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Leopard People #0.5
Fantasy
Where Do Your Fantasies Take You?
Under the blazing heat of the Borneo sun...
...a beautiful naturalist's dream comes true--to live among the feral jungle creatures. But an untamed, irresistible beast of another sort forces her to explore her own wild side.
In an exclusive gentleman's club in Victorian London...
...adventurous ladies are available to the highest bidder. Yet how far will a modest widow go to fulfill her fantasy of being auctioned off as a rake's midnight plaything?
From the depth of the dark unknown...
...a child of midnight has arrived in a spiritual Tibetan refuge to rid herself of wicked desires. Here this ageless beauty meets the one man who can save her--or damn her soul forever.
In a private, all-male school for seduction...
...she might just graduate with honors. If she can only maintain her disquise long enough to teach the man of her dreams a few lessons.
stories include:
The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
Under the blazing heat of the Borneo sun...
...a beautiful naturalist's dream comes true--to live among the feral jungle creatures. But an untamed, irresistible beast of another sort forces her to explore her own wild side.
In an exclusive gentleman's club in Victorian London...
...adventurous ladies are available to the highest bidder. Yet how far will a modest widow go to fulfill her fantasy of being auctioned off as a rake's midnight plaything?
From the depth of the dark unknown...
...a child of midnight has arrived in a spiritual Tibetan refuge to rid herself of wicked desires. Here this ageless beauty meets the one man who can save her--or damn her soul forever.
In a private, all-male school for seduction...
...she might just graduate with honors. If she can only maintain her disquise long enough to teach the man of her dreams a few lessons.
stories include:
The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 26, 2002
81 people are currently reading
2238 people want to read
About the author
Christine Feehan
156 books52.9k followersChristine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 100 published novels, including five series; Dark Series, GhostWalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series, Shadow Riders, Torpedo Ink and her Romantic Suspense novels. All of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.
Her series include:
The Dark Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/darkb...
The GhostWalker series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/ghost...
The Leopard Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/leopa...
The Shadow Series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/shado...
Torpedo Ink series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/torpe...
IN HER WORDS:
I've been a writer all of my life -- it is who I am. I write for myself and always have. The ability to create pictures and emotions with words is such a miracle to me. I read everything; I mean everything! All kinds of books, even encyclopedias. I am fascinated by the written word and I love storytellers. It is a great privilege to be counted one myself. (www.christinefeehan.com)
Her series include:
The Dark Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/darkb...
The GhostWalker series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/ghost...
The Leopard Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/leopa...
The Shadow Series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/shado...
Torpedo Ink series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/torpe...
IN HER WORDS:
I've been a writer all of my life -- it is who I am. I write for myself and always have. The ability to create pictures and emotions with words is such a miracle to me. I read everything; I mean everything! All kinds of books, even encyclopedias. I am fascinated by the written word and I love storytellers. It is a great privilege to be counted one myself. (www.christinefeehan.com)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
May 5, 2015
The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries
This was a story about a widow who got talked into being in an auction for a night of passion. She'd not really been 'loved' by her first husband, and didn't really know what love-making could be like. Thankfully however, Lord Warbrooke is happy to show her!
6.5 out of 10
Luisa's Desire
This was an okay short story about a vampire and a monk. I found there to be quite a lot of unnecessary information in there though, which just slowed everything down and didn’t interest me.
6 out of 10
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
This was a short story about a reporter who dressed as a man to attend a seminar about how to seduce a woman and get her to sleep with you in under 24 hours. This was pretty dull, and has been the worst story in the book so far for me.
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
This was a romantic and sexy paranormal romance story, about people who can could shape-shift into leopards! I particularly liked that there was a storyline to this story, and it wasn’t just about the sex. The rest of the series should be interesting!
8 out of 10
This was a story about a widow who got talked into being in an auction for a night of passion. She'd not really been 'loved' by her first husband, and didn't really know what love-making could be like. Thankfully however, Lord Warbrooke is happy to show her!
6.5 out of 10
Luisa's Desire
This was an okay short story about a vampire and a monk. I found there to be quite a lot of unnecessary information in there though, which just slowed everything down and didn’t interest me.
6 out of 10
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
This was a short story about a reporter who dressed as a man to attend a seminar about how to seduce a woman and get her to sleep with you in under 24 hours. This was pretty dull, and has been the worst story in the book so far for me.
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
This was a romantic and sexy paranormal romance story, about people who can could shape-shift into leopards! I particularly liked that there was a storyline to this story, and it wasn’t just about the sex. The rest of the series should be interesting!
8 out of 10
June 4, 2022
My favorite story was the Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries. Hands down that made this purchase worth it. The others were all good but that was my favorite. Overall rating for that one, 5 ⭐. The others get four stars. I'm happy to have bought this so that I can reread it in the future.
October 11, 2011
FANTASY contains four short stories written by some of the most popular authors today. If you are looking for lots of steamy sex this book is for you. You will encounter how each couple met and fell in sex, er, I mean love. Lacking depth, don't expect much in the way of content.
Sabrina Jeffries' 'The Widow's Auction' takes place in the 19th century. Lord Warbrooke and Lady Kingsley have an ongoing history of butting heads. Lady Kingsley, a widow, is talked by a friend into wearing a mask and standing on the auction block for a night of passion. Lord Warbrooke bids and wins, intending to save her reputation. "C"
Emma Holly's 'Luisa's Desire' is a visit to Tibet in 1600. Weird for me, a female vampire meets a monk that wants to save her. This story had the least amount of chemistry between the two lead characters. Slow in some places I found it very hard to get through. "D"
Elda Minger's contemporary romance 'Mr. Speedy' was the best of the four. Mistaken identities lead to a weekend of, well, you just have to read the story. "B"
Christine Feehan's 'The Awakening' was a rushed paranormal encounter between shape-shifters. This story would have been better if the characters were fleshed out and it was a full-length book. I am rating it a "C".
Sabrina Jeffries' 'The Widow's Auction' takes place in the 19th century. Lord Warbrooke and Lady Kingsley have an ongoing history of butting heads. Lady Kingsley, a widow, is talked by a friend into wearing a mask and standing on the auction block for a night of passion. Lord Warbrooke bids and wins, intending to save her reputation. "C"
Emma Holly's 'Luisa's Desire' is a visit to Tibet in 1600. Weird for me, a female vampire meets a monk that wants to save her. This story had the least amount of chemistry between the two lead characters. Slow in some places I found it very hard to get through. "D"
Elda Minger's contemporary romance 'Mr. Speedy' was the best of the four. Mistaken identities lead to a weekend of, well, you just have to read the story. "B"
Christine Feehan's 'The Awakening' was a rushed paranormal encounter between shape-shifters. This story would have been better if the characters were fleshed out and it was a full-length book. I am rating it a "C".
December 1, 2020
Four short stories with a theme of fantasy in romance.
The Series
"The Awakening" (Leopard People, 1)
"Luisa's Desire" (Midnight, 0.5)
The Stories
Christine Feehan's "The Awakening" begins the Leopard People paranormal romance series. Similar in the basics to her Dark/Carpathian series, this storyline creates a very different shapeshifter culture with its own particular issues.
Emma Holly's "Luisa's Desire" was a bit tame for her as Luisa travels to Tibet for a better way to feed.
Sabrina Jeffries' "The Widow's Auction" is an interesting take on historical-romances. I think she did a good job of portraying the time period's mores, culture, and style. I'll have to explore more of her writings.
Elda Minger's "Mr. Speedy" was cute and has some good sex in it.
The Series
"The Awakening" (Leopard People, 1)
"Luisa's Desire" (Midnight, 0.5)
The Stories
Christine Feehan's "The Awakening" begins the Leopard People paranormal romance series. Similar in the basics to her Dark/Carpathian series, this storyline creates a very different shapeshifter culture with its own particular issues.
Emma Holly's "Luisa's Desire" was a bit tame for her as Luisa travels to Tibet for a better way to feed.
Sabrina Jeffries' "The Widow's Auction" is an interesting take on historical-romances. I think she did a good job of portraying the time period's mores, culture, and style. I'll have to explore more of her writings.
Elda Minger's "Mr. Speedy" was cute and has some good sex in it.
August 12, 2020
I enjoyed the stories in this book ! All had the same pattern..man and woman meet, make love, and then confess their love to each other . All were a little different in their own way .
The Widows Auction by Sabrina Jeffries
This is a fun historical romance! I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and it was definitely funny that Lady Kingsley was being fooled when she thought she was doing the fooling.
Luisa’s Desire by Emma Holly
The spiritual concept is cool but there is a lot of dragged out information and words that I had to look up the meaning of in order to follow the story, which meant too much stopping to use Google. This story came up second as far as the best sex scenes.
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
This is a cute romantic comedy. The classic guy meets girl under a funny circumstance and after a number of crazy things happen, they end up together! I liked this story the most in the novella but it wasn’t as heavy on the sex scenes.
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
Now, this story had some sex scenes , let me tell you! This story came in number one as far as that goes. I can see myself getting into this shape shifting series . I love the possessive, strong character of Brandt in this story ! Him and Maggie are that seductive couple. Great descriptions of the scenery and of the passion between the two.
The Widows Auction by Sabrina Jeffries
This is a fun historical romance! I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and it was definitely funny that Lady Kingsley was being fooled when she thought she was doing the fooling.
Luisa’s Desire by Emma Holly
The spiritual concept is cool but there is a lot of dragged out information and words that I had to look up the meaning of in order to follow the story, which meant too much stopping to use Google. This story came up second as far as the best sex scenes.
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
This is a cute romantic comedy. The classic guy meets girl under a funny circumstance and after a number of crazy things happen, they end up together! I liked this story the most in the novella but it wasn’t as heavy on the sex scenes.
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
Now, this story had some sex scenes , let me tell you! This story came in number one as far as that goes. I can see myself getting into this shape shifting series . I love the possessive, strong character of Brandt in this story ! Him and Maggie are that seductive couple. Great descriptions of the scenery and of the passion between the two.
February 2, 2019
Finally finished this! I've been chipping away it for ages, since far before I marked it currently reading.
My favorite story was "The Widow's Auction", which seems like a bit of an unpopular opinion? I liked the chemistry between the characters, and I thought that it was fun little bit of silliness.
Second favorite was "The Awakening." I did think it was a bit underwhelming, though. I didn't feel a ton of chemistry, and the whole way that things were handled with the transformation, etc. was not highly appealing. I believe that this story is the reason I got this book in the first place, but I'm not sure if I want to continue with the Leopard People series or not, based on the strength of this.
The other two stories were pretty meh. I thought that the characters in "Mr. Speedy" were immensely stupid, to the point where I just had to laugh to keep from crying. The vampire take in "Luisa's Desire" was interesting, but the couple was not, so that put a major damper on things for me.
