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Secrets in Our Cities: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Anthology
The real world and imagination collide in this international collection of paranormal urban fantasies.
Some cities are inhabited by a werewolf-turned-private-eye takes on a kidnapping case that upsets his plans for a simple life; a vegetarian werewolf must join forces with a local pack to save their city; and a twenty-something lycan thinks she’s the scariest monster in town until she meets a necromancer.
Children are often the center of paranormal a troop of Mountain Gals on a camping trip runs afoul of a witch; a high school outcast pairs up with an angel to guide ghosts to their final rests; a young fae intelligence agent is placed on his first undercover assignment at a high school; and a little girl rattles a zombie-run pub for supernatural clientele when she accidentally begins haunting it.
These young urbanites are more than they a kindhearted girl changes her life forever when she offers shelter to an injured hellhound; a runty dragon dwells in the sewers plotting revenge while dreaming of reliable takeout; and an ordinary detective must team up with a young hotshot magician to solve a mysterious disappearance.
Step across the paranormal divide with these ten short stories, and you’ll never look at your hometown the same way again.
Some cities are inhabited by a werewolf-turned-private-eye takes on a kidnapping case that upsets his plans for a simple life; a vegetarian werewolf must join forces with a local pack to save their city; and a twenty-something lycan thinks she’s the scariest monster in town until she meets a necromancer.
Children are often the center of paranormal a troop of Mountain Gals on a camping trip runs afoul of a witch; a high school outcast pairs up with an angel to guide ghosts to their final rests; a young fae intelligence agent is placed on his first undercover assignment at a high school; and a little girl rattles a zombie-run pub for supernatural clientele when she accidentally begins haunting it.
These young urbanites are more than they a kindhearted girl changes her life forever when she offers shelter to an injured hellhound; a runty dragon dwells in the sewers plotting revenge while dreaming of reliable takeout; and an ordinary detective must team up with a young hotshot magician to solve a mysterious disappearance.
Step across the paranormal divide with these ten short stories, and you’ll never look at your hometown the same way again.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2018
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Heather Hayden
13 books94 followersHeather Hayden is a writer, gamer, reader, editor, and computer geek, though not in any specific order.
She can’t remember when she first started tapping away at a keyboard but she’s grateful that those early attempts at writing are lost in the ancient format of floppy disc. She does miss that racing MS-DOS game she used to play, but has found other games to spend free time on, such as Final Fantasy XXIV and Magic the Gathering, when she has spare free time. A lot of her free time is spent reading her latest haul from the local library.
Heather wrote her first novel (which will never see the light of day) when she was fourteen, and published her first book, a YA science novella titled Augment, when she was twenty-one. She is now hard at work on her next publication, a YA fantasy novel.
When she’s not working on her current project, she can be found deep within the pages of a good book or questing somewhere in Eorzea.
At times, Heather ventures outside to hike with friends, go biking, or go swimming. She prefers ocean water over lake water, has a fear of heights, and is currently in search of a new bike (her old one, Cliffjumper, can no longer shift gears, which makes steep hills impossible.)
She also loves anime, listening to music, and chocolate, and finds writing about herself in the third person quite odd.
She can’t remember when she first started tapping away at a keyboard but she’s grateful that those early attempts at writing are lost in the ancient format of floppy disc. She does miss that racing MS-DOS game she used to play, but has found other games to spend free time on, such as Final Fantasy XXIV and Magic the Gathering, when she has spare free time. A lot of her free time is spent reading her latest haul from the local library.
Heather wrote her first novel (which will never see the light of day) when she was fourteen, and published her first book, a YA science novella titled Augment, when she was twenty-one. She is now hard at work on her next publication, a YA fantasy novel.
When she’s not working on her current project, she can be found deep within the pages of a good book or questing somewhere in Eorzea.
At times, Heather ventures outside to hike with friends, go biking, or go swimming. She prefers ocean water over lake water, has a fear of heights, and is currently in search of a new bike (her old one, Cliffjumper, can no longer shift gears, which makes steep hills impossible.)
She also loves anime, listening to music, and chocolate, and finds writing about herself in the third person quite odd.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 1, 2018
This is a great anthology of spooky stories perfect for Halloween or anytime. Ten awesome writers have teamed up to produce this great selection of totally different tales with paranormal themes. Below are individual review of just a few.
