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blodeuedd's review
3.0
A few short stories/novellas with darkness in them.
Marion missing by Rachel Caine
PI Val tries to find who killed his partner Tilde. Mystery murder and darkness. Good.
Femme fatale by Cynthia Eden
A vamp and a PI. Kind of boring. I started skimming, even though it was only a novella.
Dance with the devil by Megan Hart
It started off a bit meh, but turned interesting. The devil is cruel.
The consort by Suzanne Johnson
A fae running from a fae prince. I liked this story
Heart's blood by Jeffe Kennedy
It was really good and all, but I just read another retelling of the goose girl, so I was never surprised.
The djinn in the mirror by Mina Khan
I liked the djinn world the best. Would love a book about that. The rest of the story was good, but not as good as the djinn world.
Some I liked more, some I likes less. But that is the thing with anthologies. There are always the ones you like more, and the ones that might not fit your style. The 3 least were my favorites. Must be because of the fantasy elements.
Marion missing by Rachel Caine
PI Val tries to find who killed his partner Tilde. Mystery murder and darkness. Good.
Femme fatale by Cynthia Eden
A vamp and a PI. Kind of boring. I started skimming, even though it was only a novella.
Dance with the devil by Megan Hart
It started off a bit meh, but turned interesting. The devil is cruel.
The consort by Suzanne Johnson
A fae running from a fae prince. I liked this story
Heart's blood by Jeffe Kennedy
It was really good and all, but I just read another retelling of the goose girl, so I was never surprised.
The djinn in the mirror by Mina Khan
I liked the djinn world the best. Would love a book about that. The rest of the story was good, but not as good as the djinn world.
Some I liked more, some I likes less. But that is the thing with anthologies. There are always the ones you like more, and the ones that might not fit your style. The 3 least were my favorites. Must be because of the fantasy elements.
inmyhumbleopinion's review
5.0
Six amazing stories by six amazing authors. There isn’t a bad one in the bunch.
MARION, MISSING by Rachel Caine is a noir detective story with a bit of a ghost tale in it. This takes place during segregated times in America but points out that things haven’t changed as much as we would like. Fantastic story.
FEMME FATALE by Cynthia Eden is a more modern day private eye story dealing with the question of how much can you trust a vampire. Fun read.
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Megan Hart tells what happens when you make a deal with the devil. Not the type of story I usually read but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
THE CONSORT by Suzanne Johnson deals with the Faerie. This story deals with an unjust tyranny and how love may just be the strongest power anywhere. A good read.
HEART’S BLOOD by Jeffe Kennedy, a Twelve Kingdoms novella can be read stand alone. This story had you rooting for injustices to be righted and the princess to get her guy. A wonderful fairytale.
THE DJINN IN THE MIRROR by Mina Khan, a Djinn World novella. This may have been my favorite story in the bunch (not that there were any bad ones). Ashmael the djinn is rightfully pissed about having been betrayed and forced into a mirror for hundreds of years. When the opportunity to become free comes will he grab it? At what cost?
These six stories will entertain and make you think and introduce you to some fantastic worlds. I wholly recommend this box set.
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review
MARION, MISSING by Rachel Caine is a noir detective story with a bit of a ghost tale in it. This takes place during segregated times in America but points out that things haven’t changed as much as we would like. Fantastic story.
FEMME FATALE by Cynthia Eden is a more modern day private eye story dealing with the question of how much can you trust a vampire. Fun read.
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Megan Hart tells what happens when you make a deal with the devil. Not the type of story I usually read but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
THE CONSORT by Suzanne Johnson deals with the Faerie. This story deals with an unjust tyranny and how love may just be the strongest power anywhere. A good read.
HEART’S BLOOD by Jeffe Kennedy, a Twelve Kingdoms novella can be read stand alone. This story had you rooting for injustices to be righted and the princess to get her guy. A wonderful fairytale.
THE DJINN IN THE MIRROR by Mina Khan, a Djinn World novella. This may have been my favorite story in the bunch (not that there were any bad ones). Ashmael the djinn is rightfully pissed about having been betrayed and forced into a mirror for hundreds of years. When the opportunity to become free comes will he grab it? At what cost?
These six stories will entertain and make you think and introduce you to some fantastic worlds. I wholly recommend this box set.
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review
jasmyn9's review
4.0
This was a really great mix of stories. There is a little bit of everything here, and it all has a bit of a dark twist to it. While not all are technically romances (it doesn't claim that either) they all have an element of a love story and a few do have the HEA we all love.
Marion, Missing:
Old school noir detective story - but with a ghost. This was a good old fashioned PI that was determined to find his bad guy. Did it help that he was just a little in love with the ghost that asked him to take the case? Maybe. A really great story with very subtle paranormal elements. Even non-paranormal readers will really get into this one.
Femme Fatale:
This one was a lot of fun. A vampiress hires a PI to protect her and find out who is giving vampires a bad name by leaving bodies all over the place. This one gets a little complicated as two of the main characters have different stories to tell. You will be left guessing up until the very end to try and figure out who is really the bad guy in this one. Lots of action and intrigue.
Dance With the Devil:
What does selling your soul to the devil really mean? There's a definite twist on the tale in Dance With the Devil that I absolutely loved!!! Kathleen has been doing the devil's bidding for years - afraid that she will lose everything she has if she stops. But things aren't always what we think and be prepared for quite a surprise ending on this one.
The Consort:
While I loved the world concept in this one, the story fell a little short compared to the rest. There were a lot of dynamics that I don't think I was able to pick up on in the short novella form that I would have liked to be there. The story is definitely romantic, with Faulk willing to put his life and people on the line to save Liandra from becoming, well, basically a sex slave to a seriously creepy guy.
Heart's Blood:
This is definitely the darkest of the stories, but it was also one of my favorites. Not only does it deal in love and romance, but it tackles the concept of individual identity and what it really means to honor a vow. I loved every word - even the ones that had me sitting there with my mouth hanging open in shock at how horrible the pretend Princess is. Nix may seem like a wilting flower at first, but she is one of the most powerful female characters I've read - and she gets there in just a short novella!!! I may be buying this entire series very very soon.
The Djinn in the Mirror:
Djinns - you gotta love the tricky creatures. It helps that they seem to fall in love with human women just when she needs them the most. This was the sweetest of the stories, but still had some definite dark moments (the cellar near the ends still makes me shudder). A really great twist on Cinderella. At times I didn't realize I was in the modern world, the characters were kept so away from everything that they almost existed in a time unto themselves. I loved our little glimpse into the Djinn world and a taste of all the intrigue and politics there as well.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
Marion, Missing:
Old school noir detective story - but with a ghost. This was a good old fashioned PI that was determined to find his bad guy. Did it help that he was just a little in love with the ghost that asked him to take the case? Maybe. A really great story with very subtle paranormal elements. Even non-paranormal readers will really get into this one.
Femme Fatale:
This one was a lot of fun. A vampiress hires a PI to protect her and find out who is giving vampires a bad name by leaving bodies all over the place. This one gets a little complicated as two of the main characters have different stories to tell. You will be left guessing up until the very end to try and figure out who is really the bad guy in this one. Lots of action and intrigue.
Dance With the Devil:
What does selling your soul to the devil really mean? There's a definite twist on the tale in Dance With the Devil that I absolutely loved!!! Kathleen has been doing the devil's bidding for years - afraid that she will lose everything she has if she stops. But things aren't always what we think and be prepared for quite a surprise ending on this one.
The Consort:
While I loved the world concept in this one, the story fell a little short compared to the rest. There were a lot of dynamics that I don't think I was able to pick up on in the short novella form that I would have liked to be there. The story is definitely romantic, with Faulk willing to put his life and people on the line to save Liandra from becoming, well, basically a sex slave to a seriously creepy guy.
Heart's Blood:
This is definitely the darkest of the stories, but it was also one of my favorites. Not only does it deal in love and romance, but it tackles the concept of individual identity and what it really means to honor a vow. I loved every word - even the ones that had me sitting there with my mouth hanging open in shock at how horrible the pretend Princess is. Nix may seem like a wilting flower at first, but she is one of the most powerful female characters I've read - and she gets there in just a short novella!!! I may be buying this entire series very very soon.
The Djinn in the Mirror:
Djinns - you gotta love the tricky creatures. It helps that they seem to fall in love with human women just when she needs them the most. This was the sweetest of the stories, but still had some definite dark moments (the cellar near the ends still makes me shudder). A really great twist on Cinderella. At times I didn't realize I was in the modern world, the characters were kept so away from everything that they almost existed in a time unto themselves. I loved our little glimpse into the Djinn world and a taste of all the intrigue and politics there as well.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
funsizelibrarian's review
4.0
Six authors. Six stories. The collection holds together in theme but some stories stood out more than others.
Marion, Missing by Rachel Caine - 5 stars, an excellent noir detective story with a ghostly spin. This one is historical, and felt true to the times. The characters were likeable and the story was very readable.
Femme Fatale by Cynthia Eden - 5 stars. Set in the world of her new novel, Bite the Dust, Femme Fatale is a more modern detective story...with vampires, of course, because sometimes they need protection, too.
Dance with the Devil by Megan Hart - 3.5 stars. Not my usual paranormal cup of tea, this short story was well written but the plot seemed to drag a bit. The characters were not likeable - except the devil. The devil was well developed and by far my favorite character.
The Consort by Suzanne Johnson - 5 stars and my favorite story of the collection. I usually don't like paranormal romance involving the fae, but this one blew me away. Set in the world of the Sentinels, this one had no DJ and no Jean Lafitte, but it did have incredible characters and a nicely twisty plotline.
Heart's Blood by by Jeffe Kennedy - 3.5 stars. A retelling of The Goose Girl fairy tale, this short story was shocking enough to warrant a content warning at the beginning. It's a warning I should have heeded. The writing was well done, but aspects of this story put me off and I couldn’t enjoy it.
The Djinn in the Mirror by Mina Khan – 3.5 stars. While this story did not need content warnings and did not have the same tone of violence as Heart’s Blood, it was almost as unappealing. I did not warm up to the hero, Ashmael, at all. It also didn’t have the same feel as Khan’s other Djinn World novels, which are very readable.
Marion, Missing by Rachel Caine - 5 stars, an excellent noir detective story with a ghostly spin. This one is historical, and felt true to the times. The characters were likeable and the story was very readable.
Femme Fatale by Cynthia Eden - 5 stars. Set in the world of her new novel, Bite the Dust, Femme Fatale is a more modern detective story...with vampires, of course, because sometimes they need protection, too.
Dance with the Devil by Megan Hart - 3.5 stars. Not my usual paranormal cup of tea, this short story was well written but the plot seemed to drag a bit. The characters were not likeable - except the devil. The devil was well developed and by far my favorite character.
The Consort by Suzanne Johnson - 5 stars and my favorite story of the collection. I usually don't like paranormal romance involving the fae, but this one blew me away. Set in the world of the Sentinels, this one had no DJ and no Jean Lafitte, but it did have incredible characters and a nicely twisty plotline.
Heart's Blood by by Jeffe Kennedy - 3.5 stars. A retelling of The Goose Girl fairy tale, this short story was shocking enough to warrant a content warning at the beginning. It's a warning I should have heeded. The writing was well done, but aspects of this story put me off and I couldn’t enjoy it.
The Djinn in the Mirror by Mina Khan – 3.5 stars. While this story did not need content warnings and did not have the same tone of violence as Heart’s Blood, it was almost as unappealing. I did not warm up to the hero, Ashmael, at all. It also didn’t have the same feel as Khan’s other Djinn World novels, which are very readable.
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