My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon

by P. N. Elrod (Editor)

Paperback, 2007

Status

Available

Call number

813.0873808

Publication

St. Martin's Griffin (2007), Edition: 1st, 368 pages

Description

What newly married couple doesn't dream of a romantic retreat where they can escape the world for a while -- but what happens when supernatural forces intrude on their wedded bliss? Nine of today's hottest paranormal authors answer that question in this all-star collection of supernatural stories. Can a vampire-hunter enjoy her honeymoon after learning that her new hubby is a werewolf? How can newlyweds focus on their wedding night when their honeymoon suite is haunted by feuding ghosts? And what's a wizard to do when a gruesome monster kidnaps the bride on her way home from the wedding? With so much otherworldly mayhem awaiting our newlyweds, will they ever get around to the honeymoon itself? Find out in...My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon. Kelley Armstrong Jim Butcher Rachel Caine P.N. Elrod Caitlin Kittredge Marjorie M. Liu Katie MacAlister Lilith Saintcrow Ronda Thompson… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member SunnySD

Kelley Armstrong: "Stalked" - Elena finally gets her "honeymoon" (although minus the marriage), but Clay's finding making everything perfect a bit boring. That is until a mutt starts stalking Elena. Suddenly things get much more exciting.

Jim Butcher: "Herot" - When a young bride about to leave on

her honeymoon disappears from a brewing competition Harry Dresden can't quite resists getting involved. Especially when a beautiful blond sticks her nose in.

Rachel Caine: "Roman Holiday or SPO-rrrrr" - Continues where "Dead Man's Chest" left off. Just because Liam's now alive doesn't mean things will run smoothly. It's never a good sign when mutiny's the least of your worries!

P.N. Elrod: "Her Mother's Daughter" - When the groom disappears at the wedding reception it's usually a sign of cold feet, but in this case private eye (and vampire) Jack Flemming suspects foul play.

Caitlin Kittredge: "Newlydeads, a Tale of Black London" - Detective Pete Caldecott and her friend Jack Winter get the perks of the honeymoon suite (free room service, whirlpool bath, complimentary brunch, dead thing in the bath tub...) when they check in to the Paradise Palace Casino & Resort in Blackpool. But even through her growing depression Pete can tell something's not quite right....

Marjorie M. Liu: "Where the Heart Lives" - as the prologue notes, this fills in a small bit of background detail regarding the antecedents of the Dirk & Steele agency. Shapechangers, wedding day abductions, and long-delayed honeymoons here.

Katie MacAlister: "Cat Got Your Tongue?" - What's a honeymoon at a haunted castle without a few ghosts? Closer to perfect than the one that Raphel St. John and his new bride get to enjoy when they reserve the Lord's suite at an old castle in Scotland.

Lilith Saintcrow: "Half of Being Married" - All Mitch wanted was to give his Kat a perfect honeymoon. She didn't have any objections - until the vampires turned up and her oath kicked in. Secrets, it's all about secrets. What you keep from your partner might just do more than get you killed...

Ronda Thompson: "A Wulf in Groom's Clothing" - Sam figured consummating their marriage would break the curse that turns him furry once a month. But when morning rolls around and he's still feeling howly, and his new bride is so not the outdoors woman she claimed to be, things get complicated.

"Newlydeads" and "Her Mother's Daughter" had me interested. The others were good, but not standout. Borrow, don't buy, at least until you read it.

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LibraryThing member MelindaLibrary

The first two stories were enjoyable (by Kelley Armstrong and Jim Butcher), there was a TSTL (too stupid to live) story (by Lilith Saintcrow), one with potential for a full-fledged book (by Majorie M. Liu), and the rest were just okay.

LibraryThing member phyllis2779

I'm glad I didn't buy this book or even mooch. Getting it from the library was just fine. One or two of the stories were worth reading -- engrossing, funny, or seriously romantic enough. But some of them just stank, like the one from Katie MacAlister, whose wok I normally like a lot. Big

disappointment in this book. I just had to drag myself through it.