Overall, somewhat underwhelming.
My favorite story was "The Widow's Auction", which seems like a bit of an unpopular opinion? I liked the chemistry between the characters, and I thought that it was fun little bit of silliness.
Second favorite was "The Awakening." I did think it was a bit underwhelming, though. I didn't feel a ton of chemistry, and the whole way that things were handled with the transformation, etc. was not highly appealing. I believe that this story is the reason I got this book in the first place, but I'm not sure if I want to continue with the Leopard People series or not, based on the strength of this.
The other two stories were pretty meh. I thought that the characters in "Mr. Speedy" were immensely stupid, to the point where I just had to laugh to keep from crying. The vampire take in "Luisa's Desire" was interesting, but the couple was not, so that put a major damper on things for me.
Overall, somewhat underwhelming.
April 20, 2020
I loved the Christine Feehan story, but the other three were really weak.
February 25, 2018
Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: Shape-shifting Leopards, Mobsters and Love - A weird combination right? Well, it's worth reading on those lazy days or to bring you out of any kind of dull mood.
Fantasy is a collection novella by four different authors who are famous in erotic romance involving paranormal elements category – Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly and Elda Minger It was published in March of 2002. My review is only of Christine Feehan's novella The Awakening. Although I read the remaining three I am sticking to just this one for this time.
After reading two books in this series – Leopard's Blood (Leopard People # 10) (My review of the book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) and Leopard's Fury (Leopard People #9) ( My review of the book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), I had to go to the beginning of the series to read about where all this started and how Christine has spun a plot involving Mobsters and Leopards - a very intriguing mix indeed. Christine introduces the Shape – Shifting Leopard People, a species of their own, in this novella titled The Awakening where she tells the tale of Maggie Odessa – who arrives in the Borneo forests to claim her inheritance – and Brandt Talbot – who wants to claim Maggie for himself.
The entire Leopard People Series focuses on humans who have ability of shape-shifting to leopards. Each plot covers one couple that are destined to be mated in this lifetime just like so many lifetimes in the past. And surrounding this couple the plot expands on this species of leopard shape-shifters, their advantages as being so, their perils and how their lives move along in this 21st century. All of the plots are either set in Borneo Rain Forest - coast of South East Asia - and New Orleans in USA or eventually lead there. These leopards come from very hard and cruel lairs, but they come out on their own, find their mate, infiltrate the mobs and acquire the territories taking over them.
Maggie Odessa comes to Borneo forests to claim her inheritance that is being taken care of by Brandt Talbot. Unbeknownst to her Brandt had lured her for his own selfish reasons – to claim her as his mate just like many lifetimes in the past. But what neither know is what will happen to Maggie once her legacy comes to surface and once she accepts it. Adding to that Brandt has his share of problems in saving the forests from being destroyed by loggers and animals from being killed by hunters. How they strive together is the rest of the plot, of course with lots of segues into future books.
With this book Christine gives us glimpses of the kind of people Leopard People are, their trials and tribulations, their romances and commitments, and the threats that come at them in various forms and how they deal with it. She uses Maggie Odessa’s inheritance claim to lead her to Borneo forests where she makes Maggie face not only her inheritance but her legacy too, albeit she has Brandt Talbot to aid her with all of his hotness and carnal side along with his urge to save humanity as well as the leopard people. Christine calls the leopard people as guardians of the jungles, of the rain forests. And her plot doesn’t yet get to the point where she is having the leopard people take over the mobster families. I am curious to see how she segues from rain forests in Borneo to mobsters in New Orleans, USA which I have already read in the latest books. Perhaps the second book might shed more light on that.
She also introduces her future heroes – Drake Donovan and Joshua Tregre – along with minor characters such as Connor and Shilo. Knowing her future books I know there is one for Joshua Tregre too (10th book in the series Leopard’s Blood tells Joshua’s story), but there might be plots for Drake, Conor and Shilo in the books that havent read yet.
I felt that the plot ended abruptly perhaps as it is a novella. But that reduced her repetition in phrasing and information that she has in every book. Also the erotic content didn’t border on BDSM that I rarely like to read, and was enjoyable instead. My first time around when I had read this book I hadn’t liked it much, but this time around with the perception of where the series would lead to I actually liked it. If we keep aside the eroticism in the plot, Christine touches upon the global threat we are facing in reality – deforestation. Although it still irks me when she uses statement like “giving the gift” or “doing exactly what he wanted” etc. she also had used them lesser in this one, again considering it a novella must have been the reason. Even her usage of f-words were less to none.
I would say it is a decent beginning to a powerful erotic series that touches on social evils, romance and the mysterious species. If you like the mix, this series is one to be picked.
Recommendation: Shape-shifting Leopards, Mobsters and Love - A weird combination right? Well, it's worth reading on those lazy days or to bring you out of any kind of dull mood.
Fantasy is a collection novella by four different authors who are famous in erotic romance involving paranormal elements category – Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly and Elda Minger It was published in March of 2002. My review is only of Christine Feehan's novella The Awakening. Although I read the remaining three I am sticking to just this one for this time.
