Accidental dupliacte.

Thanks so much for sending me this through BookMooch.com!

BE WARNED: Four of today's most popular authors push passion and intrigue to the limit.
Fans wait with bated breath for their new novels. Now, Christine Feehan, Katherine Sutcliffe, Fiona Brand, and Eileen Wilks give them a taste of what they've asked for in four stories of the most daring kind of love...

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Magic in the Wind by Christine Feehan
The first few chapters of MItW started off well enough, the author captured the coastal town atmosphere perfectly, however, after that it got a little, okay at times a lot, cheesy and eye-roll-inducing. Romances don't have to be that sticky-sweet. What was different and interesting is that the narration was mainly told through the male lead instead of the female; there's not too much of that in romances. The only downfall to the story being told this way was Damon waxing poetic about Sarah the Mysterious, Sarah the Magical, Sarah the Magnificent, Sarah, She Who Walks on Water - seriously, what a Mary-Sue. I'm surprised people didn't address her as Saint Sarah. Everyone in town follows her "advice" (basically she tells them what to do in a roundabout way and they listen), seeks her out to magically fix all their problems, act like she's a goddess, combined, this all made it ten times worse. They just follow her like brainless zombies and never get upset at her poking her nose in their business (not that they all don't do the same in everybody else's). Even though all of that was nauseating, she wasn't the worst Mary-Sue I've run across (Why o' why are there so many of them? Is there a writer's manual on how to write a paragon so that everything they touch, everywhere they go, everyone they meet, they're held up as a supreme being? I wish I was perfect too. :P) and she had magic, so that makes it all the more unfair. Although, who is Sarah besides the saint of this small coastal town? I have no clue, she was never made real, I actually envisioned a golden aura around her like she's some sort of angelic being or something, which is at total odds with her tough defender super hero side. Some girls have all the luck. She has magic, she's as kind as can be, she's perfect in every way (except she's not conventionally beautiful or something, the description was kind of unclear), so of course everyone loves her, she's peaceful and she gets to kick a** like she's Buffy? No freaking way. Where can I sign up?

Another annoyance was "painfully shy" Hannah, one of Sarah's six sisters. Hannah is apparently a model who travels the world, is on magazines, goes on talk shows, etc., even though she is painfully shy. Hey, I can believe someone famous has trouble like that, my problem comes from her "condition" being described as "painfully shy" all the time. It is mentioned in that exact same way, it's never really shy, very shy, extremely shy, or even just plain old shy, no it has to be "painfully shy." In truth, it was only said three times (that I noticed), but in a story that is only around ninety pages, it really sticks out, especially since it was awkwardly brought into the plot. I have a hard time believing this is only shyness, try social phobia or at the very least, some anxiety disorder. Why hasn't she had psychological care? The only remedies mentioned are magical spells and whatnot. While I'm on the subject of Hannah, of whom I know more about personality-wise than Sarah, I might as well mention the jeering and taunting between Jona, the town sheriff, and herself. These interactions are so over-the-top and obvious; we all know where this is going to lead in a future book. And not one of the sisters or Damon notices what is right in front of them. How can they be so imperceptive? What are they, seven? Although I have to admit I'd hate to be called "Baby" or "Barbie" doll too, but then again, I don't look like a Victoria's Secret model, Hannah does.

As for the plot, it was barely there, more time was spent on introducing the sisters, their legacy, characters that went nowhere, and having Sarah sit on a pedestal. Damon would have been more interesting if this had been made into a full-length book - I like the idea of a scientist being confronted with magic - but there just wasn't enough there for a cohesive story. I usually don't write much about short stories but had a lot to say about this one. Obviously. I'm interested in the sisters' stories, I try not to judge authors solely based on a short story, so I will check them out, especially Hannah's. As someone who's been "painfully shy" (couldn't resist) her whole life, my interest has been piqued to see how the author develops Hannah and her shyness in that installment of the series.

I was thinking of giving this an average rating but after writing my review and thinking back on the story, it's just not that good.
2/5 stars

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Hot August Moon by Katherine Sutcliffe

The plot was awesome! I love the serial killer angle (I would ;P) and really liked how the author wrote, so I am definitely going to check out Bad Moon Rising to read more about the French Quarter Killer. On the other hand, the romance, if you can even call it that, got in the way and annoyed me whenever it interfered with the rest of the story; it was like a bug flying around your face. I know this is a romance anthology but this plot was too good to include a romance that wasn't, not to mention I hated Jerry; Anna was generally fine but he irritated me. I quite liked the ending of this story because of its nature and where it goes, or doesn't go as the case may be. This isn't your typical romance, which made its inclusion in this book rather odd, but I think it's necessary to shake things up every so often.
3.5/5

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After Midnight by Fiona Brand
More of a lust story than a love story, it was well-written except for the suspense angle, which was weak and felt like it was added in as an afterthought. I didn't really like the two leads that well, they were just okay, but they made me sympathize more with Jane's dead husband, Patrick, than with either of them. In the end I didn't buy their love, I only saw attraction between the two. The sex scene (or repeated sexual acts, which I'm not even sure is possible, but whatever.) had a few phrases that struck me as odd, which might not bother anyone else but felt I should mention them anyway. The New Zealand setting was a nice change of pace but it really didn't feature much in the story. So overall, it's not bad but it's not great either.
3/5

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Only Human by Eileen Wilks

Starting this story, I felt a sense of deja vu, so that made me wonder if this was the basis of the first book of the World of the Lupi series. By the end of the second chapter, I knew it was, but since it's been a while since I read it, thought I'd give it a go anyway. When I read the first book in the series, I never really connected with it so never picked up the sequel; this time around I did connect with the world more and most likely will give the series another try. According to Eileen Wilks' website, the full-length book "covers very different territory" than the short story, so I'm wondering what the differences are.

I was more interested in the first part of story and the introduction of this paranormal world was very well-done and believable. The characters are well-drawn and they're interesting; I like the fact that they have imperfections, characters need those to be relatable. The plot was good and well-paced, but would have been better had the romance not been so forced. And Worf, how can you not like a mongrel of a dog who's afraid of cats and doesn't like stairs? How adorable. All in all, an fairly enjoyable story.
3.5/5 stars