Customer Reviews

Beyond the Dark

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Four mistresses of romantic fiction come together in one fantastic anthology featuring four riveting paranormal tales. I was already a fan of Angela Knight, Emma Holly and Lora Leigh, but Beyond the Dark was the first chance I have yet had to experience Diane Whiteside's talent. In my honest opinion, each of the stories in this collection has earned Kwips' highest rating of five Klovers!

~Dragon Dance by Angela Knight~

Random humans have developed inexplicable paranormal abilities. The change comes upon them without warning, and for many, they never recover from the madness that accompanies the transition period. Hostage negotiator Arial Dean is called in to talk down one such `Hyper', as they are called, in a standoff that threatens not only the man's wife and children, but every living being in the vicinity. It will take the combined efforts of Arial and the mysterious man known only as Tracker to subdue this dangerous new Hyper.

Angela Knight recently became one of my favorite authors, and I have been greatly anticipating this story from her! Dragon Dance in no way disappointed me. This story has several twists that I did not anticipate but which greatly ramped up my excitement for this story when each was revealed. I guess I am trying to say that it got better and better with each page! LOL Of course, it was captivating from page one, with characters that leapt off the page, immediately engendering a feeling of familiarity for them, and definitely a strong empathy.

As can be expected from an author who has affectionately described her work as `blatant smut', Dragon Dance has some blazing hot love scenes between Arial and Tracker! Of course, simply calling this story blatant smut would do this talented author a disservice. Without the emotion Ms. Knight effortlessly wrings from her characters, it would simply be sex. But Knight has written a true love story, with all the romantic passion guaranteed to satisfy any romance reader.

~Caught by the Tides by Diane Whiteside~

It is 1803 and England remains on guard for threat from Napoleon Bonaparte. Both the French and the English employ the use of powerful mages with the ability to control the elements and more in their battles. Owen Bentham is just such a King's Mage, in service to England. As he carries an imperative message that can change the tide of the war, the enemy calls a storm that leaves him near dead.

When Emma finds the handsome man washed up on her beach, she recognizes him as a King's Mage by the ring he wears, and knows that her duty to help him goes beyond simple human kindness, but is a duty to her country. But in caring for Owen, she finds herself caught in the midst of the fight, an unexpected but significant pawn that the traitorous mage will do anything to control. In order to foil the traitor and help Owen succeed in his mission, she must give everything she is to Owen.

As I said previously, Caught by the Tides is the first time I have read anything by Diane Whiteside, and made me oh so glad I have two more of her books waiting on my book shelf right now! Ms. Whiteside writes with a skill that draws the reader in to the story as if they were experiencing it for themselves instead of turning pages in a book.

The author's magical take on the Napoleonic wars was an absolute delight! I am not usually drawn to stories about wars, especially true historical events, but the paranormal element added an extra `oomph' to this story that made me forget this may not be my typical reading choice. Of course, the focus of the story is really on the battle between the two mages as well as Emma's and Owen's romance, with the Napoleonic threat as more of a backdrop.

At every turn, the noble Emma is ready to perform her duty to her country and King, especially when it involves Owen. No matter what he needs, she is willing to give to him, and it soon becomes apparent to both the reader and Emma herself that this is out of more than her `duty'.

Indeed, it is Owen's own past that inhibits him from accepting Emma's assistance in full until the time is critical. Having been used and hurt in the past, he is wary of opening himself fully to another. In the end, he does what he must, and finds deep down, he trusts the lovely Emma above all others with everything he has, heart and soul.

Caught by the Tides was a magnificent introduction to Diane Whiteside's work, and I cannot wait to read more from her very soon!

~Queen of all She Surveys by Emma Holly~

Once again, Queen Tou has won the latest battle between herself and King Ravna. This time, she has taken his surviving warriors hostage, demanding he ransom them for his own son, the legendary Prince Memnon. It is said that King Ravna has been touched by the gods, and his son is rumored to have inherited his father's insatiable lust. Unlike his father, however, Prince Memnon indulges himself only once a month, when the need becomes too great to control.

