This is a nine story anthology and we were not only thrilled to get to support Bonnie Edwards as part of the collection but (as with any good anthology) discover some authors who may be new to us and our readers as well.
So let’s break it down starting with my favorite (and this is a little long since there are 9 of them to review):
Rock Solid by Bonnie Edwards – “When Jake MacKay and Lexa Creighton are brought together in Perdition House, a haunted bordello, Jake falls for her at first touch. Lexa’s harder to convince because her ancestors are among the mischievous spirits of Perdition and they’re messing with her sex life!” By far my favorite in the collection and not because it’s Bonnie’s 😉 From the moment Jake (contractor) and Lexa (landscaper) enter the front gate they are H-O-T for each other and can barely contain ripping each other’s clothes off in the gardens and every room in the house. This is only one of two of the stories that was more lighthearted and since it came later in the anthology it was a very welcome break. The sexual situations start almost immediately and there a lot, it can be a little jarring, but at the same time deliciously steamy. That’s not to say there isn’t some heart thrown in as well. Overall this story was a nice little nibble.
Power Shift by Calinda B – “Rule abiding town manager Chia Petit has two goals – have lots of sex with the drool worthy bounty hunter Hung Durand, then make him dead. No one seems interested in her plan, from the bounty hunter, to the shifters, to her vampire roommate, to the blowhard who wants her job, leaving her with no other choice but to break her own rules.” Set in a rural Alaska town filled with supernatural creatures, this was definitely the most quirky of the set. The setting was perfect and felt a little like “Northern Exposure” with a supernatural bent. Chia is delightfully quirky without being annoying. Hung (I mean can you not giggle at that name?) is a definite alpha male but also completely likable and not so overbearing where you want to punch him, but just enough where you understand Chia’s dilemma. Rounding out the story is a lot of quirky side characters that made the whole story a lot of fun to read.
Mating Urge by Michelle Howard – “Desperate to escape her stepfather and false criminal charges, Elliana Cage needed a way out on the first ship off world. She never expected security officer, Aran T’Kar to stop her in her tracks.” I liked this one because it was the only Sci/Fi in the bunch. The author did a great job of world building without bogging us down into the details of how this universe works. There was definitely some very interesting aspects to Aran’s personality and Elliana’s plight was well done and the resolution felt satisfying. I’d definitely like to visit this universe again and learn more about some of the other worlds mentioned.
My Blood Runs Blue by Stacy Eaton – “Officer Kristin Greene finds herself investigating a homicide that will turn her life upside down in a way she never imagined. When Julian and Alexander crash into her life, Kristin finds herself being pulled into a love triangle that has been going on longer than she has been alive and she is determined to figure out who they are and why they keep calling her Calista.” This was an interesting take on reincarnation and a flip on vampire lore. The murder mystery and its reasons were definitely interesting, but the triangle was a little odd. It kept me from warming up to Kristin’s character and therefore I couldn’t really enjoy the love story. Sadly, if you took the romance aspect out, you’d have a much more interesting story – but that’s just my opinion.
Laurel Heights by Denise Moncrief – “Laurel’s past trails her to the mountains of Arkansas where a dark cloud of deceit hovers over her family tree and unexplained disturbances shatter her hopes of a normal life. When she discovers Chase is not who he claims to be, can their new love survive deception, murder, and revenge…and the haunting of Laurel Heights?” An interesting blend of haunted house, ghostly possession and murder mystery, the one thing that kept me from getting into the story was Laurel. I understand why she’s not the warmest person right off the bat, but at the same time her antagonistic attitude seemed aimed at people before they’d really given her a reason and yet the person she should feel that way about she kind of forgives quickly. Again, I understand the reasoning…just felt it could have been written a little better. However, getting past that, it was creepy and the mystery was definitely intriguing enough to keep me reading.
Soul Avenged by Keri Lake – “Following a brutal attack by lycans that wiped out her memory, Ayden seeks vengeance, and newly bitten Halfling, Kane, is the perfect target – if only he didn’t unwittingly hold clues to her past. In seven days, Kane will become what Ayden despises most, but his touch awakens sensual pleasures, forcing her to choose weather to destroy him or surrender to her enemy and discover a horrible truth.” In the spirit of fairness I will say first: the author is definitely a good writer, the world was very interesting, and it’s a good addition to the Paranormal Romance genre. However, I felt the story was too reminiscent of the movie “Underworld” and therefore I couldn’t stop making comparisons the entire time I was reading it. Fair? No and I admit that, but fact that I did get distracted by that says something as well. Also, I always get turned off when I have to read a glossary at the beginning of a book/story. I feel if you do your job as an author right, then you can get all of these terms/ideas across to me without my having to refer back to an index.
Darkeness and Light by J.A. Belfield – “When Jem Stonehouse, dreamer of werewolves, meets werewolf Sean Holloway, worlds collide and fantasy becomes reality. Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs, as they have been for hundreds of years, and to keep history from repeating itself, Sean must win her love, but can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late?” I really wanted to give this one higher marks but I just couldn’t get past how much I don’t like Jem. I mean, I feel she was handling things in a very honest and real way up until her husband beats the crap out of her and then she just becomes aggravating. Then she does a complete personality 180 and goes all super confident to the point she puts everyone around her in danger. I can’t stand heroines like that and I kind of pity Sean for having to be connected to her for eternity.
The last two in the series:
Calm Assurance by Dariel Raye – “What’s a straight-laced Nephilim-descendant to do when a human trouble-magnet steals his heart? When Asriel, a law enforcing descendant of Nephilim, is sent to protect Malina, a human with a penchant for drawing trouble, he falls for her, breaking a cardinal rule, but will he be able to save her from his enemies?”
Eternal Night by Jade Kerrion – “Alone for a millennium, since a human murdered her beloved consort, Ashra, the immortal icrathari queen, rules over Aeternae Noctis, the domed city of eternal night. Her loneliness appears to be at an end when her consort’s soul is reborn in a human, Jaden Hunter, but their reunion will not be easy.”
I couldn’t finish either one, therefore I cannot give them a fair rating. This is by no means a slight on the authors because they were well written stories. I humbly apologize to both authors for not being able to give their stories the attention they deserved, but it really came down to a matter of me having personal issues with Angel/human romance and just not being able to get into the world of the other. Again, this is no reflection on their writing styles as I feel both are strong writers, it is completely subjective on my end. Sometimes a reader and story just don’t click and that is no one’s fault. There are many popular series out there I’ve never clicked with, but that’s the beauty of an anthology. Some stories will grab, you other’s won’t, but in the end there is something for everyone.
You can pick up a copy of Paranormal Obsessions by following these links:
Amazon US: http://goo.gl/FWJnEP
Barnes & Noble: http://ow.ly/S7uHP
Kobo: https://goo.gl/JUCRCJ
iTunes: http://indi.uno/1JdA2fG
Google: http://ow.ly/RbFDH
Also, check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ParanormalObsessions
I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. The opinion of this review is mine and mine alone.
Therefore, I want to thank Bonnie Edwards for reaching out to us and Stacy Eaton for sending us the e-ARC for review.
We’d love to hear what some of you think once you’ve read the anthology yourself!
