Bitten by Books (USA: WA) (2007/11/18): No Rest for the Witches - MaryJanice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray and Christine Warren "From broomsticks to black magic, leather-clad warriors to love potions gone wrong, here you'll find four stories of supernatural sex and suspense from some of today's hottest bestselling authors." Admittedly, I originally picked this charming book up for the MaryJanice Davidson story "The Majicka". It was a great surprise to come away from this read with an additional three authors to seek out and devour! The anthology starts out with Ireland Shea starring in "The Majicka". For a girl who tries hard to live a "normal" life, she ends up surround by a wide variety of characters of the supernatural persuasion as her inner circle of friends. Each turn of the page brings new twists to her increasingly paranormal life and to this fast paced and uproariously funny story. If you love other MaryJanice Davidson works for their acerbic wit and good humor (with a splash of steamy magical love) then you are sure to be pleased with this selection. In "Voodoo Moon," Lori Handeland pens another thriller resplendent with a tough FBI agent, murder, voodoo dolls and no small amount of magic. Special agent Duran thinks she's embarking on yet another routine serial killer case - cut and dried. Not so much. What she encounters in the backwoods of Louisiana is enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Faced with the power of belief in the unknown or cold hard data to apprehend this killer, she faces one of the most evil creatures you can conceive of and the opportunity of a lifetime. Of course, no story from this author would be complete without a little steamy sex and a completely unforeseen twist at the end. Lori Handeland does not disappoint! Who knew that San Francisco was home to resident evil Gods, sexy leather-clad Celtic warriors, witches and the ultimate struggle between good and evil? Why author Cheyene McCray of course! Ms. McCray brings just the right balance of fantasy realms coupled with real life places in her mini masterpiece, "Breath of Magic". A little slap and tickle, save the world from destruction - all of that and a bar of chocolate too. Few authors have the power to make me actually laugh out loud. Christine Warren in her savvy "Any Witch Way She Can" did just that. What happens when a non-magically inclined thirty-something, desperate for love Randy Berry, decides to make the man of her dreams appear with her own special brand of magic? Her own special blend of backfire that's what. Hot and heavy mind blowing sexual seduction (in 45 minutes or less) has Randy on edge (of love that is) and her shape shifter grandmother in full disapproval mode (in 5 minutes or less). Complete with time warp, this little ditty is sure to have you splitting your seams just like me. All four of these stories are well written, fast paced, humorous and easy to read.
Suzanne (Canada) (2008/05/02): Loved it, loved it, loved it. All great stories that are well written and lough-out loud funny!
Jaxon (USA: MI) (2008/12/04): No Rest for the Witches brings together some of the hottest names in paranormal romances: * MaryJanice Davidson, author of the Queen Betsy series (Undead and Unwed) * Lori Handeland, author of the Nightcreatures series (Blue Moon) * Cheyenne McCray, author of the Magic series (Forbidden Magic) * Christine Warren, author of The Others series (Wolf At the Door) The Majicka by MaryJanice Davidson Honestly, I don’t know what it is, but I really didn’t like this story. I’m usually a fan of Davidson’s work, but for some reason, this one couldn’t keep my attention. Not only was the plot thin, but the entire story was a chaotic mess. It almost seemed like Davidson wanted to use these characters and have them interact in some fashion, but couldn’t figure out a way to make it work. Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland This novella was a really easy read. The plot flowed and we learned enough about the characters to understand their motivation. I will say that it didn’t keep my attention all that well, but it did keep me interested in reading it, which is more than I could say for The Majicka. Breath of Magic by Cheyenne McCray I’m a fan of McCray’s and this novella just reinforces that. Probably the best story of the anthology, we’re given another story involving characters from her Magic series. If you haven’t read the series, then you might get a little confused as to the story arc, but the rest of the story is great. I’ve only read the first two novels in the series, so the revelation that I’m missing something was obvious by Darkwolf’s presence. However, even if you haven’t read the series, the story is good all on its own. Any Witch Way She Can by Christine Warren Another hit for this anthology. Christine Warren’s story features more of her Others characters and was a fascinating tale that really didn’t rely on a person reading her series. While the characters were familiar, I never felt like I was out of the loop and was easily intrigued with the plot. This was definitely a story that kept my attention throughout the entire novella and it reminded me that I really need to get the next Others novel. Overall, this anthology started off a little slow and clumsy, but by the end, it managed to pull it all together. The Davidson story wasn’t that great, in fact I can’t really remember anything except for the fairy, werewolf, and vampire; the Handeland story was good, but not really memorable in my opinion; the McCray story was great; and the Warren story was fantastic. If you’re unsure about it, I would probably find it at the library.
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