What do you think?
Rate this book
Dante Valentine #5.1 - Brother's Keeper
Hotter Than Hell
Beyond the boundaries of the everyday is an unseen realm where anything you imagine is possible. Your demon lover is waiting for you in the shadows, ready to fulfill your secret wishes and most dangerous fantasies. Here passion has a face and form both titillating and terrifying--and love has teeth and claws. Get ready to give in to your craving for something exquisitely dark . . . and different.Hotter Than Hell gathers together a baker's dozen of today's boldest and best authors of supernatural fiction and paranormal romance in a breathtaking anthology that blends black magic with red-hot desire. From the tantalizing tale of a conflicted psychic vampire driven by a powerful, savage love to the strange saga of a Greek warrior woman battling to save the world, these are stories outside the limits, as hypnotic as the full moon . . . and hotter than the sun.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2008
303 people are currently reading
6074 people want to read
About the author
Kim Harrison
83 books18.8k followersKim Harrison is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 best selling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published over two-dozen books spanning the gamut from young adult, thriller, several anthologies, and has scripted two original graphic novels. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, non related, urban fantasy projects.
Kim reaches out to her audience at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimHarrisons...
Instagram
https://instagram.com/kim_harrison_au...
and her blog http://kimharrison.wordpress.com/
other pseudonyms: Dawn Cook
Kim reaches out to her audience at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimHarrisons...
https://instagram.com/kim_harrison_au...
and her blog http://kimharrison.wordpress.com/
other pseudonyms: Dawn Cook
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
August 20, 2010
I love reading anthologies, so I never really got why a lot of romance readers don't care much for anthologies. Well, I tend to read fantasy and horror anthologies for the most part. This is probably one of the first bigger romance ones I've read. I get it now! It gets pretty dull to read sex scene after sex scene. The only thing that broke the monotony were the paranormal elements, and seeing how each author created a story out of that starting point. Some authors did a better job than others of engaging me. Overall, I would say I'm leaning towards being mildly disappointed with this anthology, but it's really for the reasons of what appeals to me. I love romance. I love the tension and the emotion of seeing a couple meet, fall in love, and decide they want to spend their lives together. It's kind of hard to do that in a very short story, especially the ones that are supposed to be very steamy. I either ended up feeling like the couples had some hot chemistry, but not really buying the true love, or wanting more because things ended too quickly. In general, the stories that leaned towards urban fantasy made more of an impression on me, because the focus was on the plot and the worldbuilding.
I'll give a basic recap of my feelings on the stories.
"Music Hath Charms" by Tanya Huff. Quite interesting. Not a romance. More of a sexy urban fantasy story. I wanted a different ending than the one I got, but I'd give it four stars because she used the Greek sirens myth to such good effect.
"Minotaur in Stone" by Marjorie Liu. I absolutely loved this story. It shows the potential of a well-done paranormal romantic short story. All the mythic aspects, the longing, the feeling of a couple falling for each other and striving for their happy ending. It was unique and really took a different spin on the Greek minotaur myth. What a joy to read. Five stars.
"Demon Lover" by Cheyenne McCray. I have mixed feelings about this story. I thought the use of incubus lore was well done. The language was too raunchy for me and it was too focused on the sex acts. However, I have to admit this was a romantic story at its heart. The theme of self-sacrifice moved me. More than anything, I don't go for this kind of steam level, I think. Readers who like more erotic fare would enjoy this one more than I did. 4 stars.
"Equinox" by LA Banks. I've found I tend to enjoy LA Banks' short stories very much. But, I think this is my least favorite. It didn't quite come together very well. I couldn't tell if she was going for a humorous tone or not. I liked the concept, Artemis coming to the modern world with her nymphs to punish those who destroyed the environment. She drew in the story of Artemis and Acteon, the human she changed into a stag for watching her bathe naked, and shot full of arrows as punishment. In this case, she changed executives of companies that were raping the environment into stags. It was a very good idea. I liked the hero, who was a special forces guy. It was great seeing black characters in this setting. Who said Artemis couldn't be Black? Kudos for that. This story had a lot going for it, but it just felt a little unpolished and hurried in the execution. All and all, I'd say this was a four star story.
"Ride a Dark Horse" by Susan Krinard. Being horse-mad, I did appreciate that aspect of this story. However, it felt kind of ho-hum, like a hundred other paranormal romances. The ending was a bit rushed as well. Three stars.
"To Die For" by Keri Arthur. I could see readers loving this story. I liked the horrific/dark fantasy elements. I didn't think it was romantic. It was more of a "we're hot for each other and have been for a while, so let's see where this is going" kind of execution. I don't like the whole HFN thing, so that left me cold. Plus the love scenes seemed disruptive in the sense that they were in the middle of finding their boss's missing nephew and hunting a very scary, evil killer. The sex interludes seemed unwise and disruptive. Ms. Arthur is a good writer, and it was a pretty scary story, so I'd give it a four stars on those terms, even though it failed as a romance for me.
"Curse of the Dragon's Tears" by Heidi Betts really left me with a blah feeling. I think her writing doesn't work for me. It was very standard paranormal romance story with cursed hero and heroine determined to save him with her love/lust. Let's have lots of hot sex and maybe we can figure out how to reverse the curse. It didn't do much for me. 3 stars.
"Brother's Keeper" by Lilith Saintcrow. This is my first story by this author, and I like her imagination. This story had very hot chemistry, and it was dark and kind of disturbing. The only thing that made the execution flawed was the internal monologue of the heroine. Selene would talk to herself in her head, and because it was 3rd person, it just seemed intrusive. I really think this should have been a 1st person story. I loved Nikolai. He was yummy! I'd like to read more of these characters. 4 stars.
"(Like a) Virgin of the Spring" by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little. Great premise muddied down by too much sex. Pretty cool how they worked time travelers into the King Arthur lore. I think if there was less sex and more story, this would have been close to five stars. As it was, more of a 3.5 star story.
"Life is the Teacher" by Carrie Vaughn. This woman can write. She took the paranormal premise and created a literary feel to this story that sucked me in. Emma's a fledgling vampire who is going on her first hunt. You feel all her sadness, the impasse she faces as she confronts her old life, where she doesn't belong anymore, and embarking on a new life as a creature of the night. It was poignant and also evocative. The sensuality was well-incorporated and fit the mood of this story about Emma's awakening to her life as a vampire. 4.5 stars.
"Moonlight Becomes You" by Linda Winstead Jones. This story had a humorous element, as a young woman investigates her neighbor, who she believes to be a vampire. It helps that he's sexy, and seems interested in her. I liked the twist in this story. 4 stars.
"Dirty Magic" by Kim Harrison was a beautiful, yet disturbing story. Mia the Banshee deals with her forbidden love for a young musician. His love is an irresistible lure to a creature who is drawn to and who feeds off the emotions of humans. I didn't really like the way this ended, but it was superbly-written. 4 stars.
I was tired after finishing this volume. I definitely needed a break from the paranormal sex motif. As I do with most anthologies, this would have worked better if I read it on and off. But, reading the stories back to back made some of the lesser-involving ones a chore to read.
Overall rating: 4 stars. Nothing truly bad, just some that didn't work for me. Marjorie Liu's story definitely was the shining star in this collection.
I'll give a basic recap of my feelings on the stories.
"Music Hath Charms" by Tanya Huff. Quite interesting. Not a romance. More of a sexy urban fantasy story. I wanted a different ending than the one I got, but I'd give it four stars because she used the Greek sirens myth to such good effect.
"Minotaur in Stone" by Marjorie Liu. I absolutely loved this story. It shows the potential of a well-done paranormal romantic short story. All the mythic aspects, the longing, the feeling of a couple falling for each other and striving for their happy ending. It was unique and really took a different spin on the Greek minotaur myth. What a joy to read. Five stars.
"Demon Lover" by Cheyenne McCray. I have mixed feelings about this story. I thought the use of incubus lore was well done. The language was too raunchy for me and it was too focused on the sex acts. However, I have to admit this was a romantic story at its heart. The theme of self-sacrifice moved me. More than anything, I don't go for this kind of steam level, I think. Readers who like more erotic fare would enjoy this one more than I did. 4 stars.
"Equinox" by LA Banks. I've found I tend to enjoy LA Banks' short stories very much. But, I think this is my least favorite. It didn't quite come together very well. I couldn't tell if she was going for a humorous tone or not. I liked the concept, Artemis coming to the modern world with her nymphs to punish those who destroyed the environment. She drew in the story of Artemis and Acteon, the human she changed into a stag for watching her bathe naked, and shot full of arrows as punishment. In this case, she changed executives of companies that were raping the environment into stags. It was a very good idea. I liked the hero, who was a special forces guy. It was great seeing black characters in this setting. Who said Artemis couldn't be Black? Kudos for that. This story had a lot going for it, but it just felt a little unpolished and hurried in the execution. All and all, I'd say this was a four star story.
