Otherworld Chills

Otherworld Stories #5

by Kelley Armstrong

14 hrs and 19 mins

These stories will cover a whole range of characters from the Women of the Otherworld, and answer many mysteries and questions from the series. A vital and fantastic collection of stories, many of which will be brand-new, while others will have only appeared on the author's website.

1) Brazen – Subterranean Press 2013 Nick novella
2) Chaotic – Hope/Karl novella from Dates from Hell, Hope’s 1st appearance in the series
3) Amityville Horrible – Subterranean Press Jaime/Jeremy novella
4) Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word – Zoe short story from Expiration Date
5) Off-Duty Angel – Eve/Kristof story from The Hunter & The Hunted
6) The Puppy Plan – Logan Danvers novella from Gifted
7) Baby Boom – new Paige/Lucas novella

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Magic, Anthologies, Short Stories

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Reviews

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sad when series end - I came to this one relatively late, just in time for the last anthology to be published.

Kelley Armstrong is awesome in that she gives us lots (and I mean, LOTS) of short stories as extras for this series. There's a few stories set between most books, in which there were 13. A lot of them were available on her website for free, and a few still are, but most have been collected into anthologies such as this one.

It seems I don't always have the same taste as authors when it comes to the short stuff, because it seems they put my least favorite offerings in the beginning and save the good stuff for the end. Here it's kind of like that, putting in a long story with Nick alternating his POV with a new woman in his life, and then my least favorite couple first meeting, Karl and Hope. After that it's much smoother sailing, or should I say pure glee and wild party fun?

Brazen, as the first story, is told through Nick's POV. Taking place six months after the ending of the Women of the Otherworld's last full length chapter, Thirteen, it shows that Elena has been alpha for six months and that Malcolm is still at large and considered an ever-present threat. The story is more gripping than I figured - a lot of deaths in a short pace, strong fights, Elena and Clay join in the end. I found the romance annoying though, there is no rule romance and sex have to enter for every character in their stories. 3.5/5

Chaotic was cute but with Hope and Karl first meeting and then doing a job together. It's long and a delight IF you're a fan of the couple, which I'm not.

Amityville Horrible is the best thing about this book, at least for me. Jaime is one of my favorite heroines and the story shows her giving it one more go with a certain televised production. The set isn't actually at the Amityville house but a duplication of it. Jeremy tags along. Not only do I love their relationship, I love when they solve mysteries together. With the ghosts, weird sets, fake guests being behind the scenes, it feels like a mini Scooby-Doo gig. It's fun and charming and delightful.

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word is a surprisingly refreshing story with Cassandra and Zoe. I never felt much of a bond with Cassandra but this story shows her a wee bit closer to the end of her lifespan and wanting to clear the air on a certain something. It wasn't a major something, but sometimes the small things make a world of difference. The ideal length for what the story contained.

Off-Duty Angel shows Eve and Kristoff again battling the forces of evil for the benefit of good...okay, Eve is just bored so Kristoff creatively comes up with something for her to do. She's more likable in the story than some of her other stories since she comes across more rounded. It's not a story that fills in back details or advances the main plot, it's just a side adventure that kicks forward some fun.

The Puppy Plan shows the sweet twins of Logan and Kate at 9 - geez - so a big step ahead in the future. It's told just through Logan's point of view. We get bonding parental time with Clay, a heart to heart with Jeremy (who STILL isn't' with Jaime full time), some mom concern from the now alpha Elena, and a sweet sister thing. Let's say these kids turned out sweet and sensitive. A cute puppy and Christmas is involved. Aw.

Baby Boom brings in Paige's last story through her POV. Benicio is still playing the puppeteer but this time not the evil one as they keep investigating. We see a birth for Savannah and maybe other characters as they've moved on. And finally-finally-finally we learn what will happen to the future Cabal and if Lucas will finally lead. It's a great story and my second favorite beside Amityville Horrible.

I will miss these characters. The only thing soothing me right now is knowing they received happy ever afters, and that I have a few other anthologies I haven't read yet.

Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review for this one

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of shorts in the Otherworld series. I enjoyed some more than others but liked them all. It was nice to visit with these much loved characters again.

[Carmel (Rabid Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

OTHERWORLD CHILLS is a compilation of exiting shorts rather than, as the blurb suggests, brand-new ones. I’d already read five out of the seven in this collection, and the sixth can be found in another multi-author anthology, so really there was only one original story which was a bummer considering this is the final volume. I’m sticking with my initial ratings because I <3 Kelley Armstrong, but in all honesty this title was a bit of a waste.

BRAZEN – 5/5
Nick is my favourite secondary character in the WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD universe, and BRAZEN has all of the fixings of a full-length novel, so you really can’t go wrong with this 200+ page short. There’s lots of interactions with Noah, Morgan, and Reese—the latest additions to the Pack—Malcolm Danvers is up to his old tricks, and Vanessa may just be the woman that nabs Sorrentino for good.

CHAOTIC – 4/5
This tale is about how Hope and Karl met; they are an interesting pairing because they are both anti-heroes to a certain extent with one being part chaos demon, and the other a werewolf jewel thief. Adams catches Marsten in the act, anarchy ensues, sparks fly, and all of this leads to the beginnings of their romantic relationship. Very action-packed, and I love Karl!

AMITYVILLE HORRIBLE – 4/5
I spent a large chunk of this novella thinking “this story is only a shorter version of NO HUMANS INVOLVED just with different ghosts.” And, I stayed on that thought train up until the final pages when Armstrong reveals that no—in fact, this story is not at all what it seems. The plot is delightfully creepy, and incorporates a decent amount of this series’ mythology.

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD – 3/5
I had a major case of déjà vu while reading this one; perhaps it was previously available for free on the author’s website, but I can’t say for sure. Anyway, Cassandra DuCharme is passing the torch to Zoe Takano, Brittany, the ex vampire slayer also makes an appearance, and there’s a slight immortality questers thread too. All in all, I didn’t enjoy it overly much.

OFF-DUTY ANGEL – 3/5
Eve and Kristof are an unusual couple in that they are more evil than good. Told from Levine’s POV, and it packs quite the paranormal punch with angels, Fates, Furies, shamans, demons, and by spanning multiple afterlife dimensions. They say boredom is the devil’s playground, and that’s doubly true where Eve is concerned. Kristof tries his best to keep her entertained with a wild goose chase, and poor Trsiel gets dragged along for the ride.

THE PUPPY PLAN – 5/5
I’ve been dying to read a novella from the twins’ POV, so it was a real treat getting to spend some time inside Logan’s head. This short is overflowing with cuteness, and I loved how being a parent hasn’t changed Clay in the least, he tries to be responsible, but even his own kids aren’t fooled. Armstrong still managed to weave a mutt problem into this tale while also delivering a magical Christmas moment.

