On the Prowl

I picked up this anthology for Alpha & Omega, hoping to find some new Urban Fantasy authors along the way. Unfortunately, the other three novellas were mediocre, overdone to the point of ludicrousness, and outright erotica.

This book is a collection of four short stories, and like most reviewers, I only enjoyed two of them--Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs and Buying Trouble by Karen Chance. The rating above is for those two alone, both of which are now available for separate purchase if you have a Kindle. The cost for each individually is $2.39, which means that if you want to check out the other two stories then buying the book is the best deal. But if, like me, you only read Briggs and Chance, you can save yourself some money by going the Kindle route.

These four stories are all about shapeshifters of one kind or another. Patricia Briggs "Alpha and Omega" picked up a thread from her Moon Called and Blood Bound storyline and fleshed out some secondary characters, including an "omega" werewolf who solves a mystery with the help of the werewolf king's son. Nicely done and a sort of bonus scene for fans of her novels, although the tale stands alone if you haven't read her before. Eileen Wilkes "Inhuman" starts a new novel series and introduces Kai, an interesting character who senses the emotions of others. If you like Wilkes and plan to read her newest series, this is a must-have. Karen Chance wrote my favorite story of the four, a stand alone with all the elements of a novel neatly rolled into a smaller package. It was the only one to have an element of humor and gave us her usual rollicking pace and solid plot. Claire is a "projective null", a witch who can block the magic of others, who finds herself enmeshed in fey politics and discovers that her background is a lot more interesting than she'd imagined. Sunny's story requires a back knowledge of the Monere universe. If you've read her books and liked them, you'll probably enjoy this. If you haven't previously encountered her works, however, you may be a little lost. All in all, a solid anthology well worth the money.

I bought this 4 novella edition for the Patricia Briggs story and was delighted to discover that each of the four contributors' offerings was well-written and interesting. "Alpha and Omega", the first story by Patricia Briggs, is part of the back-story of her first Mercedes Thompson novel, "Moon Called." Charles, the Marrok (chief werewolf of the US) son and executioner, is called to Chicago when the Marrok discovers that one of the Chicago Alphas has sold werewolves to humans for experimentation. While this Alpha finds a corrupt packleader, he also finds an Omega Wolf in Anna, a young female werewolf who aids him in his investigation. I'm really looking forward to reading more about this pair. In just a few short pages, Ms. Briggs brought a character to life and gave her a reason to fight. "Inhuman" by Eileen Wilks, deals with a time where the magic current have shifted stranding a Hellhound on Earth during Elizabethan times. He's now shifted fully to human form and works as a lawman. When he discovers a chameleon has come through the vales to this world, he must contact the Faery Queen he's lieged to--but in doing so, he risks his newfound love. This is my first exposure to Ms. Wilks' work and will not be my last. She writes very evocatively. "Buying Trouble" by Karen Chance introduces us to Claire, who'd like a divorce from her family, but they try to sell her instead. She escapes the auction house with a Lord of the Fey and discovers her true identity. This is actually my favorite of what I've read by Ms. Chance. The story's funny ironic edge is definitely appealing. "Mona Lisa Betwining" is by Sunny, who is a totally new author to me. Mona Lisa, the new Queen of the Monere in Mississippi must answer for the death of the former Queen. Additionally, she must deal with a lot of intricate sexual issues. This is a beautifully written story but explicit and erotic in content--may not be suitable for younger readers. What I like about these types of collections is that for a small investment per author, you get a taste of their work. Anthologies have introduced me to some of my favorite authors.

This book is a collection of four short stories by some of the most notable paranormal romance writers of the moment. "ALPHA AND OMEGA" by Patricia Briggs This story is part of the "Moon Called" series (with follow-up "Blood Bound") that I consider to be the best paranormal romance series currently being written. Patricia Briggs' skills in writing an interesting plot, varied characters and a fascinating supernatural element are all included in this short story although within the significant limitations imposed by a story of just 72 pages. Anna has been a werewolf for three years, she was Changed against her will and since then her life has been submission, beatings and even being passed round various male members of the pack. When she reaches the final straw after a visit from one of the more powerful werewolves she calls the Marrok, or head of the werewolves in America, to tell him about an attack on a young man, Alan Frazier (who we met in "Moon Called"). Bran, the Marrok, tells Anna he will send someone to investigate and sends Charles Cornick, his son. As soon as Charles meets Anna he realises she is something special, an Omega, which is a kind of werewolf that acts as a calming influence on other werewolves. However he finds that Anna has no idea about her status or about being a werewolf at all and he starts to teach her about the werewolf rules. It soon becomes apparent that there has to be a showdown with Anna's Chicago pack and yet someone seems to also be trying to attack Anna. Although I very much enjoyed this book I did sometimes find the pacing a little off. There was quite a lot of buildup to the showdown which itself happened surprisingly quickly and the aftermath was also quickly dealt with. The earlier parts of the story seemed to be told at more length with more detail. However overall it was still a very enjoyable read for those who love Briggs' full-length novels. "INHUMAN" by Eileen Wilks This is the longest story in the collection and features Kai, a woman with a secret gift for sensing thoughts and desires. Since a big event called 'The Turning' some years before people's magical skills have become more apparent and out into the open and Kai consequently finds herself, and other magical people, occasionally feared. She knows that there's something unusual about her neighbour Nathan Hunter but it's not until some people are killed in a strange way that she and Nathan really begin to communicate. Nathan isn't just unusual he's actually not human and as the story continues he slowly reveals what he is and why he is on Earth. However the more that Kai finds out about him, the more she discovers about herself and eventually she has to flee her home to avoid arrest. When in hiding with Nathan she finally discovers who has been doing the killings and yet has to face her biggest danger from two different hugely powerful beings. "Inhuman" was a really interesting read and part of the enjoyment was in the way that Nathan and

I put the date on my calendar, counted down the days, and eagerly searched the shelves for it on the release date. A new story in the Mercy Thompson universe by Patricia Briggs! I was in heaven, even though I hadn't yet read anything by two of the other authors. I couldn't wait to get started. I wasn't disappointed. I'm a bit surprised that this book hasn't been reviewed yet, so I decided to go ahead and throw in my 2 cents. The first story, Alpha & Omega, is by Patricia Briggs and features one of the Marrok's sons, Charles, and his efforts to clean up the Chicago pack. Although it helps to have the back story from the first Mercedes Thompson novel (Moon Called), I think you could enjoy the story without it. As always, Patricia Briggs's stories are about characters and how they interact with each other in their universe. Charles is the alpha mentioned in the title, and a new character, Anna, is an omega werewolf. Her story is quite heartbreaking, and the relationship that develops between Charles and Anna is very poignant. I didn't want the story to end, but I guess I'll have to wait for the next Mercy Thompson novel next fall. In Eileen Wilks's story, Inhuman, a shift in the balance of magic has occurred, breaking down some of the barriers between not only the psyche but also between dimensions. Kai, an empath and telepath and more, ends up on the run from the fearful and non-magical police, aided by her very sexy and not-quite human neighbor, Nathan. I really liked Nathan's back story and the reveal about Kai. Although I felt that the ending was a bit, um, over-the-top perhaps, I enjoyed it and will look forward to checking out Ms. Wilks's other stories. Up next was Karen Chance and her story, Buying Trouble. I have read some other works by Ms. Chance and although I didn't care for those other works, I thought she was a good writer. This story confirmed that belief. Fiery-haired Claire has been on the run ever since her father tried to sell her to the Fey, and she evaded capture until her greedy boss got wind of the situation and decided to put Claire up for auction to the highest bidder. Will it be her despicable brother, Sebastian, or the Lord of the Fey who tempts Claire with only a touch, who will win the charming Claire? Nicely written story with a twist that I certainly didn't see coming. Perhaps Ms. Chance will write more about this universe... The final story, Mona Lisa Betwining, is by Sunny. I haven't read anything else by this author and didn't know this story, but here goes. The new mixed blood queen, Mona Lisa, is called before The Council to explain the death of her predecessor. She ends up having to confront her own inner demons and trusting her sexy new master of arms, Dontaine, in a time of chaos and confusion. Although I liked the character development of both Mona Lisa and Dontaine, I found that I wanted more plot. The side character, Lucinda, was intriguing and I'll definitely check out her st