Dates from Hell anthology

She thought her date was out of this world.
Actually, he was not of this world . . .

We've all been on bad dates, nightmare dates, dreadful experiences that turned out to be uniquely memorable in the very worst way. But at least our partners for these detestable evenings were more or less . . . human!

Now Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland -- four of the very best writers currently exploring the dangerous seduction of the supernatural -- offer up dating disasters (and unexpected delights) of a completely different sort: dark, wicked, paranormally sensual assignations with werewolves, demon lovers, and the romantically challenged undead. Sexy, witty, chilling, and altogether remarkable, here is proof positive that some love matches are made someplace other than heaven.

I originally picked this anthology up because it had the next story in the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong included (it follows Haunted) . Two of the other authors seem to be authors that I only read in anthologies, and the third was new to me!


Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil
Kim Harrison takes us to the Hollows, where living vampire homicide cop Ivy Tamwood, investigating a string of very nasty murders, finds herself caught between two different men, who put every dating principle she holds dear to the ultimate test.

Kim Harrison is the new to me author in this anthology. I have had her Hollows series on my TBR list for a while now, with the intention of getting to it eventually. When I saw that this was a prequel to that series I thought it would be a fair introduction to the series. I really hope this story wasn't a good representation of what the series is like because I really didn't like it. What I suspect is that this prequel was written a fair way into the existing series, because there was little coherent world building, full of vampire politics, and I suspect a lot of assumptions made in terms of what the reader did and didn't know.

It also didn't help that I didn't really like Ivy as a character. Given that each of these novellas is around 100 pages long, I normally would have got through one of these stories in just over an hour - this one took my three nights. Ivy was meant to be this kick-ass heroine living vampire, but she ended up coming off as alternating between whiny and needy, and distant and aloof. The other strange thing is that the blurb says that she is caught between two men, but I counted three - the one who was the date from hell, the one that seemed to control her and she had a really unhealthy relationship with, and then the third man who she seemed to dominate (although he at least seemed to have genuine feelings for.

I will still give the series a go, but I wouldn't necessarily think that this is a good starting point for anyone else reading the series.

The Claire Switch Project
Lynsay Sands gives the power to shape-shift to a most resourceful woman, who uses it to her wickedly sexy advantage at her high school reunion.

I have read one book and one novella by Lynsay Sand previously, and it is fair to say her writing didn't really do it for me on either occasion, so I was a little sceptical when it came to reading her contribution to this book.

A young lab assistant works in a laboratory where they are doing testing on animals for molecular destabilisation. Due to the antics of a really bad guy, instead of the bunny getting stung by the ray gun, Claire gets zapped. Once her boss, who happens to be her best friends brother, and the (unrequited) love of her life since the time she was a teenager, finds out that she has been zapped he takes her home for the weekend. Her best friend has just been dumped and when she finds that Claire just has to look at a photo of someone and then she can shape shift to appear to be that person, she asks her to be her date to the school reunion that night, and take on the form of Hollywood heartthrob Brad Cruise (yes, really). Matters are complicated when Kyle (said boss) he then asks her out to the same school reunion (because she is the unrequited love of his life since he was a teenager). Of course, she agrees to go with both of them and much hilarity ensues.

Actually, I probably shouldn't have written the summary quite like that, because up to a point, this was an entertaining story with a fun premise, but instead of leaving it be, the author decided to take the hilarity a couple of steps too far in my opinion. Of course, humour is completely subjective, and so there are probably some that loved those extra couple of extra laughs, but for me it pushed it from the realm of amusing to silly.

I think it is time I just accepted that Lynsay Sands humour isn't for me.

Chaotic
Kelley Armstrong enters the Otherworld to help a beautiful half-demon tabloid reporter escape a disastrous blind date by giving her a hot lead...that leads to an even hotter werewolf jewel thief.

My main reason for reading this anthology and the best story out of the four!

Hope is a half-demon whose talent is for finding chaos. She can see it, smell it, taste it when there is any kind of chaos nearby, and she loves it! Craves it in fact. Having been raised outside of any kind of demon community, she was grateful when she was found, and given the task of assisting the Interracial Council by identifying when things are happening that shouldn't be.

Hope's blind date from hell is with a particularly arrogant and selfish man at a crowded museum gala, a man determined to belittle her chosen profession, and who doesn't even notice when she disappears having sensed something a little out of the ordinary going on in another part of the museum.

Having tracked her prey, she comes across a particularly debonair werewolf who is helping himself to a couple of the most priceless items from the museum. Little does Hope know but the chaos is really just beginning for her. The werewolf is Karl Marsten, who in some of the earlier books was something of a bad guy, but who seems to be mostly reformed now, and he is pretty sure that Hope really isn't working for who she thinks she is working for. Hope has to decide whether to trust him or not.