BABY BOOM – 4.5/5
This was the ONLY unique title in this whole collection, so I don’t want to give too much away however, it featured Savannah/Adam, and Paige/Lucas. We finally learn who’s going to succeed Benicio as his heir, the board members of the Cortez Cabal try to stir the pot a little, and ultimately the story did fulfill some of the promises made in this book’s synopsis.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brazen - 4/5 stars (read before as a stand-alone novella)
Chaotic - 3/5 stars (read before in Dates From Hell
Amityville Horrible - 4/5 stars (read before as a stand alone novella)
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word - 3/5 stars
Off Duty Angel - 4/5 stars (read before in The Hunter and The Hunted)
The Puppy Plan - 4/5 stars (read before in Gifted)
Baby Boom - 5/5 stars *FAVOURITE*

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otherworld Chills is a collection of short stories where fantasy creatures abound, the women are sex-crazed, and the hunter often becomes the hunted.

The stories varied greatly, such that individual reviews seemed necessary:

Brazen

This is the weakest story of the collection, but if the reader can push through it, an assortment of entertaining stories follow. Brazen is a difficult read due to its excessive exposition and the extensive reliance on telling rather than showing.

The strength of this story is the author's ability to craft a terrifying villain:

"He didn't release her. He let her run so he could chase her."
"Why?"
"Because that's his idea of fun."


Chaotic

The writing improves from this point forward. Chaotic is an entertaining heist story with a compelling first person narrative from the perspective of a paranormal female. There are moments when the writing is delightfully sensory: Everything went dark. Images, smells, and sounds flickered past, hard and fast, like physical blows. A forest -- the shriek of an owl -- the loamy smell of wet earth -- the thunder of running paws -- a flash of black fur -- a snarl -- teeth flashing -- the sharp taste of -


Amityville Horrible

This haunting tale is the star of the show.

The type of paranormal characters one can anticipate in this story hearken from a realm where anything seems possible: Luckily, I have a very effective watchdog -- my ghostly bodyguard, Eve Levine. Dark witch, half-demon, and ascended angel. Yes, angel, which might be the scariest of the three. She has only to show up, Sword of Judgement in hand, and most spirits decide they really don't want to talk to me after all.

Amityville Horrible is best read after dark, alone, with a flashlight.


Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

This story has a promising start with the appearance of a mysterious woman, but the story fizzles thereafter. It's possible this story is too reliant on history of the characters developed in the preceding books (this is, after all, book five in the series). On it's own, this story feels a bit pointless. For those who've read the preceding books, this is likely a thrilling follow-up on a villainous character.


Off-Duty Angel

This story is fascinating for the nature of its supernatural characters, but the story makes a few jarring sharp turns -- pivoting entirely based on coincidence. It's the realm where the story takes place, and the creatures in it, that make Off-Duty Angel a page turner.


The Puppy Plan

There's a sweet simplicity to this heartwarming tail tale.


Baby Boom

In a surprisingly sentimental conclusion to the collection of stories, the topic of pregnancy and the prospect of parenthood are discussed in a fantasy setting. Multiple perspectives on the topic are explored with poignant open-mindedness.


Overall, Otherworld Chills is a sensual romp through a realm of fascinating fantasy creatures.

Special thanks to Penguin Random House, First to Read, and Kelley Armstrong for providing an ARC of Otherworld Chills in exchange for this honest review.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big fan of Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld, I’m always happy to dive into more tales about the world. Otherworld Chills is the final collection of stories set in the universe (although not the final story), and it was a great return to the characters we know and love. As with all collections, I had favourites within this. In fact, I will be honest and say my favourite of the stories was a surprising one – and in a good way.

Without a doubt, if you’re a fan of the series you need to give this collection a read. It is a great way to return to beloved characters, giving you a hit of the things the series did so well.

Individual ratings:
Brazen: Three stars.
Amityville Horrible: Four stars.
Chaotic: Four stars.
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word: Two stars.
Off-Duty Angel: Three stars.
The Puppy Plan: Four stars.
Baby Boom: Four stars.

[Ferdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read most of the stories before, they were still good on re-read though. Still didn't like Elena and Clay's kids, there were far too precocious and annoying, especially oh so wise and mature Logan. I don't even think he was ten years old but he somehow always knew the right thing to say, he was a right little know it all.
Paige's story was the most interesting but it didn't feel finished, the end had so many things going on, would have liked to know more about the new cable and how it would work, as well as the whole giving up their baby to Savannah/Adam thing (especially when they were so cool with raising Savannah yet couldn't seem to care enough about their own baby to do the same), they were massive changes/decisions yet they were barely addressed.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It turns out I'd read everything except the last story. And I didn't like that one, so it dragged the rating down.

Also, I still don't like The Puppy Plan for reasons I talked about here. Logan still doesn't seem like a real kid to me.

And that last story. Sigh. You too, Armstrong? It is okay for people to not have kids!!! (I'm still wondering when Hope and Karl decided they wanted them, after being horrified at the idea in Personal Demon.) I mean, this is half one of those unfair things because the problem isn't this specific story and couple so much as THE WHOLE WORLD OF FICTION, but it also makes me worried she's suddenly going to give kids to, like Olivia/Gabriel or Nadia/Jack.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly Armstrong takes us back to the Otherworld for one more anthology featuring the characters we have grown to love. Many of these shorts have been previously published, but not all. And several are set after the events of the final novel.

Brazen – This is a Nick novella set after 13. And I really enjoyed it. Here, Nick is on the hunt for Malcolm. He’s hired a team of supernatural mercenaries to help him with the job. But one of the agents gets too close and ends up on the wrong side of Malcolm’s muzzle. Nick has to team up with a member of merc unit to find the missing agent and continue the hunt for his former alpha.

We see Nick’s charm with the ladies in action here. His partner sees it too and wants a little Nick-loving of her own. I liked this story, but I did struggle with the idea of this attractive and capable woman wanting to be just the latest in his string of conquests. No slut shaming or anything, but it’s hard to see the attraction of sleeping with a man several of your agents have already taken a tumble with. Other than that, it’s a good story, with a bit of a cliffhanger for another Nick and Vanessa adventure to come.

Chaotic – This is the Hope and Karl origin story, which I have read before. Hope is a half-demon who gets off on chaos. That’s given her a lot of trouble following the straight and narrow. So when Tristan approached her to serve as an agent for the supernatural interracial council, she didn’t hesitate to say yes. She doesn’t realize, though, that she is on the job the night she goes on a blind date at a museum gala. But she can’t help but follow the threads of tension she feels coming from one of the exhibits. It turns out to be werewolf Karl Marsten, there stealing some jewels.

Her first thought is that he’s the bad guy and she has to stop him. But she finds out quickly that it’s really her boss who is evil, and he is after Karl for petty vengeance. Hope doesn’t work for the council at all… She’s just a pawn in his schemes. Hope and Karl grow closer as they work to escape Tristan and his henchmen. And there is one really hot scene they have while in hiding that I may have read two or three times. All in all, it’s a pretty solid story and it lays the foundation for future books that feature Hope and Karl.

Amityville Horrible – This is a Jaimie story that takes place after Hidden and sets up part of the storyline for Waking the Witch. This is another instance where Jaimie is tapped to star in a pseudo-reality haunting show. In this case, it’s loosely based on the Amityville House. It gives some good chills and has some sexy time with Jeremy too. I didn’t love the Scooby Doo vibe in the end, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word – This is a pretty short story that brings Cassandra to Zoe to offer her a place on the council. It’s also an opportunity to apologize for hurting her years ago. There’s a little side adventure that helps grease the wheels of that apology along the way.

