Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Berkley, 2007.
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. Short Stories. HTML: Three bestselling superstars and one exciting new voice in paranormal romance in a hot new anthology. When it comes to sexy werewolves, fairies, and magic, there's only one place for readers to go this winter: Over the Moon. Angela Knight ventures to the borders of Mageverse, a land ruled by vampire knights. MaryJanice Davidson returns to the wicked lair of the Wyndham werewolves. Virginia Kantra finds magic and wonder in a strange fairy kingdom. And Sunny discovers a Mixed Blood Queen in command of a new realm..
User reviews
LibraryThing member DebR
I finished this book couple of days ago, and realized something kind of odd. While I was reading the stories, I'd have said I was enjoying them (well, 3 of them anyway), but at the end I was left feeling dissatisfied and wondering if I need to give up on buying short story collections, since this
One of my gripes is that all four of these stories are sequels or part of continuing stories that had been started in novels or other anthologies. I was familiar with the "worlds" of Knight's and Davidson's stories, since I read (and enjoy) those authors' novels regularly. Those two were my reason for buying the book.
Kantra's story was a sequel of sorts, but from references in this story, it was clear that the prequel was based on the legend of Tam-lin. While I hadn't read Kantra's prequel, I've read other books based on that legend, so I understood the references and didn't feel too lost.
The last story, however, was by Sunny, (a new-to-me writer) and it was, in some ways, like opening up a novel right in the middle and reading just one chapter without bothering to read the beginning or end. I find it a little frustrating that the publisher didn't include even one story that was strictly a stand-alone tale, where you didn't need extensive knowledge of folk tales or an author's back list to fully appreciate the story.
It was also frustrating because I thought each of these tales could have potentially been a novel if the writer had gone more in-depth into character, motivation, etc. and I would've enjoyed the novels more than I enjoyed the short stories. I felt cheated at the end, like I only got a tiny bite of a larger story and that tiny bite wasn't very satisfying.
Then there was the problem that bothered me even more - the last story in the book (and only the last story) was so poorly edited that the grammatical errors were driving me crazy before it was over. That would have been annoying in any part of the book, but for it to be the last story in the book - my final impression of the anthology - yikes! Not good!
I spotted misuse of I/me, mixing up of singular and plural within the same sentence, but the error that was bugging me the most was the author's habit of using phrases like "truthful sincerity." As opposed to what - deceptive sincerity? Truthful lies? Doesn't that seem like a case of *repetitive redundancy*? Just sayin'...
Another one I remember was a scene where the protagonist, who is a shape-changer, was saying something about her "feline cat nature." Whew! What a relief that she doesn't have the dreaded canine cat nature, which causes sufferers to chase themselves up trees until they collapse in exhaustion. Bah!
Then there was the *strong* resemblance of the story to Hamilton's Merry Gentry novels, something already noted by several other reviewers. I found that off-putting as well.
It's a shame because I thought Sunny's writing showed talent, but I was so annoyed by the problems in that story that there's no way I'm going to buy the novels and take a chance on having those same issues drive me nuts for 200+ pages.
Unfortunately, I think this one's going in the used book store pile.
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isn't the first time I've been left feeling this way.One of my gripes is that all four of these stories are sequels or part of continuing stories that had been started in novels or other anthologies. I was familiar with the "worlds" of Knight's and Davidson's stories, since I read (and enjoy) those authors' novels regularly. Those two were my reason for buying the book.
Kantra's story was a sequel of sorts, but from references in this story, it was clear that the prequel was based on the legend of Tam-lin. While I hadn't read Kantra's prequel, I've read other books based on that legend, so I understood the references and didn't feel too lost.
The last story, however, was by Sunny, (a new-to-me writer) and it was, in some ways, like opening up a novel right in the middle and reading just one chapter without bothering to read the beginning or end. I find it a little frustrating that the publisher didn't include even one story that was strictly a stand-alone tale, where you didn't need extensive knowledge of folk tales or an author's back list to fully appreciate the story.
It was also frustrating because I thought each of these tales could have potentially been a novel if the writer had gone more in-depth into character, motivation, etc. and I would've enjoyed the novels more than I enjoyed the short stories. I felt cheated at the end, like I only got a tiny bite of a larger story and that tiny bite wasn't very satisfying.
Then there was the problem that bothered me even more - the last story in the book (and only the last story) was so poorly edited that the grammatical errors were driving me crazy before it was over. That would have been annoying in any part of the book, but for it to be the last story in the book - my final impression of the anthology - yikes! Not good!
I spotted misuse of I/me, mixing up of singular and plural within the same sentence, but the error that was bugging me the most was the author's habit of using phrases like "truthful sincerity." As opposed to what - deceptive sincerity? Truthful lies? Doesn't that seem like a case of *repetitive redundancy*? Just sayin'...
Another one I remember was a scene where the protagonist, who is a shape-changer, was saying something about her "feline cat nature." Whew! What a relief that she doesn't have the dreaded canine cat nature, which causes sufferers to chase themselves up trees until they collapse in exhaustion. Bah!
Then there was the *strong* resemblance of the story to Hamilton's Merry Gentry novels, something already noted by several other reviewers. I found that off-putting as well.
It's a shame because I thought Sunny's writing showed talent, but I was so annoyed by the problems in that story that there's no way I'm going to buy the novels and take a chance on having those same issues drive me nuts for 200+ pages.
Unfortunately, I think this one's going in the used book store pile.
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LibraryThing member Darla
****½ "Moon Dance" by Angela Knight. This is set in the Mageverse, but deals with the Direkind (werewolf) side of that universe rather than the vampire/witch side. (Check Angela Knight's website for the details.)
Elena is a Chosen--that is, she's a descendant of one of the original Direkind
In order to save herself and change things for the rest of the Chosen females, Elena turns to relatively new Direkind Lucas, a cop in a nearby town, for help.
For a novella, this story has quite a lot going on. The werewolf politics are clear, and both Elena and Lucas are easily identifiable characters. It's less easy to believe the declaration of love at the end, but given the novella length, and the fact that they have similar and complementary personalities, and are in tune enough with each other to spirit link, I'll buy it.
****½ "Between the Mountain and the Moon" by Virginia Kantra. This story is apparently connected to Virginia Kantra's story in Man of My Dreams, which, unfortunately, I haven't read. Yet. But that doesn't make a difference with understanding this story.
Cait is hiking the Appalachian trail with a group of friends. An injury causes two of them to turn back, and she's left with Josh, whose interest in her wanes when she declines to share his bed.
Still, he's better than nothing, she thinks, except that when she's chased by the menacing Ursus and gets lost, he doesn't come for her, and she's left at the mercy of Rhys, a man they met the night before at a hiking shelter, and who seemed to be friends with Ursus.
Rhys is more than he seems, and, without giving away the surprises, the story involves the conflicts between duty and desire, and love and self. A true fairy tale.
****½ "Driftwood" by MaryJanice Davidson. This is a crossover story, involving one of the Wyndham werewolves and one of Betsy's vampires.
Burke is a bit of a rarity among werewolves, in that he's a loner. Serena is a vampire who wants to get revenge on the vampire who killed her best friend. But before she can do that, she finds herself stuck in a deep pit on a beach.
Burke comes to help her out, but it's daylight, so she refuses his help, whereupon he jumps down into the pit with her, freaks out (werewolves are notoriously claustrophic), changes (the full moon just rose), and claws his way out.
The next day he comes back to find what he assumes will be her body, and discovers a very annoyed, but very not-dead Serena.
These two are a little darker than MJD's usual couples, but there's still a lot of humor, and they're definitely a couple that's made for each other.
**½ "Mona Lisa Three" by Sunny. This novella follows Mona Lisa Awakening and concerns Mona Lisa and her entourage needing to move to their new territory. But before they can, they've got to go shopping. And her mother, Mona Sera, comes demanding that Mona Lisa either heal her warrior who's been bitten by a hellhound, or give up one of her own warriors in his place. I've no idea where the "three" comes from--as far as I can tell, this is the second story in the series.