After reading two books in this series – Leopard's Blood (Leopard People # 10) (My review of the book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) and Leopard's Fury (Leopard People #9) ( My review of the book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), I had to go to the beginning of the series to read about where all this started and how Christine has spun a plot involving Mobsters and Leopards - a very intriguing mix indeed. Christine introduces the Shape – Shifting Leopard People, a species of their own, in this novella titled The Awakening where she tells the tale of Maggie Odessa – who arrives in the Borneo forests to claim her inheritance – and Brandt Talbot – who wants to claim Maggie for himself.
The entire Leopard People Series focuses on humans who have ability of shape-shifting to leopards. Each plot covers one couple that are destined to be mated in this lifetime just like so many lifetimes in the past. And surrounding this couple the plot expands on this species of leopard shape-shifters, their advantages as being so, their perils and how their lives move along in this 21st century. All of the plots are either set in Borneo Rain Forest - coast of South East Asia - and New Orleans in USA or eventually lead there. These leopards come from very hard and cruel lairs, but they come out on their own, find their mate, infiltrate the mobs and acquire the territories taking over them.
Maggie Odessa comes to Borneo forests to claim her inheritance that is being taken care of by Brandt Talbot. Unbeknownst to her Brandt had lured her for his own selfish reasons – to claim her as his mate just like many lifetimes in the past. But what neither know is what will happen to Maggie once her legacy comes to surface and once she accepts it. Adding to that Brandt has his share of problems in saving the forests from being destroyed by loggers and animals from being killed by hunters. How they strive together is the rest of the plot, of course with lots of segues into future books.
With this book Christine gives us glimpses of the kind of people Leopard People are, their trials and tribulations, their romances and commitments, and the threats that come at them in various forms and how they deal with it. She uses Maggie Odessa’s inheritance claim to lead her to Borneo forests where she makes Maggie face not only her inheritance but her legacy too, albeit she has Brandt Talbot to aid her with all of his hotness and carnal side along with his urge to save humanity as well as the leopard people. Christine calls the leopard people as guardians of the jungles, of the rain forests. And her plot doesn’t yet get to the point where she is having the leopard people take over the mobster families. I am curious to see how she segues from rain forests in Borneo to mobsters in New Orleans, USA which I have already read in the latest books. Perhaps the second book might shed more light on that.
She also introduces her future heroes – Drake Donovan and Joshua Tregre – along with minor characters such as Connor and Shilo. Knowing her future books I know there is one for Joshua Tregre too (10th book in the series Leopard’s Blood tells Joshua’s story), but there might be plots for Drake, Conor and Shilo in the books that havent read yet.
I felt that the plot ended abruptly perhaps as it is a novella. But that reduced her repetition in phrasing and information that she has in every book. Also the erotic content didn’t border on BDSM that I rarely like to read, and was enjoyable instead. My first time around when I had read this book I hadn’t liked it much, but this time around with the perception of where the series would lead to I actually liked it. If we keep aside the eroticism in the plot, Christine touches upon the global threat we are facing in reality – deforestation. Although it still irks me when she uses statement like “giving the gift” or “doing exactly what he wanted” etc. she also had used them lesser in this one, again considering it a novella must have been the reason. Even her usage of f-words were less to none.
I would say it is a decent beginning to a powerful erotic series that touches on social evils, romance and the mysterious species. If you like the mix, this series is one to be picked.
October 1, 2017
I liked the idea of differing time periods and locations in one book of short stories, but they were too different to be linked in any way. I liked the first and third stories but struggled with the second and DNF'd the last one. The two I did not like were a prequel and the first in a series. They both happened to be paranormal but I do enjoy a lot of paranormal romance so I don't think that was the problem. They really just dragged on and on to the point of boredom. I think if you are a fan of the series they are from, it might be a nice thing to read the prequel?
August 28, 2019
They were all good. I especially liked the one about Mr. Speedy. Jake should have figured it out. It took him long enough - Sometimes your heart mate is right in front of your eyes.
I have read The Awakening (Leopard People) before. I love this series and their character, determination and beliefs about honesty, family and right & wrong.
The Widow's Auction was cute. Romantic and nice.
I would recommend this book - it's a great way to find new authors and have quick reads when you have a few min/hours.
I have read The Awakening (Leopard People) before. I love this series and their character, determination and beliefs about honesty, family and right & wrong.
The Widow's Auction was cute. Romantic and nice.
I would recommend this book - it's a great way to find new authors and have quick reads when you have a few min/hours.
June 1, 2020
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly was my favorite!!!! My first time reading her work, Wow!! Such an interesting, unique and beautiful tale! Loved the depth and spirituality that Emma Holly wove in the story.
July 9, 2025
The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries - 3 stars
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly - 2 stars
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger - Skipped this one - not a huge fan of contemporary stories
The Awakening by Christine Feehan - 2 stars
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly - 2 stars
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger - Skipped this one - not a huge fan of contemporary stories
The Awakening by Christine Feehan - 2 stars
June 28, 2017
An anthology of four erotic romances; each set in different eras and locations.
My personal favorite was: "Luisa's Desire," by Emma Holly
My personal favorite was: "Luisa's Desire," by Emma Holly
February 13, 2018
Good
It was good. I like when similar Arthur's have anthologies so I can discover new ones. I love these authors and have pretty much every book
It was good. I like when similar Arthur's have anthologies so I can discover new ones. I love these authors and have pretty much every book
November 23, 2018
This book is very exciting.
May 5, 2019
It was okay but I didn't feel for the characters as much as I normally do. Maybe because it was too brief.
