Hungry for Your Love

by Lori Perkins (Editor), Brian Keene (Contributor), Elizabeth Coldwell (Contributor)

Romance ain't dead...it's undead. In this thrilling zombie anthology, horror fans will finally get their fill of zombie-on-zombie action, zombie-human love, and zombie smut. Because why should vampires have all the fun?

This collection of never-before-published short stories includes:

--"Revanants Anonymous" by Francesca Lia Block: two zombies meet at a Revanants Anonymous meeting and when sparks fly they wonder how "dead" they really are

--"I Heart Brains" by Jaime Saare: a widow and a dead man get a second chance at love

--"Captive Hearts" by Brian Keene: zombie plagues can't stop a woman from caring for the man she loves

--"Everyone I Love is Dead" by Elizabeth Coldwell: what happens when your true love comes back from the dead--after you've already moved on with a new man?

--"Last Times at Ridgemont High" by Kilt Kilpatrick: an electrifying zombie romp
--and many more!

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Anthologies, Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2009

About the author

Publisher of Riverdale Avenue Books and founder of L. Perkins Agency. Author of the #MeToo anthology, Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey as well as Hungry for Your Love, and 30 other erotic romance anthologies.

Riverdale Avenue Books is an award winning, innovative hybrid publisher at the leading edge of the changes in the publishing industry. We publish e-books, print, and audio books under 12 imprints: Desire, an erotica/erotic romance imprint; Riverdale/Magnus the award-winning imprint of LGBT titles; Pop featuring pop culture titles; Afraid, a horror line; SFF, a science fiction fantasy line; Truth, an erotic memoir line; Dagger, a mystery thriller imprint; Sports and Gaming featuring sports and gaming titles; VerVe featuring lifestyle titles; Hera featuring both the true and fictional lives and loves of women aged 35 and up; and 120 Days, an LGBT pulp fiction line. Started in 2011 by industry veteran Lori Perkins, Riverdale is a full service publisher, with a foreign rights and film agency department. Visit us at www.RiverdaleAveBooks.com.

Reviews

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I enjoy Anthologies, have a lot them to read on my bookshelf, and can get through them relatively easy if I keep reading them, I'm horrible at finishing them quickly. I can't sit and read several short stories at once, and I tend to get caught up in the other books I'm reading, forgetting about the anthology. This year I had a plan to read one book every month, starting in January, figuring a month was plenty of time to get through an anthology. Well, here it is in September, and I am just now finishing the ONE anthology I started in January. *Facepalm on that goal.*

This is such a strange theme - blending the morbid popularity of zombies with comedic and gory romantic themes - in a book that has a cover that won't let go of you, a theme you rarely see, and stories that are all completely different from each other. Sometimes the romance is between those who fight zombies together, sometimes where a zombie and human are involved, sometimes between zombies themselves.

The intro explains what the author is trying to achieve compiling these, and how they wanted to fit in different themes. They did pretty well, although this anthology was only mediocre.

Some stories weren't very long and more like scenes than short stories - such as 'Apocalypse as Foreplay' by Gina McQueen; wasn't a strong story but had excellent, fun and quirky writing. 'Through Death To Love' was a 2 star rating for me. More of a scene than a story, a point rather than enjoyment. Bizarre and didn't full get it. Either way, didn't get into it either.

Some took it to full short story level - 'Romance Ain't Dead' was the first story in the book, actually enjoyable. I dug the writer's style, it flowed naturally. The grim situation was almost comical and went back and forth with hints of wanting to laugh to a serious thing. Stereotypical characters a little for the Haitian doctor, but good character that fit. 20 page short story that flew by, good start.

Revenants Anonymous was unusual. A support group for a type of 'zombie' - humans abused and discarded until they have spiritually died and started physically rotting away. There's hope in this one through the end. It's probably one of the 'sweeter offerings' this anthology will dish out. 3/5

I Heart Brains' was a different sort of zombie tale. Once the body is dead, it can be bought to give the living a new chance. The romance relationship wasn't really that realistic but it wasn't a bad story. 3/5

Didn't care much for 'Everyone I love is dead.' Had a crudeness that didn't work and the storyline was just strange. Definitely different. 2/5 Likewise, In the Eye of the Beholder' wasn't anything impressive - a short tale about rotting people coming together for a time and not bothered by each others appearance. It did have a bizarre humor attached to it, though, which is likely the whole point. 2/5

'First Love Never Dies' was a detective type tale with an actual short story, quite good, all zombies 'bad' typical zombies in this one. 'My Partner the Zombie' had an abrupt ending, but nifty humor and another good detective story that worked. Both of these were bumps up from the last offerings.

'Captive Hearts' by Brian Keene was a violent, strange little story/piece. Despite what Richard did, this girls gone way over the edge. Apocalypse as Foreplay by Gina McQueen wasn't a strong story but had excellent, fun and quirky writing. 'Julia Brainchild' by Lois Gresh was fun, funny, and actually had a short story. The ending was too silly but the story a winner in the humor department. One of the better ones.

'Kicking the Habit' by Steven Saus was about the newborn zombie waking with memory and reuniting with a group, including an experienced zombie woman he once had feelings for. Not great, not bad. Zombified was weird erotica between two normal live people that later had them fight zombies together.

'Inhuman Resources' by Jeanine McAdam was one of the best ones - comparing zombies to office workers and how it can become hard to tell them apart. Cute story. 'The Magician's Apprentice' was a different kind of zombie and just strange, but not bad; have to like the ironic end. The last story ' First Date' was enjoyable because the protagonist was - she dismissed her blind dates favorite horror flick being Hostel because she said it's torture porn, not horror ( I agree completely, hate that movie) and also disses on Zombie's remake of Halloween. There's a fun story in here although the two love birds getting it on the middle of the tension will silly - although this book is supposed to be.