Queen Tou has also been blessed by the gods with eternal youth, but has been left with a raging sexual need that requires a harem of men to sate her each night. Her new husband, Prince Memnon, is not a man willing to share, but can he satisfy her needs in full by himself? More importantly, can the son of her enemy truly be trusted in her bed and her heart?

No matter the genre she is writing in, Emma Holly never fails to spin a fascinating tale full of some very memorable love scenes. But no matter how wild the sex, she always manages to infuse the scene with a great deal of true caring. Consequently, the sex scenes never come across as gratuitous but instead an expression of love between the characters involved.

Despite her heightened sexual appetite, Queen Tou only chooses men for her harem that she truly cares for. As such, I would not consider her promiscuous, despite her numerous sexual encounters. Especially since everything changes when she meets the irresistible Prince Memnon. Once she touches him, she desires no other, and so begins their love story.

Prince Memnon is a man consumed by worry over his own appetites, having never met a woman who can handle his sex drive when fully unleashed. In Queen Tou, he is more than surprised to find a woman he can respect, love, and with whom he can completely let himself go.

~In a Wolf's Embrace by Lora Leigh~

A Breed male often recognizes his mate the moment he first sees her or scents her. Matthias Slaughter recognized Grace Anderson's importance to him the moment he first met her, but knew he couldn't act on his feelings until his mission was complete. Fate has a way of taking decisions out of your hands, however, and when Grace accidentally witnesses Matthias assassinating her boss, an evil Council Scientist, Matthias has no choice but to take her with him.

Sequestered in a secluded cabin together, Matthias sets out to woo his little mate, explaining why he'd been assigned to terminate her employer. He is determined to allow her to choose him instead of forcing the Mating Heat on her, but his own hormones become difficult to control.

Grace knows she should run far away from this dangerous man, but something about him pulls at her, preventing her from denying him. Soon, their close proximity will break their control, binding them forever in a way that will consume them both.

Anyone who follows my reviews has probably figured out that Lora Leigh is at the top of my list of favorite authors. This woman cannot miss. It is evident in every book she releases that she cares passionately about both her characters and their stories and her imagination knows no limit.

Although sexy beyond belief, Matthias Slaughter is probably the hardest, most daunting Breed male we have yet met in the Breeds saga. The man is beyond hardcore, dedicated to eradicating the evil that spawned the Breeds and now threatens their very existence. It is just his luck to meet his own mate on just such a mission. How ironic that the kind, soft-hearted Grace should be his mate. But it is just those qualities that gentle him, and he fights his very nature to allow her the freedom of choice so important to her.

Grace proves a godsend to the intimidating assassin. With her sweet demeanor and open heart, she easily softens his own. And once she finds her way into his heart and soul, she teaches him how to enjoy life to its fullest instead of just surviving.

In a Wolf's Embrace is an outstanding addition to Leigh's Breeds series, and a story that will stay in my heart for a long time to come. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried more than once during this sweet and sexy romance, and I highly recommend grabbing a box of tissue before you sit down to read your own copy!

Lora Leigh
Series Order (NY books only):
Megan's Mark (The Breeds, Book 1) (Berkley Sensation)
Harmony's Way (The Breeds, Book 2)
Tanner's Scheme (The Breeds, Book 3)
Dawn's Awakening (The Breeds, Book 4)

Connected Books:
Hot Spell (The Guardians, Book 1) (The Breed Next Door) (The Countess's Pleasure) (The Blood Kiss)(Falling For Anthony)
Beyond the Dark
Shifter (Berkley Sensation)

Be sure before you purchase this "new release" that you haven't read it already. I ran out and bought this because it was supposed to be a new release, on my lunch hour, without really reading any of it--just to get it home and realize I've already read this book. I checked the release date in the book, and Dec 09 is the release date by Jove, however Berkely released this book in Dec 07. Very disapointing!

I found each one of the stories completely engrossing. I picked the book because I love Lora Leigh. I have never read any of the other authors but I found this to be a great introduction to them. Their stories were just as fantastic as Lora Leighs.

This book contains the following four stories.

5 stars for DRAGON'S DANCE by Angela Knight.
Creative, new, different, fun. Humans with special powers are called Hypers. Some are good and some are bad. I don't want to give away some of the fun surprises, so I won't tell any more of the story, other than it was well done and worth buying. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: three. Setting: current day Blue Ridge Mountain area in U.S. Genre: paranormal romance.

For a list of my reviews of other Angela Knight books, see my 2 star review of "The Forever Kiss" posted 9/09/08.


3 stars for IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE by Lora Leigh.
Some parts wild, wicked and fun. Other parts a little weak. Too much time was spent in the thoughts of Matthais, thinking and worrying about losing her and his life without her. Too much time was spent with Grace rejecting him and wanting to get away from him after seeing him shoot another man. But otherwise, it was enjoyable. Story brief: Matthais is 1/2 wolf and 1/2 human. His breed has only one mate for life. He meets Grace and knows she is his. He spends time with her. Then she sees him execute a man who had tortured others. Matthais kidnaps Grace and she eventually gives in and falls in love with him. Sexual language: erotic. Number of sex scenes: five, some several pages long. Setting: 2003 New York city and Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.

For a listing of my reviews of other Lora Leigh books, see my review of "Tempting the Beast" posted on 6/30/08.


2 stars for CAUGHT BY THE TIDES by Diane Whiteside.
Not entertaining enough. Something was missing. I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters. I was bored with the way the author described the lifestyle, schooling and lack of parenting of mages, as well as the powers of mages and magick of the land. I'm having a hard time describing what was wrong, but overall I was not entertained. Story brief: A British spy, Owen who is a mage, just returned from spying on Napoleon in France. He is injured and Emma heals him. Trevelyn is a spy for France, living in England and is also a mage. He and Owen fight. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: 1803 English coast. Genre: fantasy historical romance.

For a list of my reviews of other Diane Whiteside books, see my 2.5 star review for The Irish Devil posted 8/31/08.


2 stars for QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS by Emma Holly.
Something is missing, I'm not sure what. I kind of wanted it to be over. The plot is about having sex, not much else. The king has a large sexual appetite. His son Memnon, does as well, but he chooses one woman per month to be with. An enemy queen has a stable of harem men. She uses several of them every day to service her. Her army captures the king's army and she requests Memnon as the ransom. Memnon goes to her at his father's command. He is so good in bed, or should I say they are so good for each other, that she keeps him and no longer uses her harem of men. Sexual language: erotic. Number of sex scenes: six, some several pages long. Setting: ancient Yama civilization on earth. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.

I am like most of the book addicts out there, I see that a new book is being released and I jump on it! Why is it NO ONE can be honest with the consumers and say that these books are RE-Releases and not new books! It shouldn't matter who the publishers are, if the story has previously been published we should be warned in case we have already paid good money for that story!

Just a heads up that the December 2009 edition is a re-issue. The stories are fantastic, just not new.

Beyond the Dark is a pretty good book if you are into the paranormal romance genre. Fans of Angela Knight and Emma Holly will enjoy these offerings from them, which are the typical high quality we've come to expect from these authors. I also enjoyed Diane Whiteside's offering although I was not familiar with her work. I felt Lora Leigh's novelette was the weakest of the four but it was still worth reading. While this collection is not really a "must read", it does have merit and is worth a look for veteran readers.

This is a collection of four stories by well-known authors of paranormal romance of the more erotic variety.

DRAGON DANCE by Angela Knight
This story started off excellently with our heroine, Arial Dean, trying to negotiate the release of a woman and two children in a hostage situation. Initially the story seems to be an ordinary hostage situation but then we learn that the man who has taken his wife and children hostage is a Hyper, someone who has some extra powers. These powers became apparent in the population five years before and can have devastating effects on the mental states of those who become Hyper. Arial and the other law enforcement officers have to call in Tracker, a Hyper who works for the Feds, to try to deal with the hostage taker. When Tracker arrives he and Arial rescue the family, but with some collateral damage - to Arial. When Arial realises she has become a Hyper and turns to Tracker to help, she is starting a new journey in life where she discovers there is a lot more to the Hypers than previously thought. Arial's personal Hyper skills may be necessary to defeat the evil Kali, a woman who has taken six slaves and wants to get Tracker and Arial too.

This story was interesting and well written although the sex scenes felt rather unnecessary to the plot, at least in the detail in which we were given. The situation of the Hypers was interesting and I would have liked more to be made of it. However it was an enjoyable read and the characters were well drawn and appealing. Four stars.

CAUGHT BY THE TIDES by Diane Whiteside
This story follows Emma Sinclair, a young widow, who sees a man washed ashore near her home in Cornwall and goes to rescue him from the incoming tide. Although he's far too heavy for her to lift she finds that the magickal spells she learned years ago, that never previously worked, seem to help him. She nurses him to health, finding his recovery amazingly fast. This is because Owen Bentham is a King's Mage and messenger and Emma herself has previously unknown magickal abilities - she is a chalice which means she can amplify the power of a mage. Owen's mission of returning from France with the antidote to a spell that Napoleon could use to find safe UK harbours was disrupted by a local mage working with a French mage; that local mage wants to both kill Owen and take over Emma's chalice skills. Owen and Emma have to work against him, utilising the magick stored in Emma's house and some new magic of their own.

This was a charming enough story set in an interesting time (the time of Napoleon) with magickal overtones. The romance side was an instant love-at-first-sight rather than anything more deep and complex but was pleasant enough to read. There were some aspects of the story that didn't quite work for me, such as the Gryphon's occasional appearances, but it was a reasonable read. Four stars.

QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS by Emma Holly
This story is another set in Emma Holly's Yamish world (also visited in full-length novels 'The Demon's Daughter' and 'Prince Of Ice') and the story has some similarities with 'Prince Of Ice', at least as far as the special mating abilities of the Yamish royals go. However the other background of the Yamish world isn't really featured in this story and it works perfectly well as a stand-alone short story. The hero of this story is Memnon, only son of King Ravna, whose battles in the long-running war with Queen Tou aren't very successful. King Ravna agrees to give his son to Queen Tou as a war tribute in order to have captured soldiers released. Memnon is sent to Tou's city and has to join her harem of men. It soon becomes apparent, however, that there is something special between the two of them; Tou is god-touched and King Ravna had also received the favour of the gods - it seems that Ravna's son and Tou might have a special affinity for each other.

Much of this story is taken up with the sexual antics of Tou and Memnon but there is also an attack on Tou's city which forms a brief part of the plot at the end. The main focus is always the relationship between Tou and Memnon which is described in detail. Like all Emma Holly's books this is a well written story set in an interesting world but the short story form leaves little room for much plot other than the sexual relationship and I would have appreciated more detail about the rest of the situation of Tou and Memnon. Four stars.

IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE by Lora Leigh
This story is apparently part of a series as there are several other characters named whom we don't actually meet. The hero, Matthias Slaughter, is a Wolf Breed, a man who has been genetically engineered with wolf genes and who, along with the other Breed, was experimented upon and tortured for much of his life. He and the other Breed members now work to track down those responsible and bring them to justice - in Matthias' case, often summary justice. Unfortunately when he shoots Dr Benedikt Albrecht in the back of the head in his hotel room, he doesn't realise a young woman was in the room too; not just any young woman but Grace Anderson, the woman he realises is fated to be his mate. He kidnaps her so that she can't turn him in, takes her to her cabin in the country where he can persuade her of the justness of his actions.

Most of this story consists of the conversations between Matthias and Grace where he persuades her that shooting a man in the back of the head without warning is OK, that it is a necessary part of the struggle against those evil people who torture Breed members. His explanations don't seem that convincing to Grace but fortunately the mating bond takes over and she seems to accept it. The story is mostly about their mating bond, with a short escape from danger at the end. There's a reasonable amount of characterisation for Matthias, a man without family who's always been on his own, but Grace was rather more of a cipher. It was a reasonable enough read but nothing special. Three stars.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007

I'm not into anthologies as I feel that if I become too engrossed within each story they tend to end abruptly as I wanted more to each novel than what was written in the book. But surprising enough - this book was gripping and I couldn't put it down. All three authors here do a magnificent job - so much so that I found myself being disappointed that the book had ended!

I'm having a tough time deciding which novel I liked best and find that I loved all four stories equally!!

I wont go into detail with the plots, as there are a few reviewers here that have done a great job already.

DRAGON DANCE - ANGELA KNIGHT - 5 STARS

My first book by Knight and I will now make it a mission to try and get into her previous novels, as she is a talent not to be missed. Arial and Tracker. After Tracker was transformed and became a Hyper - he had a close friend that helped him embrace his new powers. Arial has just been transformed and she needs to be able to control her new Hyper powers. So Tracker takes her to Richard's hide out, unknowingly followed by Kali - an evil Hyper that enslaves other Hypers to bend them to her will.

The paranormal aspect to this book was riveting and believable. The character development was great and the chemistry between Arial and Tracker was wonderful - sizzling, hot love scenes that are sexy and a total turn on.


CAUGHT BY THE TIDES - DIANE WHITESIDE - 4 STARS

When Owen, the King's Mage washed ashore, near dead Emma realizes that he is indeed a royal Mage by the ring he is waering and she knows she must help him.

But little does she realize that in doing so she will become a pawn and the unwittingly target to a traitorous Mage who wants to restore Napoleon Bonaparte back to France.

Delightful Regency Romance - with the Magick touch that will delight readers - Caught b the Tides is my first Diane Whiteside book but will not be the last. I liked her writing style and the scorching heat of her love scenes were well placed in the story.

QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS - EMMA HOLLY - 4 STARS

Not my first novel by Holly but I really enjoyed this story. The plot was interesting - even though it had more sexual content than story - but I didn't feel that it detracted from making this a great short story.

The chemistry between Queen Tou and Prince Memnon is sizzling. The sexual scenes are Erotica but beautifully told. All in all I liked it very much!

IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE - LORA LEIGH - 5 STARS ++

By the reviews here - Lora Leigh has become an icon with her Breed series - which am sad to say that I have not read any - so this was my first.

I found reading the story - even though paranormal - I had tremendous empathy for how the Breeds have been developed and how they have suffered by their genetic change - brought about by humans. It was truly horrible to read what the atrocities they have suffered in the labs through the years and I was able to see that that Mathias is one that has suffered the most.

With their genetically altered bodies - Breeds experience heighted sexual awareness - which makes them know when they have found their true mate. Grace has a tough time comprehending Mathias - as he has become the ruthless assassin to avenge his people. As they spend time alone in a remote cabin, Grace comes to realize that Mathias maybe have become a coldblooded assassin, but she starts seeing him as a man and not a ruthless killer, as she understands his motives and all that he and his race have suffered. There is a dangerous edge to him below the surface but Grace sees through that and comes to see how vulnerable Mathias really is and how much he needs her.

With all the rough and supremely steamy sex - I was surprised at the depth of emotion this story had. I was choked up at more than one moment and I was surprisingly taken aback at the beauty of how the characters developed feelings for one another. It was a superb story and I plan on starting the breed series very soon.

I read Dragon Dance and thought this is an unusal idea, a "virus" that allows a person to become like a superhero - providing they don't go crazy while adjusting. Then to find out that the "virus" actually allows an alien race to inhabit your body and gives you your "powers". An unusual read, but very well done, and I'm looking forward to seeing if Ms. Knight does any other stories in this line. To me it was as good as her Mageverse series.

Ms. Whiteside's contribution seemed to start in a fairly normal way - if you're a mage that is. Then to have the hero rescued by the heroine who really doesn't seem to have magical talents, only to discover she does, at first it seemed a little formulatic. But as the story goes on, you discover that while the heroine does have magical talent, it appears to be minor, but it's tied to the land, and when she finally opens herself to the land, her power allows the hero to help stop a war.

Emma Holly's story - what can I say? The story rocked! I didn't like the king from the get go, and then when he "threw" his son to the queen as a gesture of peace, I liked him even less. But when I discovered just what the king had done in the past to the queen, and what he had planned for his son and the queen in the near future, I was ready to lead a war party myself against him.

I've followed Ms. Leigh's Breed series since I found them, and I still haven't read them all. This one is a typical Breed albeit a wolf and not a feline so there are some differences. An assassin and his mate, the witness. There was no doubt in my mind that he loves her, and she loves him, but she won't stay unless he changes his ways. When he calls her "his sunshine", I cried, it was beautifully written, and kept me turning the pages even at 1:30 am.