Tag Archives: Kelley Armstrong

The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance edited by Trisha Telep

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Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of paranormal romance book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance
Author: Trisha Telep, Carrie Vaughn, Cheyenne McCray, Kelley Armstrong, Anna Windsor, Anya Bast, Jean Johnson, C. T. Adams, Cathy Clamp, Holly Lisle, Mary Jo Putney, Eve Silver, Ilona Andrews, Dina James, Maria V. Snyder, Catherine Mulvany, Jeaniene Frost, Lori Devoti, Sara Mackenzie, Lynda Hilburn, Alyssa Day, Michelle Rowen, Rachel Caine, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Meljean Brook & Allyson James
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Dates read: 3rd July – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: I also didn’t feel threatened, or that I should try to escape his firm but tender grip.

Synopsis

Fall in love with someone out of this world

If love transcends all boundaries then paranormal romance is its logical conclusion. From the biggest names around, here are 24 tales to take you to another time and place.

Let Alyssa Day, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cheyenne McCray, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Carrie Vaughn, Allyson James Marland and others show you powers beyond your wildest imaginings.

Within these pages mythical beasts, magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels, and mortals with extra-sensitive sensory perception play out the themes of extraordinary desires.

Thoughts

The thing that I love most about this collection is that it completely runs the gambit of supernatural and paranormal creatures. There are a number of standalone stories and tales that are part of series. But mostly, there’s just stories which feature vampires and werewolves; djinn and selkies. Some of the paranormal beings that feature in this are not ones that I normally come across. Which of course just made it all that much more exciting. You didn’t know what sort of paranormal creature would be next!

These stories were all sweet and incredibly easy to read. They’re tales which make you happy and kind of hopeful about true love. Something which I think everyone needs at some point in their lives. Having said that, there were a few unwieldy stories in this collection. They weren’t annoyingly so, but a few did need to be reread so that I could grasp what was really happening.

I recognised most of the authors in this collection. Which was good, because then I could turn to my shelves in some cases and grab down the books that will get me a further fix of their writing. There were a few that I need to add to my wish list. But mostly I got to enjoy the collection, without feeling the insane need to buy more, more, more books… which is probably a good thing for my bank account.

<- The Mammoth Book of On the RoadThe Temptation of Robin Green ->

Image source: Goodreads

Urban Enemies edited by Joseph Nassise

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Overview
Image result for urban enemies book cover

Title: Urban Enemies
Author: Joseph Nassise, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Jeff Somers, Craig Schaefer, Lilith Saintcrow, Kevin Hearne, Caitlin Kittredge, Carrie Vaughn, Jonathan Maberry, Faith Hunter, Jon F. Merz, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Steven Savile, Domino Finn, Seanan McGuire & Sam Witt
In: Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Short story collections, Urban fantasy, Villains
Dates read: 31st July – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: He’d sent her out of the morgue just long enough to make a quick phone call in private.

Synopsis

Villains have all the fun

For every hero trying to save the world, there’s a villain trying to tear it all down – and in this star-studded urban fantasy anthology, the villains get their say. Told from antagonists’ points of view, this is a rare glimpse into the dark side of your favorite series.

John Marcone decides to battle a cantrev lord instead of going after Harry Dresden in Jim Butcher’s “Even Hand” (Dresden Files). Loki traverses Hell to ahve a sit-down with Lucifer in Kevin Hearn’es “The Naughtiest Cherub” (Iron Druid Chronicles). Kelley Armstrong’s “Hounded” (Cainsville) tells the tale of the Huntsman’s plot to replace his missing hound in a most surprising fashion. The cuckoos are powerful telepathic predators, but one finds herself with difficult decisions to make in Seanan McGuire’s “Balance” (InCryptid). In Jonathan Maberry’s “Altar Boy” (Joe Ledger), the man called Toys is no saint, and certainly isn’t playing around…

Includes other stories by Domino Finn (Black Magic Outlaw), Diana Pharaoh Francis (Horngate Witches), Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock), Caitlin Kittredge (Hellhound Chronicles), Jon F. Merz (Lawson Vampire), Joseph Nassise (Templar Chronicles), Lilith Saintcrow (Jill Kismet), Steven Savile (Glass Town), Craig Schaefer (Daniel Faust), Jeff Somers (The Ustari Cycle), Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville), and Sam Witt (Pitchfork County).

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this collection, but it was a little more difficult to get through. Unlike a lot of anthologies, every single one of these stories was placed in an already established world and series. However, unlike the few other books that I’ve read which have the same setup, these shorts didn’t stand by themselves very well. Actually, some were just downright confusing because I had no idea what was happening.

