9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 stars overall, this paranormal short story anthology is a mix of 3 and 4 star stories., October 4, 2007
Short story anthologies are a wonderful way to discover new authors and Moon Fever gives us four short steamy paranormal romances, with vamps, shifters and ghosts. And while these four authors are definitely worth a try, if you judge several of these authors by their efforts here you won't really get a feel for the wonderful job that they have done in their full length books.
In "Tempting Fate", Susan Sizemore returns us to her Primal world. A touch on the psychic side, and the granddaughter of a voodoo priestess, Desiree is no stranger to the woo-woo side of New Orleans. She is also a hard-core fan of handsome magnetic rocker Jon who is secretly a vampire. After attending his concert she has the most amazing erotic dream about him, but it just may turn out that her dream may have been more real than she could ever have imagined.
While I have enjoyed many of Sizemore's vampire romances, "Tempting Fate" was just ok. It probably would have been a better story if the most important parts weren't chopped up and told as flashbacks, because not much happened in the main story line until the end. Otherwise, it had all the elements of her 'Prime' stories, the intense connection between bond-mates and a sexy love scene.
"The Darkness Within" by Maggie Shayne. Divorcee Caroline, has had "Welcome" tattooed on her forehead for years now. Beaten down by relationships with her cheating ex and her loser boyfriend, she has settled into a frump slump complete with flannel until the night she sees the ghost of the piteous "Wet Lady" in her house. When she calls her brother for help, her brother brings along gorgeous Jim Lipton. Just being around Jim wakes up Caroline`s long dead hormones and the instant intense attraction to this hunky stranger makes her feel more alive than she's ever felt. But it turns out that PI Jim is no stranger. So Caroline has to wonder, does he really want to solve her mystery- or with her luck with men - does he have some hidden agenda...
I like Maggie Shayne's paranormals and am glad to see that she is starting to put out stories again, since it seems like it's been awhile since I've seen anything from her. This was my favorite of the shorts, the scenes between Caroline and Jim were sizzling and since it built on a history, it was very satisfying to see Jim get what he always knew he wanted. He was a great hero: sexy, attentive, passionate and patient.
"Cobwebs Over the Moon" by Lori Handeland, Socialite Carly's life takes a complete turn for the strange and horrific the night she finds her mauled and dying father. With his last breaths he tells Carly that the mother Carly thought had died in during her childhood, is alive and living in Alaska. So off to Alaska goes Carly, where she finds more mauled people and her mother missing. Fortunately, rough and capable Dylan Shepard is on hand to help her not only track her missing mom, but keep her safe from the nightmare creatures roaming the Alaskan wilderness, which are, as Carly finds out, all too real.
As a Handeland fan - she has explored all the variations of the werewolf mythos- I was probably most disappointed in this story. Due to the length and needing to squeeze in the prerequisite steamy stuff, I didn't end up feeling a connection between Carly and Dylan. I guess walking into almost certain death was supposed to bond them, but then it might have been that while I really liked Dylan, Carly didn't grab me.
Crazy for the Cat" by Caridad Piñeiro, Beautiful Jessica's whole life has been shaped by the loss of her sister to a drug resistant infection. Since then she had been focused on her research into finding new drugs. In her drive to save others, Jessica has lost herself, and has no place in her life for attachments. When Jessica heads off to the Amazon to pursue a promising new herbal remedy and to look into the unsettling killing of colleague, she finds herself drawn to her guide Javier Da Costa. From their first encounter, Javier's animal magnetism makes her want to let loose and go a little wild....
Piñeiro is a new to me author and while the paranormal twist in "Crazy for the Cat" has been done before, the relationship between Jessica and Javier was well done. Starting out as adversaries, progressing to passionate lovers and struggling through hurt and rejection, their romance had a nice depth. I will definitely have to give one of Piñeiro's Nocturne's a try.
So for me Moon Fever was a mixed effort with some good and some so-so.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moon Fever, October 29, 2007
Tempting Fate by Susan Sizemore
Desiree Gill is a huge fan of rock star Jon Coyote so she's not
surprised when she has an incredibly erotic dream about them together
after seeing him in concert. What is surprising is how real the dream
felt. Jon is a vampire Prime and when his aunt calls to tell him
about the effect Desi's dream has had on her, he knows it's finally
time to take his mate.
Tempting Fate is hip, sensual and romantic, and Jon is too tempting to
resist. He is a rock star and a vampire after all! I also loved the
history between Desi and Jon; it's touching and very sensual.
The Darkness Within by Maggie Shayne
When Caroline Connolly frantically calls her brother after seeing a
woman standing outside the window of her house, he arrives with a
friend, a very hot friend. Caroline can't take her eyes off of him
and Jimmy Lipton is staring right back. Jimmy has been in love with
Caroline for a long time and now that he is with her, the last thing
he wants to do is leave. Caroline thinks she is too old for him,
though, and believes he may be responsible for her ghostly visitor.
The Darkness Within is a very suspenseful story. Jimmy is the perfect
man and despite what Caroline thinks, she and Jimmy are a perfect fit.
A ghost, an unsolved mystery and a sexy romance make The Darkness
Within a terrific story.
Cobwebs Over The Moon by Lori Handeland
Things have gone from bad to worse for Carly Kelly. She's been shot
at, her father is killed, and when she heads to the wilderness of
Alaska to find her mother, she discovers more dead bodies and her
mother missing. Then Dylan Shepard finds her. Together they set out in
the ice and cold to find her mother while trying to stay alive from
the creatures stalking them. Dylan says werewolves are after them but
Carly doesn't believe in werewolves, until she sees one.
I really like Cobwebs Over The Moon. The werewolves are scary and the
story is a bit dark. Its great characters and action-packed storyline
would make a terrific movie!
Crazy For The Cat by Caridad Pineiro
Jessica Morales is in the Amazon trying to save the healing plants her
friend Victor died researching. Her guide through the jungle is Javier
da Costa. Javier is reluctant to help Jessica and suspicious of her
motives. As they travel deeper into the jungle, the jaguar that
killed Victor is now after Jessica as well. Javier can help her but he
must do it in his other form. Even if Jessica can accept him as he
truly is, can she accept what he has to do to save her life?
Crazy For The Cat has a really mysterious feel to it. It's also very
sensual and full of action. I was drawn in by the graphic fights and
the sensuality of the sex scenes. Crazy For The Cat is a very good story.
Four talented authors offer four exciting stories in Moon Fever. If
you like a little bite with your romance, Moon Fever has it, and so
much more!
Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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