"Ride a Dark Horse" by Susan Krinard. Being horse-mad, I did appreciate that aspect of this story. However, it felt kind of ho-hum, like a hundred other paranormal romances. The ending was a bit rushed as well. Three stars.
"To Die For" by Keri Arthur. I could see readers loving this story. I liked the horrific/dark fantasy elements. I didn't think it was romantic. It was more of a "we're hot for each other and have been for a while, so let's see where this is going" kind of execution. I don't like the whole HFN thing, so that left me cold. Plus the love scenes seemed disruptive in the sense that they were in the middle of finding their boss's missing nephew and hunting a very scary, evil killer. The sex interludes seemed unwise and disruptive. Ms. Arthur is a good writer, and it was a pretty scary story, so I'd give it a four stars on those terms, even though it failed as a romance for me.
"Curse of the Dragon's Tears" by Heidi Betts really left me with a blah feeling. I think her writing doesn't work for me. It was very standard paranormal romance story with cursed hero and heroine determined to save him with her love/lust. Let's have lots of hot sex and maybe we can figure out how to reverse the curse. It didn't do much for me. 3 stars.
"Brother's Keeper" by Lilith Saintcrow. This is my first story by this author, and I like her imagination. This story had very hot chemistry, and it was dark and kind of disturbing. The only thing that made the execution flawed was the internal monologue of the heroine. Selene would talk to herself in her head, and because it was 3rd person, it just seemed intrusive. I really think this should have been a 1st person story. I loved Nikolai. He was yummy! I'd like to read more of these characters. 4 stars.
"(Like a) Virgin of the Spring" by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little. Great premise muddied down by too much sex. Pretty cool how they worked time travelers into the King Arthur lore. I think if there was less sex and more story, this would have been close to five stars. As it was, more of a 3.5 star story.
"Life is the Teacher" by Carrie Vaughn. This woman can write. She took the paranormal premise and created a literary feel to this story that sucked me in. Emma's a fledgling vampire who is going on her first hunt. You feel all her sadness, the impasse she faces as she confronts her old life, where she doesn't belong anymore, and embarking on a new life as a creature of the night. It was poignant and also evocative. The sensuality was well-incorporated and fit the mood of this story about Emma's awakening to her life as a vampire. 4.5 stars.
"Moonlight Becomes You" by Linda Winstead Jones. This story had a humorous element, as a young woman investigates her neighbor, who she believes to be a vampire. It helps that he's sexy, and seems interested in her. I liked the twist in this story. 4 stars.
"Dirty Magic" by Kim Harrison was a beautiful, yet disturbing story. Mia the Banshee deals with her forbidden love for a young musician. His love is an irresistible lure to a creature who is drawn to and who feeds off the emotions of humans. I didn't really like the way this ended, but it was superbly-written. 4 stars.
I was tired after finishing this volume. I definitely needed a break from the paranormal sex motif. As I do with most anthologies, this would have worked better if I read it on and off. But, reading the stories back to back made some of the lesser-involving ones a chore to read.
Overall rating: 4 stars. Nothing truly bad, just some that didn't work for me. Marjorie Liu's story definitely was the shining star in this collection.
March 29, 2021
I read only one story in this collection. The one by Kim Harrison about Mia the Banshee.
It connects quite a few dots between the past and the future books, but it's almost a spoiler. Not bad, and a hot short romance story, but beyond that, it can be skipped, IMHO. It's more for completionists (like myself).
It connects quite a few dots between the past and the future books, but it's almost a spoiler. Not bad, and a hot short romance story, but beyond that, it can be skipped, IMHO. It's more for completionists (like myself).
February 7, 2009
At just under 500 pages, Hotter Than Hell, collects a dozen short stories from some of the biggest names in paranormal romance and urban fantasy into one nice little beach ready tome. Because there are a dozen that need a review let me do my best here and give you a very short bit on each one (in the order from the book)!
Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff is a quicky about a talent scout for a music studio and her sultry adventures to sign a hunky pair of country-rock musicians who's sound has a magic all its own. I hate to say this was my favorite since it was the first story but I loved Huff's crazy concepts for it. 5/5 stars
Minotaur in Stone by Marjorie M. Liu is a darkly fantastical fable about a lonely young woman who is haunted by sensual dreams of a monsterous minotaur made of stone. The concept was great, the present tense narration was awful. Very sexy but not typical Liu. 4/5 stars
Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray is a story about a writer working on a book relating to incubae when she starts having steamy late night visits from one. A little too cutesey and cliche for me to love but well written and a good example of McCray's writing. 4/5 stars
Equinox by L.A. Banks is a modern mythology of the goddess Artemis' campaign to protect the forests of the world but a group of elite soldiers gets involved and vows get broken. Another excellent story, Banks at her finest and very sensual as always. 5/5 stars
Ride A Dark Horse by Susan Krinard is about a recently divorced woman trying to put her life back together while vacationing in the southwest, there she meets a seductive stranger and a beautiful horse who change her life forever. Never read Krinard before that I know of and I loved this story and her style, another favorite. 5/5 stars
To Die For by Keri Arthur is about a wolf shapeshifter and a werewolf investigating the dissappearance of two teens while fighting the urges to investigate one another intimately. This was one of my least favorite stories. Too abrupt, lacking chemistry and it was more focused on the sex than the story. 2/5 stars
Curse of the Dragon's Tears by Heidi Betts is the story of a man cursed to wear the scales of a dragon and the young woman who wants to break that curse with her love. I've never heard of Betts and I don't plan to look for her after this sloppy story, too many inaccurate details of the culture of Scotland. 1/5 stars
Brother's Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow is about a psychic who's brother is murdered after she receives a frantic call from him and the vampire who protects her. I've not read Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series but I am pretty sure this takes place in the same world. I wasn't impressed and didn't like the characters though the author writes very well. 1/5 stars
(Like A) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little is a time-travel story, a seer trapped in the past and her rescuer tangle with Arthurian legend. A little cheesy and poorly plotted but fresh and fun. 3/5 stars
Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn is a tale about a newly made vampire struggling with her new power and how it will affect her love life. Fans of the Kitty Norville series will recognize Alette and the story is a good representation of Vaughn's writing but it falls flat otherwise. 3/5 stars
Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones is a cutesey short about a young woman who thinks her neighbor is a vampire and how she tries to prove it but falls in lust/love with him in the process. I've read one of Jones' trilogies and I love her writing, she's got a way of making things light and fun but still solid enough stories and it shows with this one. Very cute and sexy. 4/5 stars
Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison is the final story, about a banshee and her quest to feed her baby daughter. I hate to say it but this one totally lost me. I was so confused by the story I can't give a proper description and I felt it was not Harrison's best despite how much I love her Rachel Morgan series. 1/5 stars
So there you have them... the overall concepts and what I liked and disliked about each of them. Overall I think that this is a good book for someone looking to dabble into the realm of paranormals to pick up so they can try these authors and the concepts of vampires, weres, icubi, time-travel and the like. At the very least check it out at the library and try some of the stories for their unusual faire 'cause stories about banshees, minotaurs and men cursed to be horses aren't your typical everyday paranormal fantasy.
Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff is a quicky about a talent scout for a music studio and her sultry adventures to sign a hunky pair of country-rock musicians who's sound has a magic all its own. I hate to say this was my favorite since it was the first story but I loved Huff's crazy concepts for it. 5/5 stars
Minotaur in Stone by Marjorie M. Liu is a darkly fantastical fable about a lonely young woman who is haunted by sensual dreams of a monsterous minotaur made of stone. The concept was great, the present tense narration was awful. Very sexy but not typical Liu. 4/5 stars
Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray is a story about a writer working on a book relating to incubae when she starts having steamy late night visits from one. A little too cutesey and cliche for me to love but well written and a good example of McCray's writing. 4/5 stars
Equinox by L.A. Banks is a modern mythology of the goddess Artemis' campaign to protect the forests of the world but a group of elite soldiers gets involved and vows get broken. Another excellent story, Banks at her finest and very sensual as always. 5/5 stars
Ride A Dark Horse by Susan Krinard is about a recently divorced woman trying to put her life back together while vacationing in the southwest, there she meets a seductive stranger and a beautiful horse who change her life forever. Never read Krinard before that I know of and I loved this story and her style, another favorite. 5/5 stars
To Die For by Keri Arthur is about a wolf shapeshifter and a werewolf investigating the dissappearance of two teens while fighting the urges to investigate one another intimately. This was one of my least favorite stories. Too abrupt, lacking chemistry and it was more focused on the sex than the story. 2/5 stars
Curse of the Dragon's Tears by Heidi Betts is the story of a man cursed to wear the scales of a dragon and the young woman who wants to break that curse with her love. I've never heard of Betts and I don't plan to look for her after this sloppy story, too many inaccurate details of the culture of Scotland. 1/5 stars
Brother's Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow is about a psychic who's brother is murdered after she receives a frantic call from him and the vampire who protects her. I've not read Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series but I am pretty sure this takes place in the same world. I wasn't impressed and didn't like the characters though the author writes very well. 1/5 stars
(Like A) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little is a time-travel story, a seer trapped in the past and her rescuer tangle with Arthurian legend. A little cheesy and poorly plotted but fresh and fun. 3/5 stars
Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn is a tale about a newly made vampire struggling with her new power and how it will affect her love life. Fans of the Kitty Norville series will recognize Alette and the story is a good representation of Vaughn's writing but it falls flat otherwise. 3/5 stars
Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones is a cutesey short about a young woman who thinks her neighbor is a vampire and how she tries to prove it but falls in lust/love with him in the process. I've read one of Jones' trilogies and I love her writing, she's got a way of making things light and fun but still solid enough stories and it shows with this one. Very cute and sexy. 4/5 stars
Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison is the final story, about a banshee and her quest to feed her baby daughter. I hate to say it but this one totally lost me. I was so confused by the story I can't give a proper description and I felt it was not Harrison's best despite how much I love her Rachel Morgan series. 1/5 stars
So there you have them... the overall concepts and what I liked and disliked about each of them. Overall I think that this is a good book for someone looking to dabble into the realm of paranormals to pick up so they can try these authors and the concepts of vampires, weres, icubi, time-travel and the like. At the very least check it out at the library and try some of the stories for their unusual faire 'cause stories about banshees, minotaurs and men cursed to be horses aren't your typical everyday paranormal fantasy.
August 23, 2008
I've read 3 of the stories so far.
Tanya Huff's "Music Hath Charms" was an ok read, but forgettable.
Majorie M Liu's " Minotaur in Stone" seriously sucked. If her name wasn't attached to it, I wouldn't believe she wrote it.
Cheyenne Mc Cray's "Demon Lover" was cheesy, but predictably entertaining.
Over all I'm not impressed, and were I a "new" reader to these authors, there is NO WAY in hell I'd look for their other books, and that would've been a serious loss considering I would've missed out on "Dirk & Steele" as well as "Riley Jenson" series.
Tanya Huff's "Music Hath Charms" was an ok read, but forgettable.
Majorie M Liu's " Minotaur in Stone" seriously sucked. If her name wasn't attached to it, I wouldn't believe she wrote it.
Cheyenne Mc Cray's "Demon Lover" was cheesy, but predictably entertaining.
Over all I'm not impressed, and were I a "new" reader to these authors, there is NO WAY in hell I'd look for their other books, and that would've been a serious loss considering I would've missed out on "Dirk & Steele" as well as "Riley Jenson" series.
August 11, 2016
Dirty Magic - The Hollows, 4.5
2 stars
I'm not sure what this novella was supposed to accomplish. The only thing I learned was that Mia (the Banshee from Black Magic Sanction) is an unreliable narrator and perhaps as big a psychopath as her husband, Remus. Not my favorite.
2 stars
I'm not sure what this novella was supposed to accomplish. The only thing I learned was that Mia (the Banshee from Black Magic Sanction) is an unreliable narrator and perhaps as big a psychopath as her husband, Remus. Not my favorite.
September 7, 2008
The one thing that gets me with this book is how different it seems from the rest of the "In Hell" anthologies that came before it. It really strikes me that Hotter than Hell is more paranormal romance than it is urban fantasy, because the premise in all the stories is sex with a paranormal twist. Pretty much all of these stories have a relationship with sex included, which makes it more romance than not, which isn't the case as much in the other books (which makes them more "urban fantasy"). I feel somewhat disappointed in a lot of the stories in this anthology. In most of them I found too much of the sexual attraction, not enough to make me believe in the relationship. I think that to some extent choosing to make the stories require sex and then making them short was shooting everyone in the foot - there simply is very little space to have a story, have crazy sex, and also make me see a believable relationship developing, a relationship where I can buy into a HEA. Not enough room for it all, and something lost out. All the stories that managed to keep the three things balanced (plot, sex, believable relationship) - those where the stronger stories in the anthology. I think that most of the ones that had sex but didn't try to make the story have a fully formed romantic relationship occur within the short story were stronger - Tanya Huff's "Music Hath Charms", Lilith Saintcrow's "Brother's Keeper" (which still has a flaw - it threw the reader in without much information about the world. I recognized characters in her Dante Valentine series though), and "Dirty Magic" by Kim Harrison (also shares a world with her Hollows series, but this one didn't feel confusing). The best romantic one I think was "Moonlight Becomes You" by Linda Winstead Jones because the heroine was funny in a cute way, though I didn't see much from the hero's personality. "Minotaur In Stone" by Marjorie M. Liu was also good because of the lyrical writing, but there is something a bit off with the relationship there, I guess I found it hard to believe the heroine would go so far for someone she just met, but then she's isolated and so is he. That could be their bond, but I felt it could have been more cemented than it was.
More of this review - http://janicu.livejournal.com/39390.html
More of this review - http://janicu.livejournal.com/39390.html
September 15, 2008
Reviewed for www.queuemyreview.com
I don’t usually read anthologies very often. I have nothing against them, however I just don’t seem to pick them up. I know now that Kim Harrison, Keri Arthur, Marjorie M. Liu and many others have changed my mind after reading Hotter Than Hell. I’m just going to talk about a few of the stories because there are many, and they are all really good. Here are a few of my favorites:
Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff is about a woman named Ali that works as a recruiter for a music label. When she hears great things about two brothers that sing in a band called NoMan she decides they are worth checking out, even if they are playing the county fair circuit. When Ali sees them, she is blown away! Their music is so erotic and sexy, before long, the entire audience is completely enthralled… writhing around being overtly sexual. She can’t figure it out, because she is affected too. She knows she has to be the one to sign them. However her ex, and competing music executive Tom also wants to sign the band, however, does NoMan want to be signed? In fact, no one can really find out anything about them. Are the brothers who they really say they are, or are they something more? Something magic?
Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray is about a woman who has sexy dreams. The same dreams about a sexy man who brings her night after night right to the edge of the most amazing climax she thinks she might ever have… if only he wouldn’t disappear. Ericka studies mythology and writes books about Incubae and Succubae for a living. So she starts thinking that maybe this visitor isn’t only in her dreams. Aedan is a water Incubus and in order to stay alive, he needs to steal souls from people by tricking them into giving them up to him, so he withholds Ericka’s climax in the hope she will give him her soul… however Aedan didn’t expect to fall for Ericka, so when he finally gives in to her pleasure and gives her what she wants, he is banished forever… or is he? Can Ericka save the man she has come to love in her dreams, or will he be banished to live a lifetime of torment for fulfilling her desires?
Life Is The Teacher by Carrie Vaughn tells the story of a newly turned vampire named Emma learning how to find blood and feed for herself. A rogue vampire turned her, but her mentor Alette took her under her wing and helped her come to grips with her new life. Now Emma is ready to venture out on her own and claim her new existence. She decides to go back to the college bar she used to frequent when she was still in school, where she runs into Chris. He is attracted to her, and she can tell right away, however she is nervous and before anything can happen she flees! The next night she calls Chris and puts as much compulsion in her voice as she can to get him to see her again and he agrees. She shows up at his apartment on the pretense of sex, however she needs something else entirely. Will she be able to embrace her new life and her new craving, or will she have to run back home to Alette for help?
Hotter Than Hell was a really fun book to read, and most of the stories are slightly spicier than most romance novels. Not quite erotic, but slightly more than romance. I also really enjoyed stories by Heidi Betts, Lillith Saintcrow and Linda Winstead Jones. I highly recommend picking up this book for a highly romantic, supernatural, entertaining read.
xo
I don’t usually read anthologies very often. I have nothing against them, however I just don’t seem to pick them up. I know now that Kim Harrison, Keri Arthur, Marjorie M. Liu and many others have changed my mind after reading Hotter Than Hell. I’m just going to talk about a few of the stories because there are many, and they are all really good. Here are a few of my favorites:
Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff is about a woman named Ali that works as a recruiter for a music label. When she hears great things about two brothers that sing in a band called NoMan she decides they are worth checking out, even if they are playing the county fair circuit. When Ali sees them, she is blown away! Their music is so erotic and sexy, before long, the entire audience is completely enthralled… writhing around being overtly sexual. She can’t figure it out, because she is affected too. She knows she has to be the one to sign them. However her ex, and competing music executive Tom also wants to sign the band, however, does NoMan want to be signed? In fact, no one can really find out anything about them. Are the brothers who they really say they are, or are they something more? Something magic?
Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray is about a woman who has sexy dreams. The same dreams about a sexy man who brings her night after night right to the edge of the most amazing climax she thinks she might ever have… if only he wouldn’t disappear. Ericka studies mythology and writes books about Incubae and Succubae for a living. So she starts thinking that maybe this visitor isn’t only in her dreams. Aedan is a water Incubus and in order to stay alive, he needs to steal souls from people by tricking them into giving them up to him, so he withholds Ericka’s climax in the hope she will give him her soul… however Aedan didn’t expect to fall for Ericka, so when he finally gives in to her pleasure and gives her what she wants, he is banished forever… or is he? Can Ericka save the man she has come to love in her dreams, or will he be banished to live a lifetime of torment for fulfilling her desires?
Life Is The Teacher by Carrie Vaughn tells the story of a newly turned vampire named Emma learning how to find blood and feed for herself. A rogue vampire turned her, but her mentor Alette took her under her wing and helped her come to grips with her new life. Now Emma is ready to venture out on her own and claim her new existence. She decides to go back to the college bar she used to frequent when she was still in school, where she runs into Chris. He is attracted to her, and she can tell right away, however she is nervous and before anything can happen she flees! The next night she calls Chris and puts as much compulsion in her voice as she can to get him to see her again and he agrees. She shows up at his apartment on the pretense of sex, however she needs something else entirely. Will she be able to embrace her new life and her new craving, or will she have to run back home to Alette for help?
Hotter Than Hell was a really fun book to read, and most of the stories are slightly spicier than most romance novels. Not quite erotic, but slightly more than romance. I also really enjoyed stories by Heidi Betts, Lillith Saintcrow and Linda Winstead Jones. I highly recommend picking up this book for a highly romantic, supernatural, entertaining read.
xo
June 28, 2008
There really is something for everyone in the "Hotter Than Hell" anthology edited by Kim Harrison. This anthology includes stories by Kim Harrison, Tanya Huff, Marjorie M Liu, Cheyenne McCray, L A Banks, Susan Krinard, Keri Arthur, Heidi Betts, Lilith Saintcrow, Susan Sizemore and Denise Little, Carrie Vaughn, and Linda Winstead Jones. What a stellar lineup!
These stories are not sweet and tender. They feature the darker side and include love, hate, betrayal, and redemption. If your heroes have horns, occasionally fur, hooves, a dark side, and special powers...pick up this book and enjoy a dark slide into pleasure...
These stories are not sweet and tender. They feature the darker side and include love, hate, betrayal, and redemption. If your heroes have horns, occasionally fur, hooves, a dark side, and special powers...pick up this book and enjoy a dark slide into pleasure...
July 6, 2008
The good thing about anthologies such as this is that they give you the opportunity to discover new authors you may otherwise never find.
The bad thing about anthologies such as this is that you have to wade through stories that don't appeal to you at all.
Sadly, this anthology had more stories that fell into that second category than the first. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good book, just not one where every story is great.
The bad thing about anthologies such as this is that you have to wade through stories that don't appeal to you at all.
Sadly, this anthology had more stories that fell into that second category than the first. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good book, just not one where every story is great.
May 13, 2009
The title is obviously intended to hook the 'Dates from Hell' fans - but frankly most of the stories work too hard at the 'Hotter Than' part and very few of them contained anything 'hellish'. All contained some paranormal aspects but most were the 'usual' vampires and shifters. I think my favorite was the Sizemore/Little story which managed to mix time travel/psychic power/dark ages history/Druidism/emerging Christianity/and the King Arthur legends into one successful little story...
December 2, 2009
I love Marjorie M. Liu's story. Every time I read one of her short stories I am taken with her style; beautiful prose, emotionally gritty, and original. In her story, Minotaur In Stone, she does a great job of using the Minotaur and labyrinth myth into a stereotypical paranormal-romance story. She doesn't do anything especially out of the box, but her style makes it seem like the first time you had read something with the dream-lover premise.
January 13, 2009
This was really nice for me as a college student because it was short stories that I could get into. Each short story does have sex in it though so its a 'at home reading.' At least it is for me since I don't like reading sex scenes while sitting in the doctors office... I really enjoyed most of the stories.
March 24, 2015
I read this story in the Hotter than Hell anthology
. It was okay but I didn't love it.
. It was okay but I didn't love it. 
July 9, 2008
A good collection of okay and not so okay stories. Worth the read for the quick one-shots for those with quick attention spans.
May 19, 2015
WTH? Not a bad story, but I didn't get any part of the crew. I hope all the shorts aren't going to be like this.
June 9, 2010
This is a 12 story anthology, so I'll write my reviews of the stories as I go.
Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff, cute story. I like this story because unlike most of these with them finding true love at the end, it's true lust. This was twin sirens who are about to be enslaved but a woman who wants to go into business with them saves them. I think this is the first story I have read of hers and it was enjoyable enough that I'll read some more. I do have her book Sing the Four Quarters as a challenge book, so I'm a little more interested now in reading something else of hers.
Minotaur in Stone by Marjorie M. Liu. Very good story. It's a little sad but I love the way the couple comes together. He's being kept in a mythological place and they find each other through dreams and magic. I remember another story where the girl has to hang on to an ever changing man in order to save him but for the life of me can't remember the name. The same thing happens here. The ending is not a true HEA, more that there's the possibility of a HEA. I've enjoyed Margorie Liu's books so far. I will keep reading this author.
Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray was sappy. I've read two other Cheyenne McCray books and what's so awful is that this is the best I've read by her. Incubus finds true love by observing a woman and then she saves him from torture.
Equinox by L.A. Banks was awful. I couldn't even finish it. I got to about 10 pages and then had to give it up because all my eye rolling was making me dizzy and a little nauseous. This is my first story by this author (I think unless there was another short story in an anthology before I started keeping track). I have one of her books Minion and now I'm scared to read it.
Ride a Dark Horse by Susan Krinard. Now this one - hmmm. . . We have a man who is cursed to be a horse and meets the distant relative of the woman who cursed him, that was really his wife. He kisses her when she's asleep and then when she starts to wake up, out comes his "peter". She's like, "Hey, wait a minute", he's offended. Then an old woman calls Catalina a witch and tells her to stay away from the horse and that's the last we hear from her. I know it's a short story, but it seemed so disjointed. Better than the two previous stories but not by much. This is another author where I have a few of her books which I haven't read yet. I'll be moving her lower in my TBR stack.
To Die For by Keri Arthur. Werewolf/shifter story. If you're familiar with her Riley Jenson series you know that the werewolves have multiple sexual partners and the shifters a lot less. So that's how this story starts. They work for an investigation company and are trying to work and work with the feelings they have for each other. Throw in a couple of vampires (blood and energy) and it made the story exciting. Sweet ending. I like this story.
Curse of the Dragon's Tears by Heidi Betts was a really good story. Cursed highlander meets ancestor of the gypsy who cursed him who just happened to be having wonderful dreams about him. I liked this story enough that I've requested a few of her books from the library to see if they're just as good.
Brother's Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow. Nikolai and Selene. I felt like there's about 200 pages missing. Her brother gets killed and when she afraid or angry or sad her succubus type "need" takes over. Nikolai is a vampire that is watching over her and can take nourishment from the blood or sex. So he helps her out the whole time she says I hate you, I need you, I hate you. I'm confused. He seems like a good guy but since I don't know the rest of the story, I can't tell. I feel like I'm missing a lot and for that reason, I don't feel the story should have been added to this anthology.
(Like a) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little. Funny what-if time travel King Arthur story. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn. New female vampire tries to acclimate to her new life while missing her old. Sad story.
Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones. Funny story. Claire thinks her neighbor Simon is a vampire. She's attracted to him, which she thinks is part of his unnatural vampire wiles. He ends up being something different, but it's really cute how she keeps trying to trap him in the beginning.
Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison. This was a creepy story about a banshee. At first you feel sorry for her and then you end up wondering if she was fooling you too.
Overall I liked most of these authors and was introduced to a few I enjoyed enough to read other books by them. I would recommend this book.
Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff, cute story. I like this story because unlike most of these with them finding true love at the end, it's true lust. This was twin sirens who are about to be enslaved but a woman who wants to go into business with them saves them. I think this is the first story I have read of hers and it was enjoyable enough that I'll read some more. I do have her book Sing the Four Quarters as a challenge book, so I'm a little more interested now in reading something else of hers.
Minotaur in Stone by Marjorie M. Liu. Very good story. It's a little sad but I love the way the couple comes together. He's being kept in a mythological place and they find each other through dreams and magic. I remember another story where the girl has to hang on to an ever changing man in order to save him but for the life of me can't remember the name. The same thing happens here. The ending is not a true HEA, more that there's the possibility of a HEA. I've enjoyed Margorie Liu's books so far. I will keep reading this author.
Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray was sappy. I've read two other Cheyenne McCray books and what's so awful is that this is the best I've read by her. Incubus finds true love by observing a woman and then she saves him from torture.
Equinox by L.A. Banks was awful. I couldn't even finish it. I got to about 10 pages and then had to give it up because all my eye rolling was making me dizzy and a little nauseous. This is my first story by this author (I think unless there was another short story in an anthology before I started keeping track). I have one of her books Minion and now I'm scared to read it.