Overall a few great stories, some good ones, but several disappoint. I doubt zombie fans will all dig this anthology as it's not the typical type of story, but those who like morbid humor will.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ZOMBIE ROMANCE?

Yes.
Zombie Romance!

It was really good. I thought. Not your grandma/auntie kind of romance books. That's for sure.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Disclosure: I have a story in this book.

I like themed anthologies. It's partially because I'm a fan of short stories in general. Even more than that, I like to see how different authors can take a basic idea and do all sorts of fun and unexpected things with it.

On that front, Hungry for Your Love fits the bill. This is an e-anthology published by Ravenous Romance that starts with a twist: Forget vampires - what about zombie romance?

The twenty one (well over 300 pages!) of stories capture a huge range of zombie-related stories. Some are sweetly romantic. Some are revenge stories. Some talk about lost loves, or finding someone when the whole world is against you (whether you're a zombie or a human). Some take place in the midst of a zombie infection, some are after things have settled down again. There are occult zombies, superscience zombies, and infectious zombies.

If you're getting the idea that this anthology has something for most people - and definitely something for both lovers of horror and romance - you're on the right track. The stories encompass a huge range, with some of the stories nearly becoming erotica (so yes, it's not for the kiddies), while others are mostly horror with the romance being seen through holding another's hand. One made me kind of sad, and still others were simply funny enough to get me to laugh out loud.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but couldn't.

1) This collection was trying to be all things to all possible readers of this book. Make the romance readers happy! Make the horror readers happy! Make the urban fantasy readers happy! That much happiness got spread thin. I wish it had gone with "make romance readers happy" and left it at that.

2) Almost all of the stories were cheesy and bland, with a wink towards the reader. I felt like they were missing the potential in both the romance and horror genres. "Guy brings dead wife back from dead. The end." "Zombies are hot." "Killing zombies va va voom!"

I thought "Revenants Anonymous" by Francesca Lia Block was an exception, with characters I liked and a plot that meant something. Very nice.

There was only one "my lover turned into a zombie and I killed her because I loved her" story, and it wasn't too bad - First Love Never Dies by Jan Kozlowki.

The only one with the right use of wink was Julia Brainchild by Lois H. Gresh; otherwise I could have skipped the "humor."

3) From the introduction by Lori Perkins, this was intended to be a much better book: "The zombie mythos is the perfect metaphor for the end of an era, for a society beset with change it doesn't understand but knows is here." Yeah, no.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on my library's website while looking for another book. Honestly, I didn't even see the 'romance' aspect. I seriously doubt I'd have gotten it. It's kind of hard to imagine zombies in love. Or so I thought.
This review will be ongoing because of my memory and the fact that it's an anthology. So....

5 stars - Romance Ain't Dead by Jeremy Wagner - I'm happy that Lori Perkins started out strong because I'm not hesitant to give up on a book I don't enjoy anymore. This is a good, good story. I usually decide just how good by how badly I'd love to read an entire book based on the short story. That and if I'd go out of my way to read any of the authors others works. I'll probably answer that for each story and for this one the answer is yes - and yes. No complaints whatsoever beyond it being too short.

4.5 stars - Revenants Anonymous by Francesca Lia Block - I was leery of this one even though I've heard Block's name before. I liked this almost as much as Wagner's. I already planned to find a book of Block's and yes, I'd definitely read a full length book about Casey and Ed.

4.5 stars - I Heart Brains by Jamie Saare - I was nervous with this one upon starting too, for no reason. I ended up getting really into it and wanting more. I'd read the book and I wouldn't mind more by Saare either.

5 stars - Everyone I Love is Dead by Elizabeth Coldwell - Really, really good! I'd like to give a little about each story and not just my opinions but I don't have the time and it's probably been done. If you read anthologies and pick and choose the stories this is a don't-miss for sure. Yes, I'd love, love, love to read a whole book on these guys! And Coldwell is another author I'll now be looking for more by.

1 star - Through Death to Love by S.M. Cross - I didn't like this. It's only about 5 pages long, if that and I still skimmed some. I'm not sure why exactly but the story - the man and the woman, how they meet, the process of getting to know each other, I just had no interest.

1.5 stars - Eye of the Beholder by Stacey Graham - The humor didn't translate to me. I just couldn't force myself to get into it.

3 stars - First Love Never Dies by Jan Kozlowski - The writing isn't bad IMO but I didn't really feel any interest in Shana & Ryan. And even for a short story the ending was sudden.

2.5 stars - My Partner the Zombie by R.G. Hart - I didn't get into this and I was glad it was as short as it was. :(

3 stars - Undying Love by Regina Riley - I might read more. It won't come to mind as one of my favorite stories but it definitely wasn't one of the worst for me.

4 stars - Captive Hearts by Brian Keene - Whoa. As soon as I see the title my stomach turns. This is one of the more unforgettable stories in the book. It's incredibly short but memorable nonetheless. I think I'd read more... I'd have to be in a very precise mood to be able to handle it though. Mainstream horror fans should love...

3 stars - Apocalypse Foreplay by Gina McQueen - This was so-so for me. I wasn't too sure where the author was going when I read the title and while it did make sense it still didn't interest me as much as a few other stories.

3 stars - Julia Brainchild by Lois H. Gresh - All of the cooking terms got to me a page or two in. There's only so many things you can hear, changed to incorporate the word 'brain', without going crazy. It was taken a step too far IMO. The characters and story I liked, just not as a favorite. I think I'd read more, not sure.

3 stars - Kicking the Habit by Steven Saus - This was too short for me to be positive but I think there was more than meets the eye. I wish it'd have been even just a few pages longer. I'd read more and if I'm correct in my assumption I'd love reading more.

3 stars - Zombified - Isabel Roman - This was another so-so one for me. Just this side of so-so perhaps. I didn't find myself into the main characters like I'd have liked.

