic sense. There was more of an atmosphere of horror and menace, with a lot of people bleeding out and dead animals left on the side of the road and angry villagers storming around with torches and things like that. Neither of them really did much for me, though there was some fascinating research in Stranger In the Night, mostly about the Albigensian Crusades and the witch hunts of medieval Europe. It was clear the author would rather have written a full length novel about that than doing a quick Regency novella about a spirited miss unearthing a vampire!
The last story, THE AWAKENING by Kate Huntington, was really a little too outre for my taste. The vampire hero has fed off the heroine's aunt for thirty years before he even meets the young miss. That really made me uncomfortable. And while I appreciated a lot of the points the author makes about religious hypocrisy and the cruelty of forcing women to deny their desires, a lot of the time I just didn't like Adrian and Thalia all that much. He was a little too eager to reminisce about all the other lovely ladies he'd drunk from, for one thing.
And a vampire named Adrian. Come on. I mean, "Yo, Adrian!"
October 26, 2014
The first story in this volume, "The Yearning", by Hannah Howell, takes the reader to Scotland, in the year 1435. Sophie Hay, the rather eccentric, witty protagonist, is in search of an old manuscript left by an ancestor, Morvyn Galt. It concerns a 400-year-old curse laid on the MacCordy family by Morvyn's sister, Rona, who had been betrayed in love by a MacCordy, and with a child on the way, to make matters worse.
Ever since she pronounced this curse, all of the firstborn MacCordy men have turned into vampires when they reach adulthood. Ironically, all of the Galt women have been cursed as well, for all their love affairs are doomed to end, with no marriage in sight.
Sophie makes it her mission to save the current MacCordy heir, Alpin. How she eventually manages to accomplish this, falling in love with him, and he with her, makes for some truly enjoyable reading. I only wish this had been an entire novel, instead of a story. That's how "verra" much I loved it! Sparkling with wit and humor, this is a story I will not soon forget!
The second story, "Bitten", by Lynsay Sands, is another great read. It's not typical of her usually very funny writing, as exemplified by her Argenau novels. This story is a more dramatic one, along the lines of the lonely, tortured vampire who believes himself unworthy of love. In other words, this story has the age-old, and very addictive, "Beauty and the Beast" theme. Music to my eyes!
Keeran, the vampire of the tale, lives a solitary existence in a seaside Scottish castle, attended by the elderly MacBains. He can get no other servants to work for him, due to their fear of him. Everything changes, however, when he saves Emily, shipwrecked on her way to an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.
Emily turns Keeran's life upside down. She brings light to his hitherto dismal existence. She turns his gloomy castle into a real home, having convinced the villagers to help her do so with their work of refurbishing and cleaning. He has no choice but to fall in love with her!
Toward the end of the story, I was moved to tears by Emily's creative gift to Keeran, which finally convinces him that he is, indeed, worthy of love...
The incomparable Sands has penned a very sweet, poignant tale that I will most likely read again!
The next tale, "Stranger In The Night", by Sara Blayne, is another beautiful, memorable tale, set in England.
Georgiana Thornberry is a 19th-century nerd. She has neither time nor patience for shallow social pursuits, and no interest in glamour. Her one passion is finding and collecting ancient artifacts. In fact, she is participating in the excavation of a Celtic fort in Surrey when her Uncle Godfrey unexpectedly summons her to Alverstone Manor, a ruined mansion in Charnwood Forest.
It is there that Georgiana comes across a cave, in which she finds an ancient amulet, forged by one Estelle Touissant. In the manor's ruins, she also encounters a most unusual, wildly attractive (of course!) gentleman, Julius Lathrop, whom she discovers to be a vampire. He, too, has been cursed,and the amulet found by Georgiana is vital to the lifting of the curse.
The writing style, dialogues, and characterizations all brought Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters to mind, making me love this story even more. And no wonder, since Blayne is known for her Regency romances!
The fourth and last story, "The Awakening", by Kate Huntington, was an utter disappointment, although it's as well written as the previous three. It has more of a Gothic feel to it than they do, as well. In fact, it comes closer to the horror genre than is comfortable for me to tolerate. It also raises some rather deep philosophical questions, dealing with the meaning of life and death, as well as the creative spirit. Such themes interest me greatly, and I would have loved the story because of them, had it not been for several glaringly immoral elements contained therein.
The tale is about two women artists -- one a sculptor, and the other a painter, living in England, in the year 1814. The sculptor, Cordelia Layton, has been living with her lover, Adrian Lucerne, who is suspected of being a vampire, for many years, scandalizing the society of the time. Their residence is near the wild moors of Lancashire. This is the first objectionable element-- I do not like the idea of people living together for years without benefit of marriage. I know that this view is an unpopular one, but I don't care. I feel very strongly about this.
Thalia, Cordelia's niece, has come to visit, alarmed by her aunt's failing health. She eventually discovers that this is due to Lucerne, who has regularly drunk from Cordelia during their years together. There are more objectionable elements coming up here -- Lucerne has had a string of lovers throughout the centuries, and he has always drunk from them. They have all died in the end, Lucerne having to quietly bury each one himself. Although he does feel some remorse for these deaths, it is apparently not enough for him to attempt to stop this pattern of attaching himself to human women, feeding on them until they are eventually too weak to go on living. In Cordelia's case, he has also fed on her creative fires. Huntington's vampires cannot create. So they enjoy the creative act vicariously, through the artist they slowly consume.... (Shivers!)
