Four of the bestselling names in romance and fantasy come together in this collection of thrilling novellas featuring powerful women who know how to handle a hex or two.
Hexed
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"All four [novellas] feature strong female characters and unusual world-building with broad appeal." ---Publishers Weekly
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
About the Author
Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Andrew is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Andrew was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Andrew is still sore about that.) Together, Andrew and Ilona are the co-authors of the New York Times bestselling Kate Daniels urban fantasy series and the romantic urban fantasy novels of The Edge. They currently reside in Portland, Oregon with their two children and numerous pets.
Award-winning author Allyson James writes romances as both Allyson James and Jennifer Ashley. She has lived in the Southwest for twenty years and enjoys exploring its mountains, deserts, and ancient ruins. More information on this series and Allyson’s other books can be found on her website.
Award-winning author Allyson James writes romances as both Allyson James and Jennifer Ashley. She has lived in the Southwest for twenty years and enjoys exploring its mountains, deserts, and ancient ruins. More information on this series and Allyson’s other books can be found on her website.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 73 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #4.5)
A minor character in the Kate Daniels series, Dali proves more than ready for her own series in Magic Dreams. She couldn't be more dissimilar from Kate, yet she displays the same strength of character and bravery that I've come to expect from the women in this series. She's a tiny, visually impaired, Indonesian woman who shifts into a white Tiger. As a human, she's about a physically imposing as a kitten and shifting to her tiger form isn't easy for her. But she does know how to use magic, sometimes. And in Magic Dreams when her Alpha Jim, the man she secretly loves, shows up asking for help, she doesn't hesitative even when she learns that she may have to sacrifice her life for Jim's.
Kate fans won't want to miss this story and it's a perfect introduction for new readers as it has one of the best and most concise explanations for the world building in this series. The dialogue is as sharp and clever as ever, the Japanese mythology borrowed for this story is integrated very well, and the romance between Dali and Jim subtly beautiful. By far the best story in HEXED.
Sexual Content: Kissing Rating: 4/5
Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn (Sisters of the Moon #9.5)
My only exposure to Galenorn's Sister's of the Moon (SotM) series was in the anthology INKED, so I'll admit near total ignorance when it comes to this world and these characters going in, and I feel pretty much the same way having read Ice Shards. The chronology jumps all over the place and the writing struck me as lazy and uninteresting. Lots and lots of characters and yet not one grabbed me. Iris travels with her friends (including SotM main character Camille and one of her husbands) to find out if she committed a crime she can't remember. They travel, talk to people, travel, have flashbacks, travel etc. until the last 3 pages when Iris finally gets answers. I suppose fans of this series may enjoy all the cameos, but as a newbie, this story just turned me off the whole series.
Sexual Content: References to sex Rating: 2/5
Double Hexed by Allyson James (Stormwalker #3.5)
Double Hexed is the longest story in HEXED (and I believe that's Janet on the cover) and makes full use of its extra pages. Like the previous story, there are lots of characters (some stronger than others), but unlike the previous story, they each justify their inclusion in this specific story. Stormwalker Janet and her dragon shifter Mick are the leads and we learn about each character as they interact with them while trying to break a hex that has trapped them all in Janet's hotel. This actually would be a great introduction for new readers who want to try this series featuring Native American mysticism mixed with more conventional paranormal tropes and a uniquely imagined world Beneath our own where demons and evil have been trapped. Janet and Mick have a heated romance and this story is the steamiest in the anthology.
Sexual Content: References to homosexuality. A brief sex scene Rating: 3/5
Blood Debt by Jeanne C. Stein (Anna Strong Chronicles #6.5)
This is another series I'm largely unfamiliar with (I've only read the first book), but I didn't have any trouble jumping in to this story. Anna and her bounty hunter partners are tracking a Skip when a series of events lead her to stand trail for her life. This setup provides Stein with an opportunity to highlight certain key events from Anna's life (how she was turned into a vampire, how she ended up as a bounty hunter, and how she finally killed her nemesis etc). It works well has an intro for new readers, but doesn't dominate the story so that fans become bored. There is a romantic relationship that gets set up in Blood Debt that I imagine will get woven into future books, so series devotees won't want to miss seeing how it began.
