Midnight Pleasures by Amanda Ashley, Maggie Shayne, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Ronda Thompson
Paperback, 384 pages
2003, St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 0312987625
Synopsis
Handsome and sensual, surrounded by an aura of danger, mystery, and the forbidden, a lover steps from the shadows. But is he mortal? Or is he an ancient god, a sorcerer, or a mythical beast who can possess a woman's heart...and her very soul?
Four of romance's most popular authors have created this spellbinding collection of stores filled with dark passion and desire. Under the cover of darkness, their heroes inhabit worlds haunted by ageless hungers and deadly forces stronger than any seen by day...and vanquished only by the power of love.
Now travel into realms where dazzling wonders roam the night, where magic replaces reason, and where a kiss unleashes a raging fire in the blood. And here, if you dare, discover the seduction that begins at the bewitching hour when a man and woman partake in...Midnight Pleasures.
Review
Midnight Pleasures is a paranormal romance collection containing four short stories. None of the stories stood out in this book. All had different elements, but ultimately all were less than spectacular. The major problem is that everything felt kind of cliched and all of the stories were forgettable. None were truly bad, but a short story should, in essence, be all punch, all passion, all intrigue, all whatever the point of the story is, and none of the stories had that excitement or tension a reader would be looking for in a collection like this.
Darkfest by Amanda Ashley is about a woman living with a prince in his castle for a year in order to save her mother's life. It was like a sexy Beauty and the Beast with Beauty being blind and the Beast being a wizard.
Phantom Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon is part of her Dark-Hunter series. I haven't read the series, so I'm unable to compare. The story was about a woman being terrorized by beasts in her dreams. A man saves her. Reminded me of a paranormal romance version of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Under Her Spell by Maggie Shayne has a interesting premise. A real witch is a consultant on a television show in order to make it realistic. She's a "good" witch but finds herself falling for a man playing with darker powers. More Wiccan rulebook than witchy fun.
A Wulf's Curse by Ronda Thompson is from her Wild Wulfs of London series, about a woman fleeing from an arranged marriage by pretty much running away and joining the circus. The Beast Master, Sterling Wulf, she meets at the circus is cursed and her love seems to make it worse. Another strange take on Beauty and the Beast.
The stories were decent, nothing more than average, really. I would probably recommend skipping this anthology unless you're a huge fan of Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series or Thompson's Wild Wulfs of London series.
Rating
Links
Amanda Ashley's website
I thought they were all "Ok". I really didn't like the S. Kenyon one (though I love that series) because it was too rushed. However, I say that and I always feel like short stories are too rushed LOL
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