2 stars - White Night, Black Horse by Mercy Loomis - This wasn't for me although I'll bet it'll be a favorite of most of the readers. There's nothing wrong with the story, it's just purely personal. It simply didn't interest me.

3.5 stars - Inhuman Resources by Jeanine McAdam - I thought this would be mediocre when I started it but once I saw where the author was going I was able to get much more into it than I'd anticipated. I think I'd definitely read more.

3 stars - The Magician's Apprentice by Stacy Brown - I can't figure out how I feel about this. I kept imagining the Tony & Carla show signs on the strip since I live here now and I could see it. That made it that much more realistic-like for me. But it still couldn't be listed as a fav.

3.5 stars - Some New Blood by Vanessa Vaughn - I think was a little too short to get a real feel for. What I read I liked although I'd like to have gotten more info from what I read. I think I'd try reading more, there's potential for sure.

3.5 stars - Last Times at Ridgemont High by Kilt Kilpatrick - This is a lot like the previous story - not the actual story but how I felt towards it. I'd like to read a longer version to be sure and ill admit that I skimmed a time or two when the sports equipment tally seemed to go in too long but overall I did like it.

4 stars - First Date by Dana Fredsti - I'd definitely read a full length book around this story and/or by Fredsti. I liked the premise and the main character was relatable.

4 stars - Later by Michael Marshall Smith - I kind of knew the last few would be good.... This is yet another I'd be perfectly happy to read a longer, full length version of. I think out of all the stories this scared me most. It's easy to see something like this happening to the man or woman you love, and you being left behind. It makes it easier to relate to the husbands actions. (Not that I'd go digging my man up if he died before me... just saying.)

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow... This one was rough. It is a collection of short romance stories all involving zombies in some way. There were some stories I enjoyed, like Revenants Anonymous, Eye of the Beholder, Captive Hearts, Some New Blood and First Date. The rest ranged from "meh" to "oh wow that's bad!". This will count for POPSUGAR 2019 - a book with "love" in the title.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I didn't give this more stars, because I expected something more out of this awesome concept. Romance and zombies sounds like fun, sounds like one might want to get creative, let the imagination roam a bit, something...However, I feel like a lot of authors in this book just sorta offered up smut, smut with zombies. Kinda felt like a cheap cop out. Romance as such barely makes an appearance, oddly in male author written stories. Maybe it says something about women and genre fiction, maybe it's just this book.
Brian Keene, who never phones in, offers a great story. Ridgemont High story is kinda like Laymon-esque fun. The most romantic story, possibly the best story in the book, is the final one, Later by Michael Marshall Smith. Just a great heartbreaking story. All in all, unless you're into zombie smut or erotica, I'd recommend maybe checking it out from the library or a second hand copy over buying it brand new.

[Emily ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea what the hell I was getting into, and now I regret my curiosity.

I like porn. I like sex. I love the crazy, bat-shit type of sex that comes with aliens, shifters, vampires, BDSM (bloodplay, etc), and I adore the unusual. Zombies are just more pebbles to add to my towering mountain.

But this was just poorly written...I couldn't even say. Most of the stories were just "scenes" with little or no discernible plot (and if there were plots, they were discarded rapidement).

I disliked this...creation. This...somehow trite collection of mediocre mixed with "ok" stories.

Don't even get me started on The Eye of the Beholder. What kind of ending was that? The clichés nearly murdered me.

[Russ Crossley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. A wonderful group of stories that take the zombie myth in a whole new direction.

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have been a fan of zombies since I was a toddler and George Romero was the Zombie Making God. The recent rise in Zombie Romance stories caught me by surprise since I honestly never saw them as anything but amusing shamblers with a vicious appetite. Some of these authors have changed my mind, given the Zombie Mythos a twist that doesn't make the romance so completely wrong, but others just reinforced my opinion. Regardless I enjoyed this anthology quite a bit. My individual opinions on each story are below.

Romance Ain't Dead (Jeremy Wagner)

I feel it necessary to point out that while this story disturbed me on most levels, it was a sweet story none the less. Bruce, the narrator, loses his wife in a horrible boating accident, but thankfully his next door neighbor used to be a witch doctor and can bring Sherri back--at what price? Like I said, its a little creepy, but its all about love and Bruce maintains an attitude of 'This is probably nuts and deviant, but I love her and that's all that matters' throughout the entire story.

Revanants Anonymous (Francesca Lia Block)

Like any of Block's writing, it’s not a straight forward thing. This story is about Zombies, but it leaves you wondering if they were real zombies--died and came back in other words--or if they were products of a culture that strung you so high that you only ever feel depressing misery that you aren't as good as some other person. You have these expectations and then give up because it doesn't seem like it’s worth the effort. Block's stories are always thought-provoking and this one did not disappoint me at all.

I Heart Brains (Jaime Saare)



This was a quick, amusing and oddly romantic story. Woman loses her loser husband and donates the body. Guy dies and goes in search of a new body. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it collides to give them both a second chance at a better life.

Everyone I Lost is Dead (Elizabeth Coldwell)

Getting the one that got away, keeping the one you have and ending up with everything you ever wanted, not a bad way to end a story or a romance. It was a little different, certainly interesting and I admit even made me a little curious as to figure out how a 'mixed morality' relationship would work out anyhow. I kind of hope there might be more in the future about Millie, Mark and Brody's strange little threesome.

Through Death to Love (S.M. Cross)

A short sweet tale that is slightly more realistic when talking about something as unrealistic as a human-zombie relationship. I wanted to know more about the Zombie Wars and Zombie Peace mentioned, but I liked how Cross rationalized the main character's (she's not named as its from her third person limited narrative) reasons for accepting the zombie, Robert's, courtship. In the simplest form her anxieties over their possibilities are no different then a human/human relationship, except for the brains part of course.