Read
December 25, 2019Read "The Awakening" by Christine Feehan; "The Widow's Auction" by Sabrina Jeffries
July 12, 2020
Historia perfecta para un sábado frio y quedarse toda la tarde leyendo 📖☕
Read
January 9, 2021includes the stories
"The Widow's Auction" by Sabrina Jeffries
"Luisa's Desire" by Emma Holly
"Mr. Speedy" by Elda Minger
"The Awakening" by Christine Feehan
"The Widow's Auction" by Sabrina Jeffries
"Luisa's Desire" by Emma Holly
"Mr. Speedy" by Elda Minger
"The Awakening" by Christine Feehan
February 9, 2017
Wonderful!!
December 20, 2022
Not recommended. The Buddhist monastery story started out interesting. But all the stories just turned out to be prurient drivel.
July 20, 2010
The Widow’s Auction by Sabrina Jeffries
Isobel Lamberton is a lonely widow; the only excitement in her life is making sure her late husband boy’s school. To spice up her life a little more, her friend urging Isobel to disguise herself and puts herself up for auction. This auction is a place where widows can let themselves go without revealing her identity. This one night stand will change Isobel’s life forever, when the man who bid’s on her is her rival, a man she’s always fighting against at the school board.
Luisa’s desire by Emma Holly
Luisa de Fiore is a vampire who despises her need for blood, but knows she has to take it to survive. So she travels to Tibet, where hopefully a group of monks can help her to slow down her need and survive another way.
There she meets the man, who will change her life forever, a man who will have to choose between his chosen path as monk and his growing love for her.
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
Miranda is a writer and wants to write an article about this seminar, where men will learn to get into a woman’s pants within 24 hours. The only problem is that no women are allowed, so she has to find a way to get in. Miranda cuts her hair, borrows her friend’s clothes and goes undercover. But when she meets her roommate Jake, she isn’t that she will succeed.
Jake is at the seminar for a story of his own and when he meets his roommate Randy, he knows he has to protect this little guy. Especially against those big bad wolves, but there is an attraction between them and Jake is confused about these feelings he is having…for this man. Will Miranda continue going undercover or will she tell Jake the truth about her not being a man?
The awakening by Christine Feehan
Maggie Odessa has always known she was different from everyone else, but couldn’t explain why. Now she’s has crossed half the world to go to the rain forest to collect her inheritance. The closer she gets to the house, the more she felt at home. She also knew that someone was watching her, from the moment she started this journey.
Brandt Talbot has been looking forward to this day for many years and finally his mate has come home. He knows he has to be patience about telling her the truth about her inheritance, which included a legacy that enabled her to transform into a leopard.
Fantasy is a fabulous anthology by Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly, Elda Minger and Christine Feehan and has four terrific short stories in it. You will find out that one story is better than the other. Although I never read a book or a story by Emma Holly and Elda Minger, I found myself intrigued by their part in this anthology. I will be checking out their books in the future. I already enjoy reading Sabrina Jeffries books and this one was no exception. But my favourite was the one written by Christine Feehan. I’m a huge fan of her books and this short story is a fabulous start of her leopard series.
If you are not in the mood to read a whole book or a new series, but just some short stories, then you definitely need to check out this anthology. You won’t be disappointed.
Isobel Lamberton is a lonely widow; the only excitement in her life is making sure her late husband boy’s school. To spice up her life a little more, her friend urging Isobel to disguise herself and puts herself up for auction. This auction is a place where widows can let themselves go without revealing her identity. This one night stand will change Isobel’s life forever, when the man who bid’s on her is her rival, a man she’s always fighting against at the school board.
Luisa’s desire by Emma Holly
Luisa de Fiore is a vampire who despises her need for blood, but knows she has to take it to survive. So she travels to Tibet, where hopefully a group of monks can help her to slow down her need and survive another way.
There she meets the man, who will change her life forever, a man who will have to choose between his chosen path as monk and his growing love for her.
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger
Miranda is a writer and wants to write an article about this seminar, where men will learn to get into a woman’s pants within 24 hours. The only problem is that no women are allowed, so she has to find a way to get in. Miranda cuts her hair, borrows her friend’s clothes and goes undercover. But when she meets her roommate Jake, she isn’t that she will succeed.
Jake is at the seminar for a story of his own and when he meets his roommate Randy, he knows he has to protect this little guy. Especially against those big bad wolves, but there is an attraction between them and Jake is confused about these feelings he is having…for this man. Will Miranda continue going undercover or will she tell Jake the truth about her not being a man?
The awakening by Christine Feehan
Maggie Odessa has always known she was different from everyone else, but couldn’t explain why. Now she’s has crossed half the world to go to the rain forest to collect her inheritance. The closer she gets to the house, the more she felt at home. She also knew that someone was watching her, from the moment she started this journey.
Brandt Talbot has been looking forward to this day for many years and finally his mate has come home. He knows he has to be patience about telling her the truth about her inheritance, which included a legacy that enabled her to transform into a leopard.
Fantasy is a fabulous anthology by Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly, Elda Minger and Christine Feehan and has four terrific short stories in it. You will find out that one story is better than the other. Although I never read a book or a story by Emma Holly and Elda Minger, I found myself intrigued by their part in this anthology. I will be checking out their books in the future. I already enjoy reading Sabrina Jeffries books and this one was no exception. But my favourite was the one written by Christine Feehan. I’m a huge fan of her books and this short story is a fabulous start of her leopard series.
If you are not in the mood to read a whole book or a new series, but just some short stories, then you definitely need to check out this anthology. You won’t be disappointed.
