Title: Heart of Darkness
Author: Multiple (see mini reviews)
Series: Read for Lords of the Underworld, #4.5
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: HQN (Imprint of Harlequin)
Date Published: December 15th, 2009
Edition: Paperback
Rating:
From the masters of paranormal romance, three brand-new tales of seduction…
The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
A Lords of the Underworld tale
An iron-willed demon assassin, the angel Lysander has never known lust—until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of Lucifer, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the pure-hearted Lysander into temptation….Love Me to Death by Maggie Shayne
Twenty-two years ago four teenage boys were convicted of a young girl’s murder. Now, in the form of a beautiful woman, the “victim” is seeking vengeance. And only one man dares to dig into the past to uncover its secrets… and set her free.Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard
Lady Tameri believes herself to be the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian princess, and Leo Erskine has set out to prove her wrong…never dreaming that the two of them are about to discover a prophecy that will bind them together forever.
The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter: (Lords of the Underworld, #4.5)
Read February 16, 2011
This is a novella that takes place after book four, The Darkest Whisper, in the Lords of the Underworld series. I really like this series so this is why I picked up this small anthology.
In this story, an angel named Lysander has been watching Bianka. Bianka is a Harpy and Gwen’s sister (from the previous book). Lysander is set out to take on Bianka as a “project” by showing her the light and helping her to turn from her evil ways. He doesn’t plan, however, the spark that ignites between them and the irresistible attraction he seems to have for Bianka.
You never really know what to expect when it comes to novellas in a series. Sometimes they’re just pointless little side stories, but sometimes they actually follow closely to the main books and can actually provide some additional info on the characters and overall story. This novella was just that. I was surprised when Bianka was the main heroine. But we also get to see what’s going on with Gwen and Sabin. In addition, we also get a peak at Olivia’s world before the next book. Olivia will be Aeron’s heroine in the next book so it was kind of cool to see what’s going on in her mind and life before reading that book.
Overall, this was a great novella. It was really entertaining and I liked both the main characters. I’m happy to have seen some of our favorite characters in it and to get a little prequel to Olivia as well. If you’re a fan of the series, I definitely recommend reading it.
Love me to Death by Maggie Shayne: This is only one of a couple stories I’ve read by Maggie Shayne. The first one I read in the anthology Weddings From Hell. I’m not surprised that this one had a ghost/back from the dead type theme because that one did as well, so that must be her thang. It’s not normally my genre, but she does a pretty good job with it anyways.
In this story David and his four friends have carried a heavy burden for their entire lives. When they were teenagers, they got drunk (and stupid) and decided to burn down this old abandoned house in their small town. They set it on fire, not knowing that a girl named Sierra — who just happens to be a girl David has a major crush on at the time — was in the house. The house burns down and Sierra, unfortunately dies. Now, twenty-two years later, they are all feeling haunted by her presence. Some strange things are happening that bring all five of them back to their childhood town, in order to find out what’s going on. Is Sierra trying to get her revenge on them, or are they all headed for the loony bin?
This was pretty good. At first, it was kind of boring. But, about halfway through (maybe a little less than that), it started to get interesting and was an easy read. It also has some real surprises that I didn’t predict in the least — and that’s saying something because a lot of stories are quite predictable these days. But, overall, it was a good story and pretty entertaining. I moved it down half a star because the first half of the story was “meh”.
Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard: Okay what? No seriously. What. The. Hell. This story made absolutely no sense whatsoever. First off, I’ve never read any Susan Krinard before, and if this is a taste of what she’s all about, then I think I’ll have to pass.
Let me try to explain what this story was about. In this story a woman named Tameri believes herself to be the reincarnation of an Egyptian queen who is also the embodiment of a goddess named Aset. This, I think, takes place in the 1800′s or something, given the way society seems to be and the way they’re talking. Leo finds himself fascinated by Tameri, but he also pities her and thinks she’s crazy. So do I. Actually, I think this whole damn story was crazy — and not in a good way.
The rest of the story just get’s even weirder. I really did not understand most of this and the only reason I gave it two stars was because I somehow managed to force myself through it. I’m all for the weird and strange, but even this was a little too out there for me. No more Susan Krinard for me, unless of course she has something in an anthology I feel compelled to read because of another story in it. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen though. *shakes head*
More Reviews Goodreads | AmazonPurchase Links Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble
Leave a Reply