Bite - Book Review

Bite by Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight and Vickie Taylor

What is it about:
The aptly titled Bite is a collection of five vampiric tales of supernatural seduction

I'll tackle them all one by one:

Hamilton's "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death" is set in time between the novels Blue Moon and Obsidian Butterfly. Vampire hunter Anita Blake, just beginning to come to grips with her recent metaphysical connection with master vampire Jean-Claude, takes a highly unusual case. A runaway teenager with bone cancer wants to become a vampire; but in order for her to change, another vampire must in essence murder a child. Blake agrees to find the rogue bloodsucker and pass judgment as only she knows how.

What did I think of it:
I wasn't impressed with this story. It's just a long conversation between two people. To do Hamilton justice I still decided to read the first book in her Anita Blake series after reading this story and I must say: Hamilton is not a writer for me.


In "One Word Answer" by Harris, everyone's favorite waitress, Sookie Stackhouse, learns that her only cousin has been murdered by one of the undead -- and the vampire Queen of Louisiana has sent her condolences in the form of an unusual gift.

What did I think of it:
I liked this story. It's simple, but clever. I do wonder however if people not familiar with the Sookie Stackhouse series would understand anything about this story.


Davidson's "Biting in Plain Sight" revisits her Undead universe with a touching love story about a benevolent vampire and her human suitor and the tragedy that brings them together.

What did I think of it:
A fun story with cool characters. A good balance between romance and action. I liked this story so much that I decided to give the Undead series a chance and I'm glad I did as it's a great series.


Knight's "Galahad" looks at Arthurian legend with a decided twist -- the knights of the Round Table are actually warrior vampires!

What did I think of it:
This is Voodoo Bride's favourite story. It's got sizzling hot romance and even a decent action storyline as well. The setting is intriguing and original. I've put Knight's books on my wishlist and intend to explore them in the future.


In Taylor's "Blood Lust," a researcher whose groundbreaking formula for synthetic blood was stolen by a maniacal vampire takes vengeance by becoming one of the undead!

What did I think of it:
I didn't much care for this story. The writing didn't appeal to me and the story just couldn't grab my attention.


So, all in all I liked 3 out of 5, not a bad score.

Why should you read this anthology:
It's a perfect way to try out new-to-you authors!

Burning Up - Book Review

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Burning Up by Nalini Singh, Angela Knight, Virginia Kantra, and Meljean Brook

What is it about:
Nalini Singh returns to the world of her Psy-Changeling series as a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector-and lover.

Angela Knight pairs a vampire warrior and his seductive captor in a battle against demonic predators.

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in her story of a wounded soldier rescued by an enigmatic young woman.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series about a woman who strikes a provocative-and terrifying-bargain for freedom.


What did I think of it:
You'll find my review of the story Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook here

As I said in my review of Brook's story, this anthology is about hot paranormal romance, so all of the stories have romance as the main storyline, one doing a better job at it than the other. I'll give a short overview of my thoughts about each story.

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh
I really liked this one. It was well written, had cool secondary characters and the romance and action had a nice balance for a short story like this. I will certainly check out other books in this series.

Blood and Roses by Angela Knight
This story was ok, but could have been better. The romance was more smut than romance and felt very rushed and unnatural. I liked the world building for as far as it was shown, but didn't care much for the story.

Shifting Sea by Virginia Kantra
My least favourite of the stories in this anthology. It was too much romance, too little other storylines in my opinion. I also thought the characters lacked originality and there was little depth to the story.

All in all, a decent anthology with Here There Be Monsters being my absolute favourite, but taken my love for Steampunk and pirates into account that doesn't come as a big surprise.

Why should you read it:
Lovers of paranormal romance will love this anthology

* I won this book at vvB32 Reads