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Warriors Of Poseidon #1.5
Wild Thing
New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Marjorie Liu join two hot talents in an anthology of all-new sexy paranormal romance.
New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Marjorie M. Liu, and sizzling newcomers Alyssa Day and Meljean Brook discover the wild instinct in everyone with four all-new stories of feral heat. Fans will get swept away by the passions in the unfathomable depths of Atlantis; they'll follow the shadows that stalk both the living and the undead in a world of vampires and guardian angels; they'll enter the forbidden world of the demon horde and their willing victims; and they'll be privy to the secrets of a beautiful animal-whisperer who's drawn closer to the most suspect of all male animals-man.
New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Marjorie M. Liu, and sizzling newcomers Alyssa Day and Meljean Brook discover the wild instinct in everyone with four all-new stories of feral heat. Fans will get swept away by the passions in the unfathomable depths of Atlantis; they'll follow the shadows that stalk both the living and the undead in a world of vampires and guardian angels; they'll enter the forbidden world of the demon horde and their willing victims; and they'll be privy to the secrets of a beautiful animal-whisperer who's drawn closer to the most suspect of all male animals-man.
394 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2007
27 people are currently reading
2015 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Shayne
289 books2,561 followersI live in the teeny, tiny town of Taylor, NY, (Alliteration Alert!) though my mailing address is Cincinnatus, my telephone exchange is Truxton and I pay taxes and vote in Cuyler. All of these are at least in the same rural county in the southern hills of New York State; Cortland County. There are more cattle than people here. The nearest “big” cities are Syracuse and Binghamton and they are an hour away, in different directions, and not really all that big by most standards, though they both seem humongous to me. I look out my window to see rolling, green, thickly forested hills, wildflower laden meadows and wide open blue, blue skies. My road is barely paved. The nearest neighboring place is a 700 acre dairy farm.
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
May 3, 2010
Three of the stories in this book were surprisingly good, with only one being a real disappointment.
Animal Magnetism, by Maggie Shayne, was a great, easy-to-read story about a female veterinarian who has the advantage of being able to talk to her patients, and who gets drawn into a murder-rape investigation when the pet of one of the victims gives her critical information about the attacker. I'd never read anything of Ms Shayne's before, but after reading this one, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of her books. 8/10
Paradise, by Meljean Brooke, was set in her Guardian series, and was enjoyable, although in true Meljean Brooke style, was probably the most plot-heavy and cerebral of the stories. 7/10
Hunter Kiss, by Marjorie Liu was another surprise - I've read the first novel in this series, and it just didn't work for me (although I absolutely LOVE Ms Liu's Dirk & Steele books). However, what didn't work in a novel - character and universe-wise - for me DID seem to work nicely in a short story format, and I found this piece drawing me in. The only problem I had with it is the writing style. Ms Liu has chosen an interesting style: it's first person present with absolutely no contractions at all... but yet the POV character dialogue is standard, informal English, contractions and all. The result feels jerky to my inner ear - it's discomforting, which may be the intended result, but it's not something I enjoy, and it keeps yanking me out of the character's viewpoint and world - which is a shame, because the world in which the story is set is a fascinating one, and I would have liked to get lost in it. 7/10
The final story, Wild Hearts in Atlantis, by Alyssa Day, was the only real let down in book for me. I felt like the author was trying VERY hard to do an alternate "Warriors of Poseidon" ripoff of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but for me at least, it fell completely flat on its face. The characterisation was painfully inconsistent (is the guy a badass who speaks in street slang, or a romantic poet who speaks in stilted pseudo-shakespearean archaism?) and the Roarke Syndrome intensity was off the scale. I think there was some plot in there too, but I couldn't tell you what it was. YMMV, of course, but it was NOT a Starfire story. 4/10
Animal Magnetism, by Maggie Shayne, was a great, easy-to-read story about a female veterinarian who has the advantage of being able to talk to her patients, and who gets drawn into a murder-rape investigation when the pet of one of the victims gives her critical information about the attacker. I'd never read anything of Ms Shayne's before, but after reading this one, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of her books. 8/10
Paradise, by Meljean Brooke, was set in her Guardian series, and was enjoyable, although in true Meljean Brooke style, was probably the most plot-heavy and cerebral of the stories. 7/10
Hunter Kiss, by Marjorie Liu was another surprise - I've read the first novel in this series, and it just didn't work for me (although I absolutely LOVE Ms Liu's Dirk & Steele books). However, what didn't work in a novel - character and universe-wise - for me DID seem to work nicely in a short story format, and I found this piece drawing me in. The only problem I had with it is the writing style. Ms Liu has chosen an interesting style: it's first person present with absolutely no contractions at all... but yet the POV character dialogue is standard, informal English, contractions and all. The result feels jerky to my inner ear - it's discomforting, which may be the intended result, but it's not something I enjoy, and it keeps yanking me out of the character's viewpoint and world - which is a shame, because the world in which the story is set is a fascinating one, and I would have liked to get lost in it. 7/10
The final story, Wild Hearts in Atlantis, by Alyssa Day, was the only real let down in book for me. I felt like the author was trying VERY hard to do an alternate "Warriors of Poseidon" ripoff of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but for me at least, it fell completely flat on its face. The characterisation was painfully inconsistent (is the guy a badass who speaks in street slang, or a romantic poet who speaks in stilted pseudo-shakespearean archaism?) and the Roarke Syndrome intensity was off the scale. I think there was some plot in there too, but I couldn't tell you what it was. YMMV, of course, but it was NOT a Starfire story. 4/10
June 18, 2010
Maggie Shayne's story was cute, but mostly because it had a lot of dogs. I liked the characters, but I just don't like the typical romance formula where they've had two conversations and mind blowing sex and suddenly two people who were adamently opposed to relationships are deeply in love.
Meljean Brook's story was more of a novella. It felt very complete and unrushed (even though they too, of course, fell in love almost instantly). It seemed like a good intro to her Guardian series. If I liked romances more if probably check it out.
Marjorie Liu's story was the reason I picked up the book. It was good in and of itself, although it did not have the lyrical quality of the other short story of hers that I read. The jury is still out about whether I'll like the series it's a part of. I'll let you know!
I skipped Alyssa Day's story. I love mythology but really don't enjoy when it's used in silly ways. It feels lazy, like the author couldn't come up with an original idea so just co-opted a proven success. I tried a few pages, but got annoyed when they lived in Atlantis in Posidon's temple and fought the vamp queen Anubisa. Ack.
Meljean Brook's story was more of a novella. It felt very complete and unrushed (even though they too, of course, fell in love almost instantly). It seemed like a good intro to her Guardian series. If I liked romances more if probably check it out.
Marjorie Liu's story was the reason I picked up the book. It was good in and of itself, although it did not have the lyrical quality of the other short story of hers that I read. The jury is still out about whether I'll like the series it's a part of. I'll let you know!
I skipped Alyssa Day's story. I love mythology but really don't enjoy when it's used in silly ways. It feels lazy, like the author couldn't come up with an original idea so just co-opted a proven success. I tried a few pages, but got annoyed when they lived in Atlantis in Posidon's temple and fought the vamp queen Anubisa. Ack.
August 23, 2008
A paranormal anthology by 4 romance authors. Trade paperback. The stories are:
1) Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne - a vet with a special talent for communicating with animals (Dr Macy McNamara) meets police officer Jay Harris when he comes into her examination room with a bleeding dog. The dog was shot while trying to protect her owner from a rapist and is the only witness who can identify him. Now Macy, who has spent most of her life hiding her talent and being cold towards people, must convince the detective that she is not crazy and the dog told her who the rapist is. A pleasant/comfort sort of read.
2) Paradise by Meljean Brook - part of her Guardian series, which I had never read before. I had no problems understanding this world though - some very interesting world-building details that I enjoyed, and backstory of the past/relationships with other characters is explained well. A demon is stalking vampires and the Guardian Selah teams up with Paradise, Oregon vampire leader Lucus Marsden to stop the killings. I really appreciated the details about the nature of vampires/Guardians that this author explained to the reader (eg. vampires can't taste food, only blood, Guardians abilities have to do with their past life).
3) Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu - an introduction to a new series about Maxine Kiss - a demon hunter whose living tattoos protect her from harm but are also her curse. Really interesting character and world. Told from a first person present tense viewpoint. I was really surprised by the quality of the writing in this one. Very different in a good way from the other book I've read by this author.
4) Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day - Atlantean warriors, centuries old battle vampires and shapeshifters to protect humanity. In a world where vampires are becoming increasingly powerful politically, the Atlanteans must ally with some shapeshifters who haven't sided with the vampires. Bastian is the ambassador sent for this task and his first contact is half-shapshifter Kat Fiero, who he carries a torch for. I had trouble with the dialog in this one. Seemed to switch from modern day slangish vernacular to a stilted formal speech..
1) Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne - a vet with a special talent for communicating with animals (Dr Macy McNamara) meets police officer Jay Harris when he comes into her examination room with a bleeding dog. The dog was shot while trying to protect her owner from a rapist and is the only witness who can identify him. Now Macy, who has spent most of her life hiding her talent and being cold towards people, must convince the detective that she is not crazy and the dog told her who the rapist is. A pleasant/comfort sort of read.
2) Paradise by Meljean Brook - part of her Guardian series, which I had never read before. I had no problems understanding this world though - some very interesting world-building details that I enjoyed, and backstory of the past/relationships with other characters is explained well. A demon is stalking vampires and the Guardian Selah teams up with Paradise, Oregon vampire leader Lucus Marsden to stop the killings. I really appreciated the details about the nature of vampires/Guardians that this author explained to the reader (eg. vampires can't taste food, only blood, Guardians abilities have to do with their past life).
3) Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu - an introduction to a new series about Maxine Kiss - a demon hunter whose living tattoos protect her from harm but are also her curse. Really interesting character and world. Told from a first person present tense viewpoint. I was really surprised by the quality of the writing in this one. Very different in a good way from the other book I've read by this author.
4) Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day - Atlantean warriors, centuries old battle vampires and shapeshifters to protect humanity. In a world where vampires are becoming increasingly powerful politically, the Atlanteans must ally with some shapeshifters who haven't sided with the vampires. Bastian is the ambassador sent for this task and his first contact is half-shapshifter Kat Fiero, who he carries a torch for. I had trouble with the dialog in this one. Seemed to switch from modern day slangish vernacular to a stilted formal speech..
on-hold_partially-finished
November 29, 2014November 8th: Finished the story written by Meljean Brook. I liked it. Selah is an interesting woman and Lucas wasn't bad either. I like his family name.. *cough* because of Karl Marsen *cough* There is a demon who's sacrificing vampires to open a gate to hell. Those vampires belong to Lucas community. His consort's one of the victims, too. It was a comfortable read. Where some of Meljean Brooks' books are angsty, this was .. easy-going. Dumb adjective.. Whatever, 3+ stars.
October 2, 2020
Reviewing Alyssa Day’s Wild Hearts In Atlantis
Wasn’t bad but the “action” part was lacking. Too rushed and no urgency felt. I would have preferred this short story to focus on the romance bit. I could have done without them defeating another evil vampire that we hadn’t even heard of until this story.
Also is Poseidon going to talk to everyone heroine? They can’t all be long last Atlantians. That but was just too much of exactly what happened in the first book.
At least I felt a connect between these two and they seemed a good match.
I’m moving on to the next book, hope I connect to it more.
Wasn’t bad but the “action” part was lacking. Too rushed and no urgency felt. I would have preferred this short story to focus on the romance bit. I could have done without them defeating another evil vampire that we hadn’t even heard of until this story.
Also is Poseidon going to talk to everyone heroine? They can’t all be long last Atlantians. That but was just too much of exactly what happened in the first book.
At least I felt a connect between these two and they seemed a good match.
I’m moving on to the next book, hope I connect to it more.
September 24, 2022
Paradise by Meljean Brook: You know, I can’t really think of any vampire romances I love. Arland from Innkeeper Chronicles doesn’t count because he’s an alien and lacks the usual mythological features. Read via library.
All other novellas are unread.
All other novellas are unread.
October 17, 2024
This time I read only Paradise, by Meljean Brook, as I'm doing a reread of the whole Guardians series. But I'll paste my original review below, and that covers all the stories.
Paradise was less successful for me this time. I did like the external plot, which is very effectively done. But this time I was left wanting more, particularly about Lucas' vampire community and its dynamics, as what we see was really interesting. The romance, however, I didn't fully get. I think it was a me thing, since this time I was left puzzled by some of the reactions... basically, they'd do something and I wouldn't really understand all that had been left unsaid. Clearly it's possible to understand it all, as I did on my first read, but this time I just didn't. Is it that last time I had read Demon Moon first? Is it that my attention span has shortened? Who knows! I still enjoyed the story on the whole, but it was more of a B- this time than a B+.
------------------
My original review, from 2007:
The first was by Maggie Shayne, titled Animal Magnetism.
The story itself is not bad. The execution is pretty ho-hum, but the plot did have possibilities. I mean, a woman who can communicate with animals and is shown the face of a serial rapist by the latest victim's dog? Interesting! And the hero was quite nice.
But the heroine! I intensely disliked Macy. I always say how I like bitchy heroines, but I guess that isn't exactly true. I like heroines who are not afraid to stand up for herselves for fear people will think them bitchy. I like strong, decisive, proactive women. I don't like bitchy people. There's a difference, and Macy belongs to the latter category. She treats people badly for no reason. She's rude and inconsiderate, and I'd probably be very tempted to deck her if I were to meet her in real life.
She does mellow a bit as the story goes on, but sorry, I wanted the hero to run in the opposite direction. I didn't see why he loved her and I actually didn't see why she loved him either. The former because she's such a major bitch, the latter because I have no idea who this man was.
GRADE: A C-.
------
Second in the book, but the first to be read by me: Meljean Brook 's Paradise.
Well, I suppose having read the rest of the series makes all the difference, because I loved this story. It might even have been better to have read Demon Moon before I read Paradise, because there was a lot about vampires that I already knew and wasn't seeing for the first time. To my eyes, this was simply a lovely romance with an excellently done external plot, set in a world I already knew well. But yeah, I suspect that for someone for whom this story is an introduction to the Guardians universe, trying to understand the rules of this very unique world might distract them from enjoying the story.
So, what did I like? The characters, especially. I hadn't really got much of a feel for Selah in Demon Angel, but I did now. After reading this story, I know exactly who she is, and I know exactly who Lucas is. They're very much individual, unique characters, each with their personality and issues, and MB succeeded in showing a very real connection between them. I totally got why these two particular persons would fall in love with each other. They fit together, both mentally and physically.
Also excellent: the story outside Lucas and Selah's relationship was pretty simple and straightforward (for MB *g*), which fit the short length well, and I was almost as interested in it as in the romance.
GRADE: A very strong B+
------
The anthology continues with Hunter Kiss, by Marjorie M. Liu.
Maxine's mission and the story behind the tattoos are a fascinating premise, and she's a very intriguing character. In fact, both she and Grant Cooperon, the former priest with whom she falls in love, are great characters. We don't get to go in too deep into their issues and personalities, but this story made me very anxious to read a full-length book about them.
GRADE: Another B+.
-------
Finally, Wild Hearts in Atlantis, by new-to-me author Alyssa Day
The former is quite a feat, given that there are different factions in conflict -vampires, humans, shapeshifters-, plus those people from Atlantis, which include a group of Warriors charged with protecting humanity. Our hero is one of them, and he's sent on a mission as a go-between between his people and the shifters. The heroine, half-human, half-shifter, and not able to actually take her animal form (therefore teased and bullied by everyone), is his contact, and together they're to stop a horrible plot.
Could be good (especially because the hero is pretty interesting... a guy convinced that he's not particularly smart), but it never engaged me. I think my problem was how completely unsubtle it all was. It felt pretty campy, but the author wrote it all very seriously. I ended up fighting the temptation to skim.
GRADE: C+ for this one, with bonus points for clear world-building.
GRADE FOR THE WHOLE THING: Two excellent stories and two more or less average ones. I'll round up and give this a B.
Paradise was less successful for me this time. I did like the external plot, which is very effectively done. But this time I was left wanting more, particularly about Lucas' vampire community and its dynamics, as what we see was really interesting. The romance, however, I didn't fully get. I think it was a me thing, since this time I was left puzzled by some of the reactions... basically, they'd do something and I wouldn't really understand all that had been left unsaid. Clearly it's possible to understand it all, as I did on my first read, but this time I just didn't. Is it that last time I had read Demon Moon first? Is it that my attention span has shortened? Who knows! I still enjoyed the story on the whole, but it was more of a B- this time than a B+.
------------------
My original review, from 2007:
The first was by Maggie Shayne, titled Animal Magnetism.
A hot cop trying to solve a string of rapes in his hometown; a lady vet who can talk to animals--including the dog who can identify the rapist; a desperate man who needs to silence them both.Unfortunately, I didn't remember just how much I'd hated this author's story in the Hot Blooded anthology, otherwise I might have convinced that inner dictator to give me a pass. Animal Magnetism was an improvement over that one, but that's not saying much.
The story itself is not bad. The execution is pretty ho-hum, but the plot did have possibilities. I mean, a woman who can communicate with animals and is shown the face of a serial rapist by the latest victim's dog? Interesting! And the hero was quite nice.
But the heroine! I intensely disliked Macy. I always say how I like bitchy heroines, but I guess that isn't exactly true. I like heroines who are not afraid to stand up for herselves for fear people will think them bitchy. I like strong, decisive, proactive women. I don't like bitchy people. There's a difference, and Macy belongs to the latter category. She treats people badly for no reason. She's rude and inconsiderate, and I'd probably be very tempted to deck her if I were to meet her in real life.
She does mellow a bit as the story goes on, but sorry, I wanted the hero to run in the opposite direction. I didn't see why he loved her and I actually didn't see why she loved him either. The former because she's such a major bitch, the latter because I have no idea who this man was.
GRADE: A C-.
------
Second in the book, but the first to be read by me: Meljean Brook 's Paradise.
Lucas Marsden has faced nosferatu before and survived, but he doesn't know how to defeat the demon who hunts the vampires in his community...I didn't start reading this story with extremely high expectations. After reading the short story that was the introduction to the series and the two full-length books, I got the impression that MB does best with plenty of space to do justice to her complex worldbuilding and in-depth characterization. Plus, there was a bad review at AAR...
But he knows exactly what he wants from the beautiful Guardian sent to protect them.
Well, I suppose having read the rest of the series makes all the difference, because I loved this story. It might even have been better to have read Demon Moon before I read Paradise, because there was a lot about vampires that I already knew and wasn't seeing for the first time. To my eyes, this was simply a lovely romance with an excellently done external plot, set in a world I already knew well. But yeah, I suspect that for someone for whom this story is an introduction to the Guardians universe, trying to understand the rules of this very unique world might distract them from enjoying the story.
So, what did I like? The characters, especially. I hadn't really got much of a feel for Selah in Demon Angel, but I did now. After reading this story, I know exactly who she is, and I know exactly who Lucas is. They're very much individual, unique characters, each with their personality and issues, and MB succeeded in showing a very real connection between them. I totally got why these two particular persons would fall in love with each other. They fit together, both mentally and physically.
Also excellent: the story outside Lucas and Selah's relationship was pretty simple and straightforward (for MB *g*), which fit the short length well, and I was almost as interested in it as in the romance.
GRADE: A very strong B+
------
The anthology continues with Hunter Kiss, by Marjorie M. Liu.
...the introduction to a brand new urban fantasy series about a woman whose body is covered in living tattoos -her own personal demons to call on when the sun goes down, who both protect her life, and are destined to end it.HK is very clearly an introduction to these characters and their universe, but Liu manages to present a perfectly satisfying romance and story, while making it clear that this is just the beginning.
Maxine's mission and the story behind the tattoos are a fascinating premise, and she's a very intriguing character. In fact, both she and Grant Cooperon, the former priest with whom she falls in love, are great characters. We don't get to go in too deep into their issues and personalities, but this story made me very anxious to read a full-length book about them.
GRADE: Another B+.
-------
Finally, Wild Hearts in Atlantis, by new-to-me author Alyssa Day
Bastien can't believe Prince Conlan sent him to be the liaison to the Florida panther shape-shifter coalition. He's a warrior, not a politician. To make matters worse, the only woman who has ever seen behind the mask of calm he presents to the world is a half-breed shape-shifter—sworn enemies to the Atlantean defenders of humanity. But old alliances may be changing . . .This is the second entry in a series. Day did well in explaining her universe without ever making me feel lost, but she never did succeed in fully capturing my interest.
The former is quite a feat, given that there are different factions in conflict -vampires, humans, shapeshifters-, plus those people from Atlantis, which include a group of Warriors charged with protecting humanity. Our hero is one of them, and he's sent on a mission as a go-between between his people and the shifters. The heroine, half-human, half-shifter, and not able to actually take her animal form (therefore teased and bullied by everyone), is his contact, and together they're to stop a horrible plot.
Could be good (especially because the hero is pretty interesting... a guy convinced that he's not particularly smart), but it never engaged me. I think my problem was how completely unsubtle it all was. It felt pretty campy, but the author wrote it all very seriously. I ended up fighting the temptation to skim.
GRADE: C+ for this one, with bonus points for clear world-building.
GRADE FOR THE WHOLE THING: Two excellent stories and two more or less average ones. I'll round up and give this a B.
April 17, 2016
An anthology of four short stories on a paranormal romantic theme.
Series:
"Paradise" (Guardians, 1.5)
"Hunter Kiss" (Hunter Kiss, 0.5)
"Wild Hearts in Atlantis" (Warriors of Poseidon, 1.5)
The Stories
Maggie Shayne's "Animal Magnetism" was cute. A veterinarian, Dr. Macy McNamara, can sense everything an animal can and helps Detective Jay Harris find a rapist.
Meljean Brook's "Paradise" finds Lucas Marsden, a former cop-lawyer-theatre owner/nosferatu, struggling to recover from the murder of his consort, Olivia Jordan. Lucas heads up his small community of vampires in Ashland, Oregon and can only maintain it if he has a consort. A choosing he has been avoiding. It's as he is tearing down a set that Selah, a Guardian appears. But is she a threat to his community or not?
I do like that Brook has created a community of cooperative vampires!
Marjorie M. Liu's "Hunter Kiss" provides the background on Maxine Kiss and former Father Grant Cooperon's meeting for the first time when she saves him from assassination by minions of Blood Mama, the queen of one of the demon realms. Blood Mama wants to harness Grant's power to serve her.
I do like this series!
Alyssa Day's "Wild Hearts in Atlantis" is a cute pairing of Atlantean heroes with shapeshifters in the Florida Everglades. My one objection is the ending is just too simple on two counts. I do like Day's concept however and I think I'll check out the series.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a rainbow with a well-muscled, blond hunk staring out at us, wings on his back in a kaleidoscope of color.
The title vaguely connects these stories together: dogs, vampires, demons, and shapeshifters. Like I said, rough.
Series:
"Paradise" (Guardians, 1.5)
"Hunter Kiss" (Hunter Kiss, 0.5)
"Wild Hearts in Atlantis" (Warriors of Poseidon, 1.5)
The Stories
Maggie Shayne's "Animal Magnetism" was cute. A veterinarian, Dr. Macy McNamara, can sense everything an animal can and helps Detective Jay Harris find a rapist.
Meljean Brook's "Paradise" finds Lucas Marsden, a former cop-lawyer-theatre owner/nosferatu, struggling to recover from the murder of his consort, Olivia Jordan. Lucas heads up his small community of vampires in Ashland, Oregon and can only maintain it if he has a consort. A choosing he has been avoiding. It's as he is tearing down a set that Selah, a Guardian appears. But is she a threat to his community or not?
I do like that Brook has created a community of cooperative vampires!
Marjorie M. Liu's "Hunter Kiss" provides the background on Maxine Kiss and former Father Grant Cooperon's meeting for the first time when she saves him from assassination by minions of Blood Mama, the queen of one of the demon realms. Blood Mama wants to harness Grant's power to serve her.
I do like this series!
Alyssa Day's "Wild Hearts in Atlantis" is a cute pairing of Atlantean heroes with shapeshifters in the Florida Everglades. My one objection is the ending is just too simple on two counts. I do like Day's concept however and I think I'll check out the series.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a rainbow with a well-muscled, blond hunk staring out at us, wings on his back in a kaleidoscope of color.
The title vaguely connects these stories together: dogs, vampires, demons, and shapeshifters. Like I said, rough.
January 26, 2011
I finally finished this book. Most of the stories were good, but I just didn't connect with the one by Brook. For a only 100 page story, I keep putting it down and not wanting to pick it back up.
Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne
I liked this story of the vet who could read animal thoughts and her struggle to do the right thing but at the same time protect herself.
Paradise by MelJean Brook
I just didn't connect with this one. Neither the characters or the story interested me. A vampire needs the help of a guardian to stop a demon who is killing vampires to open a gate to hell. The beginning is confusing, possibly because the vampire is a bit addled from drinking animal blood.
Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu
This story is why I bought the book. It is a prequel to The Iron Hunt and gives the much needed back story of how Maxine met Grant. I highly recommend reading this before reading The Iron Hunt.
Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day
This was the last one I read and I went into it a bit afraid after finally finishing Paradise, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Atlantis warrior, Bastien is sent to make an alliance with the shifters and hooks up with Kat, the half-shifter who can't shift. I liked both characters and will have to look into this series.
Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne
I liked this story of the vet who could read animal thoughts and her struggle to do the right thing but at the same time protect herself.
Paradise by MelJean Brook
I just didn't connect with this one. Neither the characters or the story interested me. A vampire needs the help of a guardian to stop a demon who is killing vampires to open a gate to hell. The beginning is confusing, possibly because the vampire is a bit addled from drinking animal blood.
Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu
This story is why I bought the book. It is a prequel to The Iron Hunt and gives the much needed back story of how Maxine met Grant. I highly recommend reading this before reading The Iron Hunt.
Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day
This was the last one I read and I went into it a bit afraid after finally finishing Paradise, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Atlantis warrior, Bastien is sent to make an alliance with the shifters and hooks up with Kat, the half-shifter who can't shift. I liked both characters and will have to look into this series.
August 10, 2009
This is just a review for Alyssa Day'S Wild Hearts story.
Awesome short story. She definitely could have made this into a full book. Not sure why she didn't. At any rate, I think this series has great potential. Day does a great job of making her characters come alive and really connects their story with the reader. This story is about Bastien finding his mate and includes the plot about the Atlanteans joining forces with shapeshifters who are sympathetic to the human cause. Very good. Off to the next.
Awesome short story. She definitely could have made this into a full book. Not sure why she didn't. At any rate, I think this series has great potential. Day does a great job of making her characters come alive and really connects their story with the reader. This story is about Bastien finding his mate and includes the plot about the Atlanteans joining forces with shapeshifters who are sympathetic to the human cause. Very good. Off to the next.
January 26, 2016
3 out of 4 stories I enjoyed. Short and sweet, you cant go wrong with Maggie Shayne... Love all her work. Meljean Brook was great, loved learning about Selah and Lucas. Alyssa Day and her Poseidon Warriors are awesome! I love Marjorie M. Liu but I really struggled with her short story. Overall nice add to the other series I have.
August 2, 2011
I read Alyssa Day's story for the second time as I refresh my memory on the Warriors of Poseidon series. Another great read and, so far, awesome series.
October 28, 2021
Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne - 4/5
Macy McNamara and Detective Jay Harris
Detective Jay Harris brings a dog to veterinarian Macy McNamara. The dog was shot as she was trying trying to defend her owner from a rapist. With her power to speak with animals, Macy was able to find out how the perpetrator looked and she herself became a target.
I took a break after reading this novella without writing a review, so now I could not remember my thoughts. I don't think I hated it, but I didn't love it either. There was something about Macy that didn't sit well with me, but I can't remember what.
Paradise by Meljean Brook - 5/5
Selah and Lucas Marsden
This novella is the reason I wanted the book. I always wanted to know how Selah got her HEA.
Vampires have been murdered, including Lucas Marsden's consort. Desperate for living food source, he accidentally nailed himself to a scaffolding. That's how Selah finds him.
This story is beautiful, well, for a vampire demon story. The community is painted as a bit goofy but not devious, and everybody seems to try to do their best to help each other. (I wonder if it has something to do with where the author is from) Selah is still unhappy about teleporting Colin into Chaos and abandoning him there. Lucas is not happy about being force-fed, but eventually gets over it. Neither one of them is being coy or playing hard to get.
Hunter Kiss by Majorie M. Liu 4/5
Maxine Kiss and Grant Cooperon
Maxine, a demon hunter, saves Grant's life from a demon. They go after one of the other demons to find out why the demons are going after Grant, a seemingly normal flute maker and former priest.
This novella is actually kind of depressing. It looks like things would not end well for Maxine.
Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day 4.25/5
Bastien and Kat Fiero
Conlan (whoever he is, sounds like someone important) sends Bastien to be the official Atlantean liaison to the shape-shifter, working with Kat Fiero, a half shape-shifter.
There is one very confusing passage in this story about Barrabas and Anubisa. Who bought what? I assume if you followed the series, you would know, but I did not.
The plot is fine. Bastien, Kat, and the other "good" characters are fairly likeable. How Bastien and Kat get together is quite interesting. I like the water tricks. The ending is a bit easy, but it's not so bad.
Macy McNamara and Detective Jay Harris
Detective Jay Harris brings a dog to veterinarian Macy McNamara. The dog was shot as she was trying trying to defend her owner from a rapist. With her power to speak with animals, Macy was able to find out how the perpetrator looked and she herself became a target.
I took a break after reading this novella without writing a review, so now I could not remember my thoughts. I don't think I hated it, but I didn't love it either. There was something about Macy that didn't sit well with me, but I can't remember what.
Paradise by Meljean Brook - 5/5
Selah and Lucas Marsden
This novella is the reason I wanted the book. I always wanted to know how Selah got her HEA.
Vampires have been murdered, including Lucas Marsden's consort. Desperate for living food source, he accidentally nailed himself to a scaffolding. That's how Selah finds him.
This story is beautiful, well, for a vampire demon story. The community is painted as a bit goofy but not devious, and everybody seems to try to do their best to help each other. (I wonder if it has something to do with where the author is from) Selah is still unhappy about teleporting Colin into Chaos and abandoning him there. Lucas is not happy about being force-fed, but eventually gets over it. Neither one of them is being coy or playing hard to get.
Hunter Kiss by Majorie M. Liu 4/5
Maxine Kiss and Grant Cooperon
Maxine, a demon hunter, saves Grant's life from a demon. They go after one of the other demons to find out why the demons are going after Grant, a seemingly normal flute maker and former priest.
This novella is actually kind of depressing. It looks like things would not end well for Maxine.
Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day 4.25/5
Bastien and Kat Fiero
Conlan (whoever he is, sounds like someone important) sends Bastien to be the official Atlantean liaison to the shape-shifter, working with Kat Fiero, a half shape-shifter.
There is one very confusing passage in this story about Barrabas and Anubisa. Who bought what? I assume if you followed the series, you would know, but I did not.
The plot is fine. Bastien, Kat, and the other "good" characters are fairly likeable. How Bastien and Kat get together is quite interesting. I like the water tricks. The ending is a bit easy, but it's not so bad.
May 11, 2020
Maybe I shouldn't review this as I only read 2/4 of the stories, but I'm going to anyway as I have an opinion on all of them.
I read this for the Marjorie Liu story 'Hunter Kiss' as I had already read her first Hunter Kiss book 'The Iron Hunt' and reviewers mentioned this anthology so I backtracked and read this one after. I wish I would have read this one first as it explained a lot and laid out the world for the series. This story tells the beginning of Maxine Kiss - who is a protector against all the demons of the world. It also gives the backstory of when she met Grant and got together with him. I thought this was better than the full size novel as there weren't as many questions about their world in my opinion (see my review for 'The Iron Hunt'also. I would rate this one a 4.
The other story I read was 'Animal Magnetism' by Maggie Shayne. I thought the story was decently written. My issue with it was twofold - first it is a romance set in a story line about rape which takes away from the romance, doesn't it? and then the two romantic leads seem to never have had a real relationship, but seem to love each other almost immediately. I get that it's a short story so you have to make it move, but a little too fast for me. Also, there wasn't much appealing about the female lead (who is a vet) other than her love of animals. :) One of the rape victims was her associate and the associate just needed to get back to work because the lead was so busy. She wasn't very concerned about her - she was more into the hot man who was a bit more likeable. The ending was weird too.
I didn't read 'Paradise' by Meljean Brook or 'Wild Hearts in Atlantis' by Alyssa Day. I have tried to read a book by Brook set in the same world as this one and didn't care for it. The Atlantis setting just didn't work for me so I opted out of that one after a couple of paragraphs. Neither of these was for me.
So, I would recommend this one for the 'Hunter Kiss' story only.
