Out of this World

Yes, that is how much I love Ms. Robb's stories. I bought a whole book just to get a short story. Having said that, the short story was worth the price I paid - it was one of the best JD Robb stories I've read. Quick summary: Eve goes to a US police conference on Roarke's Olympus Resort, and there meets the old police chief who wants her to help him take down Roarke. When someone sets up a murder, trying to make it look like Roarke did it, Eve must quickly find out why the ex-policeman wants Roarke so badly.

(Paperback review)Out Of This World!!! No other way to put it! I've read all of the "In Death" Series by Robb(Aka Roberts) and enjoyed everyone. This one "Interlude..." did not disappoint. Excellent as always! I liked the fact it was short (89 pages). Told the story and got to the conclusion, left you wanting for more of Eve & Roarke. I was however a disappointed w/Maggie Shayne's "Immortality"...Story done over and over in various venues of sci-fi/mystery. Bad turns good, dark witch finds love becomes white witch... it's not much more than a romance novel... Found it rather HO-HUM.... Laurell K Hamilton's "Magic...." made me want to read more, I'll pick up "Narcissus in Chains" first chance I get. I read a review that said `Buffy (the Vampire Slayer) look out for Anita'.... I have to agree! Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard were a very good mix.The one that truly surprised me was Susan Krinard. I've read a couple of her "Wolf" stories and expected more of that series. THIS WAS GREAT!! Great isn't good enough, "KINSMAN" WAS EXCELLENT WRITING. Although you didn't know the species, in a short 87 pages, you were able to pick up on the character traits, even visualize the way they looked. I'm hooked and want more. A very pleasant surprise deviation from her past theme, shows she is a creative, gifted writer. Are there more stories of Jonas Kane VelArhan out there that I haven't yet discovered?? (If so, please!, someone send me the names of these books!) This is steps way beyond Startrek or Starwars! Ms. Krinard give us more please!!!!

This anthology of four paranormal romance stories totally rocked! Laurell K. Hamilton and J.D. Robb are my two favorite authors, but I've never read books by Krinard or Shayne before. J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, contributed 'Interlude in Death.' This mystery/romance story follows her bestselling In Death series, as NYPD Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke, chase an esteemed *rogue ex-cop* at an intergalatic conference. The cop harbors a personal vendetta against Roarke because of his mysterious past. All in all, the story stands well alone, and will prove satisfying whether you're a long-time Robb fan or a new reader to the series. Susan Krinard's story 'Kinsman' is a futuristic/romantic thriller. When her brother's ship disappears during a secret space mission, a young princess of a small planet asks a 'Kinsman,' (a member of a special human *race* that possess certain telepathic powers) for aid. Along their journey to find the missing prince and his crew, the two discover a conspiracy brewing among the Kinsman's own people. They also discover that they're falling in love. I find this the weakest of the four stories, mostly because there were a lot of names and species that I didn't understand. Maggie Shayne's 'Immortality' continues her Witch series. Puabi is an Immortal High Dark Witch who finds, after 4,000 years of existence, that she doesn't want to continue her old, evil ways. After being rescued by an unsuspecting human man and getting stranded on his island, Puabi rediscovers the zest to her life, as she and Matthew grow ever closer. However, Puabi's powers are slowly but surely diminishing. And there is unknown danger on the island. Tied into all this is the memory of Gabriella, Matthew's dead wife, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Puabi, although the two women are polar opposites. The ending is very poignant, with a wonderful plot twist. I really loved this story, and I'll definitely pick up her other books now!'Magic Like Heat Across My Skin' is a sizzling, six-chapter preview of Laurell K. Hamilton's long-awaited NARCISSUS IN CHAINS, the 10th book in her bestselling Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. After six months of celibacy, our heroine comes back to St. Louis and finds out that her wereleopards have been kidnapped by a rival group of shapeshifters. To get them back, she seeks her old lover, the sexy vampire Jean-Claude, for help. Jean-Claude agrees, but only if Anita will *marry the marks* so that she has a chance to fight and live. At the S & M club Narcissus in Chains, Anita, Jean-Claude, and Richard (Anita's werewolf lover) merge their energies, completing their triumvirate of power. Anita may be an animator, vampire hunter, necromancer, lupa of Richard's pack, and Nimir-Ra of the wereleopards, but she is human nevertheless. The line between humans and monsters is all-too-thin sometimes, and by consumating the marks, Anita may have become irrevocably changed now. Also, the story tends to lean t