What I did love about this collection is that even though I wasn’t 100% about what was happening… there was a little introduction at the beginning of each story. It just explained the worlds and series in a brief manner. Not excellently because I still didn’t actually get what was happening in a number of stories, but enough that it helped me to place the stories a little.

I’d be keen to reread a number of these short stories. Particularly once I’ve actually read the series in which they are situated. At this point, they’re all on my wish list, so it’ll happen… eventually. I seriously need to stop starting a series and then starting a new one… should really finish a few before I get too hooked into a new series.

 <- EverywhereEven Hand ->

Image source: Simon & Schuster

Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton

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Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Haunted Nights
Author: Ellen Datlow, Lisa Morton, Seanan McGuire, Stephen Graham Jones, Jonathan Maberry, Joanna Parypinski, Garth Nix, Kate Jonez, Jeffrey Ford, Kelley Armstrong, S. P. Miskowski, Brian Evenson, Elise Forier Edie, Eric J. Guignard, Paul Kane, Pat Cadigan, John Langan & John R. Little
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections
Dates read: 2nd November – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: “Very good,” said I.

Synopsis

Halloween is the night the monsters come out to play. Long before its traditions became defined by mass-produced masks, blood-soaked horror films, and carved pumpkins, the murky origins of All Hallows’ Eve lay rooted in dark festivals and black magick, in old fables of diabolical tricksters and murderous pranks, and in tales of cursed souls lost in purgatory, of vengeance and changelings.

From sly modern narratives to haunting traditional stories, from the brutal to the experimental, these sixteen stories brilliantly and terrifyingly explore the many facets, cultures, and traditions of our most provocative holiday.

Thoughts

This selection is super creepy, intense and wonderful. I absolutely adored it. Even if I spent a lot of the time reading it with my feet curled under me feeling incredibly overwhelmed and somewhat horrified. A whole new world was introduced as I read through this. This might be why I’m starting to get into the horror genre though…

A few of the stories in this did make me laugh. But, mostly they were haunting. Not outright scary like a Stephen King novel, but this lingering feeling of overwhelming discomfort due to something in these stories. I can’t even put my finger on the cause of my discomfort… but after reading one of these short stories I was almost always left feeling like I was just slightly haunted… which was interesting.

Although this collection did make me understand America’s obsession with Halloween a little more. I still don’t like the holiday. There is just something about it that doesn’t sit well with me. So whilst this bought a great new light to a holiday I know basically nothing about… I’m still not convinced that it’s one that I want anything to do with.

<- The Folding ManWith Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds ->

Image source: Amazon

Nos Galan Gaeaf by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Nos Galan Gaeaf
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cainsville #0.2
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 2nd December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: But remember this: there is no fate you cannot undo.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

In Cainsville nothing is as expected. Including Halloween. And a bit of revenge might just turn sour… and quickly.

Thoughts

Halloween has always felt like somewhat of a dark holiday to me. There is just something about it that isn’t all clean and shiny like many of the other holidays and festivals that we celebrate. So I really loved that Armstrong took this and made it even darker, twistier and waaaaaaaay scarier. She created a kind of horrible (but also bloody brilliant) story that I look forward to reading again in the future.

This story starts out with a crush. More of a lustful crush. One that isn’t reciprocated. But, it doesn’t mean that they’re evil and have cast a spell on you. It probably just means that you have a crush. This is Cainsville though. Nothing is quite that simple, and it is always much nastier than a normal response. Which is why I love it.

My favourite thing about this short story is that karma is a fickle bitch. It’s a reminder that what we plan to do to someone is likely to come back to us… tenfold. And, especially if you live in Cainsville, you should probably make sure that you think about your actions first…

<- The Screams of DragonsDevil May Care ->

Image source: Amazon

The Screams of Dragons by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for portents book cover

Title: The Screams of Dragons
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cainsville #0.1
In: Portents (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 21st October 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Kelley Armstrong
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: He let her out!

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Synopsis

Bobby has never quite fit in with his family. But when his grandmother decides that he’s a changeling, things take a turn for the worse. Only the screams of dragons seem to make him feel complete… but they might not be the safest thing to obey.

Thoughts

I kind of forgot how disturbing Kelley Armstrong’s stories are. They’re so much darker than most of the fantasy that fills my shelves. And there’s not necessarily always a happy ending… although it does mostly work out that way. This short story goes to the top of the kind of disturbing list… especially when the story features a boy who is so obviously not okay… and, eventually completely evil.