Eye of the Beholder (Stacey Graham)

Who says you can't find love even dead? Graham gives a short recounting of how two luckless zombies learn the hard way that even losing an eye can be a good time. It was an amusing and quick read and endearing somehow.

First Love Never Dies (Jan Kozlowski)

Sad. This story was so sad I swear I felt my heart break at the end of it. Its mostly a twisted little story and the end is kind of a poetic justice if you squint hard enough, but honestly it was such a heart breaking thing. It did however have the classic flesh-eating zombies make an appearance, so that raised my perk level up.

My Partner the Zombie (R.G. Hart)

This was very much like the old noir detective novels that I grew up on. Roles were reversed--what with the busty babe being the gumshoe and the femme fatale being decidedly not femme--but overall it was a neat story. The zombie angle was a little dodgy, if it had been taken out and replaced with something else the story would have flowed the same I think and had the least amount of explanation for it of all the stories included.

Undying Love (Regina Riley)

New love, old love and a nasty old necromancer who deserves a special place down below make this story a little uneven at times. Or rather, Joshua was rather confusing at times. Flirting almost from the minute he starts talking to Deetra, he doesn't really stop even after we learned about his quest. The story ended on a hopeful sort of note though, and I wouldn't mind reading about the future endeavours of Deetra and Joshua.

Captive Hearts (Brian Keene)

I'm terrified of this story. Also, I do not suggest reading it if you just ate. Or painted your toenails. Or like the 'three little piggies' song. It’s likely to ruin your reading pleasure. This was a short story, one of the shorter ones in the book, and wasn't strictly romantic. Yes the woman involved was doing it all for her husband, sort of, but…just read the story and you'll see.

Apoclaypse as Foreplay (Gina McQueen)

Fast paced, funny and easy to read. I love this sort of anthology story. Pretty much our main character is having fun relating antidotes about the neighbors she's shooting, her love life and everything in between. If ever there is a Zombie Apocalypse, we should all be as well prepared!

Julia Brainchild (Lois Gresh)

This was a pretty neat twist on the fad of diets--are brains so rich in protein and lacking in fat? I'm not sure I want to find out first hand--and the whole courtship dance. The ending was kind of off-putting, but up to that point it was interesting and fun.

Kicking the Habit (Steven Saus)

Its light and sweet, kind of a fluffy antidote to Brian Keene's story honestly. It’s a little wistful, but has a hopeful ending. Or as hopeful as two zombies in love and fighting to keep from eating human brains can be at least.

Zombified (Isabel Roman)

Roman gets mad props for cramming so many pop culture references into this story I almost couldn't keep up. Everything from Freddy Kruger to Scooby-Doo gets it own little mention. Zombies are only present in the last third of the story, but they make up for it in numbers at least!

White Knight, Black Horse (Mercy Loomis)

Much of this story required me to look up unfamiliar terms to understand fully the difference between a 'zombie' and what Joseph was exactly. Its not mentioned, but voodoo is the name of the game in this tale. This is not really a zombie tale, so much as a cultural understanding of what a Voodoo zombie is vs. your Hollywood zombies. For instance if a Voodoo Zombie's ti bon age (soul) is taken by a bokor (sorcerer) then that person has to obey the commands no matter what and has no will, spark of who they were. It was a fascinating read.

Inhuman Resources (Jeanine McAdam)

For all of us who have nagging parents, played one too many zombie killing games and dread one day having to settle down to a 'real' job, McAdam has written a wonderful solution. I really enjoyed the parallel between the 'office drone' and a 'real zombie' that the characters discussed (at length) and found the short to be an entertaining read.

The Magician's Apprentice (Stacy Brown)

A kind of a quirky be careful what you wish for sort of romance that felt a little jumbled at times and rushed. With so few pages I wouldn't expect elaborate back stories, but I would liked to know more about Antonio at least since Ray and Carla are given quite a bit of personality.

Some New Blood (Vanessa Vaugh)

This story surprised me in many ways. At various points I wasn't certain if Vaugh was trying to make a metaphorical reference to people who's marriages and lives hit a dull, same old same old streak or if the couple really was a married, working, zombie couple. The ending sort of caught me off guard as well, but it really only made sense given that, hey it’s about zombies.

Last Times at Ridgemont High (Kilt Kilpatrick)

Jeremy kind of cracks me up honestly. He is a little bit dense, which is fine and all, but I found it really funny that he was busy inventorying the weapons they could use while the girl of his sex-filled dreams was coming on to him. I don't blame him, but it just struck me as funny since in Zombie films the hero always makes the mistake of thinking 'We have time!' and then Zombie City. It was refreshing to see someone who actually learned from all those movies.

First Date (Dana Fredsti)

Fredsti won me over as soon as the main character Angie named Dawn of the Dead as a true horror film--and denounced Hostel. And Angie kept her head, she didn't waste time bemoaning the fact the world was a zombie heap, she didn't let herself get distracted by the moans of a weakling, understands the situation and gets the job done. Definitely my kind of hero and yeah Angie wins for worst first date ever.

Later (Michael Marshall Smith)

This was a very sad, wistful love story. It wasn't flashy or filled with flesh-munching zombies, just a man and the love of his life and how much that love meant to him. It was a good way to end the anthology in my opinion.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this anthology and was delighted to find several authors to check out again sometime.

[FredTownWard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Zombie Romance Anthology EVER!

It will probably come as no surprise to learn that this is the ONLY zombie romance anthology ever.

Lori Perkins' Introduction is a must read explanation for how this seemingly insane project ever came to be; as you no doubt expected, some daring, even some "double dog daring" was involved. Suffice it to say that Ms. Perkins encountered some skepticism: "We posted the thesis on Facebook, and hundreds of readers said they couldn't imagine romance with rotting corpses."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

The only clanking comes from her attempts to justify people's fascination with vampires and (some) people's fascination with zombies in terms of recent sociopolitical and economic events.

