Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5
This turned out to be a delightful anthology. They are so hit or miss but this one worked for me. All of the stories were interesting, different enough from one another so not to blend into each other and were quite creative. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another anthology with these authors.
Chaos in Death by J.D. Robb
Oh I love me some Roarke! The In Death series is hands down one of my favorites but this little taste seemed a bit off to me. I know to expect a bit of a paranormal twist on her novellas and that doesn't bother me. I actually love them because of Eve's reactions to anything not quite normal. It's so fun to watch her having to deal with the impossible especially when Roarke and others are willing to accept the idea so easily. So I'm not sure why exactly I wasn't loving this one as much as others. By the end, though, I was pretty into the story and the crazed green skinned monster that was murdering people connected to a drug rehab company. Was pretty impressive that in less than 100 pages Robb managed to mention or include nearly every ongoing character. I think only 2 were left out. The murders were vicious and managed to give me a shudder or two. Glad I hadn't just eaten before one of the scenes. Yick. Was kept guessing until nearly the end on who the killer was and how it was happening. As always I loved the scenes with just Roarke and Eve. I would have loved a bit more Roarke but the bits with him were wonderful.
Her Greatest Treasure by Mary Blayney
I'll definitely be reading more of Blayney. This was an enjoyable read with a nice magical twist that wasn't too overpowering. Lydia is kidnapped on the way to visit her sister in law by someone who wants her "greatest treasure". While escaping she runs right into Chase who happened to be on the streets and decides he needs to help keep her safe and figure out who is after her. I liked that Chase wasn't too pushy with Lydia (other than on protecting her) and let her ease into a relationship with him. I also enjoyed the secrets both were hiding from society about who they really were. The two were just perfect for each other.
Dear One by Patricia Gaffney
This one was pretty cute. Molly, a phone psychic makes friends with an elderly lonely caller and is forced to deal with his grandson Oliver when he finds out about the calls and wants them to end. Leading to multiple identities and aliases to cover ongoing friendships/relationships. I really liked Molly. She's a sweet girl with a good heart who is down on her luck. And yet she keeps on going and does what she has to do to try and get her life on track. You just want to reach out and give her a big hug. There were some funny scenes that had me laughing and some that were just ridiculous but had me laughing still. The ending when all was revealed was entertaining and for some reason I kept thinking of I Love Lucy. It had that kind of goofy feel to it.
The Unforgiven by Ruth Ryan Langan
This was one of my favorite in the anthology. I enjoyed Langan's easy writing style and the characters she created. Brianna has moved to Scotland after a terrible betrayal to hopefully fix up a Scottish manner she's inherited only to be faced with Jaime, an incredibly pissed off 400 year old ghost who haunts the estate and wants her gone. No one's ever been strong enough to stand up to Jaime until Brianna who is determined to hold her ground. Both dealing with past hurt and betrayal they finally find a bit of peace with one another. I liked them together and was surprised by the ending. I'm still not quite sure if it broke my heart a little or not. Definitely left me with some tears and a "well, huh." feeling. Was a great read though and I look forward to reading more by Langan.
His Brother's Keeper by Mary Kay McComas
Ivy Bonner is a children's book writer who thinks she is losing her mind and retreats to a cliff side house for some peace and relaxation. This was the hardest of the anthology for me to read. I've never read McComas so I'm not sure if this is her typical writing style or was used just for this novella. If the latter she did a brilliant job of making me feel like I was losing my mind right along with Ivy. I felt scattered and slightly confused/manic the whole time I was reading. If the former. Well, I won't be reading any more from McComas. That's not because I didn't enjoy the actual story line but the writing was just uncomfortable and I had to keep going back and rereading parts trying to make sense. The actual story of a ghost trying to help ease his brother's guilt over his death by using the dreams of someone else was clever and McComas did have me laughing on more than one occasion. I'm going to give her another try but it's not high on my list as of now.
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interesting blurbs thanks
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