On the Prowl features four stories involving "dark streets and inhuman passions," according to the blurb found on the cover of the book. Truthfully, I only picked up the book for the Briggs story as I'm a huge fan of her Mercy Thompson series as well as the companion Alpha & Omega series that apparently is introduced by the short story of the same name contained in this anthology. I was completely unfamiliar with any of the other authors. Thus, I'm happy to report that I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology to some degree. In fact, I loved 3 out of 4 of them.
Alpha and Omega ~70 pg ~ (Patricia Briggs) --- This story shares space, rather than takes place, in the already well established Mercedes Thompson `Mooniverse', if you will. If you have read the first book of that series, Moon Called, then you might have a greater appreciation for this story as you would already be familiar with werewolf hierarchy, some of the characters, and the background story that is the impetus for this one. However, this tale can stand on its own. It's the story of Anna, who after being forcibly changed to a werewolf and further abused - mentally & physically--for the past three years, puts herself at risk by calling the Marrok (King/Head Honcho of all the North American Packs) to inform him that her Alpha may be involved with the disappearance of the boy whose picture is in the paper. When the Marrok's hitman and son, Charles, arrives to dispense justice and protect Anna, she finds in him safety, empowerment, and a possible mate. This story was great and felt complete as a short story, although the story of their relationship does continue in Cry Wolf - which is excellent, btw --- the first book of the series spawned by this novella.
Inhuman ~102 pg~ (Eileen Wilks) --- To be honest, this story was a bit hard for me to understand/follow at first. I stopped at about 9-10 pages into it, took a deep breath, made myself a cherry/mango smoothie, and then started fresh. I'm glad I did, too, as it is well worth the read. It's the story of Kai, one of the Gifted--- only her "gift" is not exactly what everyone thinks it is, not even her as it turns out. Someone or something is killing Gifted people. She has a friend/neighbor, Nathan, who has a secret Gift of his own that comes in handy when it turns out that the killer has taken on her likeness and thus made her the prime suspect for the murders. Can she clear her name or will she become the next victim? I really enjoyed this story and found the characters to be intriguing. I was excited to find that we can read about more of Nathan and Kai's story in Night Season.
** I am unfamiliar with Wilks' lupi series, but apparently this story takes place in that universe. I was sad to find that, after checking out her website, that as of now (7/09) Wilks has no plans on writing more about Nathan and Kai right now. She did say that she hopes to write more about them someday, though. When she does, I'll check it out!**
Buying Trouble ~85 pg~ (Karen Chance) --- I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story was not based on her current Cassie Palmer series. It might be set in that World, I'm not sure. It felt like a stand alone story, though, in that I didn't feel like I was missing any background information. In this story we meet Claire who is a "null" which means that she can render the magical powers of objects and beings in her vicinity useless by drawing that power into herself. We find her in an underground auction house dealing in magical objects. An employee of the auction house, she is surprised to find herself as part of the lot. In walks Heidar, a Lord of the Light Fae, who finds Lot #13 attractive for more than one reason. Trouble breaks out in the auction house and Claire and Heidar find themselves swept from the proverbial frying pan into the fire as they are unexpectedly transported into enemy land. Unexpected magical mayhem and love ensue. I really enjoyed this story and was sad that there was no blurb at the end of this one, telling me where I could read their continued story.
Mona Lisa Betwining ~62 pg~ (Sunny) --- I am not familiar with this author or the Mona Lisa series that this story is obviously based on, or should I say a part of? Unlike the first two stories, which though connected to a series, felt like a complete story, this one felt very much like a chapter in the series. I found the basic premise and main characters interesting. I thought that the author did a decent job of giving just enough background information that I was able to quickly understand what was going on and didn't feel overloaded or confused. However, I don't think I'll be reading any of Sunny's other works if they are like this one. Seriously, close to half of this story was sex. Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. It's just that as I was reading page after page of description, I often found myself either rolling my eyes or laughing at how utterly ridiculous it was. I'm not sure that either of these responses are what the author had intended. This just wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't hate it, but it just didn't do it for me. At the end of the story we are told that there will be a new series spin-off involving one of the characters we see in this story, Lucinda. Here's the thing, though... I found that character to be the least interesting.
Overall: I found this to be one of the better anthologies that I've read. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 stories and felt rather ambivalent about the last. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. We are given four very different paranormal love stories --- something for everyone. I take that back. I won't be lending this book to my little sister or my grandma. Smile. ** And if you're squeamish about sex in books, be forewarned that it gets more explicit with each story progressively. The last story is probably past the limit for most people. Some people might consider it borderline porn. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but then again it did have me shaking my head, rolling my eyes, and/or giggling. So, perhaps it is. Wink.
---DEW---
Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Frequently bought together
$8.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Aug 16
In Stock.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
What do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Great start to Alpha and Omega series
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022
I read Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs. Charles and Anna are one of my favorite couples, and since I was trying to talk a friend into reading about them, I decided to read their beginning again to jog my memory. I love their interactions from moment one. I love rereading stories because you see things you didn’t the first time around or remember something you had forgotten about. I had forgotten about Anna’s neighbor Kara and about the restaurant scene where you got to see Charles more relaxed. Overall, I was happy to revisit a well loved story and was ready to continue on and read the first full length book in this series (Cry Wolf) as soon as I reached the last page.
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Mrs. S. E. Harman
Very enjoyable book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2010Trink
This book got me interest in 2 great series of books
Reviewed in Australia on May 20, 2018