Off Duty Angel is an Eve short I had read before. It’s very reminiscent of Angelic, in my opinion. We see Eve kind of stuck in the circumstances of her afterlife. Kind of bored. Still thumbing her nose at authority and playing by her own rules. Right now, Kris is in the middle of a big case and she has nothing to do with her downtime. So Kris sends her on a mission to play P.I. for him. The story is mostly action oriented and gives us very little time with Eve and Kris. I think I would have enjoyed an adventure that did more to incorporate them both, but I’m glad Eve got one last hurrah.

The Puppy Plan – This story is centered on Clay and Elena’s now 9 year-old twins, more specifically, their son, Logan. The boy saves a puppy and plans to give it to his sister, but he knows it’s against his parents’ wishes. We basically see his struggle as he tries to do the responsible thing, while often unsure what that is.

It’s cool to see what kind of kids Clay and Elena have created. Logan is really such an interesting character. I’d like to see him in his own story as an adult one day.

Baby Boom is the last story and it left me with mixed feelings. It features Lucas and Paige, which I love, but what happens to them –and how it all plays out– was less than satisfying. Basically, these two are confronted with the fact that members of the Cabal want them to have a baby and will do anything to get their way. The story gives us some closure in a lot of ways, but it didn’t really feel like an especially happy ending.

As a whole, though, I enjoyed this anthology and I think most readers will enjoy one more chance to see their favorites again to say goodbye.

Rating: B


*ARC provided by publisher

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otherworld Chills is the fifth and final collection of stories in the Women of the Otherworld series.

This book includes the following novellas: Brazen, Chaotic, Amityville Horrible, Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, Off-duty Angel, the Puppy Plan, and the brand new Paige and Lucas story Baby Boom.

The Women of the Otherworld series is my favorite adult paranormal series. And Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. Even though I had already read most of the stories in this collection I love to read the new stories. In this case I absolutely could not wait to read Baby Boom, the new Paige and Lucas story.

Brazen (previously read and reviewed March 21, 2015): 4 stars. Brazen is a Women of the Otherworld novella (set after the final book Thirteen).

The narrators are Nick (pack member) and Vanessa (new character who is a P.I.).

I am not sure why it has taken me so long to get to this novella. I absolutely adore the Women of the Otherworld series. But it was quite interesting to read this after having seen Season 1 and half of Season 2 of the tv show Bitten. There are a bunch of characters either in this novella or mentioned who have different fates in the tv show. So it's interesting/slightly confusing to try to keep the two mediums separate in my head.

I do like Nick Sorrentino so it was nice to have him as the main narrator. I also like that we got to see a bit of Clay and Elena.

The story was enjoyable. If you like The Women of the Otherworld series then all of the novellas are must reads!

Chaotic: A Hope story. From the book Dates from Hell. Read years ago. 4 stars.

Half-demon Hope is sent to museum gala by mentor Tristan to catch werewolf thief Mateson.

Amityville Horrible(read and reviewed January 15, 2013). 4 stars.

I love Kelley Armstrong and her Women Of The Otherworld series.

Amityville Horrible is an e-novella in the Women of the Otherworld series featuring Jaime. It is set after Frostbitten (book 10), but before Waking The Witch (book 11). I would not read it unless you've read the other Women Of The Otherworld books.

Since Thirteen I've been missing the series. So I was very happy to have another story to read featuring the characters from the Women Of The Otherworld series.

Jaime is the narrator. But we do get a fair bit of Jeremy. And a few other favorites make guest appearances (mostly via phone calls).

In Amityville Horrible Jaime is roped into doing a reality show for charity. It involves a haunted house, some missing girls, and a Russian spiritualist.

I'm not sure that the actual story was one of my favorites. But I loved getting to spend more time with Jaime. And especially with Jeremy.

The story was short and wrapped up fairly quickly. But it was wonderful to get to spend more time with some of my favorite characters.

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word: 3 stars.

This short story features Cassandra (vampire) and Zoe. Cassandra visits Zoe and tries to convince her of something.

Cassandra is not my favorite Otherworld character. This story was okay. But it was very short.

Off-duty Angel: Eve story (read and reviewed in The Hunter and the Hunted - June 16, 2012). 4 stars.

Off-Duty angel featured Eve (and some Kristof). I do enjoy reading about Eve. But I would have preferred if the story had featured other characters.

The Puppy Plan(read and reviewed in the book Gifted - December 31st, 2014): 5 stars. The Puppy Plan is an Otherworld novella narrated by Logan.
I love The Women of the Otherworld series. So I am thrilled any time we get a new short story or e-novella.

The Puppy Plan is a really cute Christmas-time story featuring Logan and a puppy he discovers. I thought that the story was sweet and fun and I loved getting to see some of my favorite Otherworld characters.

Baby Boom: 4 stars. Baby Boom is a new story written for this collection. It features Paige, Lucas, Savannah and Adam. This story is narrated by Paige and has to do with babies and what will happen to the Cabal in the future.

I enjoyed this story. I've really missed Paige, Lucas, Savannah and Adam. The baby part sort of surprised me. But overall it was a good story.

[Pam Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brazen – I think this might have been the one I was looking forward to most. Nick is a favorite character of mine and this gaves us a little glimpse as to a possible HEA for him. :) Also, we find out Malcolm is even more of a dick than we already knew.

Chaotic – How Hope and Karl meet, it’s interesting but not my favorite. This made me like Karl more though.

Amityville Horrible – Jamie and Jeremy again <3 We think one thing and something else happens it was entertaining.

Sorry seems to be the Hardest Word- Hmm to be honest not really sure what the point was, Cass handing the reins to Zoe? I don’t know frankly not one I care to go back to.

Off-Duty Angel – More Eve and Kristof, I am just over these two if I am being honest.

The Puppy Plan – This was cute Logan and Kate and the best Christmas gift they could give each other. We also learn more about Logan and how he thinks I really enjoyed this one.

Baby Boom – Not much to say that won’t give this away, just read it.

[Angelica Haney · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a whole I’m giving this 3.5 stars. There were some stories that I absolutely loved and then there were some that were just meh 🤷‍♀️ specific ratings for each short story listed below!


Brazen: 3 stars
Chaotic: 5 stars
Amityville Horrible: 4 stars
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word: 2 stars
Off-Duty Angel: 3 stars
The Puppy Plan: 4 stars
Baby Boom: 3 stars

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked "Chaotic", "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word", "Puppy Plan" (this was sweet and sentimental) and "Baby Boom" which dealt with a tough subject with sensitivity and respect, rather than dogma.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at Smexybooks-http://smexybooks.com/2016/10/review-...


Kelley Armstrong’s best selling fantasy Otherworld series has kept me entertained since she first released Bitten in 2001. Intensely entertaining, Armstrong introduced us to a world that blended the supernatural and mundane perfectly; giving us strong heroines and heroes and action packed, suspenseful, multi-narrated storylines. Armstrong’s series ended the arc with the novel Thirteen though she continued to tidy up various plot lines (this world is rather huge and convoluted) with a series of novellas and short stories. The Otherworld Chills anthology is the last of those short stories. This collection is compiled of previously released material and a few new ones that give fans one last hurrah. There are seven stories total.



