Cravings [Mass Market Paperback]

Laurell K. Hamilton (Author), MaryJanice Davidson (Author), Eileen Wilks (Author), Rebecca York (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2004

Four favorite authors present their favorite characters in all-new tales of bloodlust, appetites that must be sated again and again, and the passion that feeds them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One need only glance at this anthology's lineup of authors to know that it's bound to be loaded with kinky, creative sex. And indeed, that's exactly what Hamilton delivers in "Beyond the Ardeur," which uses the setting of a wedding to bring back virtually the entire cast of characters from her popular series about necromancer Anita Blake. While Hamilton's fans will enjoy revisiting these night creatures, some may be disappointed to find that this tale is all sex and no slaying; the only mystery is which paranormal hunk(s) will satisfy Anita's ardeur. Far more suspenseful is York's "Burning Moon," which follows a blind tarot reader and a werewolf as they steam up the sheets and try to trap a serial killer. Equally compelling but more inventive is Wilks's "Originally Human"; neither the succubus heroine (whose age varies between 19 and 300, with stops at 50 and 35) nor the reader uncovers her amnesiac mystery man's identity till the final pages. Davidson, meanwhile, delivers nonstop, witty repartee and a surprise denouement in "Dead Girls Don't Dance," a delightful romance between a vampiress and her old college classmate. By turns sensual, suspenseful and amusing, this anthology will satisfy almost any craving.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Four novellas focus on feminine desire. Hamilton, the reigning queen of vampiric romance, offers a new Anita Blake tale, "Beyond the Ardeur." Anita is attending a friend's wedding when Nathaniel, her pomme de sang (i.e., the outlet for her intense desire, or "ardeur"), makes known in no uncertain terms that he wants to take the relationship to the next level. Anita's subsequent actions take her to a place she has hitherto carefully avoided. In MaryJanice Davidson's "Dead Girls Don't Dance," vampire Andrea Mercer is literally dug up by an old crush, Daniel Harris, and during a trip to Minnesota to see the vampire queen, her desire for him reignites. Succubus Molly Brown discovers a gorgeous, naked man in the woods and decides to help him recover his memory in Eileen Wilks' "Originally Human," and in "Burning Moon," Rebecca York brings a werewolf seeking vengeance for his mate's death to a psychic's door. Exciting, spicy tales sure to please fans of steamy supernatural fiction. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Jove (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515138150
• ISBN-13: 978-0515138153
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Buying Except for "Beyond the Ardeur", July 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Cravings (Mass Market Paperback)

I eagerly awaited this book because of Eileen Wilks and Mary J. Davidson. I was not disappointed! Eileen Wilks' "Originally Human" was simply great, and kept me guessing until the very end as to what kind of creature the hero really was - talk about inventive. Ms. Wilks has been writing long-winded, boring contemporaries for years. Thank Heavens she finally happened on to her true genre - romantic fantasy. After reading about Lily and Rule in another anthology, I just knew I had to buy Cravings.

M. J. Davidson's "Dead Girls Don't Dance", was great. You have to read it. If for no other reason than the line about the "Incredible Journey". What a hoot. Ms. Davidson's Undead series about Vampire Queen Betsy is just fabulous. Ms. Davidson's sense of humor has had me LOL for hours.

"Burning Moon" by R. York was a good read, but couldn't compare to the other two offerings mentioned above. In the past Ms. York has wrote much better books, leading me to believe that the short story format is not her cup of tea. Trust me, her past novels are very good, and well worth buying.

As for the lead off story, "Beyond the Ardeur", it is quite simply a waste. Now before all the LKH fans get ready to hang me, let me explain that I am a rabid LKH fan also. I LOVE LKH. She and Nora Roberts' "In Death" series are the ONLY books I will buy in hardback and paperback both. However, the expectation from anyone who is not a hardcore LKH fan is that "Beyond the Ardeur" is a new short story. It's not. It is several chapters of the new LKH book, "Incubus Dreams", which will be published in hardback in September. Ms. Hamilton took 3 or 4 chapters of the new book and slammed them together to create this so-called "short story". Personally, I think this is misleading and slightly unethical to represent a story in an anthology as a new short story by an author, but it is really a mismatch of chapters from a new book coming out in the fall. I realize in the publishing business "it's all about the money", but I think Ms. Hamilton has more integrity than this, and I wish she would quit letting herself be used in this manner. Anyway, the "short story" was very confusing, had no flow and only left you hanging. If you were a big fan like myself, you found the four marks that Damien got from Anita to be VERY interesting, and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here. I think the solution is that Ms. Hamilton needs to just write faster. Two books a year are not nearly enough! *grin*

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It satisfied my Cravings for paranormal romantica..., August 1, 2004

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cravings (Mass Market Paperback)

I couldn't wait to pick up this paranormal romantica anthology because two of my favorite authors of said genres, Laurell K. Hamilton and MaryJanice Davidson, are featured in it. However, I was disappointed when I found out that Hamilton's "Blood Upon My Lips" is actually some sample chapters of the upcoming novel Incubus Dreams -- the twelfth Anita Blake installment. I haven't read Narcissus in Chains and Cerulean Sins, and so I decided not to read the new novel's excerpts. My disappointment was short-lived because I absolutely loved MaryJanice Davidson's "Dead Girls Don't Dance," and Rebecca York's "Burning Moon." Davidson's novella is an in-between story of the hilarious Undead series. It's about a depressed vampire who runs into her old high school crush. After her crush discovers that his old schoolmate is now a nocturnal babe on a liquid diet, he agrees to take her to meet the new vampire queen (Undead and Unwed's Betsy Taylor). What transpires is a novella full of Davidson's signature wit and hilarious dialogue. I loved it! I also loved York's "Burning Moon." This is a sweet and sensual story about a werewolf's quest for revenge. He wants to find and kill the serial killer who has murdered several women, including his wife. However, a beautiful and blind tarot card reader could well change all of that. This is a very well-told story. The characterization is excellent for such a short novella. And I loved the fact that there is some mystery in the story as well. Eileen Wilks's "Originally Human" is truly remarkable. The whole guess-what-supernatural-species-the-hero-is enthralled me from beginning to end. "Originally Human" is definitely the most creative story in the book.

This is a wonderful anthology. I've become a big fan of paranormal fiction, and this book has the perfect blend of fantasy, erotica and romance that I love. I give it four stars instead of five because Ms. Hamilton has truly disappointed me. This anthology could have been the perfect opportunity for her to write a separate story about one of Anita Blake's characters. A prequel of the Anita Blake novels centered on Jean-Claude, Asher and Julianne's love triangle would've been excellent. Well, all isn't lost. At least I discovered the works of Rebecca York and Eileen Wilks. "Burning Moon" is part of a series, and I look forward to reading said series. All in all, Cravings is a very fun anthology that's perfect for the beach. Enjoy...

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall enjoyable, August 1, 2004

By 

A. Reid (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cravings (Mass Market Paperback)

To this anthology of supernatural romances, each author brings her own particular flavor. Laurell K. Hamilton, headliner because of her wildly popular Anita Blake series, brings fetish sex without much by way of plot. Rebecca York offers a romance thriller in miniature--complete with mystery and damsel in distress. MaryJanice Davidson provides a light-hearted contemporary romance of the vampire kind. Eileen Wilks presents...well, I don't know what to call what Eileen Wilks presents, other than good. It was my favorite of the four stories.

The only cohesion between the stories was the supernatural element. Werewolves, vampires, demons...they do represent how very differently such things can be handled. The plus side of that, obviously, is the diversity. Whether you want `em steamy or silly, you're going to get something to satisfy. The downside is that they don't necessarily mesh that well. York's story was quite good, but I had to put the book aside for a full day before I could get out of Wilks' vision enough to get into it. A minor drawback at worst.

While I'm sure there are some readers who will feel differently, the only story in the anthology that did not please my particular tastes was the Hamilton story. I truly enjoyed her early Anita Blake novels but have found recently that the kink seems to matter more than the plot. I prefer more of a blending of the two, and there was less plot than usual in her entry here--possibly because this "short story" is a mashed excerpt from her latest novel. For those who find the sex in those stories more compelling than the mysteries, this may be a nice little sampler. Personally, it doesn't really whet my appetite.

Wilks upcoming novel in this new series, Tempting Danger, on the other hand, is already on my list.