April 18, 2011
The fantasy theme was heavy with all four of the stories in the book. The first story is The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries. In this novella, a young widow is convinced that it is in her favor to auction off one night with her in return for a large sum of money that she can use to benefit her work with a all-boys' school. Of course, she secretly just wants to know what it's like to actually enjoy the bedtime act. In the realm of make-believe, this was quite the enjoyable mix of lust and romance with no negative consequences.
The second story is Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly. In this fascinating read, an immortal woman seeks an alternative to her need for blood to survive in a remote lamasery buried in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet. While she assumes that the answer is a particular form of meditation, what she instead gets is an aspiring monk who possesses a much more fleshly solution to her problem. Reincarnation takes on a whole new meaning in this short story, and I found the different take on vampires in fiction to be well-written.
The third story is Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger. In this plot, an ambitious young woman decides to make herself over into a man in order to sneak into and cover a male-only conference entirely about getting a woman to go to bed with the man. Her genius plan takes a left-turn when she discovers she is rooming with the city's most eligible bachelor coming off of a horrid divorce - whom she is overwhelmingly attracted to. The irony of this story is that the bachelor becomes increasingly interested in her before he is even aware she is in disguise. The humor of this story made it quite charming in a sexy sort of way.
The final story is The Awakening by Christine Feehan. The story begins her series, the Leopard People, with the tale of a young veterinarian lured deep into the jungle to track down her inheritance. Heavy lust and desire take over quite early in the story as the reader discovers that her presence there has been manipulated by a man of the leopard people who has already claimed her for his mate. The intensity and over-dramatization in the writing made this story less enjoyable for me than the others. I was also put off by the man's extreme obsession with the woman and his reluctance to tell her what was happening to her right from the beginning.
The second story is Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly. In this fascinating read, an immortal woman seeks an alternative to her need for blood to survive in a remote lamasery buried in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet. While she assumes that the answer is a particular form of meditation, what she instead gets is an aspiring monk who possesses a much more fleshly solution to her problem. Reincarnation takes on a whole new meaning in this short story, and I found the different take on vampires in fiction to be well-written.
The third story is Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger. In this plot, an ambitious young woman decides to make herself over into a man in order to sneak into and cover a male-only conference entirely about getting a woman to go to bed with the man. Her genius plan takes a left-turn when she discovers she is rooming with the city's most eligible bachelor coming off of a horrid divorce - whom she is overwhelmingly attracted to. The irony of this story is that the bachelor becomes increasingly interested in her before he is even aware she is in disguise. The humor of this story made it quite charming in a sexy sort of way.
The final story is The Awakening by Christine Feehan. The story begins her series, the Leopard People, with the tale of a young veterinarian lured deep into the jungle to track down her inheritance. Heavy lust and desire take over quite early in the story as the reader discovers that her presence there has been manipulated by a man of the leopard people who has already claimed her for his mate. The intensity and over-dramatization in the writing made this story less enjoyable for me than the others. I was also put off by the man's extreme obsession with the woman and his reluctance to tell her what was happening to her right from the beginning.
March 2, 2020
The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries ***
A very staid love story of a lord and lady that know each other socially but not carnally. That is until a widow's aution bring them together.
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly ****
This is a twist on a vampire love story. Italian merchant vampire meets meets Tibetan monk that is half Tibetan and half English (?). She wants to learn how not to feed by blood. Unexpected is the ending. Is she a succubus or a vampire. During coitus she turns the monk. Lol.
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger *****
I loved this story. It was hilarious throughout, from beginning to end. A female reporter disguises herself as a man to attend a male only seminar about how to land a woman for sex. She is bunked with another man also there to write an expose on the man who is giving the seminar. Jake's body or unconscious brain recognizes Randy is actually a woman and develpes feelings for him. Miranda, aka Randy is attracted to Jake. One thing leads to another. Loved it when the guy got the girl.
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
A leopard woman is adopted outside her village as a child when her parents are mudered. She is then whisked to the United States. As an adult she becomes a vetanarian that specializes in exotic cats. After her adoptive mother passes away a lawyer tells her of an inheritance left by her parents on South America. Maggie meets Brandt. Brandt is a leopard man. When they were young together the elders verified Maggie was his mate by the mingling of auras. Now he's lured her back to claim her. This book was very erotic. It also tells you more about the Leopard People in this short story than some of the longer books. The 9 lives the Leopard People live are like a reincarnation. Each time the male is born he will recognize his mate. Elders confirm the mating by watching the auras of their people. The elders make a kind of hgoverning body for the Leopard Peoples. The males remember their previous lives while the females may not. It's been many years since I last read this story and I had forgotten all these clues left in between the lines. Very glad I re-read it.
A very staid love story of a lord and lady that know each other socially but not carnally. That is until a widow's aution bring them together.
Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly ****
This is a twist on a vampire love story. Italian merchant vampire meets meets Tibetan monk that is half Tibetan and half English (?). She wants to learn how not to feed by blood. Unexpected is the ending. Is she a succubus or a vampire. During coitus she turns the monk. Lol.
Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger *****
I loved this story. It was hilarious throughout, from beginning to end. A female reporter disguises herself as a man to attend a male only seminar about how to land a woman for sex. She is bunked with another man also there to write an expose on the man who is giving the seminar. Jake's body or unconscious brain recognizes Randy is actually a woman and develpes feelings for him. Miranda, aka Randy is attracted to Jake. One thing leads to another. Loved it when the guy got the girl.
