Half Past Dead

If blood-sucking undead vampires could be hot romance material, then it was only a matter of time before zombies were so re-imagined (hey, if Orlando Bloom's character in the last POTC film could still get Kiera Knightly's character to wait ten years at the end--or more importantly, after a long list of credits!--why couldn't other hunky guys without hearts beating in their bodies?). Anyway, here are two novellas featuring zombies: "The Undying Heart"-- is a historical paranormal taking place in Yorkshire in 1858. Cassandra is a new agent with the Blades of the Rose, an organization that hunts for dangerous magical artifacts. She is trailing such an artifact when she encounters her brother's best friend and a man she always loved, Sam Reed, whom she thought had died with her brother two years before in the Crimean. Sam did die. He and countless others. In the chaos of battle he was shot through the heart by his commanding officer, Colonel Broadwell, who has an artifact that creates and controls zombies. Broadwell killed his own men and commanded all of them to do his will, but somehow Sam was able to break free and has been after the Colonel ever since, determined to kill him. This tale was definitely heart-wrenching and bitter-sweet. I loved it. "Simon Says"-- is a modern romance. Simon Blackwell is a special forces soldier who was called away from a possible relationship with Mariana Daniels, a doctor. He found himself fighting zombies (the icky kind) and was bitten and infected, but wasn't turned into one--although that may happen at any moment--no one is certain about these zombie things! Mariana only knows that Simon never returned to her, so when he appears at the military base facility where she is working, wounded, she's not sure how she should react. Apparently, there are still zombies out in the woods, unknown to anyone, and Simon needs to take them out since he seems to be the only one who has survived their infection so far. This tale had a decent set-up and characters, but not quite the emotional impact of the first story.

I have to give Zoe Archer big props, because I NEVER thought a zombie would work for me as the hero of a romance. I admit to being a little squeamish when it comes to paranormal romance, but this was a good solid read and I totally bought into the happy ending. The plot was a little predictable in places, but the characters were drawn well and the world building is excellent. I'm really excited to read the full-length novels set in this same world when they are released later this year. Bianca D'Arc's novella was entertaining as well. The zombies are more traditional, but the hero still has connection to them that is an obstacle for the couple to overcome. I liked the characters and really wanted them to beat the bad guys and get together. I had a few WTF moments, little things that just didn't make logical sense to me, but I was able to look past them and enjoy the story.

"The Undying Heart" by Zoe Archer. During the Crimean War, Sam Reed has been turned into an uncaring zombie soldier by his commander. His childhood friend Cassandra Fielding is an artifact hunter. When they meet as adults they fall in love, but his commander must be stopped before more dead are brought back to battle the living. "Simon Says" by Bianca D'Arc. The government experiment to create super soldiers fails as instead the men are turned into zombies. Black Ops Simon Blackwell is assigned the mission to prevent the escaped zombies from spreading their contagious conversion. However, his past catches up with him when his pursuit runs through Doctor Mariana Daniels, whom he abandoned for the project three years ago. These two romantic fantasies are entertaining zombie romps though they occur in different eras and atmospheres. Harriet Klausner

Zombies are SEXY!! Now, don't go screaming and running off in all directions. Hear me out first! The hero in this story is a zombie. That's right - the big "Z" word. I don't know what it is about zombies that freaks everyone out. Is it the fact that you can chop off body parts and they still live? They have no blood or breath? They are dead.....but not. In most books I have read, the zombies are the bad guys and in this book, zombies are definitely evil, but Sam Reed has overcome the pull of his creator and wants revenge. The story starts in the mid 1800's in England, Sam is wounded quite badly in war and as he lay on the battlefield, too weak to move, his commander, Colonel Kenneth Broadwell approaches. Yet, instead of offering help, he shoots Sam through the heart, as he does with every other injured person lying in that field. But Sam will see the light of day again, brought back with a magical source that Broderick has in his possession. For a year, Broderick controls Sam and the other zombie soldiers, making them do unspeakable acts. Finally, after a year, Sam is able to break free of the mental hold that debilitates a zombie with his maker. He has promised himself he will track Broadwell down and kill him. But unbeknownst to him, there is another one that wants Broadwell dead too. Cassandra Fielding has recently started to work for the Blades of Rose, a secret organization that protects the magic sources in the world. Her current mission is to track Broderick and reclaim the source that he holds. With communication lines down, she is unable to reach her fellow Blade members, so she is stuck by herself. That is until she runs into someone from the past. Sam was her brother's best friend. Her brother died for real on the battlefield that day, and she always thought Sam had died too. Cassandra soon realizes Sam is not human, but she is not overly shocked, being a Blade she knows things like this exist. Sam is disgusted with himself and can't believe Cassandra has not gone off running and screaming for her life. Shocked even more, Cassandra is hurt and angered Sam has had to go through what he did and she actually cares for him - as a "monster." Together they hunt Broderick and deal with Sam's past. The Undying Heart is the kind of book I want to twirl through the house with. What? You don't dance with your books? You know how with some books by page ten you start to get that little feeling that you are really going to like it? This is my experience with My Undying Heart. Zoe Archer's voice is one that you settle into right away. I loved the heroine, Cassandra. Guess what- she is not a virgin! I know- a woman in a historical romance who actually has had relations, and she is not ashamed of what she has done. She is never repulsed by Sam, due to the fact that she is aware of supernatural things already. She has had a childhood crush on him, and now that she sees him wallowing in self pity, and disgust of himself, she can't help but reach o