Please.

Stick with mortal humanity's age old quest for immortality paired with the price that must be paid for it, and you'll be on firmer ground. We'd ALL love to live forever, depending on the price we'd have to pay for it, and we'd all expect (Someone) to have to pay a heavy price for it.

Jeremy Wagner's "Romance Ain't Dead" kicks off the lunacy with an old-fashioned (pre-Romero) tale about the kind of zombies your grandmother used to make,...

if your grandmother was from Haiti. Chicago North Shore resident Bruce loses the love of his life in a tragic Lake Michigan boating accident, but neighbor Doctor Wyclef Moliare, leading brain surgeon and Haitian immigrant, offers him an alternative. The result is surprisingly touching and sweet,...

in a stomach-churningly creepy way, and the romance anthology you swore could never be written is well and truly underway.

Francesca Lia Block's "Revenants Anonymous" arguably comes the closest to using zombism as a metaphor, in this case for giving up on life because of tragedy and "living" as if you were undead. A couple of Revenants Anonymous attendees find hope and laughter and love and maybe even life together.

In Jaime Saare's "I Heart Brains" the zombie virus is in full swing, and as always, Capitalism has risen to the challenge: Bodies For Your Brains is kind of like a Best Buy for the brain dead for those victims wealthy enough to afford it, and thanks to some fortunate investment decisions by his parents, Derrick Quinn, DOA this very morning, can afford it. However, the newly widowed and impoverished seller of the successful suicide has made an unusual stipulation: "She wants to meet the buyer." Is love really better the second time around, and does this really count as the second time around?

Elizabeth Coldwell's "Everyone I Love is Dead" explores the complications of mixed-mortality couples for the zombie-curious,... or is that triples?

S. M. Cross' "Through Death To Love" chronicles what happens when a speech therapist experiences a growing attraction to her zombie patient, "There are the mindless, shambling dead, and there are the thoughtful undead, men and women of heart and soul, certainly more human than not. Robert is definitely one of the latter."

Stacey Graham's "Eye of the Beholder" is a short, funny bit about "the worst first date in history" between a couple of the pulse-challenged.

Jan Kozlowski's "First Love Never Dies" is a grim tale about a couple of cops in a crooked town trying to take down the local power and alleged zombie pimp and also trying to rescue a lost high school love.

R. G. Hart's "My Partner the Zombie" is a film noir detective story parody with a couple of likable characters as the detectives somewhat wasted in a tale that is too silly and too short.

In Regina Riley's "Undying Love" a witch receives a visit from a very unusual zombie with a very unusual request. A couple of likable characters in an engrossing story that unfortunately comes to an abrupt end, I'd like to read the rest if she ever finishes it.

Brian Keene's "Captive Hearts" is a grim little tale of how the Zombie Apocalypse allows a woman to get a wickedly appropriate revenge on a well deserving slimeball.

Gina McQueen's "Apocalypse as Foreplay" is a hilariously grim little tale about a couple blowing away the all too familiar zombified residents of her home town as they try to make it home alive to meet her parents.

Lois H. Gresh's "Julia Brainchild" is a hysterically over the top parody about a couple of chefs fighting for control of a brain cooking TV show while they struggle with their growing lust for each other. Naturally, the "living challenged" get worked into the plot eventually.

Steven Saus' "Kicking the Habit" tells the story of a group of zombies traveling the country convincing others of their kind to give up eating human brains. It is also a sweet and poignant tale of lost love regained.... Seriously.

Isabel Roman's "Zombified" is the simple tale of a couple of strangers who co-inherit "a no-doubt ramshackle former plantation on Martinique". Of course the only thing they raise on the plantation now is....

Mercy Loomis' "White Night, Black Horse" is another gripping tale of more traditional zombies, and a worm finally turning.

Jeanine McAdam's "Inhuman Resources" reveals a truth we have long suspected: some of our coworkers don't just look and act like zombies; they actually ARE zombies. "They could be paper pushers counting their days until retirement or flesh-eating monsters looking for their next meal." Sometimes it's hard to tell.

Stacy Brown's "The Magician's Apprentice" is another satisfyingly zombified tale of true love finally found, worms turning, and how a famous magic trick is actually performed.

Vanessa Vaughn's "Some New Blood" is another zombie as a metaphor story. A couple whose marriage is dead in more ways than one, find a way to revitalize it.

Kilt Kilpatrick's "Last Times at Ridgemont High" is a sometimes grim, sometimes hilarious tale of the brain deadening routine of high school interrupted by the Zombie Apocalypse and every male high school student's fantasies come true.

Dana Fredsti's "First Date" is about a truly awful first date fortunately brought to an early conclusion by the Zombie Apocalypse. Fortunately? Yes, they were just that incompatible.

Finally Michael Marshall Smith's "Later" is another sweet and touching if unbearably creepy tale of love lost and regained.

Well, that's it. The romance anthology that you just knew couldn't be written, shouldn't be written, and wouldn't be written, has been written, and it wasn't half bad!

Note: The original Ravenous Romance edition is still available Hungry for Your Love: An Anthology of Zombie Romance.

Note: The zombie-curious might also be interested in the best zombie football novel ever: Play Dead.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never been happier to finish an anthology on anything in my life, partially because this book took me on such a whirlwind of emotional turns that I feel like I need to review it just to say that I survived it. *proudly attaches "I survived an Adult Zombie Romance book" button to her breast pocket.*

Although it was a bit of a struggle, I actually found a few of the stories here charming, probably more than I expected to, considering the thematic of this particular collection of stories.

Forewarning through. I could utter two words that could send you running far and away from this particular book, depending on how your sentiments run. Make you want to put it down and never return. You think I'm kidding? Fine, I'll tell you. Ready?