What’s in a Name by Heather Hayden
Are you an animal lover? Would you go out of your way to help a wounded animal? What if it wasn’t a normal animal? This is the story for you!
Lani is dragging on her way home. It’s late, the moon high above, the same path as always, but she feels like she is being followed. It’s some animal, too big for a fox, and it can’t be a bear.
Safe at home later, once she has her terminally ill mother tucked in, Lani sees a hurt dog out the window. When she goes out to help it is when she discovers the dog is a hellhound and her life will never be the same.
The Ghostly Loch by M. L. Yates
Love supernatural beasties of all varieties? This just may hit the spot with you!
Doyle O’Malley is the zombie owner of The Ghostly Loch, a pub in Albfest, Belfast’s supernatural realm. The place has never been thriving, but it’s just about perfect to Doyle. Too much business would draw the attention of unwanted offers of “protection.” That’s something Doyle and his patrons want none of.
In fact things have been the same for a long time. Then Doyle finds out a breather has been in the pub. That’s right, an unaccompanied human. What is worse, it’s a child! Find out what kind of havoc one child can wreak in Albfest.
No One Delivers to the Sewers by Kristy Perkins
Want an unusual dragon story? Here you go!
Tobias is a dragon, in fact the last remaining living dragon. Granted he is a small one, the size of a horse. The other dragons bullied him. Still he plots his revenge on humans, the breed that wiped out the rest of his kin.
Tobias lurks deep within the sewers with a loyal group of extra-large rats. His rats are extremely intelligent and technologically advanced. They have been plotting they revenge for a long time.
The one thing that keeps Tobias from being happy is the food situation. Eating whatever the sewer offers might be alright for the rats, but Tobias is tired of it. No matter how many places he tries, no one delivers to the sewers! The internet shows him endless possibilities of sumptuous food, and Tobias can’t get any of it. Not even for cash! Is there any hope for this hungry dragon?
What’s in a Name by Heather Hayden
Are you an animal lover? Would you go out of your way to help a wounded animal? What if it wasn’t a normal animal? This is the story for you!
Lani is dragging on her way home. It’s late, the moon high above, the same path as always, but she feels like she is being followed. It’s some animal, too big for a fox, and it can’t be a bear.
Safe at home later, once she has her terminally ill mother tucked in, Lani sees a hurt dog out the window. When she goes out to help it is when she discovers the dog is a hellhound and her life will never be the same.
The Ghostly Loch by M. L. Yates
Love supernatural beasties of all varieties? This just may hit the spot with you!
Doyle O’Malley is the zombie owner of The Ghostly Loch, a pub in Albfest, Belfast’s supernatural realm. The place has never been thriving, but it’s just about perfect to Doyle. Too much business would draw the attention of unwanted offers of “protection.” That’s something Doyle and his patrons want none of.
In fact things have been the same for a long time. Then Doyle finds out a breather has been in the pub. That’s right, an unaccompanied human. What is worse, it’s a child! Find out what kind of havoc one child can wreak in Albfest.
No One Delivers to the Sewers by Kristy Perkins
Want an unusual dragon story? Here you go!
Tobias is a dragon, in fact the last remaining living dragon. Granted he is a small one, the size of a horse. The other dragons bullied him. Still he plots his revenge on humans, the breed that wiped out the rest of his kin.
Tobias lurks deep within the sewers with a loyal group of extra-large rats. His rats are extremely intelligent and technologically advanced. They have been plotting they revenge for a long time.
The one thing that keeps Tobias from being happy is the food situation. Eating whatever the sewer offers might be alright for the rats, but Tobias is tired of it. No matter how many places he tries, no one delivers to the sewers! The internet shows him endless possibilities of sumptuous food, and Tobias can’t get any of it. Not even for cash! Is there any hope for this hungry dragon?
October 30, 2018
(This review is based on an ARC copy of the book. I have not been and will not be financially compensated for this review.)
What do a werewolf detective, a middle-aged zombie barkeep, a hellhound in need of a good home, and a dragon desperate for some decent cuisine have in common? They all haunt Secrets in Our Cities, the latest anthology from the Just-Us League. This collection of paranormal-themed short stories will have readers shifting (and sometimes lurching) across the realms, all in good, not-too-frightening fun.