1) Brazen – Subterranean Press 2013 Nick novella

2) Amityville Horrible – Subterranean Press Jaime/Jeremy novella

3) Chaotic – Hope/Karl novella from Dates from Hell, Hope’s 1st appearance in the series

4) Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word – Zoe short story from Expiration Date

5) Off-Duty Angel – Eve/Kristof story from The Hunter & The Hunted

6) The Puppy Plan – Logan Danvers novella from Gifted

7) Baby Boom – new Paige/Lucas novella



Brazen is aptly titled and takes place after Thirteen. Told from Nick’s POV, we learn how he met his girlfriend, Vanessa. The action packed, violence fueled conflict blends well with the look into the unique position Nick holds in the pack. While I enjoyed the narrative and conflict, I found the romance uninspiring. Vanessa’s insulting faux pas in the beginning and subsequent habit of not listening didn’t endear her to me at all.

Chaotic chronicles the first time Hope and Karl met. A museum jewel heist opens up a can of worms when Hope learns her new job is nothing more than one man’s need for revenge. While I loved the antagonism and verbal foreplay Hope and Karl engage in, the storyline itself moves is long, involved, and moves a slow pace. Armstrong divulges deeply into Hope and Karl’s backgrounds as they attempt to flush out the culprits while trying to stay alive.

Amityville Horrible is probably my favorite of this anthology. Any chance to spend time with Jamie and Jeremy is a guaranteed good time. Once again Jamie is reluctantly pushed into doing a reality show by her agent only to discover that things are not what they seem. When Jeremy joins her on the set, the hijinks begin. A fun character driven story inundated with humor, romance, and a hint of mystery.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word is a short story revolving around Zoe and Cassandra. In here we learn that even immortals have an expiration date and unresolved issues can affect even the hardest of hearts. An interesting story though it loses it’s steam towards the end.

Off-Duty Angel takes us back into the halls of heaven and bowels of hell in this delightful little romp when Kristoff gives his bored lover, Eve, a mystery to solve. Of course, nothing goes as planned but that is half the fun. Well plotted and filled with plenty of action, adventure, and humor, readers will enjoy seeing this happier more stable version of Eve then what we have seen in the series.

The Puppy Plan visits the Danvers Family at Christmas time. Told from Logan’s point of view, this sweet heartwarming story shines on the love and compassion that resides in the hearts of Clay and Elena’s twins.

Baby Boom wraps up the book and a long ongoing plot line concerning Paige and Lucas. I was rather taken by the sorrowful tone woven through here as this couple not only deals with an unwanted pregnancy but also the future of the Cortez Cabal.

Otherworld Chills offers readers a little of everything while wrapping up existing open story lines. Though some stories are stronger than others, the collection as a whole is an enjoyable reader sure to delight fans of this fantasy inspired world.

Grade: B

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by All Things Urban Fantasy

These stories ranged from cute and fun to kind of okay. This is the last anthology for The Otherworld Stories and I liked seeing one last glimpse into these characters lives.

BRAZEN

This is Nick's story and takes place after Women of the Otherworld's THIRTEEN. I liked being in Nick's POV as he is a wonderfully beta werewolf and a real ladies man. By ladies man I mean sex seems to just happen to him which I find hilarious. The actual story,beyond Nick's life being a porno, is about Malcolm being an ever present threat as they try to catch him. While there were some fights and chasing there was a bit too much telling rather than showing and exposition. The romance between Nick and Vanessa was not that interesting and kind of bland. Malcolm continues to be absolutely terrifying which is why I didn't completely write of this story because just the sheer knowledge that he exists in this story is what kept the tension up.

CHAOTIC

This is half-demon Hope and werewolf Karl's story of how the met. It's a heist story in a museum and I thought it was pretty cute how they eventually worked together. I really enjoyed seeing into Hope's chaos visions and how the visions help her and Karl get out of and into certain situations.

AMITYVILLE HORRIBLE

This is necromancer Jamie's story with Jeremy coming by to support and help her during reality show taking place in a haunted house. I love her relationship with Jeremy as its very mature and playful. The story involves ghosts, weird sets, and a who-dun-it sort of mystery. This was one of my favorite stories as it was not only kind of creepy but charming and fun.

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

This was a surprise to me as it is about vampires Cassandra and Zoe who were characters who never got a full story in the Women of the Otherworld series. They were always side characters or featured in other short stories so there was no real excitement or connection to them like any of the other characters in these stories. It was a nice way to get to know Cassandra a bit better but the story was not that interesting and very, very short.

OFF-DUTY ANGEL

This is Eve Levine's (the witch/ghost/angel/demon of the series) story. I loved seeing the after-life realm Eve exists in and how it functions. It's basically all about Eve being bored and how Kristoff find her something fun and a bit dangerous to do. I've always liked Eve as she is kind of a wild card in this series. The plot for this story was a nice little adventure with some fascinating creatures and turns.

THE PUPPY PLAN

This was a sweet, adorable story from the POV of Logan, one of Elena and Clay's twins. Logan is trying to get his sister a Christmas gift and get around his parents saying they can't have a puppy. I enjoyed seeing Elena and Clay from the perspective of being mom and dad. The story was fun and including a cute puppy is always going to make me like it even more.

BABY BOOM

This is Paige's story and ties up some loose ends in regards to how the cabal will function in the future and gives us a glance at what Savannah is doing. The plot is all about pregnancy and the different perspectives on it and babies. I did not enjoy the outcome of this one as it essentially involved Paige being forced into a situation she didn't particularly want or have a choice in. I felt like it was a violation of her agency and a happily ever after doesn't have to end in babies all the time.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The fifth and final collection” in Ms. Armstrong’s Otherworld series. I’ve been a fan of the Otherworld since the publication of Bitten (I even watched the three season television series … ick! … Greyston Holt being the only saving grace) so when I saw that this was to be the ultimate LAST visit to the Otherworld I knew I wanted to read it. The book consists of seven short stories each telling the story of characters from the books. For Ms. Armstrong’s supreme “constant readers” this book will come as somewhat of a disappointment as only one of the stories (Baby Boom) is a first time publication. The others have been available in other compilations or on line. I do not do much reading on line so, for me, five of the stories were new reads.

BRAZEN
Nick Sorrentino teams up with a new ally to track the “Big Bad Wolf” himself, Malcolm Danvers. Malcolm has been the ultimate villain in the books about Stonehaven and the werewolves and it looks like this time they may finally have him. But Malcolm might not be the only one caught – has Nick finally found a woman who can make him give up his wolfish ways?

CHAOTIC
A wild chase through a museum during an opening night gala and the story of how (half demon) Hope and (werewolf) Karl met.

AMITYVILLE HORRIBLE
Yes, it’s the same town but a different house. It was all supposed to be staged for a “Ghost Hunters”-like reality show starring Jaime, who for a necromancer does everything in her power to avoid ghosts. Sometimes the ghosts, and her manager, have different ideas.

This is one of the stories I had not read before and I can honestly say the first part of the story was one of the creepiest stories I have come across from Ms. Armstrong. Definitely goosebumps material! Then … pffft! I was left hanging. I even went back and checked if two pages of the book were stuck together and I had missed something. Nope. The story just seemed to lose its thread.

