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katleap's review
5.0
5 stars overall
Nalini Singh - "Secrets at Midnight" - 4 stars
If you are familiar with Nalini's Psy/Changeling world, Bastien is not a new name for you. He is one of Mercy's brothers and he has to suffer through endless parade of possible girlfriends his mother is throwing at him...until he catches a scent of his mate.
So this story is way more enjoyable if you read the rest of the series before, but you can read it without being completely confused because it kinda skips the issues of the Psy world. In that case, it will read like nice, neatly wrapped shifter story and that's not bad. But for fans, this is such a treat since there are so many of these nice little fan favorite cameos. Plus I really liked Kirby, she was awesome.
Ilona Andrews - "Magic Steals" - 5 stars
So I read this anthology for this story, and it was AWESOME!!!!! If you haven't read [b:Magic Dreams|13627865|Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397416627l/13627865._SY75_.jpg|19233926] then you probably will struggle to enjoy this story.
So, Dali and Jim are dating, they are doing all those things like... dinners and lingerie has being bought and stuff... but her mother and her close family of 30+ relatives has no idea about it.:)
We know that Dali is very special shifter: she is a White Tiger and she has her own magic, magic tied to her cultural identity and legacy. So, when her mother brings a friend whose grandmother is in trouble, Dali has to look into it. And Jim volunteers to accompany her.
I really like Dali. In a group of badass female and male characters, Dali is unusual because her magic is primarily non combative and her strength lies in her impressive knowledge on mythology and her smarts. I love the mythology going on in Dali's stories, it so COOL. Plus Dali figures out how to be a blind vegetarian shifter and be dangerous. If she can't curse you or outwit you, she can still be a threat. Of course, this is something Jim was instrumental in making her come to that conclusion herself, but I loved it- it was such a boost to her confidence and exactly what she needs taking her future role in consideration.
But Jim guys! Jim is just swoon-worthy and sexy and flirty here. Let's all cherish this novella for rare treasure that it is...Jim actually smiled. and it was not one of his "you-are-dead" showing-teeth smiles.
3.Lisa Shearin - "Lucky Charms" - 3 stars
Ok this is a prequel to The Grendel Affair, new Shearin UF series. It's a series about Makenna "Mac" Fraser, who is working for SPI (that's like FBI, but for supernaturals) as a seer, which allows her to see through any glamour and this story is actually her first assignment for SPI,as she is sent with her new team to collect five rogue leprechauns.
I did not like [b:The Grendel Affair|17912981|The Grendel Affair (SPI Files, #1)|Lisa Shearin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382941457l/17912981._SY75_.jpg|25100815]. I didn't even finish it because ridiculous and silly and "Mac" drove me nuts. But I did like this story. Maybe I'll try Grendel again.
4.Milla Vane - "The Beast of Blackmoore" - 4 stars
Mala is on a quest for her goddess to tame the beast of Blackmoor in a corrupt kingdom dominated by a tyrant. Except the Beast is really the rightful ruler of the land and he won't be tamed.
This one was like a crazy good roller-coaster. It was one of the those really really bad barbarian fantasy books but awesome!!! She took everything ridiculous, made it over the top and fun. The world building was awesome, especially for a short story. I would read in this world again.
Nalini Singh - "Secrets at Midnight" - 4 stars
If you are familiar with Nalini's Psy/Changeling world, Bastien is not a new name for you. He is one of Mercy's brothers and he has to suffer through endless parade of possible girlfriends his mother is throwing at him...until he catches a scent of his mate.
So this story is way more enjoyable if you read the rest of the series before, but you can read it without being completely confused because it kinda skips the issues of the Psy world. In that case, it will read like nice, neatly wrapped shifter story and that's not bad. But for fans, this is such a treat since there are so many of these nice little fan favorite cameos. Plus I really liked Kirby, she was awesome.
Ilona Andrews - "Magic Steals" - 5 stars
So I read this anthology for this story, and it was AWESOME!!!!! If you haven't read [b:Magic Dreams|13627865|Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397416627l/13627865._SY75_.jpg|19233926] then you probably will struggle to enjoy this story.
So, Dali and Jim are dating, they are doing all those things like... dinners and lingerie has being bought and stuff... but her mother and her close family of 30+ relatives has no idea about it.:)
We know that Dali is very special shifter: she is a White Tiger and she has her own magic, magic tied to her cultural identity and legacy. So, when her mother brings a friend whose grandmother is in trouble, Dali has to look into it. And Jim volunteers to accompany her.
I really like Dali. In a group of badass female and male characters, Dali is unusual because her magic is primarily non combative and her strength lies in her impressive knowledge on mythology and her smarts. I love the mythology going on in Dali's stories, it so COOL. Plus Dali figures out how to be a blind vegetarian shifter and be dangerous. If she can't curse you or outwit you, she can still be a threat. Of course, this is something Jim was instrumental in making her come to that conclusion herself, but I loved it- it was such a boost to her confidence and exactly what she needs taking her future role in consideration.
But Jim guys! Jim is just swoon-worthy and sexy and flirty here. Let's all cherish this novella for rare treasure that it is...Jim actually smiled. and it was not one of his "you-are-dead" showing-teeth smiles.
3.Lisa Shearin - "Lucky Charms" - 3 stars
Ok this is a prequel to The Grendel Affair, new Shearin UF series. It's a series about Makenna "Mac" Fraser, who is working for SPI (that's like FBI, but for supernaturals) as a seer, which allows her to see through any glamour and this story is actually her first assignment for SPI,as she is sent with her new team to collect five rogue leprechauns.