Another objectionable element in this story is the way Cordelia is buried after her inevitable death. It's a pretty grisly scene. I don't know how I could possibly have made myself read it...
Then, incredibly, Thalia's growing feelings for Adrian explode; she and Adrian become lovers, right after her aunt's burial! This was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. Immorality upon immorality! Little regard for human life and love!
I can only say that I absolutely loathe this tale! I heartily wish it had not been included in this otherwise wonderfully romantic volume, since I couldn't give the book the five stars it deserved because of it.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog, A NIGHT’S DREAM OF BOOKS.
http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com
Ever since she pronounced this curse, all of the firstborn MacCordy men have turned into vampires when they reach adulthood. Ironically, all of the Galt women have been cursed as well, for all their love affairs are doomed to end, with no marriage in sight.
Sophie makes it her mission to save the current MacCordy heir, Alpin. How she eventually manages to accomplish this, falling in love with him, and he with her, makes for some truly enjoyable reading. I only wish this had been an entire novel, instead of a story. That's how "verra" much I loved it! Sparkling with wit and humor, this is a story I will not soon forget!
The second story, "Bitten", by Lynsay Sands, is another great read. It's not typical of her usually very funny writing, as exemplified by her Argenau novels. This story is a more dramatic one, along the lines of the lonely, tortured vampire who believes himself unworthy of love. In other words, this story has the age-old, and very addictive, "Beauty and the Beast" theme. Music to my eyes!
Keeran, the vampire of the tale, lives a solitary existence in a seaside Scottish castle, attended by the elderly MacBains. He can get no other servants to work for him, due to their fear of him. Everything changes, however, when he saves Emily, shipwrecked on her way to an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.
Emily turns Keeran's life upside down. She brings light to his hitherto dismal existence. She turns his gloomy castle into a real home, having convinced the villagers to help her do so with their work of refurbishing and cleaning. He has no choice but to fall in love with her!
Toward the end of the story, I was moved to tears by Emily's creative gift to Keeran, which finally convinces him that he is, indeed, worthy of love...
The incomparable Sands has penned a very sweet, poignant tale that I will most likely read again!
The next tale, "Stranger In The Night", by Sara Blayne, is another beautiful, memorable tale, set in England.
Georgiana Thornberry is a 19th-century nerd. She has neither time nor patience for shallow social pursuits, and no interest in glamour. Her one passion is finding and collecting ancient artifacts. In fact, she is participating in the excavation of a Celtic fort in Surrey when her Uncle Godfrey unexpectedly summons her to Alverstone Manor, a ruined mansion in Charnwood Forest.
It is there that Georgiana comes across a cave, in which she finds an ancient amulet, forged by one Estelle Touissant. In the manor's ruins, she also encounters a most unusual, wildly attractive (of course!) gentleman, Julius Lathrop, whom she discovers to be a vampire. He, too, has been cursed,and the amulet found by Georgiana is vital to the lifting of the curse.
The writing style, dialogues, and characterizations all brought Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters to mind, making me love this story even more. And no wonder, since Blayne is known for her Regency romances!
The fourth and last story, "The Awakening", by Kate Huntington, was an utter disappointment, although it's as well written as the previous three. It has more of a Gothic feel to it than they do, as well. In fact, it comes closer to the horror genre than is comfortable for me to tolerate. It also raises some rather deep philosophical questions, dealing with the meaning of life and death, as well as the creative spirit. Such themes interest me greatly, and I would have loved the story because of them, had it not been for several glaringly immoral elements contained therein.
The tale is about two women artists -- one a sculptor, and the other a painter, living in England, in the year 1814. The sculptor, Cordelia Layton, has been living with her lover, Adrian Lucerne, who is suspected of being a vampire, for many years, scandalizing the society of the time. Their residence is near the wild moors of Lancashire. This is the first objectionable element-- I do not like the idea of people living together for years without benefit of marriage. I know that this view is an unpopular one, but I don't care. I feel very strongly about this.
Thalia, Cordelia's niece, has come to visit, alarmed by her aunt's failing health. She eventually discovers that this is due to Lucerne, who has regularly drunk from Cordelia during their years together. There are more objectionable elements coming up here -- Lucerne has had a string of lovers throughout the centuries, and he has always drunk from them. They have all died in the end, Lucerne having to quietly bury each one himself. Although he does feel some remorse for these deaths, it is apparently not enough for him to attempt to stop this pattern of attaching himself to human women, feeding on them until they are eventually too weak to go on living. In Cordelia's case, he has also fed on her creative fires. Huntington's vampires cannot create. So they enjoy the creative act vicariously, through the artist they slowly consume.... (Shivers!)
Another objectionable element in this story is the way Cordelia is buried after her inevitable death. It's a pretty grisly scene. I don't know how I could possibly have made myself read it...
Then, incredibly, Thalia's growing feelings for Adrian explode; she and Adrian become lovers, right after her aunt's burial! This was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. Immorality upon immorality! Little regard for human life and love!