This anthology was much more than I had hoped for. Laurell K. Hamilton and J.D. Robb are my two favorite authors, but I've never read books by Krinard or Shayne before. I was almost surprised that I enjoyed all four stories.J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, contributed "Interlude in Death." This mystery/romance story follows her bestselling In Death series, as NYPD Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke, chases an esteemed *rogue ex-cop* at an intergalatic conference. The cop harbors a personal vendetta against Roarke because of his mysterious past. As always, Eve and Roarke catch the villain, and manages to find time to chill out together. All in all, the story stands well alone, and will prove satisfying whether you're a long-time Robb fan or a new reader to the series.Susan Krinard's story "Kinsman" is a futuristic/romantic thriller. When her brother's ship disappears during a secret space mission, a young princess of a small planet asks a "Kinsman," (a member of a special human *race* that possess certain telepathic powers) for aid. Along their journey to find the missing prince and his crew, the two discover a conspiracy brewing among the Kinsman's own people. They also discover that they're falling in love. I find this the weakest of the four stories, mostly because there were a lot of names and species that I didn't really understand. Also, *alien* type of stories are just not my thing. Perhaps I'll try her next wolf novel, SECRET OF THE WOLF, of which there was a short excerpt in the anthology.Maggie Shayne's "Immortality" continues her Witch series. Puabi is an Immortal High Dark Witch who finds, after 4,000 years of existence, that she doesn't want to continue her old, evil ways. After being rescued by an unsuspecting human man and getting stranded on his island, Puabi rediscovers the zest to her life, as she and Matthew grow ever closer. However, Puabi's powers are slowly but surely diminishing. And there is unknown danger on the island. Tied into all this is the memory of Gabriella, Matthew's dead wife, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Puabi, although the two women are polar opposites. The ending is very poignant, with a wonderful plot twist. I had no difficulty following the plot, although I am new to Shayne's Witch books. I really loved this story, and I'll definitely pick up her other books now. A short excerpt of Shayne's upcoming romantic suspense novel, THE GINGERBREAD MAN, is included in the anthology."Magic Like Heat Across My Skin" is a sizzling, six-chapter preview of Laurell K. Hamilton's long-awaited NARCISSUS IN CHAINS, the 10th book in her bestselling Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. After six months of celibacy, our heroine comes back to St. Louis and finds out that her wereleopards have been kidnapped by a rival group of shapeshifters. To get them back, she seeks her old lover, the sexy vampire Jean-Claude, for help. Jean-Claude agrees, but only if Anita will take the *fourth-

Being a huge fan of both J.D. Robb and Laurell K. Hamilton, I couldn't WAIT for this collection of tales to be released. Fans of both authors will not be disappointed. I did not sleep last night until I had concluded both stories from those authors (I have yet to read the ones by the other 2 authors). J.D. Robb once again delivers a quick and entertaining read about Eve and Roarke. Everything fans love about these characters shines in this short story--from Eve's tough warnings to Roarke's classic confidence to Peabody's own humorous mutterings. The mystery itself is very quick and keeps one interested. There's also a very shocking and surprising secret revealed about family trees in this story. The selection by Laurell K. Hamilton was even better. Personally, I missed Jean-Claude and Richard just as much as Anita has. While Obsidian Butterfly disappointed me because of their absence, this selection (which is in reality the beginning part of LKH's next release *Narcissus in Chains*) was incredibly satisfying! Jean-Claude is hotter than ever (yes, it's possible) and Richard is as well. It was wonderful to read about them all being together again--and fans know what happens when the three of them are together again: the thrill of passion and the roll of power! Jason and Asher are back as well as other characters, and we have some really new threats in this one as well. It's so interesting to see Anita change and evolve through these novels. I can't wait for more...I guess I'll just have to re-read these until the next ones arrive. Enjoy!