Ride a Dark Horse by Susan Krinard. Now this one - hmmm. . . We have a man who is cursed to be a horse and meets the distant relative of the woman who cursed him, that was really his wife. He kisses her when she's asleep and then when she starts to wake up, out comes his "peter". She's like, "Hey, wait a minute", he's offended. Then an old woman calls Catalina a witch and tells her to stay away from the horse and that's the last we hear from her. I know it's a short story, but it seemed so disjointed. Better than the two previous stories but not by much. This is another author where I have a few of her books which I haven't read yet. I'll be moving her lower in my TBR stack.
To Die For by Keri Arthur. Werewolf/shifter story. If you're familiar with her Riley Jenson series you know that the werewolves have multiple sexual partners and the shifters a lot less. So that's how this story starts. They work for an investigation company and are trying to work and work with the feelings they have for each other. Throw in a couple of vampires (blood and energy) and it made the story exciting. Sweet ending. I like this story.
Curse of the Dragon's Tears by Heidi Betts was a really good story. Cursed highlander meets ancestor of the gypsy who cursed him who just happened to be having wonderful dreams about him. I liked this story enough that I've requested a few of her books from the library to see if they're just as good.
Brother's Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow. Nikolai and Selene. I felt like there's about 200 pages missing. Her brother gets killed and when she afraid or angry or sad her succubus type "need" takes over. Nikolai is a vampire that is watching over her and can take nourishment from the blood or sex. So he helps her out the whole time she says I hate you, I need you, I hate you. I'm confused. He seems like a good guy but since I don't know the rest of the story, I can't tell. I feel like I'm missing a lot and for that reason, I don't feel the story should have been added to this anthology.
(Like a) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little. Funny what-if time travel King Arthur story. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn. New female vampire tries to acclimate to her new life while missing her old. Sad story.
Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones. Funny story. Claire thinks her neighbor Simon is a vampire. She's attracted to him, which she thinks is part of his unnatural vampire wiles. He ends up being something different, but it's really cute how she keeps trying to trap him in the beginning.
Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison. This was a creepy story about a banshee. At first you feel sorry for her and then you end up wondering if she was fooling you too.
Overall I liked most of these authors and was introduced to a few I enjoyed enough to read other books by them. I would recommend this book.
October 22, 2010
anthology
Merged review:
Music Hath Charms... Tanya Huff... twins with a Siren mother... their music 'speaks' to the libido... two music companies after them... Alysha vs Michael... Alysha wants to manage them, Michael wants to rule them... Michael arranges for a small concert, with his guests in ear plugs, which will put them under his power when they don't respond... Alysha manages to get her ear plugs out in time to respond, & to allow them their freedom... and her competition disappears, as the twins take him over instead...
Minotaur In Stone... Marjorie Liu... The minotaur is alone, with a mirror of a window to the world... and after centuries he comes across her (I didn't find her name), a homeless woman who has made a nest for herself in the basement labryinth of the library... he watches her, she feels him... he calls her to him... she gives herself to him... she loves him... and breaks his enchantment, and they live... happily... ever... after...
Demon Lover ... Cheyenne McCray... an incubus, Aeden, and a good woman, Ericka... his last mission is to take her soul... he does it by coming to her dreams, making love to her but stopping before she climaxes... but he cannot ask her for her soul.. he goes to hell instead, but she(a writer) researches, and sees she can offer half her soul to save him... and she does, and ... they... live... happily... ever... after...
Equinox... L.A. Banks... Artemis, greek goddess of the wilderness, awakens with her nymphs to our time... and is saddened and outraged... she hunts and captures the CEOs of companies that are destroying the wilderness, changing them into stags... and Vincent, special ops, is asked to hunt and rescue the CEOs, with five men... they track them to the wilderness of Canada, they are captured, their guns having no effect on Artemis and her nymphs... all forgo their vow of virginity and ravish the men... Vincent is of a tribe of nature, and Artemis responds to him... and all leave the wilderness changed, the men all retired and doing good in their own way... Vincent returns to his village to honor his ancestors, and calls on Artemis in the meadow...
Ride a Dark Horse ... Susan Krinard... Catalina, of a line of Mexican Indians... Andres/Trueno, conquistador?... he loved, but when his group attacked the village, he stood by... and Catalina's ancestor cursed them to be horses during the day and men at night, until one of her scion's forgave him... And Catalina comes to the ranch, tired, broken, divorced of a man who deceived her... and the horse comes to her by day, and Andres by night... and she dreams of the past, and finally puts it all together, and loves him & offers him forgiveness...
To Die For... Keri Arthur... Preturnatural Investigations... Ethan, were wolf; Grace, wolf shifter (what's the difference? besides her not being ruled by the moon?) and psychic... Finder of lost persons... they work well together, but Grace keeps her personal distance, fearing she'd want more than Ethan could give... but it's time... they give in, he seems emotionally sincere, they're giving it a whirl... and they find the duel vampires who are taking teenage boys...
Curse of the Dragons' Tears... Heidi Betts... Scotland... Dougal, son of the lord, cursed 100 years earlier by a gypsy when he tried to throw them off his land... cursed to be half beast (dragon) and half man... with scales, slitted eyes, and fire breathing... Laura, great granddaughter of the gypsy, from America, has dreamed of Dougal her whole life... as an adult, he makes love to her in her dreams... they meet, have sex, fall in love, and when he steps in front of a bullet, the curse is broken (an unselfish act)... and he is restored, with a dragon tattoo on his back...
Brother's Keeper - Lilith Saintcrow... unsatisifactory story, just a bit of one without resolution... Selene is a sexwitch, her need fed by fear, anger, etc... Nikolai is the Prime Vampire, whose feelings for Selene seem to be more than what she believes... her brother is killed by something paranormal, Selene is going to discover who... Nikolai gives her sexual relief, and promises to help her... but then the story ends... and unfortunately the book Selene is not in the library...
(Like) A Virgin of the Spring ... Susan Sizemore and Denise Little...
Time travel... Virginia / Ginger went back to the 6th century England... and her team was scattered... she is psychic, and Priestess of the Spring for the local Lord, using her seer capabilities... and one day she sees Bern... He was sent from the future to find her and her team... and they play out the King Arthur legend for the land, stave off the Saxons for a while longer, allowing the past to play out correctly... and return to their own time...
Life is the Teacher... Carrie Vaughn... Emma, of a family of vampires, turned though she did not want to be... and it is time to take blood herself... a very traditional vampiress, sex for blood, and no memory left for the one she took it from... a virgin vampire's first time... touching...
Moonlight Becomes You... Linda Winstead Jones... Claire, average... is sure her neighbor, Simon, is a vampire and begins to stalk him to get proof... and as their relationship develops, and the sex is great, and he is into her... he reveals that he is a werewolf, and that he is lonely, and wants her to be his immortal mate... and she cannot imagine life without him... title should have given it away.
Merged review:
Music Hath Charms... Tanya Huff... twins with a Siren mother... their music 'speaks' to the libido... two music companies after them... Alysha vs Michael... Alysha wants to manage them, Michael wants to rule them... Michael arranges for a small concert, with his guests in ear plugs, which will put them under his power when they don't respond... Alysha manages to get her ear plugs out in time to respond, & to allow them their freedom... and her competition disappears, as the twins take him over instead...
Minotaur In Stone... Marjorie Liu... The minotaur is alone, with a mirror of a window to the world... and after centuries he comes across her (I didn't find her name), a homeless woman who has made a nest for herself in the basement labryinth of the library... he watches her, she feels him... he calls her to him... she gives herself to him... she loves him... and breaks his enchantment, and they live... happily... ever... after...
Demon Lover ... Cheyenne McCray... an incubus, Aeden, and a good woman, Ericka... his last mission is to take her soul... he does it by coming to her dreams, making love to her but stopping before she climaxes... but he cannot ask her for her soul.. he goes to hell instead, but she(a writer) researches, and sees she can offer half her soul to save him... and she does, and ... they... live... happily... ever... after...
Equinox... L.A. Banks... Artemis, greek goddess of the wilderness, awakens with her nymphs to our time... and is saddened and outraged... she hunts and captures the CEOs of companies that are destroying the wilderness, changing them into stags... and Vincent, special ops, is asked to hunt and rescue the CEOs, with five men... they track them to the wilderness of Canada, they are captured, their guns having no effect on Artemis and her nymphs... all forgo their vow of virginity and ravish the men... Vincent is of a tribe of nature, and Artemis responds to him... and all leave the wilderness changed, the men all retired and doing good in their own way... Vincent returns to his village to honor his ancestors, and calls on Artemis in the meadow...
Ride a Dark Horse ... Susan Krinard... Catalina, of a line of Mexican Indians... Andres/Trueno, conquistador?... he loved, but when his group attacked the village, he stood by... and Catalina's ancestor cursed them to be horses during the day and men at night, until one of her scion's forgave him... And Catalina comes to the ranch, tired, broken, divorced of a man who deceived her... and the horse comes to her by day, and Andres by night... and she dreams of the past, and finally puts it all together, and loves him & offers him forgiveness...