The Awakening by Christine Feehan
A leopard woman is adopted outside her village as a child when her parents are mudered. She is then whisked to the United States. As an adult she becomes a vetanarian that specializes in exotic cats. After her adoptive mother passes away a lawyer tells her of an inheritance left by her parents on South America. Maggie meets Brandt. Brandt is a leopard man. When they were young together the elders verified Maggie was his mate by the mingling of auras. Now he's lured her back to claim her. This book was very erotic. It also tells you more about the Leopard People in this short story than some of the longer books. The 9 lives the Leopard People live are like a reincarnation. Each time the male is born he will recognize his mate. Elders confirm the mating by watching the auras of their people. The elders make a kind of hgoverning body for the Leopard Peoples. The males remember their previous lives while the females may not. It's been many years since I last read this story and I had forgotten all these clues left in between the lines. Very glad I re-read it.
September 26, 2019
I bought this because I had a few weeks / months of obsession with Christine Feehan. I didn’t expect to find more authors to be completely obsessed about. Alright, I read another Emma Holly story the month before I read this one, but still… three new awesome authors and four beautifully simple and cute novellas to spend my nights forgetting about the world around me… what more could a girl want?
Fantasy is a collection of four novellas that run the gambit of romance stories. Two are heavily paranormal, featuring the typically expected paranormal creatures of vampires and shapeshifters. On the other hand, there are two more contemporary tales which take place in the past and the presence. Contemporary and paranormal, present and historical sit side by side in a fantastic collection I absolutely adored and thoroughly enjoyed. I just couldn’t put it down.
If you like romances that will make your heart skip a beat and pulse pound, this is the kind of collection that you’ll enjoy. It’s got a taste of everything, and more than a tease of passion and lust amongst the pages. I found it difficult not to turn immediately to the next page whenever I finished one tale… and it was only the knowledge that I had other responsibilities in life to take up my time… responsibilities that are just enjoyable, but distracting from this story, just the same.
For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/categories/s...
Fantasy is a collection of four novellas that run the gambit of romance stories. Two are heavily paranormal, featuring the typically expected paranormal creatures of vampires and shapeshifters. On the other hand, there are two more contemporary tales which take place in the past and the presence. Contemporary and paranormal, present and historical sit side by side in a fantastic collection I absolutely adored and thoroughly enjoyed. I just couldn’t put it down.
If you like romances that will make your heart skip a beat and pulse pound, this is the kind of collection that you’ll enjoy. It’s got a taste of everything, and more than a tease of passion and lust amongst the pages. I found it difficult not to turn immediately to the next page whenever I finished one tale… and it was only the knowledge that I had other responsibilities in life to take up my time… responsibilities that are just enjoyable, but distracting from this story, just the same.
For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/categories/s...
December 12, 2015
4 diverse stories of fantasy...
victorian england, a lonely widow who joins a widow auction for a night of sex (to experience more than her loving, but inhibited husband would give her)... purchased by a lord who is her nemesis on the charity board they serve together... he recognized her behind her mask, she knows who he is but believes she is anonymous... and as he tries to teach her a lesson, gets to know her, and gives her a night, and subsequently a life of deep love...
a were-leopard woman, who has never changed, goes into the jungle and meets her mate just as she goes into heat - and discovers a sexuality she didn't know she had, and meets a man who can fully love and care for her...
a seminar to teach seduction in 24 hours to willing men... and two reporters who go to reveal the truth - one a woman who is disguised as a man... and after a night of personal revelations, and another night of passion, the man rolls the world (a world painted ball) to her feet - offering the world to her - and she takes him up on it...
an interesting twist on vampirism... a young woman vampire goes to Tibet to the monks to try to learn the discipline needed to deny the need for blood - and she meets a young, virgin monk (who remembers his many previous lives), who through sex can connect her to the earth energy that will feed her instead... hmmmm.....
victorian england, a lonely widow who joins a widow auction for a night of sex (to experience more than her loving, but inhibited husband would give her)... purchased by a lord who is her nemesis on the charity board they serve together... he recognized her behind her mask, she knows who he is but believes she is anonymous... and as he tries to teach her a lesson, gets to know her, and gives her a night, and subsequently a life of deep love...
a were-leopard woman, who has never changed, goes into the jungle and meets her mate just as she goes into heat - and discovers a sexuality she didn't know she had, and meets a man who can fully love and care for her...
a seminar to teach seduction in 24 hours to willing men... and two reporters who go to reveal the truth - one a woman who is disguised as a man... and after a night of personal revelations, and another night of passion, the man rolls the world (a world painted ball) to her feet - offering the world to her - and she takes him up on it...
an interesting twist on vampirism... a young woman vampire goes to Tibet to the monks to try to learn the discipline needed to deny the need for blood - and she meets a young, virgin monk (who remembers his many previous lives), who through sex can connect her to the earth energy that will feed her instead... hmmmm.....
August 26, 2013
Rating: 3 Stars - Liked It
I am a huge fan of Christine Feehan and The Awakening (Leopard People #1) is a good start to her were-cat shifter series. Christine Feehan is known for her descriptive writing and she does not hold back in The Awakening short novel. As like many of her novels you feel like you are there in her setting but at times it can be a bit long.