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LibraryThing member les121

After greatly enjoying My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, I’m more than a little disappointed in this follow up. The stories by Kelley Armstrong, Jim Butcher, and P.N. Elrod are great - funny, entertaining, action packed - and Rachel Caine and Marjorie M. Liu also made good efforts. But the other

half of the stories, the ones written by Caitlin Kittredge, Katie MacAlister, Lilith Saintcrow, and Ronda Thompson, just plain sucked. The characters were whiny, self-absorbed, and stupid, and I had to force myself to keep reading because I didn’t care at all what happened to them. Overall, the stories started out wonderful but went downhill until becoming unbearable, a total drudgery to read. I only recommend this anthology if you’re a fan of one of the big-name authors, and even then you might want to consider skipping this one.

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LibraryThing member MisfitRhi

Putting the full moon in 'honeymoon'...

We've taken a look at the wild and weird wedding photos, now it's time to hitch a ride on the honeymoon train. Here are a handful of supernatural stories of post-wedding vacations gone awry.

[STALKED] by Kelley Armstrong is a Clay and Elena story from her

Women of the Otherworld series. When a mutt interupts Clay's special honeymoon plans for Elena he's got to get rid of the bastard without drawing attention to it. Fans of Armstrong's characters will probably love this one but hearing it from Clay's perspective felt weird to me. 3/5 stars

[HEOROT] by Jim Butcher brings readers into the world of Harry Dresden for a quickie adventure. Harry and his dog Mouse are set after a grendelkin who has kidnapped a young bride just setting out on her honeymoon. While I've still not delved into the Dresden Files Butcher knows how to deliver an entertaining short story that even non-fans of the series can enjoy. 4/5 stars

[ROMAN HOLIDAY or SPQ-ARRRRRR] by Rachel Caine picks up where her story from My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding left off. Celia and Liam Lockhart are about to set off on their honeymoon but first they've got to deal with mutiny and a couple of cursed bad guys on the high seas. Another cute piratical adventure from Caine, a fun follow-up to her previous tale of pirates. 4/5 stars

[HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER] by P.N. Elrod drops readers into the world of Elrod's Vampire Files with Jack Fleming being rushed to a reception to find a missing groom. Twists and turns lead Jack through some interesting social curiosities all while hiding the fact that he is in fact, a vampire. Another series I've not read but certainly does tickle my curiosity with Elrod's narrative style, one I am sure Vampire Files fans would enjoy but readable by anybody. 4/5 stars

[NEWLYDEADS] by Caitlin Kittredge leads readers through a confusing plot that introduces her leading characters for her Black London series (which wasn't released yet when this anthology was released but rather, just came out June 2009). Newlyweds and strange happenings at a nice hotel/resort make for a strange story of spooky magic. Liked the characters introduced but this story confused the heck out of me, I was completely lost with no explanation of the finer details this series will introduce. 3/5 stars

[WHERE THE HEART LIVES] by Marjorie M. Liu is noted as taking place long before the events of her Dirk & Steele series but basically being tied to it. When a young woman is thrust from her home and sent to live with strangers who care for a cemetery ghostly happenings and a dangerous mystery in the woods threaten her. This one IMO really didn't fit the honeymoon theme of the book very well but was a great story I very much enjoyed. 4/5 stars

[CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE] by Katie MacAlister follows characters from her Dark Ones series through a honeymoon adventure in a haunted castle. When Raphael St. John and his bride meet up with the ghosts of Fyfe Castle they might get more than they bargained for in this vacation package. A little too silly for my tastes I (again) think fans of the series who wanted to know more about Raphael will like what they read. 3/5 stars

[HALF OF BEING MARRIED] by Lilith Saintcrow is typical Saintcrow originality poured into print for a clever, exciting adventure that flies by fast. Mr. and Mrs. Black have just started their honeymoon when they find out that their most important secrets they've been hiding from one another could be a deal-breaker, if the vampires don't get to them first! Saintcrow's writing is always hit or miss with me, love it or hate it she knows how to create really unique stuff and this is no exception... pretty darned good for a short story. 4/5 stars