Let me tell you just one of the reasons why I liked this story so much. The whole story covers the event of just one night. There is no happy ever after, although there is a hint of a future happiness. Hope and Karl meet, are thrown into a situation, are attracted to each other, and to a certain degree they act on that attraction, but this is no hasty meet on page 1, kiss on page 50 and live happily ever after. Because the author is not trying to cram a whole relationship into a shorter than normal novel, you manage to get to know each of the characters better, and to get a well written story of the events of one momentous night. I am really hopeful that we will get to see more of the development of Hope and Karl's relationship during other books in the series.

Dead Man Dating
Lori Handeland gives the term "dating hell" a whole new meaning, when a Manhattan literary agent out on her first date in months, is forced to choose between a sexy devil, and the rogue demon hunter who's out to destroy him.

I have only read one other Lori Handeland story, and that was another novella in the Stroke of Midnight anthology. This one had a completely different premise and feel to it.

Kit Marinelli is a literary agent who is looking for love. Having given up on meeting a man any other way, she places an ad in the personals and is completely surprised when she gets a response, especially when he is a totally gorgeous man. Kit has been saving herself for true love, and therefore can't believe her sexual response to this man, and it is only when she is at the point of giving it up in a dark alley, and she is stopped by a rough looking demon hunter, that she starts to think there might be something strange going on. Her date is actually dead, and his body has been inhabited by an incubus who needs to sacrifice a virgin to sustain himself.

The incubus isn't really playing fair, in that he keeps on changing bodies, and almost getting to Kit before she can be rescued. She isn't totally helpless for her particular skill is ancient language and research and so while Chavez (the demon hunter) tries everything he can think of to kill the demon and not being very successful, Kit is able to contribution at least something to the puzzle, and that is not only the due to the fact she has to sacrifice her virginity. After all, if a incubus is desperate for a virgin, one way to keep her safe is to make sure she isn't a virgin any longer right! (Highlight for spoiler)

I did enjoy this one, even though it did have a couple of eye-rolling worthy elements in it! It could be an interesting premise for an urban fantasy type series.

Wish List Anthology

I picked this book up for one story and one story only - that of Lord Andrew Drake - half brother of Logan Scott from Because You're Mine. Of the other authors, I had read Lynsay Sands before, but the other two were new to me.







The first story in the book is the Kleypas novella, I Will. It features Lord Andrew Drake, half brother to Logan Scott, notorious rake and a man who has just been disowned by his own father. In order to get undisowned (if there is such a word!), Andrew needs to prove to his dying father that he has changed his ways, so that he can then inherit everything the Duke has. Andrew sees that the only way he can achieve this is if he pretends to be interested in a well mannered, well connected young lady of the ton. Enter Caroline Hargreaves who meets both of those criteria, but who also wants to stop her brother, who is one of Andrew's gambling buddies, from destroying himself, and the family. When Andrew asks her to allow him to pretend to court her, Caroline agrees but the price is that Andrew must ensure that her brother is no longer able to gamble his life away.

Inevitably, the more time they spend together the more that Caroline realises that Andrew is really a much better man that she originally thought and they gradually fall in love. However, the path of true love rarely runs smoothly and just when Caroline thinks that she is going to get her man, Andrew starts to ignore her. Caroline takes matters into her own hands, and all's well that ends well!

Except for two things I really enjoyed this story - the blackmail twist at the end of the novel was probably a step too far. A lot happened in a short space of time in this novella and this aspect of the story could probably have been done without. The other thing was where Caroline takes matters into her own hands, which I really felt a little uncomfortable with (can't say a lot more without spoiling!)



The second story was Puddings, Pastries and Thou by Lisa Cach. Vivian Ambrose was orphaned at a young age, and from that time she has been shuffled from one distant relative to another. Having spent the previous few years as a companion/carer to a now deceased relative, Vivian arrives at the home of the Twitchens, who seem to think that the best course of action for her would be for her to have a season and marry for herself. The Twitchen's daughter Penelope is not best pleased as she doesn't want any competition for when she comes out in society herself, so that stage is set - Vivian needs to get married, and it needs to happen quickly!

Vivian meets Richard Brent, who for reasons that become clear later in the story is deemed to be unsuitable, and they are instantly attracted to each other, but with Vivian's aunt and uncle opposed to the match, it is not easy for the two to be together.

What did I like...well, I liked one of the very last scenes. The Twitchen's take desperate measures to protect Vivian's reputation, but it doesn't seem to be enough, and the moment when they realise that is classic. I really, really liked Richard - a man who doesn't necessarily meet the ton's standards of honour, but certainly did the right thing in most circumstances in his life.

What didn't I like - Vivian's constant eating. It was cute at first, but it wore a bit thin after a while. Or maybe I was a bit jealous...if I ate like Vivian ate then I would be massive!



