Tag Archives: Keri Arthur

Wolfsbane and Mistletoe edited by Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner

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Overview
Image result for wolfsbane and mistletoe book cover

Title: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe
Author: Charlaine Harris, Donna Andrews, Simon R. Green, Dana Cameron, Kat Richardson, Alan Gordon, Carrie Vaughn, Dana Stabenow, Keri Arthur, J.A. Konrath, Patricia Briggs, Nancy Pickard, Karen Chance, Rob Thurman & Toni L. P. Kelner
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections, Werewolves
Dates read: 16th November – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m big and I’m hairy!

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Synopsis

The holiday season can bring out the beast in anyone – literally! This collection features 15 werewolf tales by an all-star line up.

Thoughts

This is the second collection I’ve read by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. And it’s just as good, if not better than the first. Actually, it was probably better. Because I really wasn’t in the mood for the Holiday Season this year. Normally I read all sorts of nice holiday stories. I didn’t want those. But an anthology about werewolves and Christmas? That was perfect for my mood. Especially when some of the stories involve eating Rudolph and Santa.

Christmas seems to be all about the night and the season. Or something about the imagery of it is. And werewolves are almost always pictured with a full moon. The combination of the two actually makes perfect sense. Which was something I’d never thought of before, but now wonder why not. After all, it works so beautifully.

Not only were the themes in this story perfectly paired, but it was also a fantastic mix of series shorts and standalones. I love finding short stories based in established worlds. But it’s also great to sometimes find a standalone that you can really sink your teeth into. If anything, I think I actually preferred a lot of the standalones in this collection, they were the stories which were a little grittier.

Although there was a bit more darkness to this story than a traditional paranormal fantasy tale, it was still quite a light-hearted mix. Even the stories that involved disembowelling well-known Christmas characters were funny and light. Left me with a nice, big smile on my lips at the end of the collection.

 <- Keeping Watch Over His Flock ReviewGift Wrap Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

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Christmas Past by Keri Arthur

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for wolfsbane and mistletoe book cover

Title: Christmas Past
Author: Keri Arthur
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I watched the world go by, half of me wanting to play it safe and go home, but the other half – the foolish half – wanting his company, however dangerous that might be to my emotional health.

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Synopsis

Hannah just wants to have a nice Christmas for once. But she’s working with the man who broke her hear last Christmas to take down a crazy, vampire killer. So things might not quite go as planned.

Thoughts

I just spent most of Christmas alone. And I have a partner, so it just made me sappy and missing him. This sentiment was beautifully echoed in this story. Alright, Hannah doesn’t actually have a partner. And she was dumped the previous Christmas, but that yearning for the one that you love on Christmas Eve… I get that. However, this story was made far more sucky by the fact that Hannah is forced to spend the evening on a case with her ex. That would be seriously sucky.

Being Australian, I’ve never really dealt with people who collect for charities on the road. Or really anybody who stands around in some kind of weird elf outfit ringing a bell for money. So I can’t really imagine it. Having said that, apparently there’s a vampire running around killing the people who choose to do this. Which was a much more fun story than the central romance. The romance was fun, but I liked the chases through the dark cemetery to catch the culprit in a little elf’s outfit much, much more.

As much as I enjoyed the romance in this story… I kind of thought that Hannah was a little too forgiving. They both knew that she was going to forgive Brodie. But it would have been a little more exciting if she actually made him grovel and apologise. That might just be my own drives though.

 <- The Perfect Gift ReviewSA Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance edited by Trisha Telep

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Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
Author: Trisha Telep, Sherri Erwin, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jenna Black, Jenna Maclaine, Raven Hart, Delilah Devlin, Keri Arthur, Kimberly Raye, Alexis Morgan, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams, Cathy Clamp, Susan Sizemore, Dina James, Colleen Gleason, Barbara Emrys, Savannah Russe, Shiloh Walker, Vicki Pettersson, Rebecca York, Rachel Vincent, Amanda Ashley, Karen Chance & Nancy Holder
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I have travelled the world in search of knowledge, studied with every important intellectual from da Vinci to Hawking.

Synopsis

Love is a weapon in the face of evil.

From the biggest names in paranormal romance, here are over 25 tales of a hunger like no other…

Let Karen Chance, Keri Arthur, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, Amanda Ashley, Vicki Pettersson and Susan Sizemore and others take you hot-blooded on the trail of the sexiest creatures of the night.

In the world of the Undead there are strange codes of conduct, dark rituals and dating games, as they seduce the locals and engage in the most sensual encounters you’ll sink your teeth into this side of the grave.

These ain’t your mother’s vampires!

Thoughts

I kind of loved this collection. It definitely isn’t one that you can read cover to cover in one sitting – there’s only so many vampire romances that I can happily read before they start to blend into one. But as a slow read that I just picked up every now and again… it was really, really good.

The short stories in this collection ranged from the classical and predictable vampire stories to ones that took a whole new spin on the ideal. Some were just sweet and some just downright disturbing. And although they all follow a similar theme, not one is the same. I now have a very long list of new authors and series that I want to sink my teeth into…

<- Red Letter DayFade to Black ->

Image source: Goodreads

Dreams by Keri Arthur

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Vampire RomanceTitle: Dreams
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Riley Jenson Guardian #3.5
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: So he kissed her, caressed her, loved her, until the heat that rose between them would not be denied.

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Synopsis

When Quinn decides that dreams aren’t enough for his relationship with Riley, he decides to travel to see her for a late night booty call. But what they find in her basement becomes an adventure all on its own, one that nightmares might be made of.

Thoughts

I have read the first Riley Jenson Guardian novel, but haven’t gotten any further into the series. It’s a pretty intense erotica and sexual story, so I definitely have to be in the right kind of mood for it. But when I read Dreams in my short story collection the other night, I remembered just why I have kept this collection on my shelves. It’s easy, fun and more than a little raunchy.

I like the idea of creatures that people assume are less than human (the Chameleons) being involved in a battle with Riley and Quinn. The fact that this story ends with the hint (and that is just a hint) that there is more to the characters than meets the idea worked really well in my mind. It reminds me that there are different kinds of intelligence, and many of the animals that we assume are “dumb” probably aren’t so.

Then this story ends in a raunchy sex scene… which is expected in this series. And even though it is completely expected, it’s a bit of a fun, and very adult, ending to this tale.

 <- Viper’s Bite Review Love Bites Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Full Moon RisingTitle: Full Moon Rising
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Riley Jenson Guardian #1
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Piatkus
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: But then, his aura had nothing to do with that.

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Synopsis

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organisation created to police the supernatural races. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, aka assassin, Riley is merely an office worker – until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming…

Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother. For someone is attempting to produce the ultimate warrior – by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind – and just how much it needs her.

Thoughts

I’ve read a lot of vampire novels and a lot of werewolf novels. It’s actually incredibly difficult to pick up a paranormal fantasy book that doesn’t have some aspect of these two beings interacting. But I have never read a book on a hybrid between the two. It was refreshing to have a slightly new take on the topic, although, much of the storyline seemed slightly familiar.

I liked this book, but it is not one that I would read again and again and again. It was well thought out with loveable characters, but it also relied a lot on sex throughout the storyline. I love well-written romance and sexual tension, but this went beyond. Sexual liberation is amazing, but it didn’t do much to further the storyline, at least, in my opinion. As an adult, I still enjoyed reading the scenes and thinking about the woman whose mind created such intimate moments between the pages.

One of my favourite aspects of this book is the incredible sibling bond that is highlighted. Riley risks everything to ensure her brothers safety. They are misfits and it is so sweet that in all of the world, they forever have each other – complete, unconditional love.

<- More Keri Arthur reviews Kissing Sin Review ->
Image source: Amazon