I read this for the Marjorie Liu story 'Hunter Kiss' as I had already read her first Hunter Kiss book 'The Iron Hunt' and reviewers mentioned this anthology so I backtracked and read this one after. I wish I would have read this one first as it explained a lot and laid out the world for the series. This story tells the beginning of Maxine Kiss - who is a protector against all the demons of the world. It also gives the backstory of when she met Grant and got together with him. I thought this was better than the full size novel as there weren't as many questions about their world in my opinion (see my review for 'The Iron Hunt'also. I would rate this one a 4.
The other story I read was 'Animal Magnetism' by Maggie Shayne. I thought the story was decently written. My issue with it was twofold - first it is a romance set in a story line about rape which takes away from the romance, doesn't it? and then the two romantic leads seem to never have had a real relationship, but seem to love each other almost immediately. I get that it's a short story so you have to make it move, but a little too fast for me. Also, there wasn't much appealing about the female lead (who is a vet) other than her love of animals. :) One of the rape victims was her associate and the associate just needed to get back to work because the lead was so busy. She wasn't very concerned about her - she was more into the hot man who was a bit more likeable. The ending was weird too.
I didn't read 'Paradise' by Meljean Brook or 'Wild Hearts in Atlantis' by Alyssa Day. I have tried to read a book by Brook set in the same world as this one and didn't care for it. The Atlantis setting just didn't work for me so I opted out of that one after a couple of paragraphs. Neither of these was for me.
So, I would recommend this one for the 'Hunter Kiss' story only.
Read
February 17, 2019Animal Magnetism: Macy is a vet who is bad with people but can communicate with animals. Handsome Detective Jay Harris rushes dog Cassie into Macy’s clinic with a gunshot wound, after her and her owner Darla were attacked. Macy saves Cassie and is able to compile a sketch of the attacker. A serial rapist who has attacked multiple times. As Jay starts believing in her abilities and falling for her, she falls into the attackers sights.
Paradise: Saleh is a guardian who is sent to investigate a series of vampire murders by a demon. The leader of the unique vampire community Lucas Marsden, in south Oregon lost his consort to this particular demon. They join forces to stop the demon from turning a local portal for the guardians into a direct route to hell.
Hunter Kiss: when I first started reading this I thought it was going to be one of those ambiguous messes that I never understand but as I get toward the end of the first chapter I’m intrigued. Beyond our world is a veil that separates us from the demons like any veil, if you push hard enough you can cause a tear which creates a small entrance and the demons slip through. Maxine Kiss is a hunter, a demon hunter from a long line of hunters who’s body houses five entities (they may be demons but my perception is they are not the same) who protect her and help her exorcise demons from their human hosts. She saves Grant Cooperon a former priest but still has faith and a unique ability to change people and their demons through his music, specifically a flute.
Wild hearts in Atlantis: Bastion a warrior of Atlantis is sent to a shifter pack in as an ambassador to try to seek an alliance. Fiore a half panther shifter and daughter to the former leader of the pack who Bastion saved two years back. Neither has forgotten each other and the instant chemistry has them both unsettled. Ethan the pack leader has already made a tentative alliance with vampires, and it’s up to Bastion to find evidence of deception and stop the shifters from being controlled.
Paradise: Saleh is a guardian who is sent to investigate a series of vampire murders by a demon. The leader of the unique vampire community Lucas Marsden, in south Oregon lost his consort to this particular demon. They join forces to stop the demon from turning a local portal for the guardians into a direct route to hell.
Hunter Kiss: when I first started reading this I thought it was going to be one of those ambiguous messes that I never understand but as I get toward the end of the first chapter I’m intrigued. Beyond our world is a veil that separates us from the demons like any veil, if you push hard enough you can cause a tear which creates a small entrance and the demons slip through. Maxine Kiss is a hunter, a demon hunter from a long line of hunters who’s body houses five entities (they may be demons but my perception is they are not the same) who protect her and help her exorcise demons from their human hosts. She saves Grant Cooperon a former priest but still has faith and a unique ability to change people and their demons through his music, specifically a flute.
Wild hearts in Atlantis: Bastion a warrior of Atlantis is sent to a shifter pack in as an ambassador to try to seek an alliance. Fiore a half panther shifter and daughter to the former leader of the pack who Bastion saved two years back. Neither has forgotten each other and the instant chemistry has them both unsettled. Ethan the pack leader has already made a tentative alliance with vampires, and it’s up to Bastion to find evidence of deception and stop the shifters from being controlled.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2019
Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne ****
Kinda erotic with the sex scenes. The handcuffs then the elevator. Liked the doc being a modern day Doolittle. And then there's the cop in lust with her, but thinks she's kooky because doc says she can communicate with animals. If there are people who can commune with animals, then I can actually see this story happening. Very good story with a plausible side.
Paradise by Meljean Brook *****
Definitely a different version of angels, demons and vampires that seems to mass marketed. That's a good thing. A new kind of story that I quite like. So much I will end up at some point reading the whole series.
Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu *****
I love the Hunter Kiss series. This time I'm going to start in chronological order. Love coming unseen by a demon huntress. Maxine Kiss is the latest in a long line of demon huntresses. Desendened from a matriarchal line. She knows of no other hunter still existing. Maxine is the last as far as she knows of all the the lines created. Then she meets Grant Cooperon. He is unlike anything she has ever met. He's not like her. Grant is a Piper, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Except Grant is a demon piper. He changes them, gives them coice, breaks their connection to Blood Mama. Grant saw Maxine coming befire she came. Knew he was destined to fall in love with her. Wow, this story, though short was epic. Destined love, good and evil with lines somestimes blurred and lots of action. One of those series they really should turn into a movie, imo. Loved it!
Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day *****
Very testosterone filled story. Batien is definitely a He-Man, but his mate, Kat is She-ra with her ability to calm people and fight at his side as a were-panther. I liked it, enough that I'm curious about the rest of the books in the series.
Kinda erotic with the sex scenes. The handcuffs then the elevator. Liked the doc being a modern day Doolittle. And then there's the cop in lust with her, but thinks she's kooky because doc says she can communicate with animals. If there are people who can commune with animals, then I can actually see this story happening. Very good story with a plausible side.
Paradise by Meljean Brook *****
Definitely a different version of angels, demons and vampires that seems to mass marketed. That's a good thing. A new kind of story that I quite like. So much I will end up at some point reading the whole series.
Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu *****
I love the Hunter Kiss series. This time I'm going to start in chronological order. Love coming unseen by a demon huntress. Maxine Kiss is the latest in a long line of demon huntresses. Desendened from a matriarchal line. She knows of no other hunter still existing. Maxine is the last as far as she knows of all the the lines created. Then she meets Grant Cooperon. He is unlike anything she has ever met. He's not like her. Grant is a Piper, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Except Grant is a demon piper. He changes them, gives them coice, breaks their connection to Blood Mama. Grant saw Maxine coming befire she came. Knew he was destined to fall in love with her. Wow, this story, though short was epic. Destined love, good and evil with lines somestimes blurred and lots of action. One of those series they really should turn into a movie, imo. Loved it!
Wild Hearts in Atlantis by Alyssa Day *****
Very testosterone filled story. Batien is definitely a He-Man, but his mate, Kat is She-ra with her ability to calm people and fight at his side as a were-panther. I liked it, enough that I'm curious about the rest of the books in the series.
January 1, 2020
Anthology with 4 stories / novellas - this was a bit uneven for me.
Animal Magnetism: 3 stars, good but not great.
Nice story of a vet with the power to talk to animals who uses that power to assist the investigation of a series of rapes. The detective is a total hottie. I still have problems with the insta-love, although the insta-lust does make for some steamy scenes.
Paradise: 0 stars, DNF at 25 pages
Arrgh...boring, waaaay too much talky & set-up, too complicated...I'm outta here.
Hunter Kiss: 4 stars, prequel to Iron Hunt
This whets your appetite for more of Maxine and Grant. Maxine is a demon hunter with a few unusual attributes. Grant is a piper - yeah, like the Pied Piper, only he calms demons and soothes spirits. Together, they have a great chemistry and I can't wait to see what's next for them.
Wild Hearts in Atlantis: 1 star, part of Warriors of Poseidon series
This story is all over the place and it certainly is not making me wish for more in the series. Dialogue is all over the place - sometimes stilted and formal, other times slangy and modern. The characters seem to be cut from the same cardboard. It was almost another DNF, but I powered through.
Animal Magnetism: 3 stars, good but not great.
Nice story of a vet with the power to talk to animals who uses that power to assist the investigation of a series of rapes. The detective is a total hottie. I still have problems with the insta-love, although the insta-lust does make for some steamy scenes.
Paradise: 0 stars, DNF at 25 pages
Arrgh...boring, waaaay too much talky & set-up, too complicated...I'm outta here.
Hunter Kiss: 4 stars, prequel to Iron Hunt
This whets your appetite for more of Maxine and Grant. Maxine is a demon hunter with a few unusual attributes. Grant is a piper - yeah, like the Pied Piper, only he calms demons and soothes spirits. Together, they have a great chemistry and I can't wait to see what's next for them.
Wild Hearts in Atlantis: 1 star, part of Warriors of Poseidon series
This story is all over the place and it certainly is not making me wish for more in the series. Dialogue is all over the place - sometimes stilted and formal, other times slangy and modern. The characters seem to be cut from the same cardboard. It was almost another DNF, but I powered through.
November 20, 2018
I tend to buy these small collections of novellas to contribute to one of the series on my shelf. And then when I read them, I get to discover new authors and series that just continue to expand on my collection…
I loved this collection of novellas. I was expecting a very mushy gushy collection judging by the fact that it is classified as paranormal romance. However, it wasn’t like that at all. Each of the stories did feature sex and some form of romance, but it wasn’t incredibly intense. The sexual tension helped to add an extra layer to the storyline, without taking over it.
And don’t get me wrong… I love the stories that are all about the romance, but sometimes it’s nice to have a set of stories which have a sexual tension component, without it just being about that.
For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/categories/s...
I loved this collection of novellas. I was expecting a very mushy gushy collection judging by the fact that it is classified as paranormal romance. However, it wasn’t like that at all. Each of the stories did feature sex and some form of romance, but it wasn’t incredibly intense. The sexual tension helped to add an extra layer to the storyline, without taking over it.
And don’t get me wrong… I love the stories that are all about the romance, but sometimes it’s nice to have a set of stories which have a sexual tension component, without it just being about that.
For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/categories/s...
May 21, 2017
New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Marjorie Liu join two hot talents in an anthology of all-new sexy paranormal romance.
New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Marjorie M. Liu, and sizzling newcomers Alyssa Day and Meljean Brook discover the wild instinct in everyone with four all-new stories of feral heat. Fans will get swept away by the passions in the unfathomable depths of Atlantis; they'll follow the shadows that stalk both the living and the undead in a world of vampires and guardian angels; they'll enter the forbidden world of the demon horde and their willing victims; and they'll be privy to the secrets of a beautiful animal-whisperer who's drawn closer to the most suspect of all male animals-man.
New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Marjorie M. Liu, and sizzling newcomers Alyssa Day and Meljean Brook discover the wild instinct in everyone with four all-new stories of feral heat. Fans will get swept away by the passions in the unfathomable depths of Atlantis; they'll follow the shadows that stalk both the living and the undead in a world of vampires and guardian angels; they'll enter the forbidden world of the demon horde and their willing victims; and they'll be privy to the secrets of a beautiful animal-whisperer who's drawn closer to the most suspect of all male animals-man.
December 13, 2022
Novellas of varying quality. I probably enjoyed Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne the most. It's a brisk but neatly put together little tale. The sort of thing that ought to be a novella: doesn't feel rushed or dragged out (fates that unfortunately befall the Meljean Brooks's and Alyssa Day's contributions to this collection). I think in many ways the novella is a unique challenge in this respect, so it's always interesting to see how different authors approach it. From what I gather, two of these are novella follow-ups to novels, which is another beast entirely and isn't handled in the most newbie-friendly way here.
January 1, 2019
Animal Magnetism, Maggie Shayne - 4
Dr. Macy and Detective Jay. Fun premise. Feisty woman and sweetly bemused guy
Paradise, Meljean Brook - 3
Lucas and Selah. I like this pair, but find the world and plot of these books a little too convoluted to really get into.
Hunter Kiss, Marjorie Liu - 3
Hunter Maxine and Grant. Introduction into an interesting new world
Wild Hearts in Atlantis - 2
Bastien and Kat. Meh plot and distractingly bad dialogue....
Dr. Macy and Detective Jay. Fun premise. Feisty woman and sweetly bemused guy
Paradise, Meljean Brook - 3
Lucas and Selah. I like this pair, but find the world and plot of these books a little too convoluted to really get into.
Hunter Kiss, Marjorie Liu - 3
Hunter Maxine and Grant. Introduction into an interesting new world
Wild Hearts in Atlantis - 2
Bastien and Kat. Meh plot and distractingly bad dialogue....
March 14, 2023
I was really curious about Selah's story, idk if it's bc of novella length or bc it was so early on in the series but the pacing felt off to me or the story felt a bit disjointed? Idk but as always a look at the inner workings of the guardians world is always fun. And Meljean always writes good smut.
July 27, 2017
Animal Magnetism by Maggie Shayne. **
Paradise by Meljean Brook ***
Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu ****
Did not read Wild Hearts in Atlantis
Paradise by Meljean Brook ***
Hunter Kiss by Marjorie M. Liu ****
Did not read Wild Hearts in Atlantis
Read
August 17, 2019Read "Animal Magnetism" by Maggie Shayne
October 31, 2020
Review for Paradise by Meljean Brook:
I love this story for Selah and getting to meet Lucas. I like seeing more story and origin for the vampires and how their communities work.
I love this story for Selah and getting to meet Lucas. I like seeing more story and origin for the vampires and how their communities work.
January 19, 2021
The last book in this series of books was the best one. The other three were hard to get through and I did not enjoy them.
November 19, 2024
4 stars for the Meljean Brook novella
September 13, 2025
interesting stories
December 2, 2018
This book is interesting¡
July 11, 2010
overal rating for complete anthology: 3.5 stars
Animal Magnetism – Maggie Shayne
Listen to the secrets of a beautiful animal whisperer who’s drawn intimately closer to danger, and t the most suspect of all male animals: man...
I liked this story very much. As known in Anthologies, the stories are too short for full indepth charactarization but Maggie Shayne did a good job nonetheless. The story is about Macy MacNamara, a vet who can “talk” to animals, and Jay Harris, a hot detective who brings a dog in that was shot by a serial rapist and the rest you can fill in yourself: vet and detective fall in love, have sex and in the meantime also solve the case of the serial rapist.
This sounds very shallow but the story absolutely wasn’t! Ms Shayne has a fast-paced and appealing writing style and I would love to read more of her work.
3,5 stars
Paradise - Meljean Brook
Follow the dark shadows that stalk both the living and the undead in a world of restless vampires and guardian angels...
I don’t know what to think of this story, There were lots of interesting elements: Selah: a female Guardian Angel and Lucas Marsden: a male vampire, a very nasty Demon, a pact with Lucifer. But the mix of it into a story didn’t quite do it for me.
It was well written but no heavy emotions were stirred while reading it. Whereas the previous story (by Shayne) left me wanting more and full length work, with this one I dare say I’ll not be buying something by Meljean Brook soon.
2 stars
Hunter Kiss – Marjorie M. Liu
Enter the forbidden and recklessly exciting world of the demon horde and their willing victims...
Great story despite being written in I-form (first person). I don’t particularly like this form of writing but the story fascinated me so much that it didn’t bother me at all and the characters, both main and secondary more than made up for it.
The story is about Maxine Kiss, a Demon Huntress and Grant Cooperon, an ex-priest who can read aura’s and change them with the music he makes. Maxine has 5 demons tattooed all over her body; “The Boys”. Leaving her body at sunset and returning at sunrise,they are her guarantee for immortality. They remind me of Kenyon’s Simi (Acheron’s demon).
It’s an enticing, well written story that left me wanting more, full length work by Ms Liu
Quote:
...mouth curving into a smile that is more intimate than any touch; unspoken, secret, a riddle between my heart and his, where the truth is simple and profound: I belong with him. And he belongs with me.
4 stars
Wild Hearts in Atlantis – Alyssa Day
Get swept away by the passions that rise out of the unfathomable depths of the lost city of Atlantis...
The fourth and last story brings me to known territory, since Alyssa Day’s first Warriors of Poseidon full length novel (Atlantis Rising) is already on my bookshelf.
The story starts with the wit and banter between the Warriors I loved so much in Atlantis Rising so I started with a big smile.
And the only disappointment was the fact that this was an Anthology-length story: too short to make it really, really good.
When you have a limited amount of pages you must cram everything in that small amount and that takes away the intensity the full length books can create.
But that said it was nice to read Bastiens story, the Atlantean Warrior of Poseidon who finds his lifemate in Kat(herine) Fiero, half shapeshifter (panther)/half human.
Quote:
Bastien: Oh damn. Poseidon, please help your humble warrior here. Because I’m falling down a black pit of lust-induced stupidity.
4 stars
Animal Magnetism – Maggie Shayne
Listen to the secrets of a beautiful animal whisperer who’s drawn intimately closer to danger, and t the most suspect of all male animals: man...
I liked this story very much. As known in Anthologies, the stories are too short for full indepth charactarization but Maggie Shayne did a good job nonetheless. The story is about Macy MacNamara, a vet who can “talk” to animals, and Jay Harris, a hot detective who brings a dog in that was shot by a serial rapist and the rest you can fill in yourself: vet and detective fall in love, have sex and in the meantime also solve the case of the serial rapist.
This sounds very shallow but the story absolutely wasn’t! Ms Shayne has a fast-paced and appealing writing style and I would love to read more of her work.
3,5 stars
Paradise - Meljean Brook
Follow the dark shadows that stalk both the living and the undead in a world of restless vampires and guardian angels...
I don’t know what to think of this story, There were lots of interesting elements: Selah: a female Guardian Angel and Lucas Marsden: a male vampire, a very nasty Demon, a pact with Lucifer. But the mix of it into a story didn’t quite do it for me.
It was well written but no heavy emotions were stirred while reading it. Whereas the previous story (by Shayne) left me wanting more and full length work, with this one I dare say I’ll not be buying something by Meljean Brook soon.
2 stars
Hunter Kiss – Marjorie M. Liu
Enter the forbidden and recklessly exciting world of the demon horde and their willing victims...
Great story despite being written in I-form (first person). I don’t particularly like this form of writing but the story fascinated me so much that it didn’t bother me at all and the characters, both main and secondary more than made up for it.
The story is about Maxine Kiss, a Demon Huntress and Grant Cooperon, an ex-priest who can read aura’s and change them with the music he makes. Maxine has 5 demons tattooed all over her body; “The Boys”. Leaving her body at sunset and returning at sunrise,they are her guarantee for immortality. They remind me of Kenyon’s Simi (Acheron’s demon).
It’s an enticing, well written story that left me wanting more, full length work by Ms Liu
Quote:
...mouth curving into a smile that is more intimate than any touch; unspoken, secret, a riddle between my heart and his, where the truth is simple and profound: I belong with him. And he belongs with me.
4 stars
Wild Hearts in Atlantis – Alyssa Day
Get swept away by the passions that rise out of the unfathomable depths of the lost city of Atlantis...
The fourth and last story brings me to known territory, since Alyssa Day’s first Warriors of Poseidon full length novel (Atlantis Rising) is already on my bookshelf.
The story starts with the wit and banter between the Warriors I loved so much in Atlantis Rising so I started with a big smile.
And the only disappointment was the fact that this was an Anthology-length story: too short to make it really, really good.
When you have a limited amount of pages you must cram everything in that small amount and that takes away the intensity the full length books can create.
But that said it was nice to read Bastiens story, the Atlantean Warrior of Poseidon who finds his lifemate in Kat(herine) Fiero, half shapeshifter (panther)/half human.
Quote:
Bastien: Oh damn. Poseidon, please help your humble warrior here. Because I’m falling down a black pit of lust-induced stupidity.
4 stars
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