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
A revisit with Toronto vampire Zoe and her visitor the virtual queen of the vampires, Cassandra.

Cassandra needs a favor from Zoe and Zoe needs an apology from Cassandra. Which one will get what she wants in the battle of vampire wills?

THE PUPPY PLAN
I loved this Christmas story featuring Logan and Kate, Clay and Elena’s twins. It was a cute reworking of “The Gift of the Magi”.

BABY BOOM
This is the original novella included in this book. With Savannah and Adam together and expecting Benicio is putting more pressure on Lucas to step up in the Cabal and possibly also pro-create. Lucas and Paige can’t really get on board with that request. But in the world of the Cabal, witches and demons … things don’t always go according to plan.

“The fifth and final collection” in Ms. Armstrong’s Otherworld series. Nick has a new love interest. Logan and Kate are growing up. Adam and Savannah are having a baby. Hmmm – with so many loose ends and new beginnings is this really going to be the final visit to the Otherworld?

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read half of them already, but it was fun to read the novellas in the world I love. The one that threw me the most was the Baby one at the end which had all sorts of shades of Jane the Virgin and other issues i have with the reproductive rights issues. I know I am jumping well into a sensitive topic, but there is a level of horror in having someone else manipulate you through your own internal system that maybe I get too worked up on, but it was a really rough story for me especially when the nurse who did it tried to get all defensive and acted like Paige should thank her and not be so selfish. I really wish I'd gotten a full view of her being fired and jailed. Who are you to decide what someone else should do with their body and life? It also brings up the fact that this is viewed as a happy accident/mistake/set-up but in the inverse how horrifying to find out someone had sterilized you? I mean it really opens up a lot of issues that exist in the real world and for that reason it struck different chords for me that likely were not intentional. Anyway, end rant. Feel how you will, but wow that was not the story I expected it to be.

[Anriska · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all the other stories except Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word (it was a pretty pointless story.), Off-Duty Angel (Eve is boring to follow. Probably my least favorite character to read about) and Baby Boom (I hoped that they would not keep the baby. But of course they did and that didn't surprise me just made the whole thing predictable.) I hoped it would be different than most books, that you don't need a man, a house and a baby for a perfect happy ending. I guess later they'll get a dog to TRULY get that perfect life. It would've been awesome if they stuck to their decision to never have kids. It would've been different and they would've been just as happy as they had been to that point..

There were more stories that I liked, compared to the ones I didn't care for as much, so I rounded up to three stars.

[Under the Covers Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of a really good series are always greedy to get more. I truly appreciate the fact that Kelley Armstrong ended this series on the high note that she did, because even though I miss it I'm also happy that there was no chance to water down how much I enjoyed it and especially those last few books. But that doesn't mean I can't be extremely excited when I see there's a tiny slice of life or novella that comes out because I want to revisit those characters in any way I can. OTHERWORLD CHILLS I believe marks the end of the releases for this series completely, and it's a collection of short stories that is great to have in print. If you're a fan, you won't want to miss it! I don't necessarily recommend it for people new to the series, but the stories are isolated enough from the main story lines that I think they would be enjoyable still. But like I said, best if you read the series then this.

That being said, these are not all original. I believe some were in anthologies and there even might be some that the author had posted free on her website. I read a few previously but since those were some I enjoyed, it was nice to revisit. I do think this book closes out with the best story!

BRAZEN

I don't recall reading this one before, so it was fun to start off with it. This is told from Nick's POV, who in my opinion never got enough page count and he's working on a case after THIRTEEN and Vanessa, the cop, after hearing much about Nick's prowess wants to give him a go. Elena has been alpha for six months, Malcolm is still a threat, and there's plenty of deaths. Romance-wise, there wasn't a whole lot of connection to make me interested. But the investigation and the threat made this interesting.

CHAOTIC

This was my first taste of something I had read before. As soon as it started, memory kicked in. Probably because this has been one of my favorite short stories in this series anyway. This is the story of how Hope and Karl met (during a museum heist) and how they had to work together to get out of a bad situation. I have a soft spot for them, so I highly enjoyed this! Love them both individually and of course together.

AMITYVILLE HORRIBLE

This is mystery that Jamie needs to uncover after she finds herself a part of a crew filming in a house where terrible murders were believed to have happened many years apart. Featuring Jamie and Jeremy, another two characters I always enjoy, this was a fun story with plenty of thrilling mystery while trying to uncover the clues. And, this was another story I had previously read and enjoyed.

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

I don't recall having read this before either, and this was a short story about Cassandra. I've always found her character a bit bland and this story felt like that as well, but if you're interested in learning more about her then you'll get a small glimpse here.

OFF-DUTY ANGEL

Another story I don't recall reading before, featuring Eve and Kristoff and the after-life. I know everything about this story was interesting in and of itself, but for some reason I have never been able to connect with Eve and her stories always bore me to death. It's not the story itself, because when I step back it is interesting. I just have this mental block with her character and I'm not interested whatsoever. But if you like Eve, I think this would be fun to explore and know more about the world she lives in.

THE PUPPY PLAN

Guys! The twins (now age 9) and a puppy. I don't think I need to say more. Oh well, and then there's sexy Clay and Elena in their parent role. This is told from Logan's POV and is incredibly adorable, with a Christmas theme to it.

BABY BOOM

This was definitely the surprise for me. I don't want to say much so I don't spoil it because I don't think this one has been published before...BUT... It deals with Savannah and Adam and then the Cortez Cabal. This is told from Paige's POV and it will give you answers as to who will take over for Benicio. As you can image, the board members will have something to do with this one and trouble will ensue. Just a hint... Read the title. I really enjoyed this story, it managed to surprise me in a way that I'm very happy to see and of things to look forward to in the future of this little subgroup of the series.

*ARC provided by publisher
Reviewed by Francesca❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

This is another collection of stories from the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. This is the fifth book that she’s put out of these short stories. I really love this series and having these short stories has been great, especially since the series came to an end back in 2012. I keep all of these collections on my iPod to listen to if I ever need just a short story between books. I love that I can listen to a story here and a story there.

Brazen
Subterranean Press 2013 Nick novella
If you haven’t read Thirteen, this story is full of spoilers, none in review
It was great to get to spend some time with Nick, a werewolf. He teams up with Vanessa, who is a half demon. They’re on the search for someone that the pack wants dead (I won’t give away that spoilers). Nick is a really fun character and I enjoyed my time with him. There is a bit of romance between Nick and Vanessa, but with no more stories coming for this series, I wish we had been told if this was the real deal or just a fling. I would’ve like to know if Nick finally found the woman for him.

Amityville Horrible
Subterranean Press Jaime/Jeremy novella
This story is about Jaime, who is a necromancer. While she could raise the dead, that is not something that she does. Mostly, she talks to ghosts. She is also a TV spiritualist, but she doesn’t use her powers for that, because people just want to be told that their dead relatives are happy. In this story, her publicist or agent (I don’t remember which), convinces her to do a reality TV show. While this has been done with a Jaime story in the past (Jaime’s full-length book, No Humans Involved), there are differences which makes me actually like this short story better.

