Cupid takes aim in this collection of Valentine's Day quickies
Love is in the air and Cupid's taken aim as paranormal romance authors Lynsay Sands, Pamela Palmer and Jamie Rush set out to deliver Valentines to their fans with this collection of romance short stories set in their series' universes( Sands' vampire Argeneaus, Palmer's shapeshifting Feral Warriors and Rush's psychic Offspring.) Cupid gives it good try here, and while 'quickies' can be fun, and all the stories had promising setups, a couple stories left me wishing for more.
"Vampire Valentine" - Lynsay Sands - Human P.I. Tiny McGraw has watched as many of his vamp friends have found their lifemates but if good old matching making Mama Argeneau is right, it may finally be Tiny's turn to get his very own vampire valentine -- I was excited about finally getting Tiny's story, but even though all the elements for a really good story are here, this is just too short to get the job done to my satisfaction - I'd have loved a full length story for our beloved Tiny and to fit the space, there's just too much 'cutting to the chase'. (3 stars)
"Hearts Untamed" - Pamela Palmer - Ten years after fleeing to London to avoid succumbing to overwhelming attraction with the then too young Julianne, Zeeland returns when his daily reports about Julianne lead him to believe that she may be in trouble. Stung by his long ago rejection, but never over her love for Zee, Zee's return couldn't come at a worse time for Julianne - because Julianne has never been able to keep her secrets from Zee and the one she is hiding is dangerous to those she cares for - so the truth could cost Zee his life. -- Neither of the leads are Feral Warriors, they are just the non-shifting members of the same race (though there are a few brief cameos of the shifters from the series.) This was actually my favorite or the three stories, Palmer fit a fair amount of story into the short and the fact that Zee and Julianne had an established connection made the romance work (though staying away ten years, strained my willing suspension of disbelief a bit)(4 stars)
"Kiss and Kill Cupid" - Jamie Rush - It looks as if this Valentine's day could be her last after psychic Kat 'hears' a killer marking her as his next victim. But whose thoughts did she hear in that crowded room? Could it be her luscious new boss-to-be? Is the sizzling attraction between them real? Does he want to kiss or kill? - This story which stands alone from Rush's "Offspring" series is a fairly typical paranormal romantic suspense offering - so you'll be able to figure out who the killer is, no problem. As a romance it's okay. (3.5 - stars)