I can only say that I absolutely loathe this tale! I heartily wish it had not been included in this otherwise wonderfully romantic volume, since I couldn't give the book the five stars it deserved because of it.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog, A NIGHT’S DREAM OF BOOKS.
http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com
March 7, 2022
The Yearning by Hannah Howell - 4 Stars
This was probably my favorite story of the anthology. I particularly liked Sophie's indomitable spirit. She was not going to be intimidated and she was going to help Alpin break the curse no matter what. This was a good take on the cursed man. Even though the answer to how to break the curse was as always painfully clear, I enjoyed the journey to get there.
Bitten by Lynsay Sands - 3.5 Stars
I felt for Keeran in that he was turned when all he wanted in that moment was to die. I also felt for Emily assuming she was going to die on board the ship lost to the storm. I enjoyed Emily's hustling around taking care of a man who really just wanted to be forgotten as he didn't feel he deserved anything more. They were sweet together, but somehow this story was a little more forgettable than I expected. I struggled to remember details to write my review since it's been a week or so since I finished the novel.
Stranger in the Night by Sara Blayne - 3 Stars
This was kind of silly in a historical novel, but I didn't mind the two as a couple. Georgiana was certainly determined to be her own person and study the past whether people thought she should or not. I liked that she was just going to figure out the story of her ancestral home in any way she had to. Julius' story was a good one as well. I figured out who he was and what it would all mean pretty easily. I think my little niggle with this story was the fact that Georgiana's uncle supposedly kind of set her up with everything and that just didn't mesh with the time period for me.
The Awakening by Kate Huntington - 2.5 Stars
This was my least favorite of the bunch. In large part because of what for me amounts to almost cheating. Or at least a sketchy/questionable intentions on the way to what we're supposed to assume is love. I felt for Aunt Cordelia in this story. She was the loyal soul, if a little jealous and even Thalia and Adrian are essentially the "perfect" match, I hated the circumstances of it all.
This was probably my favorite story of the anthology. I particularly liked Sophie's indomitable spirit. She was not going to be intimidated and she was going to help Alpin break the curse no matter what. This was a good take on the cursed man. Even though the answer to how to break the curse was as always painfully clear, I enjoyed the journey to get there.
Bitten by Lynsay Sands - 3.5 Stars
I felt for Keeran in that he was turned when all he wanted in that moment was to die. I also felt for Emily assuming she was going to die on board the ship lost to the storm. I enjoyed Emily's hustling around taking care of a man who really just wanted to be forgotten as he didn't feel he deserved anything more. They were sweet together, but somehow this story was a little more forgettable than I expected. I struggled to remember details to write my review since it's been a week or so since I finished the novel.
Stranger in the Night by Sara Blayne - 3 Stars
This was kind of silly in a historical novel, but I didn't mind the two as a couple. Georgiana was certainly determined to be her own person and study the past whether people thought she should or not. I liked that she was just going to figure out the story of her ancestral home in any way she had to. Julius' story was a good one as well. I figured out who he was and what it would all mean pretty easily. I think my little niggle with this story was the fact that Georgiana's uncle supposedly kind of set her up with everything and that just didn't mesh with the time period for me.
The Awakening by Kate Huntington - 2.5 Stars
This was my least favorite of the bunch. In large part because of what for me amounts to almost cheating. Or at least a sketchy/questionable intentions on the way to what we're supposed to assume is love. I felt for Aunt Cordelia in this story. She was the loyal soul, if a little jealous and even Thalia and Adrian are essentially the "perfect" match, I hated the circumstances of it all.
August 29, 2025
...Would it be far too blunt for me to say that I can see why I saw this on sale for the low, low, low price of just barely half of $1 and on the lowest shelf alongside piles of "good deals" bundles, like the secondhand store was almost desperate to get rid of it?
Well, whoops—I just did.
It honestly feels unfair to make the comparison, but this collection feels exactly like those cheap newspaper stand pocketbooks you'd usually see being read by bored housekeepers looking to pass the time. You know the kind of stories they contain: turn-your-brain-off, self-indulgent, easy content whose appeal is as cheap as the price tag they usually come with. I say "unfair" because, well, my experience with this book shouldn't have to taint my prejudgement towards the authors' individual works; it's possible they had to compromise around the limitations that usually come with anthologies as opposed to their own respective standalone books. (In fact, I'm quite familiar with Lynsay Sands's writing and can say she definitely knows her way within the romcom genre, hitting just the right spots.)
It's also unfair because I know that usually with these kinds of books, easy self-indulgent love stories is kind of the point, and the reader isn't expected to launch into several deep-dives and book club-level discussions dissecting each and every sentence, paragraph, or page; these kinds of stories merely serve to have the reader sit back and enjoy—basically the book equivalent of a popcorn flick. It's unfair to diminish these authors' works into what is essentially "lowbrow" content, but that's just exactly what this collection feels like.
All the entries were frankly forgettable to me save for very few parts within them that stick out (more bad than good). Not sure if this was intentional or simply coincidence, but all four entries' respective story beats follow the same path: unwitting and free-spirited female human protagonist comes across mysterious and brooding male vampire love interest, they start off annoyed before eventually becoming drawn to each other and soon explore their own attraction for the other. Soon, the vampire thinks he's too much a monster to deserve the human girl so he sends her away, but then either the human girl defiantly tries her damnedest to reveal their true feelings for each other, or the vampire realizes the error of his judgement and comes to terms with his love for the girl, and they reunite.
The romance is quite shallow and rushed, with hardly any development. Take the entry "Bitten", where literally the second time they run into each other to talk (literally the next day after officially meeting) that's when they get to know and develop feelings for each other, and have their big making out. Oh, the narration does tell us that days or even weeks have passed with her staying in his castle, but that means nothing when they start falling in love after one day. (Which is why when later in the story Emily insists she "doesn't let every man she meets make love to her" I just raise an eyebrow at that and think, "Uh, you sure about that?")
There's also the egregious "development" of the romance in the entry "The Awakening", that uses a sort of trope I've come to despise: one of the love interests is already in a relationship prior to the two meeting, yet the former two are clearly the endgame. More often than not, the prior relationship tends to be unceremoniously killed off, with their death serving more towards bringing the actual endgame couple together, and—this pisses me off specifically—they start dating so soon after the former love interest's death. It's such a cheap stepping stool to propel the relationship in the story, right up there with the beloathed "retcon the previous partner's shortcomings and reframe it as them being toxic and terrible all along to justify the current relationship" trope. (House of Night, fuck you for this.)
Well, "The Awakening" takes this to extremes, with the previous relationship being the vampire Adrian and the protagonist Thalia's dying aunt. And—ooh, this gets better!—immediately after burying the aunt upon her death (same night!), Thalia and Adrian immediately begin to explore their feelings for each other, and on that same vein make love to each other! I'd joke "Right in front of your aunt's salad?", but really it's more "You would desecrate your aunt's grave like that?!" I know having generations of love interests is common with immortals like vampires but that's just... low . Frankly, for how much the writing framed Aunt Cordelia's jealousy that Thalia was planning on stealing Adrian's affections from her as unreasonable, I can't help but feel it was more than justified.
Aside from rushed, the romance also suffered from weak and often lopsided "resolutions" to conflicts that are poorly explored. The first entry, "The Yearning" does get into the heart of the problem, but it falls short when you see that the central conflict, which was caused by trickery, was resolved by...trickery?? So the solution to a problem caused by a previous partner's dishonesty is solved by a partner's dishonesty. (The writing may frame the semantics of lying versus omitting, but not being completely truthful is still a form of dishonesty.)
The entry "Stranger in the Night" was...I can't even begin to explain what happened there? In all honesty, the "vampire" there felt more like a mere person cursed with living eternity within the shadows, with the blood diet hardly alluded to, their abilities barely given acknowledgement, and their overall affliction easily "cured" by finding love. (Come to think of it, the former entry mentioned was quite similar....)
Do I hate it? No, not really. There were a couple of parts I liked, such as the prologue to "Bitten", both that I got to read about an unwilling vampire transformation (I'm weak for those, haha) and got to see a different take from Lynsay Sands's usual depiction of vampires a la her Argeneau Vampires series. I also quite enjoyed the more feisty and strong-willed Thalia and how, unlike the other entries' respective protagonists, she doesn't easily fall for Adrian's charms (until her aunt dies, and that gets thrown off the window....).
I guess this is just...serviceable for what it wants to accomplish, but don't expect anything deep and profound otherwise.
Well, whoops—I just did.
It honestly feels unfair to make the comparison, but this collection feels exactly like those cheap newspaper stand pocketbooks you'd usually see being read by bored housekeepers looking to pass the time. You know the kind of stories they contain: turn-your-brain-off, self-indulgent, easy content whose appeal is as cheap as the price tag they usually come with. I say "unfair" because, well, my experience with this book shouldn't have to taint my prejudgement towards the authors' individual works; it's possible they had to compromise around the limitations that usually come with anthologies as opposed to their own respective standalone books. (In fact, I'm quite familiar with Lynsay Sands's writing and can say she definitely knows her way within the romcom genre, hitting just the right spots.)
It's also unfair because I know that usually with these kinds of books, easy self-indulgent love stories is kind of the point, and the reader isn't expected to launch into several deep-dives and book club-level discussions dissecting each and every sentence, paragraph, or page; these kinds of stories merely serve to have the reader sit back and enjoy—basically the book equivalent of a popcorn flick. It's unfair to diminish these authors' works into what is essentially "lowbrow" content, but that's just exactly what this collection feels like.
All the entries were frankly forgettable to me save for very few parts within them that stick out (more bad than good). Not sure if this was intentional or simply coincidence, but all four entries' respective story beats follow the same path: unwitting and free-spirited female human protagonist comes across mysterious and brooding male vampire love interest, they start off annoyed before eventually becoming drawn to each other and soon explore their own attraction for the other. Soon, the vampire thinks he's too much a monster to deserve the human girl so he sends her away, but then either the human girl defiantly tries her damnedest to reveal their true feelings for each other, or the vampire realizes the error of his judgement and comes to terms with his love for the girl, and they reunite.
The romance is quite shallow and rushed, with hardly any development. Take the entry "Bitten", where literally the second time they run into each other to talk (literally the next day after officially meeting) that's when they get to know and develop feelings for each other, and have their big making out. Oh, the narration does tell us that days or even weeks have passed with her staying in his castle, but that means nothing when they start falling in love after one day. (Which is why when later in the story Emily insists she "doesn't let every man she meets make love to her" I just raise an eyebrow at that and think, "Uh, you sure about that?")