Continuing in the tradition of the first book, this story is even more "LKH-lite." For a short story, there are interminable descriptions of Mona Lisa clothing her reluctant his-em in tight pants, and yet more characters who fall madly in love with Mona Lisa, including of course the warrior she heals, the hellhound, and its mistress.
There's never any question of whether she can heal the warrior--all it takes is her magical orgasm.
I'm not going to list all the parallels between this series and LKH's two series. Suffice it to say that the parallels continue, and that if you like LKH's more recent books, you'll like this one, and if you don't, you won't.
Elena is a Chosen--that is, she's a descendant of one of the original Direkind
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created by Merlin rather than one who was merely bitten and turned. The Chosen are exclusionary and patriarchal, and Elena's father has decreed that she must marry another Chosen, the sadistic Stephen.In order to save herself and change things for the rest of the Chosen females, Elena turns to relatively new Direkind Lucas, a cop in a nearby town, for help.
For a novella, this story has quite a lot going on. The werewolf politics are clear, and both Elena and Lucas are easily identifiable characters. It's less easy to believe the declaration of love at the end, but given the novella length, and the fact that they have similar and complementary personalities, and are in tune enough with each other to spirit link, I'll buy it.
****½ "Between the Mountain and the Moon" by Virginia Kantra. This story is apparently connected to Virginia Kantra's story in Man of My Dreams, which, unfortunately, I haven't read. Yet. But that doesn't make a difference with understanding this story.
Cait is hiking the Appalachian trail with a group of friends. An injury causes two of them to turn back, and she's left with Josh, whose interest in her wanes when she declines to share his bed.
Still, he's better than nothing, she thinks, except that when she's chased by the menacing Ursus and gets lost, he doesn't come for her, and she's left at the mercy of Rhys, a man they met the night before at a hiking shelter, and who seemed to be friends with Ursus.
Rhys is more than he seems, and, without giving away the surprises, the story involves the conflicts between duty and desire, and love and self. A true fairy tale.
****½ "Driftwood" by MaryJanice Davidson. This is a crossover story, involving one of the Wyndham werewolves and one of Betsy's vampires.
Burke is a bit of a rarity among werewolves, in that he's a loner. Serena is a vampire who wants to get revenge on the vampire who killed her best friend. But before she can do that, she finds herself stuck in a deep pit on a beach.
Burke comes to help her out, but it's daylight, so she refuses his help, whereupon he jumps down into the pit with her, freaks out (werewolves are notoriously claustrophic), changes (the full moon just rose), and claws his way out.
The next day he comes back to find what he assumes will be her body, and discovers a very annoyed, but very not-dead Serena.
These two are a little darker than MJD's usual couples, but there's still a lot of humor, and they're definitely a couple that's made for each other.
**½ "Mona Lisa Three" by Sunny. This novella follows Mona Lisa Awakening and concerns Mona Lisa and her entourage needing to move to their new territory. But before they can, they've got to go shopping. And her mother, Mona Sera, comes demanding that Mona Lisa either heal her warrior who's been bitten by a hellhound, or give up one of her own warriors in his place. I've no idea where the "three" comes from--as far as I can tell, this is the second story in the series.
Continuing in the tradition of the first book, this story is even more "LKH-lite." For a short story, there are interminable descriptions of Mona Lisa clothing her reluctant his-em in tight pants, and yet more characters who fall madly in love with Mona Lisa, including of course the warrior she heals, the hellhound, and its mistress.
There's never any question of whether she can heal the warrior--all it takes is her magical orgasm.
I'm not going to list all the parallels between this series and LKH's two series. Suffice it to say that the parallels continue, and that if you like LKH's more recent books, you'll like this one, and if you don't, you won't.