I did not like [b:The Grendel Affair|17912981|The Grendel Affair (SPI Files, #1)|Lisa Shearin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382941457l/17912981._SY75_.jpg|25100815]. I didn't even finish it because ridiculous and silly and "Mac" drove me nuts. But I did like this story. Maybe I'll try Grendel again.
4.Milla Vane - "The Beast of Blackmoore" - 4 stars
Mala is on a quest for her goddess to tame the beast of Blackmoor in a corrupt kingdom dominated by a tyrant. Except the Beast is really the rightful ruler of the land and he won't be tamed.
This one was like a crazy good roller-coaster. It was one of the those really really bad barbarian fantasy books but awesome!!! She took everything ridiculous, made it over the top and fun. The world building was awesome, especially for a short story. I would read in this world again.
aishoka's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Review is of Magic Steals only.
alexperc_92's review
5.0
I had read it as an ebook before but now I wanted to read again the short story by Milla Vane!
wilda85's review
5.0
I only read 2/4 books so the review is based on them
Secrets at Midnight:
I LOVED Bastien and Kirby. Kirby's situation was a heartbreaking one and I'm so glad that Bas was there to help her through it. They definitely rank as one of my fav couples in this series. I know some people complained about the insta-love portion but that's a part of this series and the changeling race. Sometimes when they find their mate it's insta-love while other times it's a slow progress. If you don't like it, stop reading the books instead of whining and giving a poor rating.
Magic Steals:
Dali and Jim! It feels like we've waited forever for their story and we finally got it. I really enjoyed seeing this side of them especially Jim. Normally we get hard ass alpha but with Dali, we got a glimpse of the man beneath and boy did he make me swoon. It was also wonderful getting to know Dali a little better. She is such a unique character and is so much more than your average shifter. I look forward to seeing them more in the future books.
Secrets at Midnight:
I LOVED Bastien and Kirby. Kirby's situation was a heartbreaking one and I'm so glad that Bas was there to help her through it. They definitely rank as one of my fav couples in this series. I know some people complained about the insta-love portion but that's a part of this series and the changeling race. Sometimes when they find their mate it's insta-love while other times it's a slow progress. If you don't like it, stop reading the books instead of whining and giving a poor rating.
Magic Steals:
Dali and Jim! It feels like we've waited forever for their story and we finally got it. I really enjoyed seeing this side of them especially Jim. Normally we get hard ass alpha but with Dali, we got a glimpse of the man beneath and boy did he make me swoon. It was also wonderful getting to know Dali a little better. She is such a unique character and is so much more than your average shifter. I look forward to seeing them more in the future books.
mrssoule's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection - any time spent in the Psy-Changeling world or the Kate Daniels world is time blissfully and well spent. I didn't expect much from the other two stories by Shearin and Vane, but Shearin's was a wonderful surprise - funny, exciting and sexy! I promptly added the first book from her SPI series to my TBR.
carlaabra's review
Got through the first two stories. Shifters just aren’t really my thing I think, the whole “I smell that you’re my mate so let’s go bang” and the possessiveness is unreal, Jesus. The MMCs can just be so toxic and it’s like “oh well he’s a wolf inside so he can’t help it!”. I liked Indonesian lady and her magic in the second story, that was a cool element.
lauca's review
4.0
- Secrets at Midnight
5 étoiles
J'ai adoré cette histoire, j'ai d'ailleurs acheté ce livre parce que je voulais lire l'histoire de Bastien
5 étoiles
J'ai adoré cette histoire, j'ai d'ailleurs acheté ce livre parce que je voulais lire l'histoire de Bastien
felinity's review
4.0
The first 3 novellas were great, exactly what I expected from a collection like this. All except the Ilona Andrews offering were new worlds to me, so I very much enjoyed the new twist on shapeshifters in "Secrets at Midnight", and leprechauns/goblins in "Lucky Charms". And of course there's nothing wrong with a Jim & Dali story! 4 stars for each of those.
The last one... I'll say you could *just about* call it fantasy/paranormal romance. At a really long stretch. It didn't fit the theme at all, and I think would have worked better in a compilation of romantic fantasy (where the emphasis is on sex and obedience/domination) rather than here. It just made me feel icky (especially the scene when they're in a pub filled with people). If I'd known this was [a:Meljean Brook|24009|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1317348186p2/24009.jpg] I would've known to skip it. 1 star, and a firmer resolve not to pick up any of her works.
The last one... I'll say you could *just about* call it fantasy/paranormal romance. At a really long stretch. It didn't fit the theme at all, and I think would have worked better in a compilation of romantic fantasy (where the emphasis is on sex and obedience/domination) rather than here. It just made me feel icky (especially the scene when they're in a pub filled with people). If I'd known this was [a:Meljean Brook|24009|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1317348186p2/24009.jpg] I would've known to skip it. 1 star, and a firmer resolve not to pick up any of her works.
ria_mhrj's review
4.0
If it was just Jim and Dali, it would be five stars for sure but the other stories were a bit of a slog. But Ilona, why so cruel? I wanted to go to the barbecue!
mdlaclair's review
4.0
Ilona Andrew does it again with a great story about Jim and Dali. I also read Lisa Shearin story and it was good an interesting insight into here new story.