There's also the egregious "development" of the romance in the entry "The Awakening", that uses a sort of trope I've come to despise: one of the love interests is already in a relationship prior to the two meeting, yet the former two are clearly the endgame. More often than not, the prior relationship tends to be unceremoniously killed off, with their death serving more towards bringing the actual endgame couple together, and—this pisses me off specifically—they start dating so soon after the former love interest's death. It's such a cheap stepping stool to propel the relationship in the story, right up there with the beloathed "retcon the previous partner's shortcomings and reframe it as them being toxic and terrible all along to justify the current relationship" trope. (House of Night, fuck you for this.)
Well, "The Awakening" takes this to extremes, with the previous relationship being the vampire Adrian and the protagonist Thalia's dying aunt. And—ooh, this gets better!—immediately after burying the aunt upon her death (same night!), Thalia and Adrian immediately begin to explore their feelings for each other, and on that same vein make love to each other! I'd joke "Right in front of your aunt's salad?", but really it's more "You would desecrate your aunt's grave like that?!" I know having generations of love interests is common with immortals like vampires but that's just... low . Frankly, for how much the writing framed Aunt Cordelia's jealousy that Thalia was planning on stealing Adrian's affections from her as unreasonable, I can't help but feel it was more than justified.
Aside from rushed, the romance also suffered from weak and often lopsided "resolutions" to conflicts that are poorly explored. The first entry, "The Yearning" does get into the heart of the problem, but it falls short when you see that the central conflict, which was caused by trickery, was resolved by...trickery?? So the solution to a problem caused by a previous partner's dishonesty is solved by a partner's dishonesty. (The writing may frame the semantics of lying versus omitting, but not being completely truthful is still a form of dishonesty.)
The entry "Stranger in the Night" was...I can't even begin to explain what happened there? In all honesty, the "vampire" there felt more like a mere person cursed with living eternity within the shadows, with the blood diet hardly alluded to, their abilities barely given acknowledgement, and their overall affliction easily "cured" by finding love. (Come to think of it, the former entry mentioned was quite similar....)
Do I hate it? No, not really. There were a couple of parts I liked, such as the prologue to "Bitten", both that I got to read about an unwilling vampire transformation (I'm weak for those, haha) and got to see a different take from Lynsay Sands's usual depiction of vampires a la her Argeneau Vampires series. I also quite enjoyed the more feisty and strong-willed Thalia and how, unlike the other entries' respective protagonists, she doesn't easily fall for Adrian's charms (until her aunt dies, and that gets thrown off the window....).
I guess this is just...serviceable for what it wants to accomplish, but don't expect anything deep and profound otherwise.
July 17, 2008
The first two stories were quite enjoyable but the last two were not as great.
Hannah Howell and Lynsay Sands had great vampires and sweet heroines in their romance. It was light reading material but IMO it was not as great as their other anthology - Eternal Highlander.
The third story was a bit difficult to follow as the events were quite unclear - seemingly to occur all at once ? It was quite confusing which is a pity because the root of the story and its ending was quite lovely.
The last completely diminished my opinion of the anthology. It featured a vampire who had been involved with the heroine's aunt. It was quite off-putting to read about a romance where the heroine becomes involved with her dying aunt's lover while the aunt is still alive. Moreover, the chemistry between the hero and heroine did not seem special or "meant to be". It was unfortunate that this story had to be featured at the end as it left a bad taste which overshadowed whatever enjoyment I had of the other stories.
Hannah Howell and Lynsay Sands had great vampires and sweet heroines in their romance. It was light reading material but IMO it was not as great as their other anthology - Eternal Highlander.
The third story was a bit difficult to follow as the events were quite unclear - seemingly to occur all at once ? It was quite confusing which is a pity because the root of the story and its ending was quite lovely.
The last completely diminished my opinion of the anthology. It featured a vampire who had been involved with the heroine's aunt. It was quite off-putting to read about a romance where the heroine becomes involved with her dying aunt's lover while the aunt is still alive. Moreover, the chemistry between the hero and heroine did not seem special or "meant to be". It was unfortunate that this story had to be featured at the end as it left a bad taste which overshadowed whatever enjoyment I had of the other stories.
August 22, 2017
Cute and funny is my favorite, Howell's "The Yearning". Sir Alpin, already engaged and drinking half-blood, trips over Sophies protective stones. Romance between servants Eric and Nella. Their dialect is distracting and silly "M'laird, didye ken .." "havenae they? .. aye, the beastie comes out .. 'Tis time".
September 19, 2017
Just finished this one, have been reading the stories over the last few days, and have to say the I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology, every single story! Would give it 4.5 stars if I could, holding the last half star only because the last two stories were not quite as good as the first two. Like some of the other reviewers I have favorites, the first two were definitely well written. The last two were also very good...the Sara Blayne story took a bit more concentration as it is written with a heavier Georgian use of language....just made it all the more authentic for me, but some may not enjoy it as much. The last story has been criticized because of the hero's penchant for using the women he falls for....he's a vampire ladies....I think it was amazing that he at least felt remorse for what he did over the years! And yes, Thalia was Cordelia's niece, but she had not lived constantly with her aunt...Cordelia was more like a benefactress as Thalia grew older....overall I think this was a great anthology, would read again and definitely a keeper!