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LibraryThing member tdfangirl
I wish I could rate the stories separately instead of the anthology as a whole, because Kantra's story would get four stars, Davidson's would get three, Knight's would get two, and Sunny's would get one (because I can't actually give it zero stars).Kantra's story claims to be an Eros/Psyche story,
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but to me it's more like a modern play on Tam Lin. The main character finds a rift between the mortal and faerie worlds while hiking the Appalachian trail and meets a fascinating man who is not what he seems. It's a very nonstandard romance, with no flowery prose and only one, brief love scene, but the story itself really interested me.Davidson's story is funny, and I really appreciated that the heroine is a black woman. It's rare that you see heroines of color in mainstream romances.Knight's story had some seriously hot sex, and the plot had potential to be interesting, but as a short story, everything happened way too fast. The hero and heroine fall madly in love and do some crazy werewolf soulbonding thing the day after they meet for the first time. Blech.I couldn't even finish Sunny's story. Take Anita Blake and make her a thousand times more beautiful, sexy, and speshul, and you've got this Mona Lisa character. I gave up after the author had described her three regular lovers and went into how the Prince of Hell or whoever he was is totally hot in the pants for her, too. Puh-leeze. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
I really enjoyed this quartet of different supernatural stories and had a couple pleasant surprises as well.
Angela Knight's tale set alongside her mageverse series was the story of one of the Chosen (werewolf royalty) and her decision to run from the marriage arranged by her father to an abusive
The second story by Virginia Kantra was a pleasant surprise. It was a continuation of her previous story which was my favorite short in the anthology Man of My Dreams. In this short story the daughter of a librarian and escaped Fairy sacrifice is unwittingly drawn to a man who represents a heritage she has no knowledge of.
MaryJanice Davidson's short story of love between a moody vampire and rouge werewolf was very cute.
The last short story by Sunny was a continuation of her "Mona Lisa" books which I have not yet read, but are on my wishlist. Although this short story probably has ruined some of the suspense of what happens in the former book(s), it has also made me much more anxious to read her Mona Lisa stories. Where I was merely curious before, now I'm definitely interested in finding out more about Mona Lisa and how her story started.
Overall this was a very worthwhile anthology and I would certainly recommend it to any fan of paranormal romances.
Angela Knight's tale set alongside her mageverse series was the story of one of the Chosen (werewolf royalty) and her decision to run from the marriage arranged by her father to an abusive
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suitor. Will the newly bitten police detective she picks as her champion be strong enough to stand against an insane suitor, her father and his minions?The second story by Virginia Kantra was a pleasant surprise. It was a continuation of her previous story which was my favorite short in the anthology Man of My Dreams. In this short story the daughter of a librarian and escaped Fairy sacrifice is unwittingly drawn to a man who represents a heritage she has no knowledge of.
MaryJanice Davidson's short story of love between a moody vampire and rouge werewolf was very cute.
The last short story by Sunny was a continuation of her "Mona Lisa" books which I have not yet read, but are on my wishlist. Although this short story probably has ruined some of the suspense of what happens in the former book(s), it has also made me much more anxious to read her Mona Lisa stories. Where I was merely curious before, now I'm definitely interested in finding out more about Mona Lisa and how her story started.
Overall this was a very worthwhile anthology and I would certainly recommend it to any fan of paranormal romances.
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LibraryThing member amf0001
An easy time waster, you're happy while you're reading it but the next day you can't really remember what any of the stories were about. Angela Knight's one wasn't bad - a wolf during her burning moon runs away to a made (rather than born) alpha wolf cop, rather than staying with her abusive
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fiance. MJD had a reasonably funny Wyndham werewolves tale, where a lone wolf falls for an African American vampire (don't meet many of those, though no reason why you shouldn't!) and the Virginia Kantra was the most pleasant surprise - I hadn't heard of her, but her romance (about getting lost on the Appalacian trail) was the most romantic of the lot, and nicley written. I nver like Sunny, so didn't read her chapter. Show Less
LibraryThing member jgmccann8704
"Three beloved bestselling superstars and one exciting new voice in paranormal romance come together in an anthology of startling seduction."
All of the stories were good! But one of them was hard for me to get into but it got better as it went on.
All of the stories were good! But one of them was hard for me to get into but it got better as it went on.
LibraryThing member readingrat
As usual with a collection of short stories, this was a mixed bag. One very good story (I will be looking for more from Angela Knight), two mediocre ones, and one rather lame offering I probably wouldn't have even bothered with except to just finish off the book.
