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65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vampires, werewolves, and love..oh my!, September 22, 2001
After twilight is a magical anthology from some of the best supernatural writers around. Redemption, love, and sacrifice are the main themes. Very HOT love scenes, especially in "Dark Dream. For those of you who love supernatural lovers and stories of love/sacrifice, this book is for you! "Masquerade" by Amanda Ashley: "Phantom of the opera" singer, Leanne, is drawn to the cop who watches the show every night. Jason Blackthorne has lived for 300 years an unwilling vampire. He is drawn to Leanne who resembles his long lost love. Will he choose death to save her from his hunger? or will she redeem his soul? "Dark Dream" by Christine Feehan: This author just keeps getting better and better. "Dark Dream" is the latest installment of the Carpathian/vampire series Christine Feehan writes. This time, Falcon, a Carpathian 1000 years older than his prince, is finally coming home to look on the prince's human converted lifemate. Falcon wants to know his life, deadicated to hunting down true vampires, has not been in vain; that their is hope for the Carpathian race. On his way, he comes across a human female that is being hunted by an ancient vampire. Can he save her? Or will she save him? "Midnight Serenade" by Ronda Thompson: Stephanie shane, wildlife researcher, rescues a large wolf from illegal hunters. In the process of saving the wolf, she is bitten. Tracing the blood, she comes to Rick Donavan's home..and no site of the wolf. There follows an internal struggle for Rick. He must choose to end his life to save her, or to take her as his lifelong were-mate. What will he choose?
Enjoy!
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three Thrilling Stories About The Dark Side of Love . . . ., September 21, 2001
After Twilight is sooooooooo HOT. All of the three sensual stories invite to you share in forbidden, sensual love. Masquerade was written by Amanda Ashley a few years ago. Now it is included in this wonderful, exciting anthology. Jason Blackthorne is a very old vampire. For three hundred years, he has wandered the world alone. Now, he is very tired. Tired to exist only in the night. That is, until he sees a performance of Phantom of the Opera and Leanne. Her resemblance to his first and only love was uncanny, arousing forth emotions he had long thought dead. Dangerous emotions . . . Is Leanne strong enough to embrance the dark side of his existence or will the purity of her love free him for all eternity????? The second story is Dark Dream written by the very hot Christine Feehan. This story deals with Falcon, a very old Carpthian who is sent out by Prince Vladimir (Mikhail's father) to become a guardian of the Carpathian people. Each of the choosen warriors willingly give up any chance at life. All give up on love, on happiness in order to insure that their people are kept safe. For many, many centuries Falcon has been utterly, totally alone. He has grown in power and in strength. He also knows that the beast in him is equalling strong, clawing for dominance. For this reason, he is headed back to his homeland wanting to see for himself his Prince (Mikhail) and his human lifemate who has been successfully converted. Before ending his existence, he longs to look upon something good and pure, longs for reassurance over the many, many kills he has made in his centuries of existence. Unexpectedly, he encounters Sara Marten who has "seen" Falcon in her dreams. She recognizes his handsome face right away, knows of his vulnerable and lonely soul. He is her Dark Angel . . . Her Dark Dream. This story was incredibly, beautifully written. Falcon has an unwavering sense of loyality and devotion. Nothing or no one could ever prevent him from his duty to protect. He willingly sacrifices his new found happiness in order to fulfill his obligation. Christine has written another Carpathian to die for. Oh and an added bonus - several favorites make an appearance, too. EXTREMELY recommended!! I can't get enough of these Carpthians . . . :) The third story is Ronda Thompson's Midnight Serenade. It is an incredible "moving" lovestory about a curse, werewolves and the redeeming quality of love. The characters were beautifully written. Their torment and longing for peace and love drew the reader into the story. Simply outstanding!! This story alone proves that love truly does conquer all. I couldn't put it down. Simply breathtaking. So, fellow readers, if you seek to explore the dark side of love, RUN and grab yourself a copy and allow yourself to be swept away by the forbidden. ENJOY!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Anthology!, July 18, 2002
"After Twilight" is a satisfying paranormal romance anthology containing three well-written tales of mysterious and powerful men and the women who love them. Though the first and last stories were a little uneven at times, that did not take away from my enjoyment of these darkly seductive tales. "Masquerade" by Amanda Ashley tells the story of Jason Blackthorne, a vampire who has walked the earth utterly alone for the last three hundred years. But a ray of light reaches his tortured soul when he sees Leanne performing in the play "The Phantom of the Opera". Leanne bears an uncanny resemblance to Jason's long lost love, and as he gets to know her, she brings to life feelings in Jason that he thought were gone forever. For once in his long existence, Jason has found happiness, but he knows that he loves Leanne far too much to inflict his dark curse on her, and he fears how she will react if she discovers what he really is. Terrified that he will end up hurting Leanne if his bloodlust becomes too strong, Jason knows he must end their relationship. Will losing Leanne destroy Jason's soul forever, or will the power of Leanne's love save Jason from an eternity of darkness?
Though Jason was somewhat of the clichéd tortured monster, Ashley's compelling story still kept me turning pages. "Dark Dream" by Christine Feehan is by far the best story in this anthology, and the main reason I bought it. We are once again taken into Feehan's fabulous world of Carpathians, immortal beings who drink blood to survive but never kill those they feed on, can shape-shift into just about anything and can communicate by telepathy. Falcon is one of the most ancient Carpathians, who was sent out by Prince Vladimir before the prince's untimely death to protect mortals and immortals alike from vampires, monsters without equal who were once Carpathians but chose to give up their souls for the momentary rush of the kill.
Falcon has long since lost his emotions and the ability to see in colour, as all male Carpathians do after a few hundred years of life, and the only thing that can save him from the darkness slowly consuming his soul is finding his lifemate, the one woman made specifically for him who can balance out his darkness with her light. Convinced long ago that he would never find his lifemate, Falcon poured his heart out to her in a diary. And now, when Falcon knows he is close to the edge, he is on his way back to his homeland to meet his new Prince and his once human lifemate before he ends his existence by greeting the dawn. But on his journey, Falcon meets a woman in an alley in Romania, and suddenly he is bombarded by colour and emotion. But just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman is gone, so Falcon sets out to find her.
Sara Marten has spent the last fifteen years living a nightmare. Her entire family was murdered by a vampire, and the terrifying monster now follows Sara wherever she goes. So when she sees Falcon drinking the blood of a man, she believes he is a vampire too. But when Falcon finds her and she gets a look at him, she sees the familiar face of her Dark Angel. Because Sara found Falcon's diary fifteen years ago, and she has loved and cherished the words he wrote for her ever since.
Falcon and Sara are a fantastic couple, and the passion that sparks between makes for some wonderfully sensual reading. Together, Falcon and Sara are determined to find and destroy the ancient vampire that has tortured Sara for all these years and the reader is treated to some thrilling and suspenseful scenes. The story builds to a heart-pounding climax and as an extra treat; some old favourites from previous "Dark" books make an appearance! "Dark Dream" is a wonderful read that really deserved a full-length book, but was still great just as it is. "Midnight Serenade" by Ronda Thompson introduces Rick Donovan, a country veterinarian who is tormented by a curse - he's a werewolf. When wildlife advocate Stephanie Shane rescues an injured wolf from some illegal hunters, she is bitten while trying to help the animal. But this is no ordinary wolf, and Stephanie follows the trail of blood right into Rick Donovan's house. Rick is terrified that he may have given Stephanie his curse by biting her, but as these two get to know each other, he can't help falling in love with her. Stephanie too loses her heart to this handsome and reclusive vet, and their romance is both passionate and sweet. But when Stephanie starts experiencing some strange changes, Rick knows his worst fears have become reality. Will Rick have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the woman he loves? Or will fate intervene and allow these two to be together?
Once again, we are given somewhat of the same old tortured monster, but the story had enough originality and interesting enough characters that I was still able to enjoy it. "After Twilight" may well appeal to some readers more than others, but with the excellent Feehan story and the highly entertaining Ashley and Thompson stories, I think there is something in this anthology for everyone. Each of these tales is a quick, romantic, and intriguing read and comes well recommended!
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