August 3, 2022
I had already read Howell's and Sands' stories in another anthology so I skipped those in this book... Blayne's story was so wordy that I had to skip through most of the book to even figure out what was happening. Otherwise, it was a sweet love story. Huntington's portion was much better, BUT, I had a couple of issues with the story...
How can Adrian immediately turn to Thalia after burying Cordelia if he was "in love with her"? How can Thalia claim to suddenly love him when she was so annoyed by him? Although I really liked both characters, the connection between them was very weak. The ending wasn't what I wanted either, with Thalia and Adrian ending up in Venice. He was treating her to the EXACT same thing he had done with Cordelia, which made Thalia feel like just another woman instead of the love of his life. Just my thoughts...
How can Adrian immediately turn to Thalia after burying Cordelia if he was "in love with her"? How can Thalia claim to suddenly love him when she was so annoyed by him? Although I really liked both characters, the connection between them was very weak. The ending wasn't what I wanted either, with Thalia and Adrian ending up in Venice. He was treating her to the EXACT same thing he had done with Cordelia, which made Thalia feel like just another woman instead of the love of his life. Just my thoughts...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2017
Bitten by Lynsay Sands and The Awakening by Kate Huntington were the only two enjoyable parts of this book. I picked it up because I'm a fan of Sands but it was all I could do not to jump ahead to her story and leave the rest.
The stories by Howell and Blayne were bland at best with no plots and terrible writing.
The stories by Howell and Blayne were bland at best with no plots and terrible writing.
April 23, 2020
So very different
Enjoyed these authors and each if their styles. The last author in this book to write, Kate Huntington really had my interest so much I could not put it down. Would like more from her.
Enjoyed these authors and each if their styles. The last author in this book to write, Kate Huntington really had my interest so much I could not put it down. Would like more from her.
March 16, 2018
This was a fun entertaining story, I enjoyed it.
August 30, 2018
Would score The Yearning 4 Stars and the other two as 2 Stars each.
May 25, 2021
Amazing!
As usual Hannah and Lynsay didn't let me down and the 2 new authors included in the book that I've never read before, didn't either!
As usual Hannah and Lynsay didn't let me down and the 2 new authors included in the book that I've never read before, didn't either!
August 31, 2021
I enjoyed 3 of the 4 short stories. The 3rd story was difficult to finish and in the end was okay but getting there was a tough journey. The other 3 stories are definitely worth reading.
Read
June 26, 20224 Stories, 4 different authors. All connected by the legends of Vampires. They were all a lot of fun,
May 10, 2023
Over the top
Short stories but good one's takes you to a magical place for you to enjoy yourself for a spell read our your self they,
Short stories but good one's takes you to a magical place for you to enjoy yourself for a spell read our your self they,
November 15, 2024
An entertaining collection
This is an interesting quartet of stories. I appreciate this take on romance for creatures of the dark in the PNR genre, happy ever after guaranteed!
This is an interesting quartet of stories. I appreciate this take on romance for creatures of the dark in the PNR genre, happy ever after guaranteed!
December 2, 2018
This book is so funny¡ xd
September 30, 2013
The Yearning
This book begins with a witch cursing the young men of Clan MacCordy because her lover chose to marry another for lands and wealth rather than marry her for love. This curse ends up not only affecting the MacCordy's but also the witches female ancestors by having them cursed to experience love but never get to keep it. The MacCordy's end up creatures of the night, very close to vampires in that they cannot handle sunlight and crave blood but they are described at times with an appearance closer to wolves. The story is very predictable and when the curse is stated at the beginning it was easy to see how it must be broken. None the less, 450 years after the curse began, Sophie, a descendant of the witch goes to the MacCordy's and falls in love with the laird. He must make that same choice between lands/wealth and love and his decision determines the fate of the curse. Overall since this story was so predictable I didn't enjoy it as much. It was a short story which might be why the characters didn't feel well developed and not much in terms of "action" happened. I would give this first story 2 stars because it was entertaining but not a great story.
Bitten
This short story was more entertaining than the first one for me. Although this one was also predictable I still felt like the characters cared for each other by the end. This one also featured vampires and the storyline is simple- Keeran gets turned into a vampire after an attempt to capture/kill the vampire who killed his mother and sister. He has tried to fight his vampire nature for 200 years and feels damned because of who he has become. He saves Emily from a shipwreck and she easily worms her way into his heart. He doesn't want to like her but realizes that he cannot fight his growing attraction. I felt that the last monologue between Keeran and Emily where she is attempting to talk him into changing her was a bit forced and many of her points as to why Keeran wasn't a bad person were so obvious I would think that someone who has been living for 200 years would have figured out. Overall it was a quick read and entertaining, I would give this one 3 stars.
Stranger in the Night
This was my least favorite novella of the bunch so far. I felt that the curse history and Julius' character were both never fully explained. Was he a vampire like the rest of the novellas? It never exactly stated that and the only reference to it was that he felt tempted to bite her neck at the end. The origin of his curse and breaking of his curse are both not adequately explained and Julius' relationship with Georgiana was never developed. Overall I would give that book only 1 star.