I’m a big believer in the idea that there is a little bit of darkness in all of us. That it’s our choices and the influences around us which help us to either go down the dark path, or find a way to follow the light. Bobby so definitely chose the dark path in this story. At the beginning of the tale, you believe that he is a victim, someone you should feel sympathy for and you want to find a happily ever after. But, as he starts to find his own power… the sympathy starts to seriously wane and a new emotion takes over… revulsion.

I haven’t yet read Omens and truly started the Cainsville series, I’ve only had the joy of reading a few short stories. But they’re enough to know that I’m going to love the bigger series and find Armstrong’s twisted, dark version of fantasy as enjoyable as I did with the Women of the Otherworld series. There is something way more twisted to the end of this short story than most of the other villain tales I’ve read. And the poetic justice worked absolutely brilliantly.

<- PortentsNos Galan Gaeaf ->

Image source: Amazon

Hounded by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for urban enemies book cover

Title: Hounded
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cainsville #4.5
In: Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 31st July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: She dove under and pretended to snatch his feet as he kicked.

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Synopsis

He’s a huntsman and his Hound has been taken from him. He may have found a way to find a new one, but at what cost?

Thoughts

I was kind of thrown by how creepy this story felt. I know that it was going to be a bit off-kilter since it was in a collection of tales about villains from bigger series. What I wasn’t expecting was to go from really liking a character to feeling seriously uncomfortable about their entire existence. And reason for being. To close the last page and not only want to pick up the series, but to also not ever want to confront this rogue Hunter again.

To begin with, I was expecting this story to be a tale about a misunderstood villain. Or at least one who did have a nicer, softer side. And it started off in this fashion. Although he was obviously not a “good” guy, he did miss his hound and have a sense of yearning for what he had lost. He was also quite obviously hunting a woman who was not in any sense of the word “good”. Her inability to consider others, her belief that she was the victim and the ways in which she approached those who spurned her. Well, I started to think that this woman was the actual villain and one that I didn’t really want to have much exposure to.

Normally I love tales of poetic justice. Tales which highlight that no wrongdoing goes unpunished, and that there will somehow be a form of revenge. This short story did stick to that ideal, but it wasn’t in the normal format that I enjoy. Because the person who was serving the poetic justice was also the one pushing the wrongdoer and committing sins even greater. And, in my opinion, far more heinous.

<- Even HandNigsu Ga Tesgu ->

Image source: Simon & Schuster

Paranormal Romance Blues by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of paranormal romance book cover

Title: Paranormal Romance Blues
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld Companion
In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Dates read: 12th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “What did he look like?”

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Synopsis

She’s a half demon who keeps striking out in love. But when she goes to a vampire bar and runs across a far stronger mystery, and maybe even a way to get out of her paranormal romance blues.

Thoughts

One of the things that has always disappointed me about the Women of the Otherworld series is the fact that there isn’t a novel dedicated entirely to Aaron and Cassandra. I like this version of vampires and I think that it would be much fun. But, a short story in which they make an appearance leaves me quite happy.

There has never been one inkling in my desires to go to a vampire bar. Although I love paranormal fantasy tales, I find the very idea of such a themed bar to be kind of tawdry. Which the lead in this also seems to feel the same. She not only makes fun of the hired actors for the boring simplicity of their act. It’s the kind of smart-ass response I would personally have if someone dragged me to such a place. Although, it ends up working out quite well…

I enjoyed the twist in this story. The man that was thought to be the “bad guy” wasn’t, and the one who seemed kind of innocent, was kind of, well, evil. The juxtaposition between perceptions and reality was great, and I loved how there was a sense of hope and wonder when the last page was turned.

<- Succubus SeductionJohn Doe ->

Image source: Goodreads

Dates From Hell by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong & Lori Handeland

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Overview
Image result for dates from hell book cover

Title: Dates From Hell
Author: Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong & Lori Handeland
In: Dates From Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong & Lori Handeland)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 22nd June – 11th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Avon Fiction
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: Jerking in sudden decision, she dropped the pen and pulled out the Yellow Pages, looking for the biggest insurance ad that wasn’t connected to one of Cincinnati’s older vamp families.

Synopsis

She thought her date was out of this world. Acutally, he was not of this world…

We’ve all been on bad dates, dreadful experiences that turned out to be uniquely memorable in the very worst way. But at least our partners for these detestable evenings were more or less… human!

Now Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland – four of the very best writers currently exploring the dangerous seduction of the supernatural – offer up dating disasters (and unexpected delights) of a completely different sort: dark, wicked, paranormally sensual assignations with werewolves, demon lovers, and the romantically challenged undead. Sexy, witty, chilling, and altogether remarkable, here is proof positive that some love matches are made someplace other than heaven.