Zombie erotica.

Still here? Because if you are, you'll be happy to know I'm totally kidding! *nervously laughs*

Sort of.

There are a fair bit of erotic stories to be had in this collection, which is something I didn't expect jumping into it. I figured there would probably be love stories of varying degrees and insinuated smut - mostly between humans who were either facing the zombie apocalypse or would perish or spend some remembrance of a loved one in the aftermath of the zombie incoming.

What I didn't expect were the stories that featured zombie/human or zombie/zombie sex. And one particular domination story that made me cringe. If that wasn't freaky enough, some of the stories are short pieces that didn't develop any of the characters they showcased and made me feel like I'd been made brainless (pun fully intended). I wanted to scrub it clean with a toothbrush after reading some of these pieces because they were...painful. Either in their overt nature, in their oh-so-obvious humored (not so much) insinuations, or in their ability to not showcase anything interesting.

As tempted as I was to mark this my first ever DNF, I decided to continue with it. It paid off in some interesting ways, because if I hadn't plowed through several mediocre stories, I probably wouldn't have found the ones that piqued my interest. Instead of giving you a play-by-play of every short story - 21 total - featured in this set, I'm just going to give you a review of the ones that I thought were well-written, or those that caught my attention enough to warrant mention.

"Revanants Anonymous" by Francesca Lia Block - this story actually could've gone a lot of different interesting directions, but among the first five cringe inducing stories, this was the better one. Basically about a zombie reform group where a woman who isn't really a zombie listens in on zombies who need help coping through their newly found lives. There was a mention of one guy who says he's reformed and does yoga. Can you imagine a zombie doing downward dog and tree poses? :P No? Well, it made me laugh.

The story itself has said girl lusting after a particular zombie whose good at playing the blues and such. The romance felt tangible (if a bit forced in attraction), but then I wasn't expecting it to end the graphic way it ended. It felt tacked on and awkward.

First Love Never Dies by Jan Kozlowski - this story followed the troupe of "I had to kill my lover turned zombie". It actually wasn't too bad, despite some of the cheese lines, but I felt like it ended before it truly began. There weren't many scenes featuring the man and his lover, but at least it was better written than some of the stories that came before it.

My Partner the Zombie by R.G. Hart This was a really cool urban fantasy noir story, featuring, for the first time in the anthology at the point I read, characters that I actually cared about. The author describes the situation and character sentiments quite well. I wish it could've been even longer, because I'd totally read a zombie noir.

Undying Love by Regina Riley - Another of my favorites in the spectrum of the stories here - because the relationships depicted in this story felt most palpable, like things had changed for the characters and how they were coping with those changes.

Apocalypse as Foreplay by Gina McQueen - My favorite of the stories in the anthology. Two lovers kicking zombie butt and taking names as they're doing so. The humor in this is overt and unapologetic, and dare I say their relationship is, yes, sexy. It ends a little sooner than I wanted, but I wouldn't mind reading beyond the scope of this story if I could.

Kicking the Habit by Steven Saus Interesting concept for a story treating zombie feeding like an addiction. Particularly the taste of neurotransmitters piqued my interest, and the relationship between the couple felt plausible. I would've read more into this author's universe if he expanded upon it.

Inhuman Resources by Jeanine McAdam - I didn't expect this somewhat cute story of a secretary who gets stalked by a group of zombies and ends up with a zombie hunting boyfriend by the end. It had some interesting bits of humor, albeit its brevity.

and special honors go to Last Times at Ridgemont High by Kilt Kilpatrick because the narrator, Jeremy, is hilarious and gets himself into some rather precarious situations. It does evoke the same connotations of its obvious namesake reference, though in a zombie apocalyptic way. :)

Overall, there were moments I found I enjoyed in this anthology, but it was a one-time-read for me. It does make me want to look more into the authors whose stories I liked, but overall, I think the anthology could've offered, collectively, stronger material rather than the hit or miss structure it contained.

Overall score: 2/5

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair warning: a good deal of the stories in this collection were zombie erotica rather than zombie romance, some of which raised uncomfortable questions of exploitation of disabled partners (seriously, some of them felt very creepy, in a use-y, toxic relationship-y, power imbalance-y way [usually on the human partner's part], and not in a zombie-horror way). Several stories were typical romance fluff, a few were okay but underdeveloped because of their length, some had interesting ideas that didn't quite live up to their potential. None of them really stood out, though I confess I only get about halfway through before putting it down and moving on to other things.

[Teddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough zombie/human action for my personal taste :/ I expressed interest in kissing zombies, so my friend lent me this book, and I expected it to involve more hot zombie sex, but there are a lot of stories about two living people during a zombie apocalypse. I expected a little more imagination and unconventional stuff out of this book, and there is SOME of that, some very weird and interesting little tidbits. But not quite enough to make up for the deluge of stuff I've already read before. A lot of these short story authors did not quite understand the assignment, which is a shame bc I had hopes for this one. :(

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in this book because I like a good zombie read once in awhile just because I can. This collection is all over the place. There are a few stories I did enjoy but the majority of the book was boring, predictable, low budget porn scenes. I mean really, in the middle of your city being eaten by zombies are you going to stop and bang the cute waiter? Have wild sex with your teacher...on and on. I was bored most of the way through but tried to hang in there to finish it to make sure there wasn't some gem I needed to remember.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is approx 5 good stories in the whole anthology that are fantastic. The rest either needed more work shops or a better idea or it just lacked a purpose. Over all it was an okay of a book. There were a few that I wished the author to right that book. There is exactly 1 in there that was super disturbing...just one word grandma.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, hits and misses. And yes, this is an anthology of zombie romance stories.

[Maryjane Coons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most I liked alot.

[Susan Gottfried]

Let's review what a romance is:
HEA/HFN
The relationship is centered

It's not hard, even when discussing the undead.

