nichtszusagen

• **** "Winter Born" by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
  I have to laugh at the negative reviews on Amazon for this first story--those who have read Kenyon's Dark Hunters series complain that it introduces were-panthers to the series; and those who haven't read the series complain that it's too much a part of the series to stand alone.
  
  Basically, male were-panthers are bound for life when they meet their mate, but female were-panthers aren't. So when Dante meets Pandora, that's it for him, but not for her. And she's in heat, and they're at a convention where there are other possible mates around.
  
  Adding to the problem is that the pack Pandora escaped from (something to do with her being born in winter--hence the title) is trying to recapture her.
  
  This story was about par for my experiences with Kenyon's work--I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.
  
  
• ***½ "Born of the Night" by Amanda Ashley.
  This is a medieval werewolf revenge story. Lady Shanara and Lord Reyes's families are bitter enemies: Shanara's father killed Reyes's father and wears his pelt (he was a werewolf, as is his son). So Lord Reyes takes lady Shanara hostage, and to further punish his enemy, he's going to marry her.
  
  I'm not a big fan of revenge marriage stories--seems like you'd be hurting yourself a lot more than your enemy. And I'm not a big fan of stories about paranormal creatures who bemoan their fate--in this case, they're cursed with being werewolves. I don't think it's simply because I'm used to vamps and wolves who like being what they are (Spike!), though that probably has a little to do with it. Mostly, I think it's because I'm definitely a make-the-best-of-what-you've-got kind of person.
  
  So taking that into account, this was a nice, well-written story, just not my cup of tea.
  
  
• ***** "Make it Last Forever" by L. A. Banks.
  Wow. I loved this one, but a surprising number of reviewers on Amazon absolutely loathed it, most of them citing the fact that it started out in 1979. Um. Yeah. I loathe several books because the hero wears a blue shirt. It makes as much sense. What was wrong with 1979? I admit I have a soft spot for the year--it's when I graduated high school. Anyway. The story.
  
  What surprises me is that it's part of a series, but I haven't read the series. In fact, I've only read one other story by L. A. Banks, and I didn't really like it.
  
  
• ****½ "Red Moon Rising" by Lori Handeland.
  The last story is about a writer, Maya, living in an isolated cabin while she's battling writer's block. She has bigger problems, though--she's being stalked by a skinwalker.
  
  Enter Clay, a Jager-Sucher--that is, a werewolf hunter, who's there to protect her, but (of course--this is a romance, after all) their attraction to each other gets in the way.
  
  I'm guessing this is part of a series as well, and one I think I'd like to read more of. The touches of humor in this story set it apart for me.
  
  

Labels: 3.5 stars, 4 stars, 4.5 stars, 5 stars, books, ParanormalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 9/06/2009 12:13:00 PM