[A WULF IN GROOM'S CLOTHING] by Ronda Thompson is a modern Wulf family (from her historical paranormal Wild Wulfs of London trilogy) tale of a newlywed Wulf and his unbroken curse. Sam hoped his curse would be broken once he and Laura married and consumated their marriage but when he still turns wolfy he's going to have to tell her the truth. This was cute but not overly fluffy and really made me wish that Thompson (who passed away last summer) was going to be writing more. 4/5 stars

Overall not quite as strong of a collection as My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding but definitely a nicely balanced one. Lots of tie-ins to other series written by these authors so their fans really shouldn't miss out on picking this one up. So what's next? An anniversaries collection maybe? Enjoy!

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LibraryThing member JalenV

I hadn't read any of the Women of the Other World when I first read "Stalked". The story was more enjoyable the second time, even though I prefer Paige and Savannah to Elena. The Harry Dresden story was good. I liked the monsters. "Roman Holiday or SPQarrrrrr" was a fun piece of fluff, although I

admit that the pun in the title is my favorite part. The Jack Fleming story was great. I wonder if the bride's sisters are as formidable as the bride and their mom. I hadn't read "Cold Streets" the first time I read "Her Mother's Daughter," so I didn't know what a horrible experience Jack had had only a month before this case. Now I do and it's worth a shiver. Still haven't read anything else about Black London, but I did enjoy the Lovecraftian atmosphere of "Newlydeads". Really can't blame Pete Caldecott for being depressed, considering what she said had happened before this weekend jaunt. Pete isn't on her honeymoon any more than Harry or Jack were in the last two stories, but what happens to the honeymooners in this tale is grimmer. "Where the Heart Lives" is a very nice story. For the third time in a row, it's the main character who needs to help a honeymoon couple in trouble. "Cat Got Your Tongue?" is another lighthearted title and the story that follows is even more of a romp than Ms. Caine's story. "Half of Being Married" is a cautionary tale about telling the truth about yourself before you get married. It wasn't bad. I could say the same for the last story, "A Wulf in Groom's Clothing". None of these stories deserves fewer than three stars, in my opinion, and a few are definitely worth four. I love bats and red is my favorite color, so of course I love the spooky bed on the cover of my copy.

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LibraryThing member Carissa.Green

Let's be honest: Anthologies like this are compiled for two reasons. One - to sell to fans of existing series who want one more installment from characters they like, or Two - to attract readers to series they are not yet reading. I read this book because it has an installment in Katie MacAlister's

Dark Ones series, and it was indeed a nice little tale about the honeymoon of Joy and Raphael - but not absolutely necessary. Most of the stories stand alone just fine, but you do get the feeling that there's more behind the story that you don't know (which is the case). So, if you think you'd like a book of short stories about various vampire hunters, demon-slayers, werewolves, and other paranormal types on their honeymoons, go for it. If not, pass. For me, the best story was the Harry Dresden tale (no, Harry's not on his honeymoon); the worst story was by far the last story -- poorly written, to say the least.

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LibraryThing member ChristineEllei

A collection of short stories by some of todays best known "supernatural" authors including Kelley Armstrong, Jim Butcher, and Rachel Cain. As the title suggests all of the stories were of the "supernatural" variety, were based on the honeymoon theme, and were for the most part light-hearted. It

was a nice light read to take on vacation. It also introduced me to a new character by the name of Harry Dresden. I will definitely be checking out the books by Jim Butcher.

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LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing

The problem with these stories was that all the authors already had a series, or wanted one. Authors like Armstrog and Butcher had to introduce new readers to their long-established worlds while not alienating old readers. New authors felt the need to fit entire mythologies and backstories into the

honeymoons. Few were even marginally successful.
The readable
Stalked, by Kelly Armstrong. Cute interplay between Elena, the only female werewolf, and her new husband (but old flame) Clay. This was one of the only stories that made me believe the newlyweds actually liked each other.

Herot, by Jim Butcher. I hate Butcher almost as much as I hate his main character, the wizard Harry Dresden, but this was a pretty good story. The plot wasn't great and the big reveal wasn't a revelation. That said, the story had a good pace and a great fight scene.

