Masters of Midnight: Erotic Tales of the Vampire

I made this purchase solely on the basis that it was gay vampire erotica. I'm a girl and also what some might call a homophile. I like the gay erotica. And I like vampires. This had an impressive enough rating. Sold. For me, erotica is best in short segments so the four short story format was much appreciated. Enough people here have described the basic storyline for each story so I won't do that. I enjoyed the third story most, then second, then first, and in dead last is the fourth. They were all as graphic as I needed them to be without too much gratuitous detail (i.e. no story, no point, just sex). The third story was a little preachy but the erotic scenes were worth it. The second was like a lot of legitimate gothic lit stories I've read with the well described sex to make it enjoyable. The first was low in detail and action but was intriguing. I'm not going to lie, though. The fourth story was written in an excessively verbose, overly descriptive style (some here call it "poetic" which is good for a novel but tedious for a series of short stories about gay vampire action) and I found that obnoxious. I didn't care at all about Scotland. Not what it looks like, smells like, its geography, or history. I didn't care for the quotes by philosophers, writers, and so forth. Ugh. Halfway through describing a Scottish shoreline, I was just groaning and thinking, "Shut up and nail someone already!" (Sorry. This is erotica. Quack = a duck.) But when the sex finally arrived, it involved hairy men with leather and BDSM. I don't mind leather. I don't mind BDSM. I really do mind hairy men. One reviewer said this story prevented the series from becoming too "twinkified". I LIKE my gay erotica twinkified. When a sex scene begins and the word "furry" is used, I check out. I tried to ignore the descriptions to take some enjoyment out of the experience, but I couldn't. The hairiness was too pervasive. Ew. Bear erotica is not my scene. Well, I gave the whole thing five stars because I enjoyed it (except that last one, but every series has at least one you won't like) and because it did its job: Entertaining my hormones. Definitely worth the read, and if you like or don't mind hirsute men, you'll probably love the whole thing.

I love the vampire genre. So when I happened upon this book, I had to have it. I didn't know the authors, but Now I do. All the stories are unique in their own way. I enjoyed them all. BUT! My favorite novella was Jeff Mann's Devoured. I truly relished every word. It was as if I was the camera following every move. The artful descriptions helped bring the story to life. I am enamoured by Derek and Matt. I will probably read this story over and over until the binding in the book breaks and I'll have to buy another book. laughs It's given me so much insight into the lives of gay men. Thank you, Jeff Mann. I will be looking for other books by you. ASAP!

MASTERS OF MIDNIGHT contains four novellas in which vampires play a prominent and erotically gay role. The authors have different visions of vampires leading to highly original and entertaining tales."His Hunger" by William J. Mann. Thirty years ago in Cravensport, Maine murders and disappearances occurred with no explanation. Jeremy thinks the story will make a good human-interest piece, but he also has a personal stake in the story as one of the vanished was his father. However, he is in peril after visiting Bartholomew, a vampire who plans to enslave Jeremy and convert the writer's lover."Sting" by Michael Thomas Forge. Following the suicide of his lover, Ben becomes head librarian in Downing, Arkansas. He sees customer Titus put his hands into beehives. When the two men become lovers, Titus explains that he is a vampire and the bee venom prevents his blood craving. Titus feels strongly about stopping his kind who kills innocent children."Brandon's Bite" by Sean Wolfe. His father was a vampire while his mother was mortal. His father taught him how to survive as a vampire. As an adult Brandon discovered he was gay so his father disowned him. Brandon can choose any victim he wants but fears love because he believes he cannot control his urge for blood."Devoured" by Jeff Marin. Three centuries ago two Scottish lords shared a secret passion for one another. When they were caught, Angus was killed but Derek was changed into a vampire. He avenged his friend's death before immigrating to West Virginia. Now an affluent businessman, he finally has a chance to love again but must first take care of Matthew's homophobic enemies.Harriet Klausner

Unlike a previous reviewer, I AM a fan of gay vampire fiction, and of gay horror in general. I picked this book up because I'd read some of the authors' previous work in books like QUEER FEAR I and II, SONS OF DARKNESS, and BROTHERS OF THE NIGHT (all edited by Michael Rowe, in case you want to look them up). So how does this collection stack up? William J. Mann's contribution is an obvious ode to the glorious old cult supernatural soap opera, DARK SHADOWS, and if you read it that way it's a lot of fun. Sean Wolfe and Jeff Mann are new names to me, and although Wolfe's story didn't grab me, I really liked the second Mr. Mann's ability to bring out the most in his setting. But I have to say, it was Michael Thomas Ford's "Sting" that kept me up way past midnight. I saved it for last, because it sounded the most interesting, and was it ever. This novella is totally unique, not just in gay horror but in ALL horror. His writing is gorgeous, and the imagery he creates is both beautiful and terrifying. I defy anyone to read his descriptions of the Death Puppet and be able to sleep with the lights on. I, too, would love to see this story made into a film, especially if George Clooney plays Ben!

In the spirit of full disclosure I have to admit that I'm not really a fan of vampire fiction. But I love the non-fiction work of Michael Thomas Ford, and I was curious to see what his first crack at long fiction would be like. I'm happy to say I was delightfully surprised. Ford's "Sting" is unlike anything I've ever read. Smart, sexy, thoughtful, and, yes, really, really creepy, it's beautifully written and eerily haunting. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I closed the book. Ford did such a good job of bringing his characters to life that I could literally see the story playing out in my head. If someone in Hollywood is smart, they'll snatch up the rights to this baby and make a film out of it ASAP. As for the other three stories, they were okay. But it's Ford's contribution that makes this a must-buy. Ignore the goofy cover and pick this one up.