Hot Spell (Anthology 4-in-1)

**Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques**

Demons, Aliens, Werewolves, Vampires, and genetically engineered beings. Berkley’s Hot Spell anthology is sure to have something to satisfy every lover of Paranormal Romance!

~The Countess's Pleasure by Emma Holly~

All the Countess of Ware was seeking was one night of discreet, yet earth-shattering passion. Securing the services of an exotic Yamish dancer seemed just the thing. All Georgina thought she wanted was pleasure, but what she found with Iyan was so much more…

I’ve previously enjoyed Emma Holly’s contemporary romance and her fantasy romance, but in The Countess’s Pleasure, Holly delivers an intriguing blend of historical romance and science fiction that I found more than show more pleasing.

Iyan’s alien race is known for their control, their unwillingness to give in to emotion. Even still, it isn’t difficult to see how Georgina stirs him, as his precious control wavers time and again with the lovely widow.

Georgina is the perfect match for Iyan, despite being human. Practical and shrewd outside of the bedroom, the passion she exhibits behind closed doors with Iyan charms him as effectively as those other qualities so valued by his people.

As can be expected with any Emma Holly story, the love scenes are decadent and plentiful, certain to liven even the most dormant libidos!

~The Breeds Series: The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh~

Tarek’s current mission places him right next door to none other but his own mate, although he doesn’t realize that is who Lyra is to him at first. No, that critical piece of information isn’t revealed to him until living next door to her for months threatens to push him past his breaking point. When Jonas Wyatt explains the Breed Mating Heat to him, Tarek is more than eager to claim for his own the sassy little bread-baker who has unwittingly tormented him for so long.

But Tarek’s mission threatens his new Mate’s safety, and Tarek will protect her at any cost.

The Breed Next Door is the first of Lora Leigh’s Breeds series to really drive home in no small way the fundamental differences in the way the Breeds grew up versus humans. As entranced as he is by the scent of his little Mate, Tarek is equally captivated by the scents of the homemade bread she bakes – something he has never experienced before, and something most of us take for granted.

Indeed, watching Tarek enjoy new experiences such as clumsily mowing his own lawn, enjoying the taste of freshly baked bread, and trimming his yard is simultaneously heart-rending and joyous. While your heart breaks for what he has missed in his life, you cannot help but find his zeal for these things infectious.

Which is the very reason Lyra finds it impossible to stay mad at him, no matter how bonkers he drives her. Well, that and this crazy attraction she feels for him. Still, Lyra gives him hell every chance she gets, in a way she has no idea turns the incorrigible Tarek on.

What Lora Leigh story would be complete without a healthy infusion of love scenes guaranteed to make your own knees quiver in excitement and induce some very sweet dreams for the reader… And Ms. Leigh delivers all of that and more in The Breed Next Door!

~The Guardians, Book 1: Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brook~

Anthony and Colin have long been best friends, despite their differences in social class. But while those differences do not prevent their friendship, they certainly prove an obstacle to Anthony being able to court the woman he loves, Colin’s twin sister Emily.

When Anthony is struck down by a Nosferatu, the Guardian Michael offers him the chance to become a Guardian himself. Normally, such an offer means the new Guardian is prevented from returning to Earth for the first hundred years of their service, to avoid any contact with those who knew them before their death. When the Nosferatu that killed Anthony targets Colin & Emily’s family for death, Michael breaks the rules, and assigns Anthony to the mission to save his friends.

Falling for Anthony is the first in Meljean Brook’s The Guardians series, and is very closely connected to both Demon Angel (Book 2) and Demon Moon (Book 4). This novella tells the tale of when Colin (Demon Moon’s hero) and Hugh (Demon Angel’s hero) met when Anthony, Hugh, and the demon Lilith (Demon Angel’s heroine) saved Colin’s life and quite possibly his very soul. I read the second and fourth books in this series prior to the first, and regardless of the timeline and connected events, I had no trouble understanding any of the stories.

It was very interesting to finally see what exactly transpired so long ago that made Colin what and who he is today.

Of course, that bit of Guardian history is juxtaposed against the tender romance between Anthony and Emily. Believing he can never be with the woman he loves the way he wishes, Anthony settles for whatever he can have of her. When fate returns him to her side after his mortal death, he knows he should resist her charms, but finds he cannot, even though he is bound to his role as a Guardian for the rest of her life. But there is always a loophole, isn't there?

~The Blood Kiss by Shiloh Walker~

When his brother is unjustly held captive by the dastardly Master of the House of Capiet, Roman determines to break him out of the vampire’s clutches without delay. He never expects to meet his mate in the process, nor does he expect to find her in the form of the Vampire Master’s own daughter, the beautiful Julianna.

Kidnapping the lovely heir to the House of Capiet seems the perfect revenge. But doing so not only threatens the outbreak of war between the vampire house and his own werewolf clan, but promises Julianna’s destruction at the hands of her own people.

I ashamed to admit that while I have owned Hot Spell for more than a year, I have only just read this particular story. My only excuse is that I had just discovered author Lora Leigh at the time I bought it, and my frenzy to read all of her work right away caused me to skip any but her stories in the anthologies I purchased then.

Little did I know that a fantastic story featuring two creatures I adore – vampires and werewolves – was languishing away on my bookshelf just begging for my attention. And Shiloh Walker’s The Blood Kiss definitely grabbed my attention at page one and held it until I finished the last word in this sexy paranormal tale.

In a romance faintly reminiscent of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Walker introduces us to Wolfclan Montgomery and the House of Capiet, who have engaged in some barely disguised feuding. Of course, this little story includes some very sexy paranormal creatures and some of the most beautifully primal love scenes between Roman and Julianna.

Although the ending to this story left me more than satisfied, I found myself wanting more of this intriguing world and its characters. I will definitely be searching for any related stories penned by this talented author. show less

I read Hot Spell a couple weeks ago. Although the author comes up as Emma Holly it was really an anthology written by four different authors, including Emma Holly. I really enjoyed all four novelettes.

As always Emma Holly delivered a unique, enticing story in The Countess's Pleasure. Georgiana is a Countess/widow who had been married to a man who, although they were fond of each other, was impotent. She travels to another land and stops at a venue which offers a show delivered by a demon. Although demons are superior in intelligence, physical strength and beauty they prize logic and reserve, believing humans to be inferior in their emotional conduct (rather like a vulcan). The demon performing the show has been pressed into performing show more this service in order to pay a debt incurred by his mother. While at the show Georgiana and the demon see each other and....you really need to read the rest of this story to find out what happens next. I have always enjoyed Emma Holly's writing and this short story did not let me down.

The second story was called The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh about a shapeshifter bred for fighting who had escaped his captors with the help of the Special Forces. He moves to a suburb to hunt down one of his former captives and finds himself in a battle of wills with his next door neighbor. I liked this story but it was so much like another book I had read recently I double checked to make sure it wasn't the same author and another story in her series.

Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brook was my second favorite of this anthology. A very unusual tale about a Guardian (who strongly resembles an angel) who returns to Earth to save the woman he loves and her brother from a Nosferatou. Also, I found the secondary characters presented in the story almost as interesting as the main characters. The paranormal aspect of it never showed itself until about a third of the way through the story and this very short description does not do the story justice.

The last story was by Shiloh Walker entitled, The Blood Kiss. This was a more traditional paranormal tale involving the war between werewolves and vampires where the King of the Werewolves falls in love with the daughter of the leader of the vampires. Although I think this story line has been done frequently, I always enjoy the re-telling and found the story to be quite well done.

I think this anthology was very well put together. There were no "dud" stories and I enjoyed each of them. These stories are more on the erotic side of the romance scale and they didn't seem forced or rushed, like some of the short stories I've read. If you wanted to try out a few paranormal/romance stories, this might not be a bad book to start with. show less

Great reading, short 'n steamy stories get to the point without the feeling of being short changed! I'm not usually a reader of historical romance however Emma Holly's story is a great blend of historical without being to fru-fru and sci-fi with out too much whu-whu. I loaned it to a friend to introduce her to the paranormal side of romance and she really liked it. I think everyone will find something here that they'll like!