Her Mother's Daughter by PN Elrod. A sweet little noir tale about a vamp detective (hah!) seeking a woman's new husband, who disappeared during the wedding reception.

Roman Holiday by Rachel Caine had a ridiculous premise and two silly main characters, but one of the pirate antagonists was hot as hell. I'd read an entire series about HIM.

Newlydeads by Caitlin Kittredge. I really liked the two main characters--Pete, a London detective who has just learned about the supernatural, and her childhood friend Jack, a (former?) junkie mage. I intend to track down more by Kittredge. [edited to add: I did and I regret it. It was awful!]

Where the Heart Lives by Marjorie M Liu was fine.

The terrible:
Cat got your Tongue by Kate MacAlister. Ugh. Cutesy couple encounters equally cutesy ghosts in cutesy Scottish castle.

Half of Being Married by Lilith Saintcrow. A werewolf and a vampire hunter marry and only discover each other's secrets during the honeymoon. For some reason, this story just rubbed me the wrong way, I think because it was so clearly a slightly altered, much condensed version of a book I've read by her.

A Wulf In Grooms Clothing by Ronda Thompson. This one was so badly written as to be embarrassing.

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LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq

2.5 Stars

I liked this, but not as much as "My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding". The reason being, some of these stories were quite dark and not-so-romantic nor was there as much humor within...but there was an underlying theme of fighting for & rescuing a beloved. All were well written and interesting

however not so entertaining.

A few of the story lines:

* Werewolves being stalked on their honeymoon

* A Honeymoon/Family Casino resort where people just disappear

* Jack Fleming aiding a Chicago Gangster's daughter find her kidnapped groom

* Harry Dresden going underground to rescue a bride from a fertile Grendel

* A young girl sent to live with a family that keeps a graveyard...who rescues a stolen bride from the Queen of the Forest

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LibraryThing member ChrisWeir

Anthology of Honeymoon stories. All have a plot line of something supernaturals being on their honeymoon and invariably something goes wrong. Seems to cover a wide variety of things, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and witches. Some stories were great others I thought were terrible. Some that stick in

my mind are a noir vampire story where the groom has gone missing. A haunted castle that now functions as a B&B. Werewolves who are on their honeymoon and are being stalked by a younger werewolf.

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LibraryThing member JDpirate5

MMkay, so I first mentioned this book here.

"What newly married couple doesn't dream of a romantic retreat where they can escape the world for a while—but what happens when supernatural forces intrude on their wedded bliss?
Nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors answer that question in this

all-star collection of supernatural stories. Can a vampire-hunter enjoy her honeymoon when she’s just learned that her new hubby is a werewolf? How can newlyweds focus on their wedding night when their honeymoon suite is haunted by feuding ghosts? And what’s a wizard to do when a gruesome monster kidnaps the bride on her way home from the wedding?

With so much otherworldly mayhem awaiting our newlyweds, will they ever get around to the honeymoon itself? Find out in…My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon.

* Kelley Armstrong
* Jim Butcher
* Rachel Caine
* P.N. Elrod
* Caitlin Kittredge
* Marjorie M. Liu
* Katie MacAlister
* Lilith Saintcrow
* Ronda Thompson"

The only two stories that I read in this anthology were Kelley Armstrong's, and, once I discovered it there, Rachel Caine's.
(I'm not much for anthologies)
I had only intended to read Armstrong's account of Clay and Elena's honeymoon, but once I spotted Caine's name, how could I resist?
Neither lady let me down!

Armstrong's characters were true-to-form, and didn't feel forced as often happens in short stories for anthologies. It was wonderful to be able to spend new time with them again and I'm absolutely salivating for the next few books in her various series!

While I had never before met the characters Caine presented in her story (as, if what I deduced is correct, they are the products of several magazine submissions), I was instantly interested in them.

Both of these authors have such a strong hook when it comes to the people they introduce you to!
That, I truly believe, makes or breaks a story.

I am very interested now in hunting down the full story of Caine's sweet and sassy pirate and his accidental savior/lover!

I also recommend this anthology--particularly, of course, these two stories in it!

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