[Maryjane Coons · Rating 4 out of 5]

a few stories I didn't care for. thought it would be more Erotic

[Jennifer Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. Really I did. I love zombies. I love erotica. And I've met the editor so I had high hopes but ultimately I was disappointed. Most of the stories read like bad Harlequin romances or like smutty sex and zombies were just thrown together to qualify for the anthology. Of course, whether or not someone likes a work of fiction is subjective and I realize that so keeping that in mind...

I personally found many of the female characters to be exactly the type of women I either hate or that simply annoy me and very often those characters were written by women. I think sometimes our gender does a very good job of perpetuating the stereotypes surrounding us.

There were a couple of standout stories, both written by men so I say to you women "I am disappoint". However, ultimately the stories are the choice of the editor. It's entirely possible she got some great stories written by women and simply rejected them. Who knows. I also freely admit that my two favorite stories were not erotic. I like to think this is a coincidence considering I adore erotica. I just found most of the erotic content in this anthology to be laughable. All sorts of popping hardening nipples, throbbing loins, and simultaneous orgasms. I guess maybe that's par for the course for the average Jill Schmoe erotica reader? Not sure. I've always preferred stuff a bit more realistic and in the case of this anthology something a bit more inventive than "It's the end of the world, let's fuck!" would have been nice.

Anyway, the two stories I favored were Captive Hearts by Brian Keene and Later by Michael Marshall Smith. Those two saved the anthology and made the whole thing worthwhile.

Captive Hearts held no punches but it was brutal to the heart just as much as it was to the senses. It was poignant, touching, and had a female lead I could relate to.

Later was also very touching. Sad and sweet and I think anyone who's ever lost a loved one will be moved by it.

Now before you think I'm completely serious and can't have any fun I'll also say that I really enjoyed Last Times At Ridgemont High by Kilt Kilpatrick. It was a nice sexy funny ode to high school that played wonderfully on taboo fantasies. This one doesn't fall into the 'cheesy' category because it's obvious the author was having fun with it instead of seriously trying to pass off the circumstances as entirely plausible.

I won't name the stories I didn't like but I will say most of them had the common theme of girl meets boy, they fall in love and/or stop, drop, and fuck, and zombies are in there somewhere. A concept that could have been a lot more innovative simply wasn't.

And someone please explain to me how rotting corpses get hard-ons?

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all anthologies, there's some great work and some sub-par work inside. In the case of Hungry For Your Love, the less-than-stellar stories are fewer and farther between than in most anthologies I have come across. That being said, I will review a few select pieces and advise the reader to just skip the first story completely.

"Revenants Anonymous" by Francesca Lia Block: The first great story in the book. It is one of the most highly reviewed, and deservedly so, with the sweet and tentatively hopeful tone of the characters.


"Everyone I Love Is Dead" by Elizabeth Coldwell: Overall, pretty good, although go hard or go home in this case. This anthology is expressly romance, not erotica, but why bother mentioning an alive!man-alive!lady-zombie!man threesome, (or zombie!man-alive!lady-zombie!man as the case may be), if you aren't going to just go full-on with it? Just go ahead and write it out. Fade to black is unnecessary.

"Through Death to Love" by S.M. Cross: Simply loved it. Absolutely charming- one of my favorites in the anthology. Physical rehab for zombies.

"First Date" by Dan Fredsti: Online dating at its absolute worst, and that's before the Zombie Apocalypse begins. A rather fun romp.

"Captive Hearts" by Brian Keene: If you're reading zombie romance, you should expect some form of gore. This story, however, is pure torture porn and revenge. You'll side with the lead, but it is not for the squeamish, it really doesn't fit into a romance anthology, zombie or otherwise.

"Last Times at Ridgemont High" by Kilt Kilpatrick: Another of the more highly reviewed stories. For me, it was very middle of the road. It reads exactly like a teenage boy's 1980s zombie apocalypse fantasy. Not really a compliment from me- but it is a matter of taste.

"Eye of the Beholder" by Stacey Graham: My favorite story! The romantic comedy of the anthology. All the hilarity of body parts decomposing as two young zombies meet in the city.


Minus a few stories, this anthology is a solid read. Worth picking up.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars, really.

I wanted to like this book more than I did because of my undying and complete love of zombies; but, I felt like some stories tried a little too hard for a cute plot and sacrificed decent writing. Many read like a ninth grader wrote them with unvaried sentence structure, bromidic and groan-inducing quips, and simple vocabulary (I realize that sentence probably sounds pretentious). Also, some stories were romance-in-the-time-of-zombies, others were still-love-someone-who's-dead, and some were flat-out disgusting zombie sex. Quite a few were erotica, which was a nice change from my usual reading.

I felt like I was reading Fifty Shades of Zombie or some zombie porn when I finished the story of the zombie-bitten man who knowingly has crazy-hot sex with his own great-grandmother ("Julia Brainchild"). Honestly, I began getting grossed out with zombies. Fortunately, I stuck with it and two stories, in particular, made the payoff worth it:

"Last Times at Ridgemont High" - a perfect description of a zombie apocalypse happening at a high school, complete with any teen boy's fantasy. I laughed out loud at the end and cheered for the main character. It's going to be a good apocalypse.

"First Date" - similar to Last Times but from a adult female perspective. Just fantastic. Again, the apocalypse isn't as bad as they say.

A few other stand-outs:

"Later" - saddest story in the world. I really felt this one

"Revenants Anonymous" - the dead do, indeed, love and lust

"Through Death to Love" - sweetest zombie story I've ever read

"Captive Hearts" - yes, I've included a Brian Keene story - King's "Misery" meets zombie

"Zombified" - actually scared me

"Some New Blood" - clever language usage in this one

Not a bad collection and certainly original. I was just hoping to be blown away.

[Guillermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories range from silly and cute to erotic and weird to are you kidding me? Because there are so many stories I'd have to review in order to get the full on idea, I'd like to just point out some of my favorites. And not review them. I do a horrible job at reviewing things like this. I'm complaining. Perhaps for filler.

Francesca Lia Block's (The Frenzy, Open Letter to Quiet Light) "Revenants Anonymous" introduces us to Casey, whose eye is set on Ed - both of which are revenants attempting to fight their natural urges of feasting on flesh by going to Revenants Anonymous meetings. At times, it's hard to tell whether these are zombies, or the aftermath of suicides. They're people attempting recreate a humanistic emotion, to feel - well - alive again.

In "Captive Hearts," Brian Keene (Dead Sea, A Gathering of Crows) thrusts us into a devoted marriage, in which the wife stands by her husband no matter the circumstances. Whereas, Stacey Graham gives us a insight to zombie love at first sight with her cutesy story, "Eye of the Beholder." Regina Riley's (Pistons and Pistols, Flirting With Death) "Undying Love," love stands the test of time, death and undeath - mixed in with some old fashion black magic.

I suppose if I had to choose the strangest - probably most disturbing - piece in the anthology, it would be "Julia Brainchild" - get the lame pun of a title? - by Lois H. Gresh (The Science of Supervillains, Eldritch Evolutions) in which an incestuous zombie relationship takes place on a live cooking show.

All in all, cute, depressing or disgusting, Hungry for Your Love is a must for fans of the undead.

[Rachel Carrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I liked this book. I think Lori Perkins did an excellent job choosing the stories. That said, there were a couple of stand out reads. I Heart Brains was really good; it was that type of story you'd like to see longer. I would have loved to have known more Derrick and Olivia's journey as a couple.

My Partner the Zombie was also another read I really liked. I wouldn't have minded if it had been longer, too. The story itself was uniquely creative. I mean, an organic zombie? Way to go, R.G. Hart.

First Date was really good, too. I liked that the heroine in the story wasn't a weak-kneed wallflower who cringed at the sight of zombies. She took control.

I won't go into the stories I didn't like because there wasn't anything structurally wrong with them. They just weren't my cup of tea.

The last story of the anthology, Later, in my opinion, was the weakest overall. A woman is dug up, and for no other reason, other than the fact that she's dead, she starts turning into a zombie. Not the kind that eats brains, but the kind you can live with and love. That one didn't make a lot of sense to me. There was no indication of how she became a zombie without being a zombie that would kill.

At any rate, I still give this anthology four stars because I think it's well worth it. First time I ever read zombie romance, and I really enjoyed the stories!

Kudos to Lori Perkins for this idea!

[Reetta Saine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arvostelussa ei ole käytetty yhtään hirsipuuhuumoria... hups. Zombiet ja rakkaustarinat eivät yleensä sovi samaan lauseeseen, joten novellikokoelma oli pakko hankkia jo ennakkotilauksena. Muistissa on kuitenkin Nummelinin toimittama Tuhansien zombien maa, jossa elävät kuolleet rakastivat ja surivat useammassakin tarinassa.



En tiedä, pitäisikö tätä kokoelmaa kutsua "monimuotoiseksi" vai "yhteismitattomaksi". Samaan kirjaan on ympätty niin maailman todennäköisesti ensimmäinen zombie-threesome, perinteinen voodoo-tarina, postkolonialistista kritiikkiä sisältävä kertomus, zombie noir-novelli (pettymys), apokalyptinen murhamässäily, parinvaihtozombeilu jne.



Teoksen runsaus korvaa jonkin verran sisällön heikoimpia osuuksia, joissa novellin perusidea ei kanna oikeastaan mihinkään ja loppukietaisut ovat säälittävän heikkoja. Yleistaso on kuitenkin kohtuullisen hyvä, joten voinemme turvallisin mieli jäädä odottelemaan maailman tuhoa. Rakkautta riittää senkin jälkeen.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was given to me as a Valentine's Day gift in 2014. I should've finished the last story on Valentine's of this year, but I just couldn't wait. I read this between reading other books. (As in, read a book, read a few stories from this while picking the next book to read, then read another book, read a few more stories from this, repeat process.) It was fun, and a little strange, and not all the stories were zombie love -- some were just normal people finding love during the zombie apocalypse.. but close enough, right? I'm giving it 4* just b/c I enjoyed the break it gave me between books to have a little romp with the undead. It's just campy zombie fun (in a mostly RomZomCom kinda way). If you like that, then you'll like this. If not, then you have been warned. 4*

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Hungry for Your Love: An Anthology of Zombie Romance" wasn't really my cup of tea. I usually like my zed novels with more action and less romance. There were a few stories that were outstanding and are why I gave it a 3/5 instead of a 1/5. Regina Riley's 'Undying Love' was my favorite story. I am a fan of Urban Fantasy and Ms. Riley left me wanting more. I enjoyed Brian Keene's 'Captive Hearts. Nothing like a little fun revenge with a side of zombies. And the haunting 'Later' by Michael Marshall Smith was a perfect way to end the collection.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting and sometimes disturbing collection of zombie tales. Some stories were interesting, some were downright moronic (Coldwell, I'm looking at you), and hidden in between were gems that made me want to know more.
Overall, I liked it. But it fell into the same trap that most anthologies do...it let a few train wrecks in to fill the pages, and ended up bringing the enjoyment down a few notches.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of stories involving zombies and romance. Some stories are actually zombies and love, while others are survivors of a zombie apocalypse dealing with romance. As is typical of all anthologies, some stories are really cute, some okay and some somewhat forgettable. Be prepared for some eroticism in some of the stories. Some of my favorite stories were: Romance Ain't Dead; First Love Never Dies; Undying Love; Apocalypse as Foreplay; and Kicking The Habit.