Maggie takes a trip through the jungles of Borneo to check out her birth parents house that she has inherited. She finds her self feeling vulnerable and irritated. Here she meets the sexy were-cat shifter Brandt. And learns more then she has ever imagined about her self and her parents.
Since Maggie first set foot in the jungle Brandt has become irritable as she is his mate. The more time he spends with her the more he is becoming possessive and obsessive. Brandt has the attitude I love in my were-cat shifter heroes. He is arrogant, aggressive but also sweet and caring. He is your sexy alpha male were-cat that will do anything to protect his mate.
Loved Maggie and Brandt together. There are few giggle moments when she tries so hard to stand up to him. The love scene is hot and I do not think I can ever look at a Mango with out thinking of Brandt.
Originally Posted at Wickedly Delicious Book Blog
I am a huge fan of Christine Feehan and The Awakening (Leopard People #1) is a good start to her were-cat shifter series. Christine Feehan is known for her descriptive writing and she does not hold back in The Awakening short novel. As like many of her novels you feel like you are there in her setting but at times it can be a bit long.
Maggie takes a trip through the jungles of Borneo to check out her birth parents house that she has inherited. She finds her self feeling vulnerable and irritated. Here she meets the sexy were-cat shifter Brandt. And learns more then she has ever imagined about her self and her parents.
Since Maggie first set foot in the jungle Brandt has become irritable as she is his mate. The more time he spends with her the more he is becoming possessive and obsessive. Brandt has the attitude I love in my were-cat shifter heroes. He is arrogant, aggressive but also sweet and caring. He is your sexy alpha male were-cat that will do anything to protect his mate.
Loved Maggie and Brandt together. There are few giggle moments when she tries so hard to stand up to him. The love scene is hot and I do not think I can ever look at a Mango with out thinking of Brandt.
Originally Posted at Wickedly Delicious Book Blog
September 22, 2007
I got this because it was listed under a particular genre on amazon. I read the first novella, very normal setting, England in times past, and enjoyed it. The only things that were "different" about the story were that it had a strong, independent female character, and the "good" parts were a little more detailed. At that point it was just an OK book. Then I moved on to the second story about what most people would call a vampiress, searching in Tibet for a way to live without killing "normal" people. Of course she finds LOVE. The book was much better now. The third story was back to the "real" world, or at least the world most of us acknowledge as real. In this story, a woman masquerades as a man at a conference designed to teach men how to get women into bed ASAP. She intends to write a story about the disgusting agenda. Instead she finds LOVE. The last story is about a woman who is brought back to the rainforest, where her parents were killed. She finds that she is part of a dwindling race of shape-shifters, and she finds LOVE. Overall I liked the four stories, especially because they weren't your run-of-the-mill same old romances. This book was a nice change from what I have been reading lately, and definitely took care of my romance needs for the next few books...
April 28, 2011
I read the Christine Feehan story "The Awakening" in 2003. I bought the anthology for that story. I gave it 3 stars at the time. (Paranormal)
I just read the Elda Minger story "Mr. Speedy" last night (04/26/2011). I'd also give it 3 stars. It was about a female reporter who dressed up like a man to attend a male only dating seminar. (Contemporary)
The Sabrina Jeffries story "The Widow's Auction" sounded intriguing, but it was a bit too historical (Regency?) for my tastes. (Historical)
For the moment, I haven't read "Luisa's Desire" by Emma Holly. (Paranormal?)
04/26/2011
***
Read the Emma Holly contribution, "Luisa's Desire". It was actually the best in the bunch. 4 stars. I'm not usually into vampires that despair over feeding on humans, but this worked for me. This author has a unique take on vampires and sunlight.
The sun was like a drug to her kind, a pleasure beyond compare. Like all drugs, however, too large a dose could kill her. Indeed, she would not have risked this journey had her need not been so great. (pg 93)
04/27/2011
I just read the Elda Minger story "Mr. Speedy" last night (04/26/2011). I'd also give it 3 stars. It was about a female reporter who dressed up like a man to attend a male only dating seminar. (Contemporary)
The Sabrina Jeffries story "The Widow's Auction" sounded intriguing, but it was a bit too historical (Regency?) for my tastes. (Historical)
For the moment, I haven't read "Luisa's Desire" by Emma Holly. (Paranormal?)
04/26/2011
***
Read the Emma Holly contribution, "Luisa's Desire". It was actually the best in the bunch. 4 stars. I'm not usually into vampires that despair over feeding on humans, but this worked for me. This author has a unique take on vampires and sunlight.
The sun was like a drug to her kind, a pleasure beyond compare. Like all drugs, however, too large a dose could kill her. Indeed, she would not have risked this journey had her need not been so great. (pg 93)
04/27/2011
August 11, 2020
I really enjoyed all 4 stories in this 1. I don't normally care for historical settings so I really didn't have high hopes for the 1st story but found that The Widow's Auction by Sabrina Jeffries was very well written and very enjoyable. Luisa's Desire by Emma Holly was a little slow for me at points but it also gave a different, unique backdrop/origin to the usual vampire type paranormal story that I found rather refreshing. Mr. Speedy by Elda Minger was very cute and humorous, a quick fun read. And finishing of this book was Christine Feehan's The Awakening featuring leopard people, I really enjoyed this version of shapeshifters instead of the usual wolves, I also loved the backstory on their people and their place in the natural world/environment. The only 1 of these 4 authors that I had read previously was Christine Feehan, whom was the reason I picked up this book but I would definitely be more than willing to check out more stories from all of these authors in future.
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