Chaotic
Hope/Karl novella from Dates from Hell, Hope’s 1st appearance in the series
I so love this story. Hope and Karl are my second favorite couple in this world (Clay and Elena will always be #1). Hope is a half demon that thrives on chaos. She also has quite the famous father, but that isn’t revealed in this story. Karl is werewolf and a thief. In this story, Hope is on a horrible blind date at a museum set up by her mom. Her and Karl run into each other and then end up figuring out some strange stuff going on in the museum. A really fun story. So glad to revisit it.

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
Zoe short story from Expiration Date
This story features Zoe Takano and Cassandra DuCharme. They are both vampires. Cassie is coming close to the end of her life (vampires are just very long lived, not completely immortal) and has come to ask Zoe to take her place on the Interracial Council. Cassie owes Zoe an apology, but doesn’t want to give it. They also deal with a group of humans called immortality questers.

Off-Duty Angel
Eve/Kristof story from The Hunter & The Hunted
Eve is not my favorite character. I really didn’t enjoy her full-length novels, but I have enjoyed her short stories way more. In this story, Kristof is stuck and court and asked Eve to do a little tracking and digging, something Eve is great at.

The Puppy Plan
Logan Danvers novella from Gifted
As I mentioned above, Elena and Clay are my favorite couple. I’m also a big fan of their twin kids. The two are opposites of each other, Kate is more like her dad and Logan is more like his mom. Logan wanted to get the perfect gift for Christmas for his sister. When he finds a bag on the side of the road with one still living puppy in it. His parents have told the kids no to puppies right not. Logan is convinced that this is a sign that they should have a puppy. Logan, rarely the rule breaker of the twins, breaks some rules while trying to take care of the puppy. He also struggles with how to ask his parents about the puppy. Such a cute story. Best read in the book, in my opinion.

Baby Boom
New Paige/Lucas novella
This story takes place after all the other books in the series. I’m not exactly sure how far after the last book it is. Savannah is pregnant. We learn more about the future for the Cortez Cabal. Some of the board members try to make things go their way, which causes a lot of issues for our main couple, Paige and Lucas.

Overall a very fun read. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone who hasn’t read at least some of the books (Brazen I would recommend that you finish all the full-length novels before reading it. There is a HUGE spoiler for Thirteen in it). I think it is best to know the characters to get the most out of these stories.

Narration
Most of the anthologies up until this point had several different narrators. I don’t know why they had just one for this book, but I’ve listened to Emily Durante and knew going in that I would enjoy her narration. I thought she did a really good job with all the different characters in this book. The things that I would call out the most are with Cassie are the accent and telling Logan’s story where he sounded like a child He’s a very grown up child, but you could still hear the childhood when listening. If’ you’ve never tried Emily Durante, I would say to give her a try. I know I really enjoy her.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been 5 stars if not for the fact that we have a character who never wanted kids suddenly deciding, Hey I guess they wouldn't be so bad and having them. It's 2017, ffs. When are people going to be okay with the idea of a woman not wanting kids and then *gasp* not ever having them. I thought Armstrong was better than that.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely collection of short stories, either prequels or continuation of storylines. Loved a few of them, a couple were good.
Read if you have enjoyed the series.

[Rebecca (onmybookitlist) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked these short stories! It was fun to read about these characters again and see extra bits from both during and after the series end.

[Westminster Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of seven stories that can be read as a stand-alone book. Filled with many great characters having adventures throughout the book, I found it a very enjoyable read. I wasn’t able to put it down so I read it in one sitting.

Find Otherworld Chills at the Westminster Public Library.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An omnibus of seven short stories, fifth…and last…in the Otherworld Stories, set in the Women of the Otherworld series and revolving around the primary characters of the series. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Women of the Otherworld books on my website.

The Series Order
"Brazen", 13.3
"Chaotic", 5.2
"Amityville Horrible", 10.8
"Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word", 10.9
"Off-Duty Angel", 10.5
"The Puppy Plan", 13.9
"Baby Boom", 13.11

The Stories
"Brazen"
A nice long short story that starts out so sweet, setting Nick into a homey situation, well, except for the previous night's adventures in bed, ahem, lol.

"... Nick's world ... bear[s] a marked resemblance to a James Bond ... porn flick ..."

It's a story we hear from Nick and Vanessa's perspectives in this third person dual protagonist point-of-view. But it's Vanessa's and her other agents' overconfidence that really sets "Brazen" off.

It does include a number of interesting insights into Nick, Anthony, Clay, and the hideous Malcolm. As for that point Nick makes about why the Pack hunts lone mutts? An all too-human response.

Characters
The happy-go-lucky Nick Sorrentino is one of Anthony's sons and has an eye for graphic design and client services. Two "adopted" werewolves are Reese (having escaped Anchorage, he's studying for his MBA) and Noah Stillwell (his father, Joey, had grown up with Nick and Clay). A third newbie, Morgan Walsh, is making their home his home base. Anthony runs a multinational corporation. Nick's grandfather is/was Dominic.

Jacinda and Heidi were quite friendly with Nick. Frank Russell is a client of Nick's.

The Stonehaven Pack
Elena became Alpha nine months ago with the world thinking it's really her mate, Clay. Their six-year-old twins are Logan and Kate. Jeremy Danvers had been the Alpha but has retired and is "grandfather" to the twins. Karl Marsten is a "roaming" member while Dennis had been a previous member.

Rhys Smith runs a security agency. His agents include Vanessa "Ness" Callas, a half demon with a gift for fire who's in charge of the team (she's former FBI) that includes Jayne and Tina "Mayfair Flowers" Mayfair.

Ness had taken in her niece, Sophie, when Vanessa's sister, Dawn, died. Roger had been Vanessa's adequate lover.

Malcolm Danvers, Jeremy's hated father, has been playing assassin for the Nast cabal for the past ten years...years in which Stonehaven thought he was dead...dagnabbit. Richard Stokes is a sorcerer for the Nasts with his own secrets. Sharon is his half-demon wife. Mitzie belongs to one of the Stokes' neighbors.

Three human bounty hunters include Ted and Pete, who is the team captain.

"Chaotic"
Poor Hope. No dress sense, a need for chaos, and a mother who sets her up on blind dates. And everything we learn is from first-person protagonist point-of-view from Hope's perspective.

But Hope is a quick learner...and she just knows that she's being tested. And tested and tested, as she escapes again and again.

"I don't know where Hollywood buys their ventilation shafts, but they don't use the same supplier..."

Ohhh, that bit of the end was quite revealing...how Hope and Karl each manage their issues.

Characters
Hope is a journalist with True News, a tabloid that seeks out supernatural "news". Her father is an Expisco demon, making Hope a half-demon who's a chaos receiver.

Karl Marsten is a lone werewolf who makes his living as a jewel thief.

Tristan Robard is Hope's contact. Russell and Mike and Bryan Trau of SA Unit 17 are part of Tristan's team. Benicio Cortez is the head of the Cortez cabal, an organization led by sorcerers who hate witches.

The Interracial Council is...
...the governing body for all supernaturals and includes Aaron, a vampire; Paige Winterbourne, a witch (she's married to Lucas Cortez, one of Benicio's sons); Adam, a half-demon, and others.