Sexual Content: A couple brief sex scenes Rating: 3/5
A minor character in the Kate Daniels series, Dali proves more than ready for her own series in Magic Dreams. She couldn't be more dissimilar from Kate, yet she displays the same strength of character and bravery that I've come to expect from the women in this series. She's a tiny, visually impaired, Indonesian woman who shifts into a white Tiger. As a human, she's about a physically imposing as a kitten and shifting to her tiger form isn't easy for her. But she does know how to use magic, sometimes. And in Magic Dreams when her Alpha Jim, the man she secretly loves, shows up asking for help, she doesn't hesitative even when she learns that she may have to sacrifice her life for Jim's.
Kate fans won't want to miss this story and it's a perfect introduction for new readers as it has one of the best and most concise explanations for the world building in this series. The dialogue is as sharp and clever as ever, the Japanese mythology borrowed for this story is integrated very well, and the romance between Dali and Jim subtly beautiful. By far the best story in HEXED.
Sexual Content: Kissing Rating: 4/5
Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn (Sisters of the Moon #9.5)
My only exposure to Galenorn's Sister's of the Moon (SotM) series was in the anthology INKED, so I'll admit near total ignorance when it comes to this world and these characters going in, and I feel pretty much the same way having read Ice Shards. The chronology jumps all over the place and the writing struck me as lazy and uninteresting. Lots and lots of characters and yet not one grabbed me. Iris travels with her friends (including SotM main character Camille and one of her husbands) to find out if she committed a crime she can't remember. They travel, talk to people, travel, have flashbacks, travel etc. until the last 3 pages when Iris finally gets answers. I suppose fans of this series may enjoy all the cameos, but as a newbie, this story just turned me off the whole series.
Sexual Content: References to sex Rating: 2/5
Double Hexed by Allyson James (Stormwalker #3.5)
Double Hexed is the longest story in HEXED (and I believe that's Janet on the cover) and makes full use of its extra pages. Like the previous story, there are lots of characters (some stronger than others), but unlike the previous story, they each justify their inclusion in this specific story. Stormwalker Janet and her dragon shifter Mick are the leads and we learn about each character as they interact with them while trying to break a hex that has trapped them all in Janet's hotel. This actually would be a great introduction for new readers who want to try this series featuring Native American mysticism mixed with more conventional paranormal tropes and a uniquely imagined world Beneath our own where demons and evil have been trapped. Janet and Mick have a heated romance and this story is the steamiest in the anthology.
Sexual Content: References to homosexuality. A brief sex scene Rating: 3/5
Blood Debt by Jeanne C. Stein (Anna Strong Chronicles #6.5)
This is another series I'm largely unfamiliar with (I've only read the first book), but I didn't have any trouble jumping in to this story. Anna and her bounty hunter partners are tracking a Skip when a series of events lead her to stand trail for her life. This setup provides Stein with an opportunity to highlight certain key events from Anna's life (how she was turned into a vampire, how she ended up as a bounty hunter, and how she finally killed her nemesis etc). It works well has an intro for new readers, but doesn't dominate the story so that fans become bored. There is a romantic relationship that gets set up in Blood Debt that I imagine will get woven into future books, so series devotees won't want to miss seeing how it began.
Sexual Content: A couple brief sex scenes Rating: 3/5
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Hexed by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James and Jeanne C. Stein
Paranormal Romance - June 7th, 2011
4 stars
Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews
Dali Harmau is a powerful white tiger shifter. She can do magic with mere pen and paper but she still lacks confidence especially in the looks department. She has always yearned for the tough and sexy alpha Jim. A sleek jaguar shifter, he never seems to notice her unless he needs something. Returning from a car race she finds Jim waiting for her at her home. He needs help and believes her special brand of magic can unlock clues to the disappearance or death of some of their pack. Dali will have to use all her skills to save her pack and Jim.
Magic Dreams was my favorite because in this anthology because it had a good mystery, romance and some very interesting characters. The author really developed the main characters and the story had a lot of twists an turns. Even though it was short it was satisfying, complex and entertaining to read. In fact, I re-read it right after! 4 1/2 stars
Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn
Iris is a small sprite with a tragic history. She has finally found love again but realizes that for her new relationship to develop, she must face her terrible past - a past that she cannot remember! She travels with three friends who hope to help regain her memory and clear her name but her ex-lover has other plans....