Secrets consists of ten paranormal/urban fantasy works, each by a different author, that despite an overabundance of werewolves nicely shows off the cosmopolitan part of “urban”. All set in contemporary times, the stories’ protagonists cover all walks of life, from seasoned beat cops envious of their mage partners to middle school girls on a camping trip to fairy boys caught up in their cloaks and daggers. This variety (even among the werewolves!) made it a bit of a game for me as a reader, wondering with each new title what the world’s rules were and who—or what—the next hero would be. Some of my personal favorite stories were toward the second half, particularly the one about the dragon hunting restaurants and the one about a couple’s first date on the eve of a zombie apocalypse.
The writing styles varied as much as the characters, and for the most part I felt they were a good fit. There were times when the editor in me wished a particular story or two had gotten another polishing pass, but I was able to push through those and enjoy each story for what it was. Secrets strikes me as best-suited for the YA crowd, though MG readers should be able to handle it as well. By now, the various races of werewolf, fey, and angel are familiar enough ground (oddly, no vampire leads) that I doubt any reader would be surprised, but the stories keep it fresh by riffing on the usual tropes (such as a vegetarian werewolf).
For readers interested in some new otherworldly stories for the Halloween season, give Secrets in Our Cities a try—or ten. If one story doesn’t grab you, there are plenty of others to choose from!
What do a werewolf detective, a middle-aged zombie barkeep, a hellhound in need of a good home, and a dragon desperate for some decent cuisine have in common? They all haunt Secrets in Our Cities, the latest anthology from the Just-Us League. This collection of paranormal-themed short stories will have readers shifting (and sometimes lurching) across the realms, all in good, not-too-frightening fun.
Secrets consists of ten paranormal/urban fantasy works, each by a different author, that despite an overabundance of werewolves nicely shows off the cosmopolitan part of “urban”. All set in contemporary times, the stories’ protagonists cover all walks of life, from seasoned beat cops envious of their mage partners to middle school girls on a camping trip to fairy boys caught up in their cloaks and daggers. This variety (even among the werewolves!) made it a bit of a game for me as a reader, wondering with each new title what the world’s rules were and who—or what—the next hero would be. Some of my personal favorite stories were toward the second half, particularly the one about the dragon hunting restaurants and the one about a couple’s first date on the eve of a zombie apocalypse.
The writing styles varied as much as the characters, and for the most part I felt they were a good fit. There were times when the editor in me wished a particular story or two had gotten another polishing pass, but I was able to push through those and enjoy each story for what it was. Secrets strikes me as best-suited for the YA crowd, though MG readers should be able to handle it as well. By now, the various races of werewolf, fey, and angel are familiar enough ground (oddly, no vampire leads) that I doubt any reader would be surprised, but the stories keep it fresh by riffing on the usual tropes (such as a vegetarian werewolf).
For readers interested in some new otherworldly stories for the Halloween season, give Secrets in Our Cities a try—or ten. If one story doesn’t grab you, there are plenty of others to choose from!
October 30, 2018
I received and ARC copy of the ebook (no financial compensation.)
I've read several JL Anthologies, and this one was consistent with their previous publications.
Some of the stories caught my attention more than others, but there was a good mix of paranormal elements including werewolves, fae, undead, demons, and other magic users. I enjoyed the variety and had fun guessing what kind of story would come up next as I read.
While I didn't fall in love with any of the story worlds or characters, they were generally entertaining and original. And while there were one or two stories that I disliked, there were a few others that stood out to me and made the book worth reading.
The writing quality seemed inconsistent, and some stories might have benefited from another editing pass, but overall the book was easy to read and makes a fun addition to the Just Us League anthology collection.
I've read several JL Anthologies, and this one was consistent with their previous publications.
Some of the stories caught my attention more than others, but there was a good mix of paranormal elements including werewolves, fae, undead, demons, and other magic users. I enjoyed the variety and had fun guessing what kind of story would come up next as I read.
While I didn't fall in love with any of the story worlds or characters, they were generally entertaining and original. And while there were one or two stories that I disliked, there were a few others that stood out to me and made the book worth reading.
The writing quality seemed inconsistent, and some stories might have benefited from another editing pass, but overall the book was easy to read and makes a fun addition to the Just Us League anthology collection.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews