Monday, October 8, 2007

Midnight Encounters Anthology by Crymsyn R. Hart, Sabrina Luna, Dahlia Rose, and Eliza Gayle

BOO! So, this is our official Halloween kick-off post? I suppose. :-) I did this review a while back, for PNR, and I've been anxiously awaiting to post it, here! It was an absolutely fantstic read, and I highly recommend it. Even if you can't get to it during the Halloween season, you can read it just about anytime of the year. Don't you just love books like that? They're specific to a season or holiday, but versatile enough to be read anytime. :-) So, check it out, I highly recommend it! :-)

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Midnight Encounters
Various Authors

Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
978-1-60313-037-0
Released: October 1
ebook and paperback formats
226 pages
Paranormal Romance

Violet and Silver: A Journey to Avalon by Crymsyn R. Hart
Celeste, a witch with her heritage running all the way back to Avalon, has done everything she can to be sure that no one finds her or find out what she is. Then, on Halloween, a night of the year when the veils between the worlds are the thinnest, she meets a man who is everything she could ever want, Tristan. But he’s half vampire and half Druid. Not to mention, he’s on the run too. Celeste feels as if she’s known Tristan forever, and on their first night together, they take part in the Great Marriage. Thus, finding out that they are each others soul mate, and together must fulfill a prophecy. Then, Tristan disappears, until a year later when Celeste finds him and saves his life, and he then only comes back to her each year after that on Halloween. But Shortly before the 3rd year of their meeting, Celeste is taken back to her childhood home by her sister. It’s a trap for both Celeste and Tristan, and the question remains: Will they be able to save each other ?
This is the first story in the Midnight Encounters Anthology. I liked how Hart didn’t dwell too much on what happened during the time Celeste and Tristan were apart. I kept wanting to read to find out what was happening between these two soul mates. It has heavy sex scenes as well as heavy sexual language, to warn those who might find that offensive.

Bad Moon Rising by Sabrina Luna
Megan McShaw is a wolf in her local pack, and one night, she gets a message over a police scanner that there’s a rogue wolf at the town bar. Megan goes and picks Derek up as he’s running down the street…naked. She then takes him to her father’s cabin in order to get him back in tip-top shape. Derek’s been a lone wolf for awhile, and Megan can sense that he’s searching for something OR someone. But now it’s up to Megan to get him accepted into the pack, while also trying to fight off his advances that may or may not be caused by “moon fever.”
Simply a great shifter romance. Luna leaves you cheering for Derek and Megan, both as a team and also lovers. There is strong sexual language, but the sex scenes themselves aren’t prolonged or too explicit. The ending however will leave you feeling satisfied, while also making the whole story worthwhile.

Scaredy Kat by Dahlia Rose
Kat feels like your average, or sometimes even less than average 25 year old woman. Her friends say she’s gorgeous, but she just doesn’t see it, and after all of her failed relationships, she REALLY doesn’t see it. So, after her friend’s Halloween party, at which her friends husband tries to set her up with an accountant, who is shall we say is BO-ring, Kat tries to summon forth her true love, through magic. After all, she reasons, that there’s no use in being a witch if you can’t help yourself out every once in awhile. But, her spell works in a way that she never coming, sending her and her true love into highly unusual circumstances.
This story had me laughing at points, and all in all, just enjoying the read.. Rose knows just what kind of characters to throw into the mix, to keep the reader entertained. The characters learn much from each other, and help each other a lot too. A couple of heavy sex scenes, and at times a tad bit explicit, as warning. However, I did find some of the ways that the dialogue flowed (at certain points) to be a little awkward. Scaredy Kat also has a fantastic ending.

Dirty Deeds by Eliza Gayle
Megan once traded her soul for the perfect body, any girl or woman would die for: blonde, skinny, beautiful, and her sex life is amazing. But now she’s employed in Hell…literally, and her boss is an ancient demon, as is she. And part of her job is description is taking the souls of those whom she beds, but she’s really not cut out for the job, and therefore has a hard time meeting her monthly quotas. Now, she has 5 days to meet one month’s quota, or she’s turned over to the gatekeeper of hell for her punishment. And she does okay, until Drake…who also happens to be a demon…You’ll just have to see where “eternity” takes her…
Three words: Sex Sex Sex. Despite the many, erotic sex scenes and some BDSM all thorough the entire story, it’s very well written, and there’s still a storyline, which keeps the reader drawn into what is going on, and what could or will happen.

Midnight Encounters Anthology
As a whole, Midnight Encounters was very well written. All of the stories have sex scenes, but none of which drag the reader away from the storyline or plot. Every reader is bound to find something they like in each story, and the authors each bring something different and original to the table, which helped to maintain my interest in each story, and also to keep me reading to find out what the next author had in store for me. It’s a great Halloween read as well, seeing as how each story takes place on or around Halloween, and each story has a tie-in to the affect the Halloween season has on each of them, whether they’re a vampire, witch, or shifter.

--Denise Kivett,
PNR Reviews
August 15, 2007

Heat Rating *5-Cupid's Whole Quiver!
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Violence Rating *3-Steel Arrow


Read the Official Blurb

Buy Midnight Encounters from Whiskey Creek Torrid Publishing

Visit Sabrina Luna's Site

Visit Crymsyn R. Hart's Website

Check out Dahlia Rose's site

And don't forget Eliza Gayle's site! :-)

Happy (spooky!) reading!
*Dee*
R&R

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This sounds like a great anthology. I haven't read any of these authors yet, but this would be a good way to check out some authors I've heard a lot about. Great job, Denise!!

Sabrina Luna said...

Thanks so much, Dee! Glad you enjoyed MIDNIGHT ENCOUNTERS! :)