To Die For... Keri Arthur... Preturnatural Investigations... Ethan, were wolf; Grace, wolf shifter (what's the difference? besides her not being ruled by the moon?) and psychic... Finder of lost persons... they work well together, but Grace keeps her personal distance, fearing she'd want more than Ethan could give... but it's time... they give in, he seems emotionally sincere, they're giving it a whirl... and they find the duel vampires who are taking teenage boys...
Curse of the Dragons' Tears... Heidi Betts... Scotland... Dougal, son of the lord, cursed 100 years earlier by a gypsy when he tried to throw them off his land... cursed to be half beast (dragon) and half man... with scales, slitted eyes, and fire breathing... Laura, great granddaughter of the gypsy, from America, has dreamed of Dougal her whole life... as an adult, he makes love to her in her dreams... they meet, have sex, fall in love, and when he steps in front of a bullet, the curse is broken (an unselfish act)... and he is restored, with a dragon tattoo on his back...
Brother's Keeper - Lilith Saintcrow... unsatisifactory story, just a bit of one without resolution... Selene is a sexwitch, her need fed by fear, anger, etc... Nikolai is the Prime Vampire, whose feelings for Selene seem to be more than what she believes... her brother is killed by something paranormal, Selene is going to discover who... Nikolai gives her sexual relief, and promises to help her... but then the story ends... and unfortunately the book Selene is not in the library...
(Like) A Virgin of the Spring ... Susan Sizemore and Denise Little...
Time travel... Virginia / Ginger went back to the 6th century England... and her team was scattered... she is psychic, and Priestess of the Spring for the local Lord, using her seer capabilities... and one day she sees Bern... He was sent from the future to find her and her team... and they play out the King Arthur legend for the land, stave off the Saxons for a while longer, allowing the past to play out correctly... and return to their own time...
Life is the Teacher... Carrie Vaughn... Emma, of a family of vampires, turned though she did not want to be... and it is time to take blood herself... a very traditional vampiress, sex for blood, and no memory left for the one she took it from... a virgin vampire's first time... touching...
Moonlight Becomes You... Linda Winstead Jones... Claire, average... is sure her neighbor, Simon, is a vampire and begins to stalk him to get proof... and as their relationship develops, and the sex is great, and he is into her... he reveals that he is a werewolf, and that he is lonely, and wants her to be his immortal mate... and she cannot imagine life without him... title should have given it away.
February 22, 2020
This was just kinda meh for me. Hotter Than Hell lives up to its name by providing steamy stories of sex and desire. And for me I think that was the problem. I know these are short stories but there wasn’t too much focus on the plot or characters beyond the sex scenes.
There were a few good ones though. My favorites were “Minotaur In Stone” by Marjorie M. Liu, “Demon Lover” by Cheyenne McCray, “Ride A Dark Horse” by Susan Krinard and “Moonlight Becomes You” by Linda Winstead Jones.
(Like a) Virgin of the Spring was also pretty good too. The rest I kinda just skimmed if it didn’t pull me in right away.
There were a few good ones though. My favorites were “Minotaur In Stone” by Marjorie M. Liu, “Demon Lover” by Cheyenne McCray, “Ride A Dark Horse” by Susan Krinard and “Moonlight Becomes You” by Linda Winstead Jones.
(Like a) Virgin of the Spring was also pretty good too. The rest I kinda just skimmed if it didn’t pull me in right away.
July 31, 2023
Music Hath Charms and Minotaur were good. Demon Lover, Ride a Dark Horse, To Die For, and Curse of the Dragon's Tears were all pretty cringey and not my thing. Equinox, My Brothers Keeper, and Virgin of the Spring were okay. The best were the last three; Life is the Teacher, Moonlight Becomes You and Dirty Magic. These had interest, the sex made sense and Life is the Teacher and Dirty Magic were a little dark. 12 stories only 5 above average.
June 30, 2016
This book is a collection of fairly typical paranormal romance stories. The majority of them tend towards heavy romance themes and have very explicit sex scenes. A lot of them were just okay; but there were a couple that I really enjoyed. There weren’t any stories in here I would rate 5 stars though.
Short synopsis of the stories as well as some brief thoughts on each of them can be found below.
Overall an okay short story collection. I would recommend to those looking for some steamy paranormal short stories. This is a great filler book for if you want to have something quick to read off and on. I wouldn’t recommend reading in one sitting because the stories seem very similar and get a bit repetitive if you read them all at once.
-Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff (3/5 stars)
This was about a woman who is trying to sign up a couple of country-rock brothers to her record label. When she sees the brothers in person she realizes that they might not be fully human. It was a decent story with some steamy scenes.
-Minotaur in Stone by Majorie M. Lui (3/5 stars)
About a young woman who dreams of a Minotaur and ends up finding out her dreams are real and she needs to help save him. Draws on both the Greek mythology surrounding the Minotaur and the mythology of Tam Lin. This was an okay story. I liked some of the surrounding mysterious info about the heroine; however I just felt like this was a very unfinished story.
-Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray (4/5 stars)
I really enjoyed the characters in this story and how engaging they were. You end up really rooting for them both and wanting them to find happiness; which takes talent in a short story like this. I liked the backdrop of Gods and Goddesses. It gives you an excellent feeling for the paranormal world behind this story, again an excellent feat for a short story.
-Equinox by L.A. Banks (4/5 stars)
This was a good story about a special ops agent that gets sent into the woods to apprehend a group of environmental activists. Little does he know he will be facing off with the Goddess Artemis herself. I liked the mythology in here. The main leads are fleshed out nicely and have good chemistry together. The end of the story felt a bit rushed and just too contrived. However, mostly I enjoyed it.
-Ride A Dark Horse by Susan Krinard (4/5 stars)
This was a story about a woman who was trying to escape a bad marriage by taking vacation at a horse ranch. There she finds the most unusual type of horse. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. However I felt like the writing style itself was a bit unfinished feeling. I also thought the male lead was a bit too stalkerish and alpha predator; especially in the beginning of the story.
-To Die For by Keri Arthur (4/5 stars)
This was a story about a shapeshifter who gets partnered with a werewolf she has the hots for on an investigation. It was very well written; you can tell Arthur writes a lot and has a polished writing style. The theme, characters, and story were all very typical urban fantasy.
-Curse of the Dragon’s Tears by Heidi Betts (3/5 stars)
This was a story about a young woman who comes to an abandoned castle to hunt down a man who’s been haunting her dreams. It was okay but not great; the whole thing was a bit too creepy and insta-love for me.
-Brother’s Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow (4/5 stars)
This was an interesting story about a sexwitch who gets an emergency call from her brother. I liked the idea of how the sexwitch’s magic works (her powers can be as much of a curse as a help). This definitely wasn’t a romantic story...it was dark and hard and gritty. I enjoyed it. This seems like it’s part of a larger story, so the main character must be from one of Saintcrow’s other series.
-(Like A) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little (4/5 stars)
This story was an interesting blend of magic and time travel, fantasy and science fiction. I thought the world building in here was pretty neat and enjoyed the plot a lot. The romance between the two characters is more comical than steamy; but I enjoyed the light-heartedness of it all.
-Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn (3/5 stars)
This story was about a young woman getting used to becoming a vampire. Not really any romance, mostly it was a young woman who is learning to embrace her vampiric lifestyle and power. It was okay but kind of dry and written in an almost a clinical way.
-Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones (4/5 stars)
This was a cute story about a woman who is semi-stalking her neighbor because she’s convinced he’s a vampire. It was a cute and fun story and I enjoyed it.
-Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison (3/5 stars)
This short story is about Mia, the banshee you meet in the Hollows series. It basically gives a bit more background on her. I didn’t find it all that engaging and didn’t think it added more to Mia as a character. It didn’t really make me feel more sympathetic to her or anything. It was decently written but that was about it.
Short synopsis of the stories as well as some brief thoughts on each of them can be found below.
Overall an okay short story collection. I would recommend to those looking for some steamy paranormal short stories. This is a great filler book for if you want to have something quick to read off and on. I wouldn’t recommend reading in one sitting because the stories seem very similar and get a bit repetitive if you read them all at once.
-Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff (3/5 stars)
This was about a woman who is trying to sign up a couple of country-rock brothers to her record label. When she sees the brothers in person she realizes that they might not be fully human. It was a decent story with some steamy scenes.
-Minotaur in Stone by Majorie M. Lui (3/5 stars)
About a young woman who dreams of a Minotaur and ends up finding out her dreams are real and she needs to help save him. Draws on both the Greek mythology surrounding the Minotaur and the mythology of Tam Lin. This was an okay story. I liked some of the surrounding mysterious info about the heroine; however I just felt like this was a very unfinished story.
-Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray (4/5 stars)
I really enjoyed the characters in this story and how engaging they were. You end up really rooting for them both and wanting them to find happiness; which takes talent in a short story like this. I liked the backdrop of Gods and Goddesses. It gives you an excellent feeling for the paranormal world behind this story, again an excellent feat for a short story.
-Equinox by L.A. Banks (4/5 stars)
This was a good story about a special ops agent that gets sent into the woods to apprehend a group of environmental activists. Little does he know he will be facing off with the Goddess Artemis herself. I liked the mythology in here. The main leads are fleshed out nicely and have good chemistry together. The end of the story felt a bit rushed and just too contrived. However, mostly I enjoyed it.
-Ride A Dark Horse by Susan Krinard (4/5 stars)
This was a story about a woman who was trying to escape a bad marriage by taking vacation at a horse ranch. There she finds the most unusual type of horse. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. However I felt like the writing style itself was a bit unfinished feeling. I also thought the male lead was a bit too stalkerish and alpha predator; especially in the beginning of the story.
-To Die For by Keri Arthur (4/5 stars)
This was a story about a shapeshifter who gets partnered with a werewolf she has the hots for on an investigation. It was very well written; you can tell Arthur writes a lot and has a polished writing style. The theme, characters, and story were all very typical urban fantasy.
-Curse of the Dragon’s Tears by Heidi Betts (3/5 stars)
This was a story about a young woman who comes to an abandoned castle to hunt down a man who’s been haunting her dreams. It was okay but not great; the whole thing was a bit too creepy and insta-love for me.
-Brother’s Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow (4/5 stars)
This was an interesting story about a sexwitch who gets an emergency call from her brother. I liked the idea of how the sexwitch’s magic works (her powers can be as much of a curse as a help). This definitely wasn’t a romantic story...it was dark and hard and gritty. I enjoyed it. This seems like it’s part of a larger story, so the main character must be from one of Saintcrow’s other series.
-(Like A) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little (4/5 stars)
This story was an interesting blend of magic and time travel, fantasy and science fiction. I thought the world building in here was pretty neat and enjoyed the plot a lot. The romance between the two characters is more comical than steamy; but I enjoyed the light-heartedness of it all.
-Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn (3/5 stars)
This story was about a young woman getting used to becoming a vampire. Not really any romance, mostly it was a young woman who is learning to embrace her vampiric lifestyle and power. It was okay but kind of dry and written in an almost a clinical way.
-Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones (4/5 stars)
This was a cute story about a woman who is semi-stalking her neighbor because she’s convinced he’s a vampire. It was a cute and fun story and I enjoyed it.
-Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison (3/5 stars)
This short story is about Mia, the banshee you meet in the Hollows series. It basically gives a bit more background on her. I didn’t find it all that engaging and didn’t think it added more to Mia as a character. It didn’t really make me feel more sympathetic to her or anything. It was decently written but that was about it.
February 14, 2023
I have changed the original rating because this time I rated the stories individually instead of taking things as a whole. The average of them works out to be 3.4 stars.
The book contains a baker's dozen of supernatural fiction and paranormal romance authors. They give us a wide range of experiences from psychic vampires, savage love, and a greek warrior woman battling to save the world.
"Music Hath Charms" by Tanya Huff, 4 stars. There are rival music labels trying to sign the same artist, The NoMan Brothers, but there is something very different about them and their music. This was a nice story with an interesting premise. The intimate scenes are good, not super hot but just right.
"Minatour in Stone" by Marjorie M. Liu, 2.5 stars. A girl dreams of the Minatour asking/compelling her to save him. It's almost like a long poem in its cadence. I had a hard time getting into this and actually never really did. The ending was good though.
"Demon Lover" by Cheyenne McCray, 3 stars. An incubus visits a writer of mythic paranormal stories. She at first thinks that they are nothing more than vivid dreams but comes to realize it is really happening to her. I liked the characters and this made me more invested in the outcome.
"Equinox" by L.A. Banks, 4 stars. The goddess Artemis returns after millennia to take back the forests and green places that corporations were destroying. Vincent, a Native American man is sent to save the men she has taken and neutralize the threat. Love this author and the story is good and a teachable moment about the environment.
"Ride a Dark Horse" by Susan Krinard, 3 stars. Catalina has always done as she was told from the time she was a child and told to forget her dreams both real and imagined. When she decides to make changes to her life things begin to happen that she could never have anticipated. The good story and the locations are a real part of things that make it more.
"To Die For" by Keri Arthur, 3 stars. A paranormal detective agency becomes involved in the disappearance of teenage boys when the owner's nephew becomes one of the victims. Two wolves are drawn to each other, but the female is wary of the male because as an Alpha he can have any woman he wants. The characters are fun and the story works because it gives something different as far as the villain.
"Curse of the Dragon Tears" by Heidi Betts, 3 stars. A woman makes a trip to Scottish ruins in order to confirm or disprove the myth of a family curse placed on the original inhabitant of the castle. Good story and good characters with some hot sex.
"Brother's Keeper" by Lilith Saintcrow, 3 stars. Selene is a sex witch who is being pursued by the local vampire in charge of the city, Nicolai. She is also the caretaker of her older brother who cannot leave his home because of his agoraphobia, though he can travel astrally. When she receives a call from him for help she rushes to his home. This made me want more because I wanted to know what happened to them all and why. Very good!
"(Like a) Virgin of the Spring" by Susan Sizemore & Denise Little, 5 stars. Psychic and historians go back to study a little period of time in the dark past (9th century) and become trapped when their portal malfunctions. The psychic, Ginger, has found a place to stay safe while she hopes for rescue and the good health of her other expedition members. Ginger sees the arrival of men who can help her patron not realizing they can help her too. This reminded me of something I had seen before so may have been used in a television show, because of this I was already predisposed to like it I guess.
"Life is the Teacher" by Carrie Vaughn, 3 stars. Emmi is a newly turned vampire living with her ancestor who just so happens to have been a vampire for many years. Her turning was not consensual but she needs to learn the ropes so she can live a better death. Short, sweet, and not too bad.
"Moonlight Becomes You" by Linda Winstead Jones, 4 stars. Simon moved into the building just as some people went missing and Claire believes that he is responsible. She thinks he is a vampire and sets out to prove it by following him. When she is caught outside his door she has to think fast and keep him from realizing what she believes. Enjoyed this one and it had a satisfying ending though a bit of a surprise.
"Dirty Magic" by Kim Harrison, 3 stars. Banshees are strictly regulated and not able to feed fully, they can only take surface emotions. This is alright but not really all that detailed.
Overall enjoyable and worth the time to read.
The book contains a baker's dozen of supernatural fiction and paranormal romance authors. They give us a wide range of experiences from psychic vampires, savage love, and a greek warrior woman battling to save the world.
"Music Hath Charms" by Tanya Huff, 4 stars. There are rival music labels trying to sign the same artist, The NoMan Brothers, but there is something very different about them and their music. This was a nice story with an interesting premise. The intimate scenes are good, not super hot but just right.
"Minatour in Stone" by Marjorie M. Liu, 2.5 stars. A girl dreams of the Minatour asking/compelling her to save him. It's almost like a long poem in its cadence. I had a hard time getting into this and actually never really did. The ending was good though.
"Demon Lover" by Cheyenne McCray, 3 stars. An incubus visits a writer of mythic paranormal stories. She at first thinks that they are nothing more than vivid dreams but comes to realize it is really happening to her. I liked the characters and this made me more invested in the outcome.
"Equinox" by L.A. Banks, 4 stars. The goddess Artemis returns after millennia to take back the forests and green places that corporations were destroying. Vincent, a Native American man is sent to save the men she has taken and neutralize the threat. Love this author and the story is good and a teachable moment about the environment.
"Ride a Dark Horse" by Susan Krinard, 3 stars. Catalina has always done as she was told from the time she was a child and told to forget her dreams both real and imagined. When she decides to make changes to her life things begin to happen that she could never have anticipated. The good story and the locations are a real part of things that make it more.
"To Die For" by Keri Arthur, 3 stars. A paranormal detective agency becomes involved in the disappearance of teenage boys when the owner's nephew becomes one of the victims. Two wolves are drawn to each other, but the female is wary of the male because as an Alpha he can have any woman he wants. The characters are fun and the story works because it gives something different as far as the villain.
"Curse of the Dragon Tears" by Heidi Betts, 3 stars. A woman makes a trip to Scottish ruins in order to confirm or disprove the myth of a family curse placed on the original inhabitant of the castle. Good story and good characters with some hot sex.
"Brother's Keeper" by Lilith Saintcrow, 3 stars. Selene is a sex witch who is being pursued by the local vampire in charge of the city, Nicolai. She is also the caretaker of her older brother who cannot leave his home because of his agoraphobia, though he can travel astrally. When she receives a call from him for help she rushes to his home. This made me want more because I wanted to know what happened to them all and why. Very good!