LibraryThing member SunnySD
A medley of lunar-related romances, some steamier than others.
Angela Knight's Direkind story fleshes out a little more background on the Chosen (those tasked to monitor the behavior of Merlin's Round Table protectors of humanity). The Chosen world is changing - at least it is if Elena has anything
MaryJanice Davidson tackles sand, surf and lack of sun with one of her typical smart-mouthed heroines and a furry side-kick on a murderous hunt in the northeast.
Virginia Kantra's heroine tackles the Fae (literally) when a graduation trip over the Appalachian Trail leads her to more adventure than she ever dreamed of.
Sunny's novella follows the Mixed Blood Queen Mona Lisa and her men as they prepare for her move to New Orleans. The short story bridges the gap between Mona Lisa Awakening and Mona Lisa Blossoming - and contains some of the steamiest sex scenes in the book.
Angela Knight's Direkind story fleshes out a little more background on the Chosen (those tasked to monitor the behavior of Merlin's Round Table protectors of humanity). The Chosen world is changing - at least it is if Elena has anything
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to say about it!MaryJanice Davidson tackles sand, surf and lack of sun with one of her typical smart-mouthed heroines and a furry side-kick on a murderous hunt in the northeast.
Virginia Kantra's heroine tackles the Fae (literally) when a graduation trip over the Appalachian Trail leads her to more adventure than she ever dreamed of.
Sunny's novella follows the Mixed Blood Queen Mona Lisa and her men as they prepare for her move to New Orleans. The short story bridges the gap between Mona Lisa Awakening and Mona Lisa Blossoming - and contains some of the steamiest sex scenes in the book.
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LibraryThing member onyx95
- Moon Dance by Angela Knight
Lucas Rolling of the Harrisville Police Department had been bitten. Now that he was a Direkind (werewolf) his size and strength showed him to be an alpha type. An alpha was what Elena Livingston needed if she wanted out of the marriage her aging father had just
**** Book 3.5 ….. Really enjoyed Lucas and Elena in this story. A few different approaches to were-lore making this a story that I would like to see more of. The magic of Merlin angle and the hierarchy of the Chosen was only barely touched on, but very interesting. Turns out this is just a novella (short story) in the Mageverse series, I really need to get Masters of the Night (the first full sized book of the series).
- Between the Mountain and the Moon by Virginia Kantra
Deciding that a hike on the Appalachian Trail might help focus on the rest of her life, Cait MacLean headed out with a few friends. Getting separated from her friends and meeting other hikers, she found herself doing things that normally she would have put more thought into. Meeting her on the mountain trail had gone as planned but seeing her, getting to know her made Rhys realize that he wanted to change the rest of the plans.
**** The fairy tale world comes to life for Cate and her family. Would have liked more information about how this fairy tale worked, most of the story I was curious then after I started to figure things out I found that it was a good combination of fairy tale, romance and suspense even if it did take a while to get to the good stuff. The authors note says that Cait’s mom & dads story can be found as a novella (Midsummer Nights Magic).
- Driftwood by MaryJanice Davidson
Finally finding where the vampire that trended her and killer her best friend was living, Serena Crull made her way to Cape Cod. Getting stuck in a sand put and finding no way out might have changed her plane for revenge if Burke Wolftaur hadn’t found her. Leaving her there was the hardest thing he had ever done, but the full moon was rising and he was about to change. Coming back to dig her out and only expecting to find her body, he was surprised and became devoted after finding her alive and mad.
*** Book 5.5 ….. I have had problems with the last book I read in the series that this is loosely connected to, but this novella was actually a bit better. Not sure how Serena got stuck in the sand pit but I did enjoy the unique meeting it prompted. Burke had many sides to him, something I thought him stupid and the sometimes kind but overall I liked him as the strong beta he was. Liked Serena’s understanding and accepting side that she showed at the end of the story more than her attitude in the beginning. Still stumbling with the writing style of this author, it seems to take a lot of getting use to.
- Mona Lisa Three by Sunny
Preparing to leave the city and find her new home, Mona Lisa found her mother Mona Sera asking a favor. Healing Beldar was not something she wanted to do considering what he had tried to do to her. With the help of her personal guards Gryphon, Amber and Chami, she may be able to get them all out of the city alive and together.
*** Book 2 ….. What a strange series. Might be that I haven’t read enough to understand it, but for the most part I find it (the character of Mona Lisa) an excuse to have a another sex scene. Don’t understand the appeal of Mona Lisa other than her gift of healing. Again maybe because I have only read this series (Monere: Children of the Moon) in a couple of novellas. I might be missing something. It was interesting enough that I will probably find Mona Lisa Awakening, the first novel of the series.
Lucas Rolling of the Harrisville Police Department had been bitten. Now that he was a Direkind (werewolf) his size and strength showed him to be an alpha type. An alpha was what Elena Livingston needed if she wanted out of the marriage her aging father had just
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arranged for her.**** Book 3.5 ….. Really enjoyed Lucas and Elena in this story. A few different approaches to were-lore making this a story that I would like to see more of. The magic of Merlin angle and the hierarchy of the Chosen was only barely touched on, but very interesting. Turns out this is just a novella (short story) in the Mageverse series, I really need to get Masters of the Night (the first full sized book of the series).
- Between the Mountain and the Moon by Virginia Kantra
Deciding that a hike on the Appalachian Trail might help focus on the rest of her life, Cait MacLean headed out with a few friends. Getting separated from her friends and meeting other hikers, she found herself doing things that normally she would have put more thought into. Meeting her on the mountain trail had gone as planned but seeing her, getting to know her made Rhys realize that he wanted to change the rest of the plans.
**** The fairy tale world comes to life for Cate and her family. Would have liked more information about how this fairy tale worked, most of the story I was curious then after I started to figure things out I found that it was a good combination of fairy tale, romance and suspense even if it did take a while to get to the good stuff. The authors note says that Cait’s mom & dads story can be found as a novella (Midsummer Nights Magic).
- Driftwood by MaryJanice Davidson
Finally finding where the vampire that trended her and killer her best friend was living, Serena Crull made her way to Cape Cod. Getting stuck in a sand put and finding no way out might have changed her plane for revenge if Burke Wolftaur hadn’t found her. Leaving her there was the hardest thing he had ever done, but the full moon was rising and he was about to change. Coming back to dig her out and only expecting to find her body, he was surprised and became devoted after finding her alive and mad.
*** Book 5.5 ….. I have had problems with the last book I read in the series that this is loosely connected to, but this novella was actually a bit better. Not sure how Serena got stuck in the sand pit but I did enjoy the unique meeting it prompted. Burke had many sides to him, something I thought him stupid and the sometimes kind but overall I liked him as the strong beta he was. Liked Serena’s understanding and accepting side that she showed at the end of the story more than her attitude in the beginning. Still stumbling with the writing style of this author, it seems to take a lot of getting use to.
- Mona Lisa Three by Sunny
Preparing to leave the city and find her new home, Mona Lisa found her mother Mona Sera asking a favor. Healing Beldar was not something she wanted to do considering what he had tried to do to her. With the help of her personal guards Gryphon, Amber and Chami, she may be able to get them all out of the city alive and together.
*** Book 2 ….. What a strange series. Might be that I haven’t read enough to understand it, but for the most part I find it (the character of Mona Lisa) an excuse to have a another sex scene. Don’t understand the appeal of Mona Lisa other than her gift of healing. Again maybe because I have only read this series (Monere: Children of the Moon) in a couple of novellas. I might be missing something. It was interesting enough that I will probably find Mona Lisa Awakening, the first novel of the series.
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LibraryThing member chairettie
This book has 4 novella's. I wasn't really aware of that when I mooched. I read the first story and it was good, the second as well. I go to the third and just couldn't read it and the forth seemed as bad as the 3rd so I didn't bother to read it either. I wouldn't recommend this book but the first
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2 authors stories I did like so I would likely read a novel they wrote. Show Less
Original publication date
2007-01-30
Physical description
329 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
0425213439 / 9780425213438