Pearl's World of Romance - Reviews with a Passion: Anthology

March 17, 2009

Anthology - Immortals: The Reckoning

5:22 PM |

WOLF HUNT BY JENNIFER ASHLEY

Back Cover Copy:
Werewolf Logan defies his entire pack and everything he’s ever known to protect a demon woman. He must race to save the beautiful demon Nadia from his own pack.

Logan Wright's former Pack Leader, Matt Lewis, has a score to settle with him and blackmails Nadia into setting a trap for Logan. Matt and Logan have a history together and Matt is the reason Logan left his Pack, even though he was a respected and feared Pack Master. Now Nadia is put in the middle because of her connection to Logan, she doesn't want to betray Logan but the life of a loved one is at stake.

Logan was one of the secondary characters I hoped would get his own story, after reading THE REDEEMING. He is loyal, gentlemanlike but a true werewolf at the core.
Nadia also was a secondary character in Tain's book but a minor one. I was nicely surprised to see her paired up with Logan. She is brave and has a snappy sense of humor.

I loved the chemistry and dialogues between Logan and Nadia. They were representing the humor I like so much in Ashley's books. Along the way there was lots of information on werewolves, their pack law and rules. Of course Tain and Samantha made a small appearance but the story is focused mainly on Nadia and Logan and the plot, which was well executed. I did miss Amber and Adrian though.

This was a great novella and has the quality that's to be expected from Jennifer Ashley. It was complete, well rounded, a short but very satisfying nonetheless. The plot is excellent, it's mysterious, suspenseful, humorous and filled with different little storylines and angles that ultimately all link together. Not being too short but not too long either, it was enough to tell the story of Logan and Nadia and a perfect closure to the Jennifer Ashley installments in the Immortals series.

Quote:
Except now she'd kissed that mouth, felt his lips respond to hers, tasted his life essence. The magic of him has singed her primal core, tightening her body and making her crave more.

4 stars
1,5 flames

BLOOD DEBT BY JOY NASH

Back Cover Copy:
Jackson Cabot's bright future went dark in 1896 Paris, when he died and was turned vampire. After three decades of slavery in the service of Europe's brutal vampire master, Jackson discovered a secret that has allowed him to hoard power. Now, at last, his strength approaches that of his rival, and he exists solely to take vengeance on the two beings responsible for his eternal nightmare: the monster that turned him vampire -- and the beautiful Sidhe muse who killed him.

Because of Leanna's unreasonable and unjust fear of love Jackson Cabot was turned vampire and enslaved by Europe's vampire master, Armande Legrand. Jackson manages to escape Legrand and ever since he's has been plotting and planning revenge on Legrand. When by chance Jackson finds out Leanna is in the vicinity he decides to kill two birds with one stone and use Leanna to vanquish Legrand. But we all know what happens with the best-laid plans...

Leanna has come a long way since she was the evil love muse in THE AWAKENING. She has really grown up by suffering and has learned to be compassionate instead of self-absorbed. Her life has not been easy and everything has taken a toll on her: the abandonment by her Sidhe mother, the abuse by her human father and her imprisonment in Hell.
Jackson used to be a lighthearted and caring man. He was truly in love with Leanna when she used her powers on him and left him for dead, giving Legrand the opportunity to enslave him. Now more than a century later he has become a bitter and vengeful vampire with one goal and one goal only in his non-life: vengeance.
For a short story it had quite some secondary characters but they all fit in perfectly with the main characters and the plot. I enjoyed the glimpses of the two former main couples Kalen, Christine, Mac and Artemis.

This was an amazing story. The best of this anthology, one of the top stories in this whole series and by far the best by Joy Nash in this series. I never would have thought it after THE AWAKENING but this was truly a well written, compelling, intriguing and perfectly plotted story with the right amount of emotions, actions and hot love scenes. I loved the way the story between Leanna and Jackson was set up in the limited amount of pages Joy Nash had to work with. I really wonder what she could have done if she had a full-length book for this story. She mixed everything in the right way and delivered an excellent novella that is undoubtedly keeper material.

