Customer Reviews

Kick Ass

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An anthology of 3 major fantasy romance author and one newcomer. This was a fairly good anthology though I found the newest authors story somewhat lacking and my usual beef with Mary Janice Davidson held true. While her stories are great, they are also ridiculously short!

The Bride Wore a .44- Maggie Shayne
Best known for her vampire series ( The Edge is fantastic!)Maggie gives us something right out of Alias. Our heroine is an amnesia victim after an explosion. She's about to wed a man she thinks is her long time fiance, but she's falling for her sexy wedding planner! The night before the wedding flashes of her former life as a spy start coming back and the ceremony is halted by a hail of bullets. Her wedding planner ( or is he her husband?!) and her fiance ( or is he the bad guy?!) are kidnapped and she straps on some Laura Croft like black leather and goes to save her perfect man. Which one is he again?

The Incredible Misadventures of Boo & the Boy Blunder- MJD
Very long title, very short story! Boo is a vampire slayer - the most prolific and heralded one of recent memory- who kills a vamp during his midnight munchies. He was chomping on a young male college student who realizes whats happening and immediately begins idolizing Boo. Much to her chagrin he tags along comparing her to Buffy & Batman. They go in search of her employer only to discover he himself is a vampire, though once a policeman and now an aspiring comedian. Eventually Boo can't help taking heer work (i.e. her employer) home with her and her sidekick comes along for the ride.

Warfem- Angela Knight
A story in the theme of her fantastic Jane's Warlord, this is set in the future with a part cyborg warrior heroine who is getting the crap kicked out of her. Just when she thinks she is done for, in walks the man that got away, fellow cyborg warrior Baird, to save the day. The two rehash old memories but he can't trust her for she's hiding secrets that could get them all killed. Just when she's about to confess the bad guys strike. Can they save each other? And what's our heroine's little surprise? Knight is an author never to be missed!

Painkillers- Jacey Ford
Well a supermodel turned spy on the set of an exotic island photo shoot is our heroine. Now if I can believe the vampires and the cyborgs I should have been able to find this believable...but sadly it really didn't capture my imagination. I do have to say the doublecrossing despotic bad guy was well done...but should that really be the highlight? And the romance was WEAK.

The book didn't close with a bang but it was an enjoyable way to while away an afternoon. The big names do deliver.

The Bride wore a .44 by Maggie Shane was a terrific story about a very unusual wedding situation. I haven't read Maggie Shane before but I will definitely be looking for more books by her after this story.

The Incredible Misadventures of Boo and the Boy Blunder by MaryJanice Davidson was another great story. It's set loosely in her "Undead and Unwed" universe and is a wonderfully original story and laugh out loud funny as well. Loved the Boy Blunder!

Warfem by Angela Knight is a steamy, fantastic story set in a time of genetically engineered warriors. I love Baird and Alina is a wonderful, kick ass heroine, and Galar is terrific! A sweet as well as sexy story.

Painkillers by Jacey Ford is about a supermodel/ spy on assignment on a tropical island.

This is an excellent anthology. Kick Ass lives up to its title!

I rather enjoyed the four short stories in KICK ASS, an anthology featuring romances between tough women and tougher men.

In "The Bride Wore a .44" by Maggie Shayne, the heroine has lost her memory and is about to get married to a fiancé she doesn't remember when a roguish wedding planner and well-armed thugs crash the wedding. I enjoyed the tension of discovering Kira's past with her and trying to figure out who were the good guys and who were the bad. She also had great chemistry with the wedding planner.

In "The Incredible Misadventures of Boo and the Boy Blunder" by Mary Janice Davidson, an albino vampire hunter acquires an annoying sidekick and falls for a vampire all in one night. It's a cute, funny story with good repartee between the three main characters - plus it brings us back into Davidson's hilarious vampire world first introduced in UNDEAD AND UNWED. If I had any complaint, it is that it was too short.

In "Warfem" by Angela Knight, we revisit the world of genetically engineered warriors from JANE'S WARLORD to watch love blossom between ex-lovers with secrets. While it was an entertaining story, I was a little put off by the fact that 20 years had gone by since the lovers had last seen one another and they were now in their 40s (which is too old for me). I also thought it was a little too heavy on extraneous sex scenes.