Thoughts

Normally I love collections like this because you can read one novella, finish it, put it down and walk away. I did manage to do this… but it was quite a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. I had already read something by every one of these authors, and so I knew that what was just around the corner was going to be fantastic. And it was this knowledge that made it nigh on impossible to stop thinking about this storyline.

There is something about stories of horrible dates that I kind of love. Not because I’ve ever been on one (I met my other half when I was seventeen and have been stupid in love since). But I can imagine the horrors of what pretty much everyone must go through. It’s a way to live vicariously through something. Adding in the extra aspect of fantasy and the supernatural just made it all the more fun. And a little bit more alien than even a first date is to me.

Anybody who loves paranormal fantasy or romance is going to love this collection of novellas. If you also enjoy heroines who are strong and independent and more than likely to get themselves into trouble… then this is even more likely to make you deliriously happy. Like it did me… now I need another collection like this to while the nights away…

 <- Dead Man DatingUndead in the Garden of Good and Evil ->

Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Evolve edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

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Overview
Evolve

Title: Evolve
Author: Nancy Kilpatrick, Sandra Kasturi, Kelley Armstrong, Ronald Hore, Jennifer Greylyn, Mary E. Choo, Rebecca Bradley, Michael Skeet, Victoria Fisher, Kevin Cockle, Heather Clitheroe, Colleen Anderson, Sandra Wickham, Claude Bolduc, Claude Lalumiere, Rhea Rose, Gemma Files, Bev Vincent, Steve Vernon, Rio Youers, Bradley Somer, Natasha Beaulieu, Jerome Stueart, Kevin Nunn & Tanya Huff
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Short story collections, Vampires
Dates read: 6th November 2018 – 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: You are never in a hurry.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

New Vampires have evolved, and they are coming for you! Kelly Armstrong, Tanya Huff and twenty-two other dark fantasy and horror writers come together to re-imagine the future of vampires in this new collection of all-original short fiction – one of the most unusual and original vampire anthologies ever assembled.

Thoughts

This wasn’t my favourite collection of short stories. Maybe I’m not all that much into vampire stories, maybe because these are just the type of vampire stories that I really love. The only two tales I really loved in this were by Kelley Armstrong and Tanya Huff. They weren’t necessarily bad tales, just not ones that I was completely enthralled by.

If you like the more traditional and darker aspect of vampires, I think that this is for you. Some of the stories were a little contemporary, but they weren’t that romanticised, humanised version that we all know and love in modern literature. Maybe if I had have read some of the vampire classics such as Dracula before this, I would have been a little more intently interested. But as things stand, I found this collection quite… meh. Not bad, not great. Definitely worth reading, but not one I’ll be rushing to reread anytime soon.

 <- The Slowing of the World ReviewLet the Night In Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Blood Lite edited by Kevin J. Anderson

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Overview
Blood Lite

Title: Blood Lite
Author: Kevin J. Anderson, Kelley Armstrong, Joe R. Lansdale, Lucien Soulban, Christopher Welch, Matt Venne, Don D’Amassa, Mark Onspaugh, J.A. Konrath, Paul Wilson, Charlaine Harris, Steven Savile, Will Ludwigsen, Janet Berliner, Eric James Stone, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Mike Resnick, D.L. Snell, Nancy Holder, Nancy Kilpatrick, Jeff Strand, Sharyn McCrumb & Jim Butcher
In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Horror, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Sometimes, especially if I’ve been drinking, and I’m hungry, I revert to my basic nature.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

The Horror Writers Association Presents Blood Lite…a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in An Evening with Al Gore…

In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there’s no such thing as a Harry’s Day Off for the Chicago P.D.’s wizard detective, Harry Dresden…

Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in Where Angels Fear to Tread. NOTE: This story has been re-released in the Dark Bites anthology.

Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong’s The Ungrateful Dead.

So let the blood flow and laughter reign – because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

Thoughts

I’m kind of on the fence about this collection. Some of the stories in this were brilliant. Some downright weird. But all were enjoyable. Just not memorable. This is the kind of collection you read for a good, light laugh and something that isn’t going to make you think and linger in your mind’s eye after you’ve finished the story.

Although this hasn’t been my favourite collection of short stories that I’ve digested in recent times, it also wasn’t one that I ever considered stopping. I know that a collection or novel is truly horrible when I just can’t seem to pick it up and get through it. Yet I didn’t feel that way with this. I just didn’t want to completely bury my nose in these stories either. The best description I can think of for this series is easy. Easy reading. Easy to forget. But easy to spend some humorous time with.

 <- The Four Horsemen Reunion Tour ReviewThe Ungrateful Dead Review ->
Image source: Goodreads