Title: Chrysalis Author: Ronald Hore In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Vampires Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Edge Year: 2010 5th sentence, 74th page: Lucy wouldn’t come out of the water until he had gone inside.
Lucy’s parents never really wanted her, and she never really wanted them. But when she starts to undergo a bit of a change… things are all about to change.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually read a story that features a child of a vampire. There are so many about lovers, friends, family… but never one about a child. Nor have I ever read a story in which having a child is actually, well… possible. So this was surprising. And kind of weird to be honest.
From the beginning, it is clear that everything isn’t alright in this household, but, instead of clearly stating that there is a vampire in the house, it is insinuated beautifully. Actually, the word vampire never once is mentioned throughout. It is just hinted at, again and again and again. And then there is the change – and again, nothing is outright stated, but there is this great reading-between-the-lines feeling.
This story is certainly one that is great at showing and not telling. Something that not every good writer is able to do so neatly.
New Orleans is filled with vampires, both the temporary and permanent kind. So what happens when two of them meet?
I wasn’t expecting a story like this in a collection of vampire romance short stories. For starters, even though a vampire was in it, it wasn’t really about vampires. And for another thing, it wasn’t really all that romantic.
Although the storyline and the characters in this story
didn’t really draw me in… the setting did. There is something about New Orleans
that has always fascinated me. To the point that it’s probably the only American
city that I’m really interested in visiting. And the fact that a vampire story is
based there seems somehow… right.
Title: Let the Night In Author: Sandra Kasturi In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Poetry, Vampires Pace: Slow Format: Poem Publisher: Edge Year: 2010 5th sentence, 74th page: Hush – he lays you, bitten, down.
A poem about the secrets in the night and the vampires that live there.
Every now and then it is nice to read a good little poem. And this one fit that bill – it was only four stanzas, and the language utilised is quite evocative. At least, it made me think of shadows whispering along moonlit nights and avenues. Nights where the monsters roam.
This is a nice, simple way to start of the Evolve collection of vampirific short stories. It has all of the darkness and intricacy of a vampire on the prowl, with the sense of mystery and lyricality that I’m beginning to associate with the subgenre.
Get swept away by the passions that rise out of the unfathomable depths of the lost city of Atlantis…
I loved Bastien’s romance. It features shapeshifters, passion and temptation. There’s also this great idea that although Riley and Conlan’s romance is the first in the series, Bastien met his soulmate a long time before Conlan did. It just took longer for the two to connect and find their way to each other.
I loved the sense of intrigue and intensity throughout this story. Other than the leading romance (which does take up most of this novella), there is a conspiracy theory, a race against time and an alliance to make. It was a lot to cram into a novella. But it was thoroughly enjoyable! There’s nothing like upping the stakes to increase the passion and lust in a paranormal romance…
As a finish to the Wild Thing anthology, this was a fun ending, as a next instalment in the Warriors of Poseidon series, it helped to keep me engaged within the series. It makes me wonder what is going to happen next.
Title: Atlantis Rising Author: Alyssa Day Series: Warriors of Poseidon #1 Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Paranormal romance, Vampires Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: He released his viselike grip on the priest’s throat, looking away.
Eleven thousand years ago, before the seas swallowed the Atlanteans, Poseidon assigned a few chosen warriors to act as sentinels for humans in the new world. Tehre was only one rule – desiring them was forbidden. But rules were made to be broken…
When she calls… Riley Dawson is more than a dedicated Virginia Beach social worker. She’s blessed with a mind link that only Atlanteans have been able to access for thousands of years. Being an empath may explain her wistful connection to the roiling waves of the ocean, the sanctuary it provides, and the sexual urges that seem to emanate from fathoms below…
He will come. Conlan, the high prince of Atlantis, has surfaced on a mission to retrieve Poseidon’s stolen Trident. Yet something else has possessed Conlan: the intimate emotions – and desires – of a human. Irresistibly drawn to the uncanny beauty, Conlan soon shares more than his mind. But in the midst of a battle to reclaim Poseidon’s power, how long can a forbidden love last between two different souls from two different worlds?
It took me a little while to truly get into this story. I almost felt like the beginning of the story was a little overbearingly cliché for a paranormal romance. And I didn’t feel that immediate sense of attachment to the leads that I usually do. But, once I passed over that first hump, I managed to fall into this story. And after the halfway point, I found it impossible to put down.
Riley is a good female lead, and the opening scene with her sets the scene for her personality and battles. But the intensity of her first moment quickly died off, and that was made it hard to fall completely in love with her straight away – an intense situation made way to a bizarre one rather quickly. However, once I got to know the character and her ability to cope with any situation (especially ones that involve vampires), I wanted the happily ever after that I was sure was coming.
For me, Conlan was the biggest hurdle in falling in love with this story. Most of the paranormal romance tales that I read feature men that I immediately fall for. Conlan is one that I still don’t feel passionate towards. There’s just something about his characterisation that doesn’t draw me in. Which I think comes down mostly to personal preference, since in the second novella, I absolutely loved the lead male. And I was certainly drawn to Alaric…
The world that Atlantis Rising creates is multi-layered and fun. It creates a reality in which Poseidon sits side by side with vampires, and one that I can’t wait to read more of. Now I just have to wait for the next novel to arrive in my post-box…
All Victoria wants is to dance the night away with Robin Hood, but the vampires have different plans…
There’s something weirdly romantic about Victorian London. Which is weird, because living in a time when women were just expected to marry and procreate sounds like a special kind of hell on earth. This short story, yet again, makes me love the romance of the time and the incredibly beautiful storylines that are built in this world.
Victoria is the kind of heroine that I often enjoy reading about – a female who is forced into a specific role. But, who is also independent,and able to kick butt when needed. I also love the imagery of her with a huge beehive of hair on her hand, dressed up as Marie Antoinette. With a stake in amongst all of her charms. Actually, it was almost a little like a Victorian Buffy… and now I want to see if the rest of the series has that go-against-the-grain vampire hunter feel to it.
Nik thinks that he’s found the woman of his dreams, but will his vampire brethren stop him from being with his soul mate?
I both liked and got bored with this short story. It was kind of interesting and fun. And I really liked the idea of one of the soulless damned (a vampire) finding his soul mate. There was a great little twist of irony in this and it was kind of sweet that even a soulless blood sucker could have that whole perfect fit, love at first sight experience.
The execution on the other hand just didn’t quite draw me in as far as I had hoped. I don’t know if that was because I just wasn’t interested in reading a vampire romance short story at the time or the style of writing. But, regardless, I actually skim read most of this story which is always a sure indication that I’m interested enough to finish it, but not interested enough to actually read everything word for word and truly absorb it. A weird little paradox that one…
Title: An Evening with Al Gore Author: Charlaine Harris In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Comedy, Vampires, Werewolves Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Pocket Books Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: We want this to be a private affair.
Toddy just wants to make the world a better place. But the way she goes about it is a little… unorthodox.
I literally laughed out loud when I read the last line of this story. Which kind of scared my dog because I normally don’t make so much noise when I’m walking around the house reading. Or really, much noise at all when I’m home alone. I normally am very careful with the vampire and werewolf books that I read when home alone because I can get some whacked out nightmares. This is not the kind of story that makes me feel concerned about this. It’s the kind of light-hearted tale that makes me laugh. In a very weird, very loud spasm.
I love the idea that there is a couple who are passionate environmentalists. And they happen to be werewolves. And they want to change the way that those most heavily responsible for environmental degradation think. It all just works exceedingly beautifully in my brain. The fact that the “bad guys” don’t repent wasn’t in the slightest bit surprising, and I laughed to myself throughout the tale. Now I have to return to the world of reality and continue attempting to do my own part for the environment… lest a vampire or werewolf decide to take their revenge.
She’s a vampire with a little ennui and a ghoul for a best friend. But a car accident might leave her with the best hope of a future that she could ask for… and a star worth dancing the night away with.
This was a really cute little story. Sephora has a major case of ennui and is kind of bored with her life. And she has a best friend who is a ghoul. All of which in and of itself would make a great short story. After all, this is the kind of story that has a great outline of characters and creatures. But then it gets better with the dream sequence.
I haven’t read a story with a good dream sequence for quite a while. And this one ticked all of my boxes. It was slightly confusing and opaque, but also clear in other moments. Which, for me at least, is what a dream is really like. The fact that it leads Sephora to her own leading man and helps to rescue him just makes it all the better.
I was expecting an entirely different story from what the title suggested. I was kind of expecting some kind of dancing with the stars dance competition to be honest. But this was so much better and more interesting…
Her partner died two years ago. And now she has a mysterious stalker. When her ex-partner comes back from the dead, she finds out that her life is about to completely change.
When I started reading this story, I didn’t really understand how it tied into the idea of vampire romance (since I found it in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance). It starts out with a cop who is being stalked. And I kind of assumed that this stalker was probably going to be a vampire… but still, it was probably the least romantic of the tales in this collection so far. At least at the beginning, the end had that za za zing that I’ve come to expect.
The premise that there are a bunch of rogue vampires running free, and that Tim is desperate to stop them with the help of his old partner was kind of fun. That it involves sex, romance and true and deep love just made it all the more intriguing. It did, however, annoy me a little that his condition was caused by a creepy little girl with a crush… but I digress, the story wouldn’t have happened without this catalyst.
All in all this was a fun and engaging short story that featured a vampire, sex and crime. There’s not really much more I could ask for from a vampirific short story.
Title: Play Dead
Title: An Evening with Al Gore
Earth and Skye 