These weren't the best paranormal romance stories I've read, but they were the most diverse.

THE BREED NEXT DOOR

This story is set a number of years after the original Pride went public. Jonas is now Head of Breed Enforcer Affairs. Tarek is a Breed that we haven't met before and he is after a Trainer from the Lab that Tarek was held at. It is interesting to watch Tarek handle the normal day to day things that we take for granted. I love his reaction to the smell of homemade bread fresh from the oven. I don't think there is anything that brings to mind home and comfort like that smell. The only problem with this story is that it is too short. There are questions that aren't answered like: Why the Trainer was trying to break into Lyra house instead of Tarek's? I am not sure how this advances the overall story but it was fun to see show more a Breed in an every day situation and try to learn to be normal. show less

Aside from the spoiled heroine, I really enjoyed this short.

The Countess's Pleasure by Emma Holly
Not quite as erotic as some of Emma Holly's other works that I've read, though still definitely hotter than your standard paranormal/fantasy romance as well.

Georgiana, a widowed countess from Britain, travels to Bhamjran, a British Victorian India, and unknowingly meets up with the man of her dreams, or at least, a dreamy man... well, then again, he's not really a man but a demon. Iyan is part of a separate paranormal race known as the Yama; they aren't actually demons as you might think of them in terms of evil spirits or minions from the various levels of Hell. But besides their sculpted bodies, perfect features, and unwillingness to succumb to emotion, they are also able to draw energy from humans show more in a most unusual way.

Mixing between the races is generally frowned upon. But then again, "What happens in Bhamjran, stays in Bhamjran." And Georgiana is committed to living for herself now, even if that means taking pleasure where she can find it... in the arms of a demon!
My Rating: 5 stars

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh
I plan to read some of Lora Leigh's other Breed books so this novella was a good introduction to the race, and the writing style of the author. I liked it a bit more than the previous story because there was some additional elements of danger that weren't present in the previous story.

Lyra is a human, and unknowingly living next door to a "Breed", a genetically engineered human clone species bred to serve, usually in a warlike capacity. The Breed species were very ill-treated by their masters, until the revolution that is, fought side-by-side with humans who also thought their treatment too cruel. Many escaped to live in the real world among humans, trying to hide their true identity. Tarek was such a creature... and sexy as hell to boot! And the two of them are forced into close quarters after the people hunting Tarek decide to go after Lyra instead...
My Rating: 6 stars

Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brook
Anthony is a Guardian, a special type of angel created to protect the human race from evil. After being killed by a Nosferatu while serving as a medic during the Napoleonic Wars, Anthony is made into a Guardian, a special type of angel created to protect the human race from evil. Though most Guardians must wait 100 years first if they choose to fall, Michael the archangel has decided to send Anthony back after only a few short weeks, to protect the very family he unknowingly helped to betray to the Nosferatu who attacked him.

There's a whole back story, which is pretty intense, but when I tried to get into it, the summary got super long, so suffice to say, I really enjoyed this story the most of all of them so far. Though the sex scenes could've been a wee bit longer >:-> the story was definitely well fleshed-out.
My Rating: 7 stars

The Blood Kiss by Shiloh Walker
Roman Montgomery, the Wolf King of Wolfclan Montgomery, believes he has found his true mate. Unfortunately, she's the daughter of his sworn enemy, Lord Eduard Capiet, head of The House of Capiet. While on a mission to free his younger brother from the hands of Eduard, he abducts Eduard's daughter Julianna, not wanting to leave her in the hands of such a monster as Eduard, who's archaic old ways have drawn the eye of the Ancients.

There's a bit of similarity to Romeo and Juliet. Not just in the names, but also in the fact that the 2 Houses are sworn enemies. And Roman and Julianna fall in love. Fortunately, the story doesn't end in tragedy as Romeo and Juliet does. And there was enough action and danger going on, since the erotica wasn't as sizzling as some of the other stuff I've read, to keep the story interesting for me.
My Rating: 7 stars show less