Cravings [Anthology 4-in-1]

Out of the four novellas here, I most enjoyed MaryJanice Davidson's "Dead Girls Don't Dance," which presents a romance between a dumb jock and a cranky undead young woman that's about as believable as you could hope for, with a good amount of sarcastic humor. Meanwhile, Rebecca York's "Burning Moon" is a pretty good suspense tale with interestingly complex characters. "Originally Human" by Eileen Wilks is so-so on the supernatural elements and tiresome in the plot, leading to a pretty indifferent impression. And finally, this book is supposed to be built around the lead story by the famous Laurell K. Hamilton, but fans have complained that the "novella" contained here is merely an excerpt from one of her Anita Blake novels. That's show more painfully obvious here, as the "story" begins and ends inconclusively, and features characters and plot elements that are so under-defined that they have obviously been introduced more fully elsewhere. I gave it 3 stars but my suggestion would be to find the individual books by these ladies and skip this. show less

Rating reflects all of the stories BUT the Laurell K Hamilton. I tried, I really tried, to find a place in my heart for some time in Anita's world reconnecting to characters I was once fond of. Too bad this novella is right at the cusp (pun intended) of When This Series Went To CrapTM. Sigh, I really spend too much time in these reviews hating on Anita Blake. Truce? I'll probably only last the night.

The Eileen Wilks story (the reason I ordered the book), "Originally Human," was fantastic. Having read Night Season and it's preceding novella first, I'm all aquiver for Eileen's writing to improve to that level. This story delivered. A tale of woman meets man with amnesia (that old shtick), it's a well told story that made me hungry for show more more time with these main characters. Eileen Wilks may prove capable of pulling a Kelley Armstrong, independently creating several main characters within one universe that I love. Of course, that means that I will suffer during "drought" periods, waiting for my favorite characters to have a turn (EVE, Kelley, THINK EVE). According to her website, these two do have a part to play at some point in the main story line. Here's to me and my baited breath, Eileen.

Mary Janice Davidson's "Dead Girls Don't Dance," was fun. As my first encounter with MJD, this novella earned her a precious "Hey, look for other things by her when you get a moment" nod. Hopefully when I read the first book to feature this character, I will bond with her more. Not really caring for her, while I found the story enjoyable. Why would the king of the vampires choose Minnesota as the center of his kingdom? That may be the most unbelievable aspect of this story.

"Burning Moon" by Rebecca York was the most "romancey" story of the bunch, but I still was amused by it. Loved that the woman is a tarot reader, as the time spent talking about the cards was fantastic. show less

Three hundred years ago, Molly was cursed by a vengeful goddess to become a succubus, a creature who lives off men's sexual energy. For all that, she remains very much human at heart. When a strange man literally falls at her feet, wounded and amnesiac, she takes him in and cares for him, physically and soon emotionally as well. She calls him Michael, and together they try to piece together who he is, where he has come from and who is chasing him.

I loved this story. I loved the characters, the setup, the pacing, everything. It was a delight to read and I'll be getting hold of my own copy as soon as possible. Molly is a delight and Michael is wonderful, knowledge and naive at the same time. The twist at the end of Michael's identity is show more brilliant and Molly's last line is perfect.

This can be read alone, but technically it belongs in Wilks' Moon Children series along with 'Only Human' from the anthology Lover Beware and Tempting Danger. I think I would have got some throw away references to Molly and Michael in Tempting Danger better if I had read this first, but it doesn't really matter. show less

I enjoyed this anthology - four solid stories with a bit of erotic spice and a mix of supers, magicks, mystery and humor.Incubus Dreams, from which Blood On My Lips was taken, was the first Anita Blake book I ever read and I think its a good story to introduce the tone that the later books by Hamiltion take. This focus's on Anitas struggle to control the Ardeur and find a place in her life for Nathaniel.Dead Girls Don't Dance was entertaining, I enjoy Davidson's humor and this story was fun to read. There is a glimpse of Queen Betsy and Sinclair at the end but really it is it's own story.Originally Human was intriguing, I liked her style and the story itself was strong. I havan't read anything by Wilkes but I am looking to do so show more now.Burning Moon was OK, a neat little mystery but didn't really grab me. show less

I have not read this whole book yet because all of the stories it contains are part of series by well-known paranormal romance writers and I have only just begun reading these series. I will flesh out this review as I read more of it.
"Dead Girls Don't Dance" - This selection takes place between the first two books of Davidson's Queen Betsy series which is about a ditsy girl who suddenly becomes Queen of the Vampires. It is set in Minnesota, which is fun for me because that's where I live. Davidson is very realistic in describing her setting and even the language is very genuinely Minnesotan. I appreciate that quite a lot.
The main focus of this novella is a vampire named Andrea who is awakened on a Lake Michigan beach by a guy she used show more to have a crush on in college. She's been a vampire for several years, but she's still pretty thirsty and feeds on the guy before recognizing him. They catch up and he agrees to take her back to the Twin Cities to pledge fealty to her new queen. She's really smart and funny and he's kind of dumb and gorgeous, so their interactions are comical, particularly when you throw in the whole vampire thing. The tale is short; I read it in about half an hour, but it's pretty satisfying, funny and spark-filled. 4 stars. show less

Laurel K Hamilton has a horrible tendency to contribute to some compilations like this a story or excerpt from existing books, instead of other stories. This is no exception, the first story, Blood upon my lips, is an abridged version of the start of Incubus Dreams so if you were looking for something new in the Anitaverse forget it. (3/5)

Dead Girls Don't Dance has apparently appeared elsewhere but I hadn't read it. A vampire chick is going to meet Betsy and bumps into a guy she fancied in college. He goes with her. It's all you expect from MaryJanice Davidson, witty one-liners, fabulous clothes etc. (3.5/5)

I'd never read a Eileen Wilks before and this made me want to. A Succubus befriends a rather cute guy she finds naked on the shore. show more They try to find out where he's from and why he's turned up on her door. She was cursed to be a succubus by an unnamed goddess whose supporters are getting stronger. (4/5)

Burning Moon by Rebecca York was the sweetest of the stories. A werewolf hunting the murderer of his wife ends up following clues to a small town, Sea Gate in New Jersey. There he finds a blind guesthouse owner willing to house him and starts looking for the murderer while also having to deal with his growing love for the owner who also reads tarot cards for him. (4/5) show less

Four stories from four authors, Laurell K. Hamilton, Maryjanice Davidson, Eileen Wilks, Rebecca York. The Hamilton story was just an excerpt from one of her books and while I found the book enjoyable, I'd appreciate an original story from her more.

The MaryJanice Davidson story was a cute addition to her vampire queen series and as quirky and fun as most of them are. The Eileen Wilks story I liked quite a bit better than other stories of hers I've read. It was an interesting twist on the paranormal. The last story of a vengeful werewolf and a blind woman by Rebecca York was well crafted and had quite a bit of character development for its length.