Essence of Midnight: An Anthology

I have never read an anthology where i've enjoyed all 3 stories so much. There is so much more to this set of linked stories. I found out that Eve Baptiste's sister has her own in "Lip service" anthology "My lips are sealed" with Lori Foster, which should have been read before. After finishing Essence I found one of the characters from it also has his own story in "Undeniable" which i'm trying to locate. There is also 2 others which link in to this story "Looking for trouble & Up to no good". These stories also connect to her Chicago series of books. It tells you how on Julie's website. I'm now starting Looking for trouble & Up to no good while I try and get my hands on Undeniable. This is a fantastic series & one that I will remember for a long time to come.

I bought this book while on a buying binge at Borders, and my plan had been to find some sensual erotica, and if it had the paranormal,etc flare to it, all the better. While I would not really classify this book in the erotica category, (such as the excellent Secrets series)it was quite sensual and the genre was fun. I thought the idea of 3 stories, all stand alone tales of their own but cleverly connected by 3 different authors was a refreshing way to present this sort of fiction. My assumption would be that writers would be proprietory w/their story ideas so to find a collection like this was unique. I don't have a favorite of the 3 stories, as I stated before, all are stand alone stories and are equally entertaining. It kept me reading until I finished the book. While I haven't yet decided if it will be among my "keeper" collection, its definitely worth reading and I will keep my eyes out for more from these authors.

WOW! This has to be one of the best anthologies running. Usually you have one strong story maybe two, and then a ?helping hand? to a newer writer, the publisher hoping to get that writer a showcase. But this book is THREE VERY STRONG WRITERS with excellent novella. Julie Elizabeth Leto, Julie Kenner and Susan Kearney. All three stories are interlinked with the presences of an antique perfume bottle. The bottle is made of strange glass and has a gypsy?s curse that increases the psychic abilities of the woman possessing it. In the first tale ?Wild Thing? by Julie Kenner, Cate Raine is a cop in New Orleans. On her thirtieth birthday, the job is weighing her down, so she seeks solitude to open her birthday gift from a friend overseas - strange empty perfume bottle. The solitude she seeks is in the Audubon Zoo near the panther exhibit. As she opened the bottle, she speaks to the black cat, who seems to understand her. Later she meets Luc Agassou. Luke is curse, half-man, half-panther and he is now stalking the sexy cop. It is one SUPER read. The Second tale is from Susan Kearney ?Touch Me?. John Cameron was a man in secret ops. He was captured and put through extreme torture. During the torture, his mind buried so deeply the information he would later need to stop a terrorist attack. Dr. Bonnie Anders is the head shrink put in charge with opening John?s locked mind with any tools she can. Armed with the antique perfume bottle, she is will to do what is necessary to make John whole again. But first, she has to get him to touch her. She is a empathy, who works by touch. Only John cannot stand to be touched after his torture. Kearny blazes with this super hot tale. The bottle passed to Eve Baptiste, who is convinced the crystal vial is the answer to her obsession. She has sought answers to what happens a 100 years ago to Viktor Savitch, the Gypsy King. The questions surrounding the mysterious man who was involved in Black Magic has haunted her. Now with the bottle, she hopes to unlock the riddle. As she uses the bottle to reach through the veil, she makes contact with the essence of Viktor, who pulls her into erotic visions that nearly swamp her. But she is soon to discover, he fantasy lover is no fantasy and the bottle is the key to bringing Viktor back. Leto is outstanding as always! This is the perfect summer sizzler, the chance to see three very talented writers shine. An anthology just does not get any better than this!