This was a very thoughtful story that paranormal fans will enjoy. The only reason I didn't like is as much as Magic Dreams was because I thought it was strange that Iris's current lover isn't on this dangerous journey with her. Plus Iris was supposed to be long lived, so I thought she would be a bit wiser and more confident in herself. 3 1/2 stars
Double Hexed by Allyson James
This short is part of the author's Stormwalker series but can be read by itself. The heroine, Janet, is a powerful being with amazing powers but none of them can help her or her friends when they find themselves magically trapped in their hotel. Determined to find a way out, they must work together but can they figure out who set the curse and why?
This was an involving story because the mystery behind the curse was fun to read. The author cleverly leads the reader into different directions which keeps the reader on their toes. I especially liked reading this book because the heroine is no push over and she is extremely likeable. 4 stars
Blood Debt by Jeanne Stein
Blood Debt is part of Jeanne's Stein vampire series. The heroine, Anna Strong, is a bounty hunter with a past. She killed an evil woman but did not realize it was on sanctified grounds. Now she is called to `repair' this error, possibly with her life. To make things worse, the life of a handsome human named Stephan is being used as an incentive. Can she save him and herself?
I found this is an exciting story and hoped that Stephan will be used in the author's next book?! Anna is tough and clever. I liked how she was able to save Stephan and herself. This was a fun read. 4 stars
Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
Paranormal Romance - June 7th, 2011
4 stars
Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews
Dali Harmau is a powerful white tiger shifter. She can do magic with mere pen and paper but she still lacks confidence especially in the looks department. She has always yearned for the tough and sexy alpha Jim. A sleek jaguar shifter, he never seems to notice her unless he needs something. Returning from a car race she finds Jim waiting for her at her home. He needs help and believes her special brand of magic can unlock clues to the disappearance or death of some of their pack. Dali will have to use all her skills to save her pack and Jim.
Magic Dreams was my favorite because in this anthology because it had a good mystery, romance and some very interesting characters. The author really developed the main characters and the story had a lot of twists an turns. Even though it was short it was satisfying, complex and entertaining to read. In fact, I re-read it right after! 4 1/2 stars
Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn
Iris is a small sprite with a tragic history. She has finally found love again but realizes that for her new relationship to develop, she must face her terrible past - a past that she cannot remember! She travels with three friends who hope to help regain her memory and clear her name but her ex-lover has other plans....
This was a very thoughtful story that paranormal fans will enjoy. The only reason I didn't like is as much as Magic Dreams was because I thought it was strange that Iris's current lover isn't on this dangerous journey with her. Plus Iris was supposed to be long lived, so I thought she would be a bit wiser and more confident in herself. 3 1/2 stars
Double Hexed by Allyson James
This short is part of the author's Stormwalker series but can be read by itself. The heroine, Janet, is a powerful being with amazing powers but none of them can help her or her friends when they find themselves magically trapped in their hotel. Determined to find a way out, they must work together but can they figure out who set the curse and why?
This was an involving story because the mystery behind the curse was fun to read. The author cleverly leads the reader into different directions which keeps the reader on their toes. I especially liked reading this book because the heroine is no push over and she is extremely likeable. 4 stars
Blood Debt by Jeanne Stein
Blood Debt is part of Jeanne's Stein vampire series. The heroine, Anna Strong, is a bounty hunter with a past. She killed an evil woman but did not realize it was on sanctified grounds. Now she is called to `repair' this error, possibly with her life. To make things worse, the life of a handsome human named Stephan is being used as an incentive. Can she save him and herself?
I found this is an exciting story and hoped that Stephan will be used in the author's next book?! Anna is tough and clever. I liked how she was able to save Stephan and herself. This was a fun read. 4 stars
Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
18 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By A. Raulli
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I'll admit that I only bought this book because I love Ilona Andrews' work. For their story ONLY I rate it 4 1/2 stars however since I had to rate the book overall I had to consider the other stories, which were terrible.
1) Ilona Andrews - I always liked the Dali character, so I was pleased that there would be an entire story just about her. My only gripe with it was that Jim seemed a bit flat in it. If I had read this book without reading the other Ilona Andrews novels I wouldn't have warmed to Jim at all. Interesting story, great lead, fun read.
2) Yasmin Galenorm - this was the worst story of the bunch. I don't really even know where to begin it was that bad. It was so "try hard" it made me roll my eyes and cringe at the same time. It was full of the cliche urban fantasy rubbish (eg,bustier). The story was uninteresting so much so that I didn't read it all. I gave up in disgust when the lead was reminising about her leprechaun lover Bruce I couldn't take anymore and skipped to the next story.
3) Allyson James - only slightly better. The story was interesting however the characters were ridiculously overpowered and therefore dull. Sex scenes were stupid filler.
4) Jeanne C. Stein - the second best story in the bunch (but by a large margin from Ilona Andrews book). The story would have improved if there wasn't a love interest. It made it trite.
I wouldn't have bought this book if it wasn't for the Ilona Andrews story so I can't complain too much but I wish their novella had have been sold separately as the other stories were painful to read and I feel like I have wasted my money.
1) Ilona Andrews - I always liked the Dali character, so I was pleased that there would be an entire story just about her. My only gripe with it was that Jim seemed a bit flat in it. If I had read this book without reading the other Ilona Andrews novels I wouldn't have warmed to Jim at all. Interesting story, great lead, fun read.
2) Yasmin Galenorm - this was the worst story of the bunch. I don't really even know where to begin it was that bad. It was so "try hard" it made me roll my eyes and cringe at the same time. It was full of the cliche urban fantasy rubbish (eg,bustier). The story was uninteresting so much so that I didn't read it all. I gave up in disgust when the lead was reminising about her leprechaun lover Bruce I couldn't take anymore and skipped to the next story.
3) Allyson James - only slightly better. The story was interesting however the characters were ridiculously overpowered and therefore dull. Sex scenes were stupid filler.
4) Jeanne C. Stein - the second best story in the bunch (but by a large margin from Ilona Andrews book). The story would have improved if there wasn't a love interest. It made it trite.
I wouldn't have bought this book if it wasn't for the Ilona Andrews story so I can't complain too much but I wish their novella had have been sold separately as the other stories were painful to read and I feel like I have wasted my money.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very nice change
I loved everything from the first story to the last. Most of the authors I have read before. A couple I will be reading a lot more of.
Published 22 days ago by kimberly loudermillk
4.0 out of 5 stars
The is a really fun book!
With four different stories your bound to find something you like. I bought it to find out what happens to one of Yasmine Galenorn's characters from the Otherworld Series. Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. Hall
4.0 out of 5 stars
very good
again i bought this book to round out my collection of yasmine galenorn books. all the stories a very good it's an enjoyable read
Published 3 months ago by melissa moulton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lucky I found this author
The husband and wife team that write the SF/F material are talented. They create characters you are happy to meet and want to get to know better. Read more
Published 5 months ago by K. kundahl
3.0 out of 5 stars
havoc wreaking curses in scenarios ranging from a mythical elfin ice...
Four of the top authors in the urban fantasy genre are brought together in this one anthology. Each story explores havoc wreaking curses in scenarios ranging from a mythical elfin... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hexed
Great compilation of stories. it introduced me to another auther which I will now read. i always liked Andrews and now J Stein has been added to the list
Published 8 months ago by Guy Braun
5.0 out of 5 stars
Janet & Mick continue
Hard to stay away from this series love each book i read the stormwalker and the Shifter series makes me read a lot more than i have time for during the week but alas i do it... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Richard J. Fish
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Mix
Hexed is an anthology that features four magical novellas written by four bestselling authors - Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James, and Jeanne C. Stein. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Amanda Jade
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four stories of magic gone wild
Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Four stories of magic gone wild.
The Review:
Through all the set up for this review, I have had... Read more
Quick & Dirty: Four stories of magic gone wild.
The Review:
Through all the set up for this review, I have had... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dark Faerie Tales
3.0 out of 5 stars
An anthology to remember.
I really enjoyed two of the stories in this anthology, while the other two were just OK for me. I am really excited about discovering Alyson James through the story in this... Read more
Published 15 months ago by A. Perry