The Awakening
This last novella was poorly written and the characters weren't developed. Thalia's character was so self serving at the start of the story and rude to her aunts housekeeper right when meeting the woman. She doesn't like her aunts lover and hates him even more when she realizes it is Adrian, the man who saved her at the beginning of the story. Yet she easily falls in love with him-going from hating him to love in what felt like a second. The author kept saying "the invalid" when talking about her sick aunt which just felt weird to read. Since she went there for the purpose of nursing her aunt to health, it was strange to hear her aunt talked of in that term. Then having Thalia fall in love with her aunts lover was even more strange for the story. I was kind of grossed out by that since Thalia even says that when she was young and got letters from him she thought of him as her kind grandfather figure. Yet they easily become lovers right after her aunt dies and from there on out the story had a "yuck" feel for me. Overall this story left much to be desired and if would only rate it half a star.
This book begins with a witch cursing the young men of Clan MacCordy because her lover chose to marry another for lands and wealth rather than marry her for love. This curse ends up not only affecting the MacCordy's but also the witches female ancestors by having them cursed to experience love but never get to keep it. The MacCordy's end up creatures of the night, very close to vampires in that they cannot handle sunlight and crave blood but they are described at times with an appearance closer to wolves. The story is very predictable and when the curse is stated at the beginning it was easy to see how it must be broken. None the less, 450 years after the curse began, Sophie, a descendant of the witch goes to the MacCordy's and falls in love with the laird. He must make that same choice between lands/wealth and love and his decision determines the fate of the curse. Overall since this story was so predictable I didn't enjoy it as much. It was a short story which might be why the characters didn't feel well developed and not much in terms of "action" happened. I would give this first story 2 stars because it was entertaining but not a great story.
Bitten
This short story was more entertaining than the first one for me. Although this one was also predictable I still felt like the characters cared for each other by the end. This one also featured vampires and the storyline is simple- Keeran gets turned into a vampire after an attempt to capture/kill the vampire who killed his mother and sister. He has tried to fight his vampire nature for 200 years and feels damned because of who he has become. He saves Emily from a shipwreck and she easily worms her way into his heart. He doesn't want to like her but realizes that he cannot fight his growing attraction. I felt that the last monologue between Keeran and Emily where she is attempting to talk him into changing her was a bit forced and many of her points as to why Keeran wasn't a bad person were so obvious I would think that someone who has been living for 200 years would have figured out. Overall it was a quick read and entertaining, I would give this one 3 stars.
Stranger in the Night
This was my least favorite novella of the bunch so far. I felt that the curse history and Julius' character were both never fully explained. Was he a vampire like the rest of the novellas? It never exactly stated that and the only reference to it was that he felt tempted to bite her neck at the end. The origin of his curse and breaking of his curse are both not adequately explained and Julius' relationship with Georgiana was never developed. Overall I would give that book only 1 star.
The Awakening
This last novella was poorly written and the characters weren't developed. Thalia's character was so self serving at the start of the story and rude to her aunts housekeeper right when meeting the woman. She doesn't like her aunts lover and hates him even more when she realizes it is Adrian, the man who saved her at the beginning of the story. Yet she easily falls in love with him-going from hating him to love in what felt like a second. The author kept saying "the invalid" when talking about her sick aunt which just felt weird to read. Since she went there for the purpose of nursing her aunt to health, it was strange to hear her aunt talked of in that term. Then having Thalia fall in love with her aunts lover was even more strange for the story. I was kind of grossed out by that since Thalia even says that when she was young and got letters from him she thought of him as her kind grandfather figure. Yet they easily become lovers right after her aunt dies and from there on out the story had a "yuck" feel for me. Overall this story left much to be desired and if would only rate it half a star.
January 10, 2018
I don't read vampire romance regularly but Hannah Howell and Lynsay Sands caught my attention with an anthology. I have read all the MacNaughton stories and love them.
Hannah Howell's The Yearning: Alpin MacCordy is not related to the MacNaughton's but his was an especially enjoyable story and my favorite of the bunch. He is immortal due to a curse and curses can be broken. Lady Sophie rescues him with love. 4 stars
Lynsay Sand's Bitten: The heroine, Emily, is saved by the hero, Keeran, from a shipwreck. She was lashed to a mast to keep her from being tossed overboard but was now in danger of dying from exposure. Keeran has serious self-esteem issues and Emily decides to convince him otherwise. A little bit dysfunctional but still a nice story. 3 stars
Sara Blayne's Stranger in the Night: I struggled to figure out whether this was historical or contemporary for a long time. I also found the backstory confusing so I should have slowed down my reading to keep everyone straight. Even with those two issues keeping me on my toes, I found I liked the story. There was enough detail for it to feel lengthy. There is a curse behind this story also. 3 stars
Kate Huntington's The Awakening: This was my least favorite. The heroine was a bit of a shrew finding fault and criticizing before getting all the facts. She starts out disliking the hero, who has been her aunt's lover for 30 years, then in love with him. Her behavior definitely came across as if she were under his spell rather than being rational. That's not romance to me. 2 stars
That averages to three stars but I liked it a little bit better than that so 3.5 stars overall.
Hannah Howell's The Yearning: Alpin MacCordy is not related to the MacNaughton's but his was an especially enjoyable story and my favorite of the bunch. He is immortal due to a curse and curses can be broken. Lady Sophie rescues him with love. 4 stars
Lynsay Sand's Bitten: The heroine, Emily, is saved by the hero, Keeran, from a shipwreck. She was lashed to a mast to keep her from being tossed overboard but was now in danger of dying from exposure. Keeran has serious self-esteem issues and Emily decides to convince him otherwise. A little bit dysfunctional but still a nice story. 3 stars
Sara Blayne's Stranger in the Night: I struggled to figure out whether this was historical or contemporary for a long time. I also found the backstory confusing so I should have slowed down my reading to keep everyone straight. Even with those two issues keeping me on my toes, I found I liked the story. There was enough detail for it to feel lengthy. There is a curse behind this story also. 3 stars
Kate Huntington's The Awakening: This was my least favorite. The heroine was a bit of a shrew finding fault and criticizing before getting all the facts. She starts out disliking the hero, who has been her aunt's lover for 30 years, then in love with him. Her behavior definitely came across as if she were under his spell rather than being rational. That's not romance to me. 2 stars
That averages to three stars but I liked it a little bit better than that so 3.5 stars overall.
December 19, 2011
Anthology with four stories, all surrounding the vampire legends.
The first two was great, even tear jerking, but the second two was just OK.
Hanna Howell´s The Yearning, an old curse is haunting two families. Lady Sophie Hay tries to save both her self and Alpin. Great story.
Lynsay Sands´ Bitten, Emily gets saved from a shipwreck by a tormented man in need of hope and saving. Great story.
Sara Blayne´s Stranger in the night, Georgiana meets a stranger in her old family home. Not really keeping my interest, don´t know if it was the leading lady or the man who put me off.
Kate Huntington´s the Awakening, Thalia´s going to help her old aunt at her sickbed and falls for the aunts lover. I think it was the sharing of lovers that put me off =/ some things should not stay in the family.
The first two was great, even tear jerking, but the second two was just OK.
Hanna Howell´s The Yearning, an old curse is haunting two families. Lady Sophie Hay tries to save both her self and Alpin. Great story.
Lynsay Sands´ Bitten, Emily gets saved from a shipwreck by a tormented man in need of hope and saving. Great story.
Sara Blayne´s Stranger in the night, Georgiana meets a stranger in her old family home. Not really keeping my interest, don´t know if it was the leading lady or the man who put me off.
Kate Huntington´s the Awakening, Thalia´s going to help her old aunt at her sickbed and falls for the aunts lover. I think it was the sharing of lovers that put me off =/ some things should not stay in the family.
May 8, 2012
Most of these anthologies with Hannah Howell's Vampires are really good. This one was just kind of boring and it took almost a day to read the 100 page story.
Partial review & I will add more later!
Hannah Howell - The Yearning
This was a story of a curse made 400 years prior and Sophie a decendant of the curser who wanted to make it right. She set off to the family of the cursed & decided to try everything to break it. It was hinting at a vampire, but it was different. Not a true vampire??? It was a sweet nice storal with a moral ending type, but I was bored.
rest to follow tomorrow...
Partial review & I will add more later!
Hannah Howell - The Yearning
This was a story of a curse made 400 years prior and Sophie a decendant of the curser who wanted to make it right. She set off to the family of the cursed & decided to try everything to break it. It was hinting at a vampire, but it was different. Not a true vampire??? It was a sweet nice storal with a moral ending type, but I was bored.
rest to follow tomorrow...
August 2, 2009
His Immoral Embrace includes 4 short stories of paranormal romance by 4 very different authors. As I have liked other books/stories written by Howell and Sands (who were two of the authors), I thought to give this one a try. And I was dissapointed. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the stories by Sands and Howell, I did not like the other two authors style and/or stories. Due to the above, I can only give this book 2 stars. If asked, I would not recommend this book to others, and would advise readers to skip this book, and focus on each author's other books instead.
February 8, 2017
Two stars for the Howell and Sands stories; otherwise, it would be zero stars. I couldn't even finish the other two...life is too short.
December 7, 2012
The short stories from Hannah Howell and Lynsay Sands were pretty good.
The other two were pretty ordinary, especially the last one from Kate Huntington...the H/H made love straight after they buried the heroine's aunt who was the hero's lover for the past 30+ years? Talk about a fast rebound!!
The other two were pretty ordinary, especially the last one from Kate Huntington...the H/H made love straight after they buried the heroine's aunt who was the hero's lover for the past 30+ years? Talk about a fast rebound!!
January 1, 2016
Not my favourite set of stories. Some interesting concepts of vampires, but nothing that stood out. Two of the stories ended in the "Vampire" being returned to human, and in the other two the heroine turned vampire. I think the stories were dragged out, if some of them had ended twenty pages sooner, they would have worked better.
July 9, 2011
I only read the Lynsay Sands short story in this book and it was just okay. A little boring. I did like the historical aspect of it since the books I read of her are all set in modern times. This is a good start to my reading her Highlander series.
March 22, 2008
Received as ring... entertaining, sans plus.
May 29, 2009
So I was three stories in when I convinced my self that I had read this before... Still a good read for the genre.
October 26, 2010
I liked the first two stories (Howell's and Sands') but the last two I couldn't quite get into, so I ended up putting it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews