Spooktacular Seductions; A Halloween Anthology. By Linda Carroll-Bradd,
Michelle Ziegler, Echo Shea, Lily Carlyle, Anne Higa, Havva Murat, Lisa A. Adams,
and Christy Thomas.
My Rating: 4 out 5 stars (this was before my 6 star scale)
I really enjoyed this compilation of stories. At first I wasn't sure what to expect from the set. Would it hold short stories that fell under paranormal romance and romantic suspense/thriller sub-genres? I think overall, the editors at Roane put together a very interesting collection of stories, ranging from fantasy to the ghostly. Everything had a taste of romance or at least love.
As a reader, I tend to prefer paranormal and contemporary romance and occasionally stray to the romantic suspense. It was fun getting out of my normal comfort zone into stories that stalk the lines of horror and urban fantasy more than romance.
Can love exist around the spooky, mystical and unknown? This series shows that love is worth the leap, despite the pain. I recommend this book for readers of romance, fantasy and urban fantasy. And I look forward to reading more from these authors!
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW***
Bewitching Gypsy, by Linda Carroll-Bradd. 3 stars. I really enjoyed the magic and description of this piece, but I had trouble with the woman’s dialect. It was a bit too thick and kept pulling me out of the piece. There seemed to be attraction between the hero and heroine but I would have liked more romance.
Garden of Souls, by Michelle Ziegler. 4 stars. This piece started off a little disjointed for me, there was a sudden leap to the nightclub from the house and I feel that moment would have been stronger if she remained in once place for the whole of it. At a later point, there was some dialogue between the heroine and her ghost that was hard to follow. Overall, this piece was fun and the ending was very satisfying.
If This Be Madness, by Echo Shea. 5 stars. I felt that this was a fabulous piece and I really enjoyed the glimpse into the mind of a hag, especially one who has managed to keep her impulses at bay for so long. The description is beautiful and the woman’s love for her husband was beautiful.
The Ghost of a Chance, by Lily Carlyle. 4 stars. The plot of this story was fun. I like the premise of it a lot. It did strike me as a little odd though that we didn't get more of a response (emotional or her trying to reason through it) from Julie that it was strange that Sean was around because he was dead. It didn't seem like something she would keep to herself.
Do You Believe in Ghosts?, by Anne Higa. 5 stars. This world was a lot of fun, where ghosts and mediums are commonplace. And I thought it sweet how we got a sort of double romance in this.
Encantado, by Havva Murat. 3 stars. This was a good spooky story and I enjoyed learning a little about this other mystical world. I had a bit of trouble keeping track of the different characters at the start and I could have used a bit more time on the romance at the beginning so the love at the end would have been more meaningful. The jump in time felt a little sharp to me too.
Where Angels Tread, by Christy Thomas. 5 stars. The world was so deeply developed and so easy to learn. This was a delectable little morsel of a story. I really enjoyed this eternal romance.
Spooky Hollow Cafe, by Lisa Adams. 4 stars. This piece was fun and I enjoyed seeing the hero’s point of view as he learned about the ghost world. The final scene came across more as an epilogue and seemed a bit out of place in this short a format.
Michelle Ziegler, Echo Shea, Lily Carlyle, Anne Higa, Havva Murat, Lisa A. Adams,
and Christy Thomas.
My Rating: 4 out 5 stars (this was before my 6 star scale)
I really enjoyed this compilation of stories. At first I wasn't sure what to expect from the set. Would it hold short stories that fell under paranormal romance and romantic suspense/thriller sub-genres? I think overall, the editors at Roane put together a very interesting collection of stories, ranging from fantasy to the ghostly. Everything had a taste of romance or at least love.
As a reader, I tend to prefer paranormal and contemporary romance and occasionally stray to the romantic suspense. It was fun getting out of my normal comfort zone into stories that stalk the lines of horror and urban fantasy more than romance.
Can love exist around the spooky, mystical and unknown? This series shows that love is worth the leap, despite the pain. I recommend this book for readers of romance, fantasy and urban fantasy. And I look forward to reading more from these authors!
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW***
Bewitching Gypsy, by Linda Carroll-Bradd. 3 stars. I really enjoyed the magic and description of this piece, but I had trouble with the woman’s dialect. It was a bit too thick and kept pulling me out of the piece. There seemed to be attraction between the hero and heroine but I would have liked more romance.
Garden of Souls, by Michelle Ziegler. 4 stars. This piece started off a little disjointed for me, there was a sudden leap to the nightclub from the house and I feel that moment would have been stronger if she remained in once place for the whole of it. At a later point, there was some dialogue between the heroine and her ghost that was hard to follow. Overall, this piece was fun and the ending was very satisfying.
If This Be Madness, by Echo Shea. 5 stars. I felt that this was a fabulous piece and I really enjoyed the glimpse into the mind of a hag, especially one who has managed to keep her impulses at bay for so long. The description is beautiful and the woman’s love for her husband was beautiful.
The Ghost of a Chance, by Lily Carlyle. 4 stars. The plot of this story was fun. I like the premise of it a lot. It did strike me as a little odd though that we didn't get more of a response (emotional or her trying to reason through it) from Julie that it was strange that Sean was around because he was dead. It didn't seem like something she would keep to herself.
Do You Believe in Ghosts?, by Anne Higa. 5 stars. This world was a lot of fun, where ghosts and mediums are commonplace. And I thought it sweet how we got a sort of double romance in this.
Encantado, by Havva Murat. 3 stars. This was a good spooky story and I enjoyed learning a little about this other mystical world. I had a bit of trouble keeping track of the different characters at the start and I could have used a bit more time on the romance at the beginning so the love at the end would have been more meaningful. The jump in time felt a little sharp to me too.
Where Angels Tread, by Christy Thomas. 5 stars. The world was so deeply developed and so easy to learn. This was a delectable little morsel of a story. I really enjoyed this eternal romance.
Spooky Hollow Cafe, by Lisa Adams. 4 stars. This piece was fun and I enjoyed seeing the hero’s point of view as he learned about the ghost world. The final scene came across more as an epilogue and seemed a bit out of place in this short a format.