Douglas is the boring jerk of a blind date her mother sets her up with. Frederick is Hope's brother-in-law and had been Douglas' frat brother. Robert Baird is the CEO of Baird Enterprises. Rick is one of the guests at the charity event. Billy is one of the museum guards.

"Amityville Horrible"
Not one of my favorites, but only because I have no idea how Jaime saw through it. It was even in first person protagonist point-of-view from Jaime's perspective...and I still didn't see it.

There's a short bit of Jaime's childhood background.

Characters
Jaime Vegas is a necromancer who makes a living doing live shows and channeling audience members' passed-on loved ones. Jeremy Danvers, the part werewolf, part kitsunegari Alpha of the Stonehaven Pack, is Jaime's boyfriend. Eve Levine, a dark witch, half-demon, and ascended angel, is Jaime's watchdog. Eve is a pip! Elena, a freelance journalist, is the Alpha-elect for the Pack. Clayton is Jeremy's foster son and Elena's mate. They have five-year-old twins.

Mike is the director from No Humans Involved , 7, who filmed the Death of Innocence Show that included Todd Simon, a shoddy producer, and Bradford Grady, a famed British spiritualist, who destroyed his career. Oliver Black really will be producing this one. Becky Cheung will be the director again. Frank is the cameraman while Sal is the crew guy. Ted Robson, the EVP expert, and Bruce Wong, the spirit photographer, from Death are on the team. Gregor Baranova is the other spiritualist whom Mike was NOT supposed to bring on; his oldest daughter was Liliya. Angelique had been the spiritualist from Death who didn't survive it. The twins, Melinda and Belinda; Rory is the token Goth chick; Wade is the token jock; Ricardo doesn't speak a lot of English; and, Cameron, who is the token geek, are some of the "ordinary folks" for the show.

Nancy Masters is one of those audience members. Brittany is a TV journalist. Keni Bales hosts a talk show.

The Amityville hoax was perpetuated by the Lutz family who moved in after Ronald DeFeo Jr murdered his family. Some other horrors associated with Amityville include Maurice Barrymore, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, and Ricky Kasso. And the victims of a long-lived serial killer are Clara Davis from 1924, Polly Watson from 1952, and Dawn Alvarez from 1988.

Cortez Winterbourne Investigations is made up of Lucas Cortez, a sorcerer lawyer, and Paige Winterbourne, a witch, with Savannah as the receptionist. Leah O'Donnell, a nasty half-demon, has escaped.

"Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word"
This tale involves Zoe and Cassandra, and we find out just how famous Cassie is! The true purpose of this tale is that bit of interference by Cassie in Zoe's love life some decades ago.

Short and fun.

Characters
Zoe Takano is the resident (and only) vampire in Toronto, and she makes her living as a thief. Brittany is an ex-vampire slayer, although she never did get around to slaying any.

Cassandra DuCharme is a vampire on the edge and a delegate on the Interracial Council. She makes her living dealing in art and antiques. Aaron is a former and, perhaps, current lover whom Cass had betrayed in the past.

Miller's is Zoe's regular bar where Rudy is the bartender. Immortality questers believe taking the head of a vampire will make them immortal. Elena and Clayton Danvers are mated werewolves.

"Off-Duty Angel"
Poor Eve. She's bored with this break from her work, and Kristof is tied up in a court case. Whatever shall she do?

What really intrigued me was the idea of "time travel", visiting the past and seeing that real world. Oh man... I would have so much fun!

I know, I know, Eve's mission is supposed to be more important — time travel!! — and it turns out to be even more useful than Kristof expected.

Armstrong does what she does best, providing plenty of background and color for her characters while giving us action and adventure with first person protagonist point-of-view from Eve's perspective.

Characters
Eve Levine is a half-Aspisico demon (Lord Demon Balaam is her dad), half-witch, part-time ghost, and part-time angel who works for the Fates these days. The dead Kristof Nast, a sorcerer lawyer, now works for the defense in their ghost world. Yep, he and Eve are together as much as possible.

Trsiel is Eve's angel partner.

Lewis Stranz had been a shaman and family doctor in his mortal life. His spirit guide is now his life partner. Ted and Anna are friends of the Stranzes. Erinys, a.k.a. Furies, are goddesses of vengeance and technically demi-demons. Onis are imps who hide things of value. Cerberus is actually three separate dogs; Eve calls them Polly, Molly, and Rue.

In the human world, Jaime Vegas is Eve's mortal guide; Savannah is Eve and Kristof's daughter; and, Sean and Bryce are Kristof's sons.

"The Puppy Plan"
It starts with an interesting assessment of Logan's and Kate's personalities: he's all about knowledge and exploration while Kate is more about getting into trouble.

It's very much a moral tale as Logan (it's his perspective in third person protagonist point-of-view) starts with wanting to give Kate the puppy and slowly coming to realize it would be wrong to guilt his parents into saying yes.

Although, sometimes practicality wins out over morals, lol:

"'You just need to find something to hold over her so she doesn't tell everyone at Christmas. Not that I'd recommend blackmailing your sister...'

'Yeah, we absolutely recommend it,' Dad said. 'It's the only defense.'"

Aww, ya gotta hand it to Clayton, wanting Christmas to be perfect for Elena.

Characters
Logan and Kate Danvers are twins of Elena and Clay, werewolves of the Stonehaven Pack. Jeremy had been the Alpha but now he's more a grandfather to Logan and Kate. Jaime Vegas is Jeremy's girlfriend.

Uncle Nick, another werewolf, is dating Vanessa. Reese, Noah, and Morgan live in the same place as Nick.

Davis Cain is an idiot werewolf, a mutt who takes on a dare.

"Baby Boom"
It's both funny and saddening, as Paige and Lucas have to make a very important decision, one that's tearing them apart. What's wonderful is how supportive their friends are.

And Benicio is failing his mission to support Lucas.

While "Baby Boom" has a first person protagonist point-of-view from Paige's perspective, it feels as if Lucas' perspective is also in here

Characters
Paige Winterbourne, a witch, and Lucas Cortez, a sorcerer and the bastard son and heir of Benicio Cortez of the Cortez cabal, are married and run a private investigation company. Carlos is another of Benicio's sons, and he's married to the pregnant Annette. Hector and William are the sons who died.

Savannah Levine, a Nast, has married Adam, a half-demon, and she's happily pregnant.

Dr Mendez is Paige's doctor. Heath Denby and John Pearce are the fixers. Ralph Daly is a VP and member of the board that supports Lucas.

An update on the Nasts...!
Seems the Nast cabal split between Sean Nast, the true heir, and Savannah's half-brother as well as gay and honest and Uncle Josef. One believes in the greater good while the other is all about profit at any cost. It'll be an important lesson at the end of this story.

The Cover and Title
The cover has a purple cast to it which is most obvious in the foggy forest behind the partial profile of the woman with the long, red, wavy hair in her black leather jacket on the right side of the cover. The author's name and title are in a yellow serif centered in the middle with a white info blurb between them. At the very bottom is the information that this is an anthology...when it's really an omnibus.

