14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
more like 4 1/2 stars...., July 7, 2006
Nina Bangs, MaryJanice Davidson, and Janelle Denison team up once again for yet another enjoyable anthology with SURF'S UP.
Janelle Denison opens the anthology with "Hot and Bothered". Jewelry designer Claire Reissing is enjoying the sight of the ocean and her sexy neighbor, Shea O'Brien, after a recent divorce. However, Shea has a secret in his past that could derail any chance for their love to grow.
"Hot and Bothered" is a great beach read. The story itself is fairly simple but Janelle Denison does a great job at developing the relationship between Claire and Shea. Claire's cat, Zoey, is also adorable and cat lovers will relate to her antics.
MaryJanice Davidson's "Paradise Bossed" is a sequel to "The Fixer-Upper" from MEN AT WORK. Jack and Cathy are now happily together and vacationing in the Cayman Islands with Cathy's best friend, Nikki. Nikki dies in a bizarre snorkeling encounter with a stingray but her ghost doesn't leave. Psychic Tom Fillman is called in and he and Nikki begin a very different type of relationship on the spirit plane as Tom has to leave his body to physically interact with Nikki.
Where does MaryJanice Davidson get her ideas? The concept of a ghost having a relationship with someone who is astral projecting is quite simply brilliant. The initial scene between Nikki and Tom is hilarious as Nikki is conducting high school cheers; Tom is understandably not impressed by a grown woman cheerleading!
"Hot Summer Bites" by Nina Bangs returns to the Castle of Dark Dreams where cosmic troublemaker Sparkle Stardust is at it again. This time she is testing her protégée, Deimos, and he is charged with uniting vampire Taurin Veris with investigative reporter, Kristin Hughes. The catch- both already dislike each other, sight unseen, after Kristin's prior report on the San Antonio vampires caused many to have to leave their homes and Taurin responded by attempting to seriously damage Kristin's career.
Nina Bangs always delivers an incredible story and "Hot Summer Bites" is no exception. Deimos has been a recurring character in her stories and he really hasn't had a chance to shine until this one. The climax of the book is vintage Nina Bangs and creates an indelible impression of Deimos in this reviewer's mind. The wereshark scenes are also simply fabulous and one can only be amazed by how Ms. Bangs continues to keep this series seem fresh and new.
SURF'S UP is a well-written with excellent stories by three wonderful authors. In fact, the only concern this reviewer has is the marketing of this book as the cover and blurb on the back of the book represent this book as a contemporary anthology of beach reads. While all three stories are contemporary and involve the beach, Nina Bangs and MaryJanice Davidson's stories are paranormal and will appeal more to fans of this genre. Regardless, readers should enjoy this anthology as it is certainly well worth reading!
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Janelle Denison saves the anthology., July 1, 2006
I was expecting the anthology to be good, sadly it was not. I gave the book a two only because of Janelle Denison. Her story was the best out of the three. MaryJanice's was just too weird and farfetched (a ghost and a human stay together). Nina Bangs had too many supernatural beings vying for their place in her story. The talking cats, wizards, vampires, and even a wereshark make the story not only annoying but too paranormal for my tastes. I guess I was expecting too much from this anthology. You are better off reading it at the bookstore or borrowing it. Do not waste your $14 on this book, not really worth it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
2 paranormal romances + 1 contemporary romance = Surf's Up!, February 17, 2009
Surf's Up is an anthology made up of 2 paranormal romances and 1 contemporary romance. The last story by Nina Bangs is typical Nina Bangs with vampires, talking cats, and were-beings just shorter in length. The first story by Janelle Denison is a contemporary romance and is the more sensual read of the three. I liked this story, it just seemed rushed right at the end. The second story by MaryJanice Davidson was my favorite. It had me laughing so hard with the quick wit and smart dialogue between the hero and heroine. The movie and tv references were also great extras that I enjoyed. The heroine comments and thoughts had me rolling on the floor at times. If I could rate them individually, I would give 5 stars for Paradise Bossed by MaryJanice Davidson.
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