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The Horde Wars – Sacred
Eden by Sherri
King
The
first
story in this anthology features two of Ms. King’s Shikar Warriors,
Cady and
Obsidian. Two of the best of the Shikar,
they share a love that even death cannot interrupt.
Time to put their love to the test as Death
is hunting them.
Blood Ties – Knight
Stalker by Lora
Leigh
A
centuries
old vampire Cadan Gaelan must protect the woman he loves and lusts
after from
the Dark Knights, twisted vampires as old as he. Bliss
St. Clair doesn’t know what to think of
vampires who don’t play by the “rules”.
Still, she lusts after Cadan, more than enough to
join him in the
darkness. If she can live that long,
that is.
Trek Mi Q'an - Devilish
Dot by Jaid
Black
One
would
think that a maker of sex toys would have an active social life, not so
as
Dorothy "Dot" Araiza can tell you.
While Dot dreams of happily ever after with Prince
Charming, she’d
settle on having sex for the first time in eight years.
A freak lightening storm on a deserted California road puts all her dreams
in motion,
but Prince Charming is far more than she expected.
MANACONDA is an interesting
anthology. But, and it’s a big but, only
one of the
three stories is truly worth the price for this reader.
Ms. King’s Sacred Eden is a day
in the life of the Shikar and, while certainly hot and steamy enough,
lacks a
good plot to carry the story. Scenes
jump a lot and it feels like this tale is just a way of revitalizing
her Horde
Wars series.
Next up is
Ms. Leigh’s Knight Stalker the first tale in her new Blood
Ties series. There is a lot of
information crammed into a short space, with a lot of very hot sex, and
as a
reader I was as frustrated as the heroine.
The vagueness regarding the type of vampire, their
strengths and
weaknesses, was also extremely frustrating.
It was as if the writer felt perfectly fine with
only giving half the
story. As Knight Stalker is the
first story in a new story from Ms. Leigh, I can only hope that the
explanations come up in a later story.
Finally,
the best story in the book, Devilish Dot.
This is a lively, hysterical tale that
kept me laughing even as I read and read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story was written;
Dot’s internal
comments made the story. This is one
tale I will read again and again.
Reviewed by
Meribeth McCombs for The Road to Romance
May 13, 2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sacred Eden by Sherri L. King opens this exciting anthology. This novella is part of her popular Horde Wars series . The story begins with Cady and Obsidian taking a vacation of sorts, now that the Horde is not a threat anymore. They decide to go to the surface, heading towards Gainesville, where Cady grew up. When they least expect it, they are attacked with disastrous results by a new and deadlier type of Daemon. Action packed, quick paced and with plenty of love scenes of the piping hot variety (keep that iced tea at hand) this story will delight fans of Ms. King’s Horde Wars series.
The second story is Lora Leigh’s Knight Stalker. If memory serves, this is the first vampire paranormal by this prolific author. The story begins with Bliss St. Clair watching as the object of her lustful dreams, Cadan Gaelan, has sex and sucks blood from a coworker. Cadan discovers her, and keeps his eyes on her all along. Of course, she believes him to be a vampire and the second that she is able to, she runs away, knowing that she will not be able to hide from him. However, she still feels aroused by the scene she witnessed. This story should have had a warning attached: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. The opening scene is so erotic, that I had to take a break, and then come back. In Knight Stalker Ms. Leigh brings us her own take on the vampire legend and I must say it is quite original. Quick paced as well, the characters are appealing and Cadan is as sexy as all get out. This book is one highly erotic ride.
Jaid Black’s Devilish Dot provides the perfect closing for this anthology. On her way to a bachelorette party, Dorothy “Dot” Araiza, creator of sex toys, is “slightly” detoured by a lightning bolt that hits her car. Dot ends up in the planet Khan-Gor, where she would soon meet her fate. If the name of the planet sounds familiar it is because this story is the much awaited most recent installment in Ms. Black’s Trek Mi Q’an series. This story is one hot and fun read that had me smiling almost as much as I squirmed on my chair.
I definitely recommend this anthology to paranormal erotic romance fans and certainly to all fans of Sherri L, King, Lora Leigh, and Jaid Black.
Reviewed by Mireya Orsini
for The Road to Romance
August 8, 2004
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