The title is accurate enough, for there are Otherworld Chills in these stories.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story / novella collection set in the Women of the Otherworld series which was overall enjoyable bar one or two.

We see some old favourites return in different stories and at different times throughout the full length series; such as Hope, Jaime, Jeremy, etc. A little bit of every supernatural being thrown in. Some adventure, romance, humour, and danger rolled into one.

[Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of a really good series are always greedy to get more. I truly appreciate the fact that Kelley Armstrong ended this series on the high note that she did, because even though I miss it I’m also happy that there was no chance to water down how much I enjoyed it and especially those last few books. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be extremely excited when I see there’s a tiny slice of life or novella that comes out because I want to revisit those characters in any way I can. OTHERWORLD CHILLS I believe marks the end of the releases for this series completely, and it’s a collection of short stories that is great to have in print. If you’re a fan, you won’t want to miss it! I don’t necessarily recommend it for people new to the series, but the stories are isolated enough from the main story lines that I think they would be enjoyable still. But like I said, best if you read the series then this.

That being said, these are not all original. I believe some were in anthologies and there even might be some that the author had posted free on her website. I read a few previously but since those were some I enjoyed, it was nice to revisit. I do think this book closes out with the best story!

BRAZEN

I don’t recall reading this one before, so it was fun to start off with it. This is told from Nick’s POV, who in my opinion never got enough page count and he’s working on a case after THIRTEEN and Vanessa, the cop, after hearing much about Nick’s prowess wants to give him a go. Elena has been alpha for six months, Malcolm is still a threat, and there’s plenty of deaths. Romance-wise, there wasn’t a whole lot of connection to make me interested. But the investigation and the threat made this interesting.

CHAOTIC

This was my first taste of something I had read before. As soon as it started, memory kicked in. Probably because this has been one of my favorite short stories in this series anyway. This is the story of how Hope and Karl met (during a museum heist) and how they had to work together to get out of a bad situation. I have a soft spot for them, so I highly enjoyed this! Love them both individually and of course together.

AMITYVILLE HORRIBLE

This is mystery that Jamie needs to uncover after she finds herself a part of a crew filming in a house where terrible murders were believed to have happened many years apart. Featuring Jamie and Jeremy, another two characters I always enjoy, this was a fun story with plenty of thrilling mystery while trying to uncover the clues. And, this was another story I had previously read and enjoyed.

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

I don’t recall having read this before either, and this was a short story about Cassandra. I’ve always found her character a bit bland and this story felt like that as well, but if you’re interested in learning more about her then you’ll get a small glimpse here.

OFF-DUTY ANGEL

Another story I don’t recall reading before, featuring Eve and Kristoff and the after-life. I know everything about this story was interesting in and of itself, but for some reason I have never been able to connect with Eve and her stories always bore me to death. It’s not the story itself, because when I step back it is interesting. I just have this mental block with her character and I’m not interested whatsoever. But if you like Eve, I think this would be fun to explore and know more about the world she lives in.

THE PUPPY PLAN

Guys! The twins (now age 9) and a puppy. I don’t think I need to say more. Oh well, and then there’s sexy Clay and Elena in their parent role. This is told from Logan’s POV and is incredibly adorable, with a Christmas theme to it.

BABY BOOM

This was definitely the surprise for me. I don’t want to say much so I don’t spoil it because I don’t think this one has been published before…BUT… It deals with Savannah and Adam and then the Cortez Cabal. This is told from Paige’s POV and it will give you answers as to who will take over for Benicio. As you can image, the board members will have something to do with this one and trouble will ensue. Just a hint… Read the title. I really enjoyed this story, it managed to surprise me in a way that I’m very happy to see and of things to look forward to in the future of this little subgroup of the series.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otherworld Chills

Brazen
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: Set after Thirteen, the last book in the Otherworld series, Brazen follows Nick on his search for Malcolm Danvers. As I said in my reviews for Otheworld Nights and Otherworld Secrets, a novella is my favourite format, and it worked for this story. Also, I enjoyed seeing things from Nick's perspective; it was interesting. I also liked Vanessa, who is introduced here; maybe we'll see more of Nick and her in the future when Kelley Armstrong eventually returns to the Otherworld series...

Chaotic
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: Chaotic showed how Hope and Karl met. I'll be honest: I love those two. But I wasn't so enthralled, mostly because, at the moment, I prefer stories taking place after the series. Overall, though, I still enjoyed it.

Amityville Horrible
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: Always enjoy Jaime's stories. There's always mystery, humour, and, sometimes even, intense moments. Amityville Horrible was, indeed, just as worth as her others.

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: I have to say, I enjoyed this one; I enjoyed watching Zoe and Cassandra interact. I want more stories from the vampires; I feel like they are kept more in the background in this series. So, hopefully, there'll be more. Oh, and they better have Zoe and Cassandra!

Off-Duty Angel
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: I absolutely loved this snippet into Eve's life once again. And I had no idea how much I'd love her and Kristof together. Well, I do. I enjoyed Off-Duty Angel immensely, and I loved how it ended. Definitely a perfect ending for it, considering the characters in question are Eve and Kristof!

The Puppy Plan
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: The Puppy Plan was such a sweet story. The beginning part broke my heart as much as it did Logan. But the ending . . . gosh, how I loved that ending! It makes me want to rescue a puppy!

Baby Boom
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: What can I say? I love Paige and Lucas! I have to say, at the beginning, I was, like, "Huh?" But later . . . later, I was, like, "Yippee!" I feel like Baby Boom was a nice way to conclude their story, and as much as it saddens me to see their story end, I'm glad that it has ended on a happy note. :)

Favourites: Baby Boom and The Puppy Plan

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology contains Brazen, Chaotic, Amityville Horrible, Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, Off-Duty Angel, The Puppy Plan, and Baby Boom.

Brazen gives Nick a chance to shine. Chaotic chronicles Hope and Karl's first meeting. Amityville Horrible stars Jaime with a guest appearance by Jeremy. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word stars Zoe Takano and Cassandra DuCharme. Off-Duty Angel has Eve fighting boredom. The Puppy Plan stars Logan and includes also Kate and their parents. Baby Boom stars Paige and Lucas with Savanah and Adam making guest appearances.

What I especially liked about this anthology was that most of the stories were longer almost short novel length. I also like to have the convenience of this collection which gathers together stories that had appeared in a variety of publications.

It is always good to revisit the Otherworld and its characters. These stories helped fill in the gaps and bring closure to many characters and plot threads.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really just wanted to read this for the Paige/Lucas story at the end, but I don't think I'd read Brazen before either. (The rest of the anthology is rereleases, including Brazen.) I did not love Brazen especially, maybe because I've become attached to my head canon of bisexual Nick and this love story felt just so boring.

As for the Paige/Lucas... I am torn. Because while I personally loved the idea of them raising a Cabal heir, I really respected the idea that they wanted to remain childless. And then to have that choice taken away from them and for them to ultimately decide they would move forward as parents (the Adam and Savannah raising the baby thing was fucking WEIRD), it just felt hollow. I was much more interested in the part where Sean and Lucas form their own Cabal, because I can roll with that as far as a future for this world.

But I just don't know. It wasn't what I wanted but I didn't hate it either, and I just don't know.