In "Painkillers" by Jacey Ford, a supermodel and her CIA agent partner run around a Caribbean island trying to prevent a coup d'etat and end up falling for each other. At first I thought it was a pretty cheesy story, but the more I read, the more I enjoyed. The characters actually mature in this story, which is something you rarely see. Plus, the action-adventure in this story was the most realistic out of all four stories, and the heroine was the most normal of the bunch, so she was easiest to relate to and enjoy. I am actually not partial to girls who kick ass (Davidson's vampire story was the reason I bought this anthology), so having a normal (non-kick ass) heroine was nice.

Again, I enjoyed all these stories, and would recommend them to readers interested in romance with a bit of supernatural and sci-fi thrown in.

Do you like "Kick Ass" heroines and "to-die-for" heros? Then stop reading this review and buy the book!!! You won't be sorry!!!!
I enjoyed this book very much and actually read it for AK's and MJD's novellas, but Maggie Shayne's and Jacey Ford's stories surprised me - 2 more authors to add to my list!!
Thank You ladies!!!

Maggie Shayne heads up this anthology with a bang. I do love reading about girls who can handle themselves and this anthology is full of them!

I love, love, love Angela Knight. With complex worlds and interesting characters, she never fails to draw me into her stories. Unfortunately, if that is not what you are into, you might just not get it. Such a shame, because her sensual stories *are* the bee's knees when so much cookie cutter romance is out there. Her future impefect world where humans are enhanced and bred for battle for their HOUSE is wonderfully rich. I enjoyed her story about two warriors who have always loved each other and the secrets that keep them apart.

MaryJanice Davidson is *always* delightful. Her world of vampires with more than a dollop of quirkiness is the mirror opposite of Laurell K. Hamilton's vampire world. Both are enjoyable. If you have not picked up her Undead series, do so. Now. This peek into the life of an albino vampire hunter and a ex(dead?)-cop vampire is laugh out loud funny. Ah, and boy blunder is *the geek*. I totally sympathize. I mean, geeking out is totally fun and if a Buffy fan were to run into a vampire hunter, how can they NOT geek out?

The final story by Jacey Ford was the weakest. I felt like the main character was a bit too ALIAS for me, but I look forward to more stories from her.

Two of my favorite authors, Angela Knight and Mary Janice Davidson, in one book!!! YEA!!!
Warfem from AK has it beginings in a short story. I loved that story and this one is just as good. A woman struggles between the two people she loves, her child and her man. She needs to be strong for her child but her man makes her remember she is a woman! Kicka@@ for sure!
Boo and Boy Blunder are VERY loosely connected to MJ Davidson's Undead and Un...series. Betsy get a mention but it is just as funny. I do love those vampires! And Boy Blunder is too cute!
I never read Maggie Shayne much but I will start reading her now. The Bride Wore .44 is great. A woman loses part of herself and needs a wedding planner to help her find it.
Jacey Ford is a new author and the story was good. I just could not get into the super model as a spy story. Jacey does have potential and look forward to her next story.

The book was great I bought it because I read Maggie Shayne, AK, and MJD novels and couldn't pass up getting all three in one book. All of the stories were great and the authors all meet expectations which are always high.
Maggie Shayne's The Bride wore a .44 was not exactly typical of her in my opinion, but it was terrific anyway. I wouldn't mind reading more like it from her. In it a heroine with amnesia is indifferent to her up coming wedding, when she starts to have sexy dreams about her wedding planner... the end is really the best part read it yourself.
MJD causes laughter again in The Incredible Misadventures of Boo and the Boy Blunder but unlike the title the story is too short. It's in the same world as the Undead series and the link may be more greatly explored in the future.
Warfem by Angela Knight is fantastic story set in a time of genetically engineered warriors. Baird and Alina reconnect but still have secrets to share.
Jacey Ford starts out okay in Painkiller with the whole idea of spy's and island missions. There are some twist and turns about island politics, but the romance is weak.

The last story is not the strongest, but nothing says you have to read them in order. A definite don't miss.

All the authors did an excellant job grabbing hold of the reader and not letting go til they were done with their tale. And all you really want to do is dive right into the next tale. Could not put it down at all .

I'm a big MJD fan. However, beware. All three writers are off in this one. Still a must read for hard core fans, but don't get your hopes up that it will be very good.

I usually love these authors, but this collection is a boring read. Just because the woman is strong, doesn't mean the hero needs to be a wimp. I did enjoy Ms. Knight's story, where the hero and heroine truly worked together, but the rest of the stories needed a shot of testosterone.