Quotes:
His mind blanked on a rush of white-hot lust. And red-hot anger. One hundred years might have passed but it would take much longer than a mere century to erase this particular redhead from his mind and his soul.

Seven decades of ruthless self-control, obliterated in one groan of ecstasy. Seven decades of hoarded power seeped through the rapidly widening cracks in the shield of death magic he’d constructed around his soul.

The wanting cut like a knife. It sliced at her soul, carving it into thousands upon thousands of yearning pieces. And more. It was as if Jackson had released every atom from her body, allowing them to float free, into the atmosphere. And then had recaptured and enslaved every particle of her being.

4,5 stars
2 flames

BEYOND THE MIST BY ROBIN T. POPP

Back Cover Copy:
Haunted by her past and reeling from her sister's murder, Jenna Renfield takes a cruise hoping to have a little fun – and escape the company of sexy, but obnoxious spirit walker, Dave Runningbear. Almost from the start, the cruise turns out not to be what she expected – prickles of death magic, ghostly wailing in the night and a creepy albino stalker. When Jenna realizes her life might be in danger, she’s more than happy that Dave followed her on board the cruise ship and turns to him for help, hoping they can both escape with their lives when the ship carries them "Beyond the Mist."

A deal struck between the goddess Sekhmet (Immortal Darius' mother) and the sea god Poseidon has now come back to bite Sekhmet in the behind. She thought to sacrifice her firstborn grandchild in order to keep Darius on Ravenscroft safe from earth's temptation (for more about this revert to THE DARKENING) because she never thought Darius would find love and have children. But he has and now Poseidon has come to collect on the deal. Out of desperation Sekhmet offers Poseidon a trade: Jenna Renfield, whom she knows through Mai and Nick, instead of her grandson.
Jenna Renfield has been going through the motions ever since she lost her sister to an evil genie (see THE HAUNTING) and lives with Nick, Mai and their roommate Dave. She's attracted to Dave but the parade of ladies passing through his bedroom is the reason she doesn't want anything to do with him. When an offer for a free cruise arrives, she grabs the opportunity to get away from Dave with both hands. But on this cruise nothing is as it seems and soon she's very glad Dave decided to come after her on it.

Jenna is a quiet young woman who has suffered many adversities in her life and every time she uses her magic it seems to get worse. So she has decided to go through life not using her magic ever again. She is intelligent and responsible. But after the loss of her sister she's also guilt-ridden and depressed. The only bright spots in her life at this moment are her roommates Mai, Nick and Dave. Even if Dave has a different woman in his room every night.
Dave is charming and flirtatious. He's what you would call a rake if this were a historical romance. He is interested in Jenna but since he thinks she won't give him the time of day, he continues with his amorous adventures. When Jenna received an invitation to a cruise he doesn't trust it and follows her on the cruise to protect her. His shape-shifting chameleon and spirit walker abilities sure come in handy when they end up in trouble.
Again an elaborate secondary cast fills the pages and like in Nash's story the two former main couples played their small part.

Since THE HAUNTING I was looking forward to Dave's story and I must say I'm glad it was included in this anthology but it kind of paled before the other two stories. This novella was kind of THE LITTLE MERMAID meets the LOVE BOAT, which on it's own wasn't a bad thing but compared to the other two novellas for me this was the lesser one. I missed intensity and where in the other novellas the stories were well rounded and compelling with this one it felt a bit rushed despite the great premise it held. Towards the end of the story it picked up a bit in intensity and plot so overall it ended on a satisfying note.

3,5 stars
1 flame

THE RECKONING

Sometimes there are books you read and you wish the secondary characters would get their own HEA too next to the main couples. The Immortals series consisted of these kind of books and I am very happy that the authors decides to team up an give the readers an anthology that provided to be both a delightful ending to the series as well as a great opportunity to give some beloved secondary characters their own stories.

Overall it was an anthology of solid quality, one with two excellent novellas and one that was good. They were three totally different paranormal stories with a bit less of the magical feeling the first four books in this series gave me but even so each story was unique and well-written and THE IMMORTALS is a series of which the books will stay on my keepers' shelf until they fall apart from old age.