The third novella was Union, by another new to me author Claudia Dain. Another young lady who needs to get married in a hurry, Clarissa Walingford has decided that she needs to find an eligible Irish man, but seeing as wealthy titled Irish men are pretty thin on the ground then she will settle for an English man who happens to have property in Ireland, with the idea that her husband can stay in England and she can go and live in Ireland.

She makes a list of the men who meet her criteria. Originally she meets Lord Montwyn and won't consider him, but as soon as she finds out that he does have Irish land then he is in!

I didn't really like this story. We are given no reason why Clarissa is in such a hurry. Eventually details are provided of why Clarissa is so desperate to go back to Ireland but you know I wasn't really convinced by them, and I thought that the ending where it was contrived and completely unnecessary. The author gave Clarissa nine brothers...I wonder if she was hoping to start a series featuring the Walingfords. It would take a lot for me to want to read that series I'm telling you!!



The final story in the anthology was All I Want by Lynsay Sands. The last time I read this author I was pretty unimpressed and I can't say that it worked for me in this story as well.

Ever since Prudence's brother died, her father has been drinking and gambling away the family fortune, to the extent that the vast majority of the servants have been let go, there are debt collectors knocking on the door every day, and their furniture is beginning to get sold off. Prudence has tried to talk to her father but he avoids her, so she decides to go and talk to him where he is...in the gaming hall he frequents. After not being allowed in by the club's owner, Lord Stockton, Prudence tries again and again to get into the club, causing disaster after disaster within the club. And what is Lord Stockton's reaction......why, he falls in love with her, despite the fact that her antics are causing him to lose money left, right and centre.

The thing that was really annoying to me was how easily the gambling issues were resolved, both for Prudence's father and in relation to Lord Stockton owning a gaming hall.


Overall, one good, one okay, and two stinkers. I sometimes wonder why I continue to read anthologies because most of the time I don't really find them all that satisfactory!

Rating 3/5

The Key by Lynsay Sands

Lynsay Sands was chosen as author of the month for March over in Historical Romance Chat. As she was a completely new to me author I wasn't sure where to start, where better than in the middle of a series. Well actually, I got the second book in the series from the library by mistake, and by the time I realised someone else had the first book so I still have to wait for that one!

Iliana Wildwood would do anything to escape from the depraved baron who sought her lands - including marrying a barbarian. Fleeing to the highlands, Iliana was wedded to Duncan, laird to Dunbar Castle. Certainly, there was something about the virile warrior that made her weak in the knees - but something stank in the state of Scotland, and Iliana would not trust anyone until she'd discovered the source.

Determined therefore to resist her handsome husband, Iliana found a way to keep her secrets safe. Employing a belt of chastity, the spirited beauty managed to thwart the thane's advances. But then her husband changed his tactics and began a sensual assault that sent her intentions up in smoke. And as the air cleared, Iliana found it had been her heart she had locked away, and that this stubborn Scot had finally found...THE KEY

Whilst this book wasn't a bad read, it certainly didn't take off to any great heights, I think maybe because the basic premise was so silly that by the time the problem had been mentioned 10 times I was over it.

When Iliana first arrives at the keep of her intended, she is disappointed to see that it looks a little tumbledown. She is even more disappointed when she goes inside and see that is little better, if not worse. The rushes are dirty, the benches and tables are filthy, and everything needs a thorough scrubbing...starting with her husband. You see, Iliana's major problem is that her new husband stinks. Luckily she bought her chastity belt with her, which she dons and tells her husband that she will not take off until he has a bath. Duncan is appalled. It is June, and he still has another month until he is due to bathe, because he bathes every January and July...whether he needs it or not.

Dunbar castle had not always been let go so badly, but it was 20 years since Duncan's mother had died, and his father had paid little attention to his surroundings since then, and therefore neither did Duncan or his sister.

Iliana soon takes charge and gets the rushes changed, the food improved, arranges for all the village people to have new plaids, because they only get given one a year by Duncan, and generally begins a spring clean of the whole place, but Duncan is still resisting because he is stubborn.

So whilst the premise was unusual, it was beginning to stink itself when it was still being talked about two thirds of the way through the book, because it was still being mentioned even when there was treachery and betrayal all round.

As far as Iliana and Duncan went they were fine as hero and heroine, and there was a nice little sub romance plot between their parents late in the book! There was also a fair amount of set up done for the sequel which I believe is called The Chase, which is Duncan's sister Seonaid's story.

I actually also don't really think it mattered a great deal that this was the second in the series, as from what I can tell the only link between the two books is the messenger sent from King Henry to arrange both marriages. I could be wrong there though.

Overall, not bad, but not great either. I will read more from this author.

Rating 3.5/5