"(Like a) Virgin of the Spring" by Susan Sizemore & Denise Little, 5 stars. Psychic and historians go back to study a little period of time in the dark past (9th century) and become trapped when their portal malfunctions. The psychic, Ginger, has found a place to stay safe while she hopes for rescue and the good health of her other expedition members. Ginger sees the arrival of men who can help her patron not realizing they can help her too. This reminded me of something I had seen before so may have been used in a television show, because of this I was already predisposed to like it I guess.
"Life is the Teacher" by Carrie Vaughn, 3 stars. Emmi is a newly turned vampire living with her ancestor who just so happens to have been a vampire for many years. Her turning was not consensual but she needs to learn the ropes so she can live a better death. Short, sweet, and not too bad.
"Moonlight Becomes You" by Linda Winstead Jones, 4 stars. Simon moved into the building just as some people went missing and Claire believes that he is responsible. She thinks he is a vampire and sets out to prove it by following him. When she is caught outside his door she has to think fast and keep him from realizing what she believes. Enjoyed this one and it had a satisfying ending though a bit of a surprise.
"Dirty Magic" by Kim Harrison, 3 stars. Banshees are strictly regulated and not able to feed fully, they can only take surface emotions. This is alright but not really all that detailed.
Overall enjoyable and worth the time to read.
February 18, 2017
Rating pertains only to Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison.
Actual rating: 4 Well-That-Was-Depressing stars
I love the world Harrison has created. This short story was fairly sad and depressing to me...
Actual rating: 4 Well-That-Was-Depressing stars
I love the world Harrison has created. This short story was fairly sad and depressing to me...
February 15, 2010
Just finished reading Hotter Than Hell, an anthology edited by Kim Harrison with the following stories:
○ Music Hath Charms - Tanya Huff - ★★★★
○ Minotaur in Stone - Marjorie M. Liu - ★★★
○ Demon Lover - Cheyenne McCray - ★★★★
○ Equinox - L.A. Banks - ★★★★
○ Ride a Dark Horse - Susan Krinard - ★★★★
○ To Die For - Kerri Arthur - ★★★★
○ Curse of the Dragon's Tears - Heidi Betts - ★★★★
○ Brother's Keeper - Lilith Saintcrow - ★★★★★
○ (Like A) Virgin of the Spring - Susan Sizemore & Denise Little - ★★★★
○ Life is the Teacher - Carrie Vaughn - ★★★
○ Moonlight Becomes You - Linda Winstead Jones - ★★★
○ Dirty Magic - Kim Harrison - ★★★
Overall, I'd have to give the anthology 4 stars. All the stories were pretty solid, but none of them were truly mind-blowingly awesome. I was a little surprised how much I liked the L.A. Banks story considering I absolutely despise her Vampire Huntress series. The only authors that were completely new to me were Kerri Arthur, Heidi Betts, and Susan Sizemore/Denise Little, although some of the other authors aren't ones I easily recognize and now realize I should be reading more of - especially Lilith Saintcrow. Looks like I should pick up her Valentine series since that's in what world "Brother's Keeper" takes place. Strangely enough, all of the 3 star authors above are ones whose regular series novels I frequently give 5 stars.
○ Music Hath Charms - Tanya Huff - ★★★★
○ Minotaur in Stone - Marjorie M. Liu - ★★★
○ Demon Lover - Cheyenne McCray - ★★★★
○ Equinox - L.A. Banks - ★★★★
○ Ride a Dark Horse - Susan Krinard - ★★★★
○ To Die For - Kerri Arthur - ★★★★
○ Curse of the Dragon's Tears - Heidi Betts - ★★★★
○ Brother's Keeper - Lilith Saintcrow - ★★★★★
○ (Like A) Virgin of the Spring - Susan Sizemore & Denise Little - ★★★★
○ Life is the Teacher - Carrie Vaughn - ★★★
○ Moonlight Becomes You - Linda Winstead Jones - ★★★
○ Dirty Magic - Kim Harrison - ★★★
Overall, I'd have to give the anthology 4 stars. All the stories were pretty solid, but none of them were truly mind-blowingly awesome. I was a little surprised how much I liked the L.A. Banks story considering I absolutely despise her Vampire Huntress series. The only authors that were completely new to me were Kerri Arthur, Heidi Betts, and Susan Sizemore/Denise Little, although some of the other authors aren't ones I easily recognize and now realize I should be reading more of - especially Lilith Saintcrow. Looks like I should pick up her Valentine series since that's in what world "Brother's Keeper" takes place. Strangely enough, all of the 3 star authors above are ones whose regular series novels I frequently give 5 stars.
May 30, 2010
Apparent contradiction: I'm giving the collection three stars but I'm also labeling it disappointing.
Most of the stories hinge on the trope of an overwhelming supernatural attraction to a complete stranger, where that attraction does unironically signal True Love. The problem I have is that trope does nothing for me -- and occasionally turns me off completely.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the trope, but it's not the brand of romance I personally enjoy. At all. If the stories were focused more on Instant Supernatural Attraction, great sex, and "hey, that was hot and I like you, we should grab dinner next week" -- I would've loved this collection like crazy.
I'm not going to trash a decent book just because it wasn't what I wanted or expected to read though, hence the three starts. The quality of stories is about as uneven as you'd expect in such a collection, but if it's your thing I expect you'd enjoy it.
August 8, 2008
I don't usually read short stories, but got this because it had Kim Harrison's name on it. To my surprise (and possibly delight), they are actually supernatural erotica, and "someone," (a former friend and co-worker) borrowed all my short story collections in this genre, and now I haven't seen her in years. Guess they're gone for good!
(8/8)
OK, I have to admit I only read half of this. I might check it out again, but it was due back at the library, and I couldn't renew it because there is a hold list for it. The stories I read were good... though I didn't enjoy the one about the Minotaur as much. One involved a male singing duo, whose live performances cause an intense physical response in the audience. There are two rival recording companies trying to sign them... and they discover that they are Sirens. Who's using whom?
(8/8)
OK, I have to admit I only read half of this. I might check it out again, but it was due back at the library, and I couldn't renew it because there is a hold list for it. The stories I read were good... though I didn't enjoy the one about the Minotaur as much. One involved a male singing duo, whose live performances cause an intense physical response in the audience. There are two rival recording companies trying to sign them... and they discover that they are Sirens. Who's using whom?
March 3, 2015
Tanya Huff's - Music Hath Charms
A good short but ended rather abruptly and left you wanting...quite literally.
Cheyenne McCray - Demon Lover
Typical McCray. Overtly sexual and hot. A sweet love story as well.
Keri Arthur - To Die For
Very enjoyable. Ethan truly is To Die For. Eventhough Grace fights it, she is eventuall enthralled.
Susan Krinard - Ride a Dark Horse
I didn't like the hero in this one. A mexican who basically forces himself on the heroine repeatedly. In his favor, he does stop when asked but he is relentless. I couldn't get past the whole rape feel.
Linda Winstead Jones - Moonlight Becomes You
Way too short but fun nonetheless.
I didn't read the others, as I don't particularly like those authors.
A good short but ended rather abruptly and left you wanting...quite literally.
Cheyenne McCray - Demon Lover
Typical McCray. Overtly sexual and hot. A sweet love story as well.
Keri Arthur - To Die For
Very enjoyable. Ethan truly is To Die For. Eventhough Grace fights it, she is eventuall enthralled.
Susan Krinard - Ride a Dark Horse
I didn't like the hero in this one. A mexican who basically forces himself on the heroine repeatedly. In his favor, he does stop when asked but he is relentless. I couldn't get past the whole rape feel.
Linda Winstead Jones - Moonlight Becomes You
Way too short but fun nonetheless.
I didn't read the others, as I don't particularly like those authors.
October 23, 2014
Edited by Kim Harrison & the last story is by her. There are about 10 other stories in the book. All are 'Paranormal Erotic Fantasy'. So far I've only read the first story, one by Tanya Huff, is pretty typical of the genre. Well written, imaginative, but has too much sex. I like some sex in a story, but this has a more than I'd like. It overpowers the rest of the story & the world that she created. I must be getting old - never thought I'd think of sex as gratuitous, but that's probably the best one word description I can come up with.
I finished the book & the above can sum up all the stories. Not bad, not worth buying new, though.
I finished the book & the above can sum up all the stories. Not bad, not worth buying new, though.
August 25, 2009
This is a great paranormal romance anthology, with 12 stories, many of which are by big names in the genre, like Arthur, Bans, Harrison, Huff, Saintcrow, and Vaughn. I noticed that a few of them clearly were spin-offs of series. This book is really dense - about 500 pages of tightly packed words, but it was worth the time.
Read
May 17, 2010I only read Kim Harrison's story about Mia the banshee. It was ok, didn't really explain anything that wasn't in The Hallows book 7. It takes place after Holly is born, so Ivy isn't in it.
May 25, 2014
I only read the Kim Harrison story in this. It is from the Hollows world but doesn't really affect the series so far. It does not have Rachel or Ivy or Jenks. It is a side story about banshees.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews