Bite

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable book.
Review: This is a very good book. I sat down and read it one evening. Hamilton and Harris's contributions were too short but I found myself enjoying author's I had never read before in Davidson, and Taylor. Good sexy fun. Well worth a look and read.

Rating:
Summary: Very little BITE in this anthology
Review: Great cover - made me pick this book up.And though I am a Hamilton fan, this was but a tiny tidbit and merely whetted my appetite. Disappointed in the whole book. Though there are a few good moments in the "otherworld" fantasy, there was very little romance, all in all. Too bad, since Berkley puts out some really BITEY stuff usually.

Rating:
Summary: Verrrrry GOOOOD!
Review: I bought this anthology b/c of LKH's short about Anita. It turned out that this one wasn't that enjoyable, it was simply a filler that I thought didn't really need to be written. It supposedly filled in some of the question the reader has about the time frame between Blue Moon and Obsidian Butterfly but it left me with more questions. The Sookie Stackhouse short wasn't as I had hoped but hopefully it's leading into the next installment. Angela Knights "Galahad" was extremely hot. I thought this one was one of the better vampire shorts in a while. Also the MaryJanice Davidson story was really good, I haven't read her undead series so now after reading this short story I think I will. Last but certainly not least was the Vickie Taylor short story "Blood Lust" that story was my favorite out of them all. I wished it had been longer though, it was good enough to be made into a whole novel. Overall I think if you love vampire romance then pick this anthology up. I was extremely pleased with purchasing it and I thought it was a lot better than Cravings. I finished the whole novel in less than three hours so it was rather short, but a good compulation between romance and erotica.

Rating:
Summary: A Mostly Enjoyable Anthology
Review: I bought this book because I'm fond of vampire books and I was familiar with every author on the cover except Vickie Taylor. To my surprise, it was the unknown author's story that I enjoyed most.

Each of the stories present a different take on the much-used vampire mythos, twisting the traditional view on them (nearly to the point of breaking, in Angela Knight's version). The more established authors--Laurell K. Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson, and Charlaine Harris--take advantage of the worlds they've already created for their respective series and give us tiny a-night-in-the-life glimpses of our favorite heroines.

The Hamilton story, which gets biggest billing and first placement in the book, is the least interesting. Set just before Obsidian Butterfly, Anita is contracted to rescue an underage girl with leukemia who's determined to become a vampire to save herself from the pain of amputation. Her search is brief and the story ends abruptly without resolving... anything, really. The story is bland, but at least the sex was kept to the minimum, unlike some of her more recent Blake novels.
Charlaine Harris gives us a short story in the Sookie Stackhouse universe in which she meets the Queen of Louisiana and one question about her family is answered. The question of Cousin Hadley is resolved in a nice, neat way. The story is brief and while it would have been nice to see Sookie interacting further with the Queen, it was quite enjoyable as it is.
MaryJanice Davidson's story, while set in the Betsy-verse, has little to do with Queen Betsy and her consort. Instead, the vampire court is seen through the eyes of outsiders in this tale of a French veterinarian and the man who would like to be her lover. Sophie and Liam grow closer after Sophie sees a tv report and becomes convinced that the girl's suicide has an underlying, vampiric cause and that she needs to investigate. This course takes them briefly into Betsy's sphere of awareness. The beginning of the plot is a little difficult to believe and the story has the most glaring error I remember, but if you can get past those things, then the story is entertaining.
Angela Knight's world combines Arthurian Legend and Vampires in a thoroughly original and unique way, but one that's so different it can be hard to understand completely in a short story. The tale of Galahad and a newly empowered Majae who has a vision of danger elsewhere, is fun and encredibly sexually explicit, as Ms. Knight's stories almost universally seem to be. The new glimpses into her universe were fascinating and make me want to find more set in this world.
The last story in the anthology, by Vickie Taylor, while not the most original plot ever, was nevertheless easy to devour and had one of the most intriguing beginnings I'd seen recently. The two main characters even manage a surprising amount of depth for a short story, to boot.

Overall, the anthology was an enjoyable read. I'd certainly recommend it, just as long as you're not buying it solely for the Anita Blake story.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Feelings, but Most Good
Review: I bought this book not really knowing what I was getting myself into. I bought it because it had a brand new Anita Blake story and I am absolutely addicted to Anita. But the Anita story in this book fell short. It was great writing, don't get me wrong, but in the end I felt jipped. The story doesn't have the action of Anita's usual dealings and it doesn't follow the story line very well. This short story is supposed to happen between the Blue Moon and Obsidean Butterfly books, but I really don't think it fits. I feel that Hamilton was just looking for an excuse to add some sexual tension into the story.

Now the rest of the stories I absolutely loved. Harris' tale got me interested in Sookie Stackhouse, so I went out and bought the first in the series and now I'm hooked. Like some of the other reviewers have said, Angela Knight's Galahad stole the show. I was completely enthralled by this tale. It mixed my two favorite things in the world, vampires and King Arthur's court. I'm in love with this story. I read it in one sitting and was compelled to read it again the next day (though I kept my will power).

If your into vampires and mysteries and a bit of erotic excitement, then this book is absolutely what you are looking for. It is also a great way to find new authors that you might like.

Rating:
Summary: A book with real teeth!
Review: I seldom give 5 stars to an anthology, however I enjoyed each one of these stories.

Laurell Hamilton:
Anita Blake comes face to face with tempation in this short story. Just one small incidence in her interesting life.

Charlaine Harris:
Sookie Stackhouse has an interesting interview with an entity sent by the Queen of the Vampires. Sometimes it's just a matter of choice, but whose choice is it?

MaryJanice Davidson:
Someone is triffling with the emotions of young girls. They are committing suicide for love. The local vampiress must contact the new Queen of the Vampires, Betsy, for some help.

Angela Knight:
A new magae has a vision. A vision of herself and Galahad fighting evil vamps. It's hard enough to go to someone like Galahad and tell him he has to help her destroy a bunch of vamps. She has had no training so how is she to do her part to protect this hero as well as herself?

Vickie Taylor:
The Queen of the Vamps keeps everyone under control by controlling the supply of blood. In other words, she decides who gets to feed. Daniel is a researcher who has perfected a new blood substitute. She won't allow anyone to control the blood supply but herself. HOw can a human and one lone vampire overcome the might and power of the Queen.?


Rating:
Summary: Bite
Review: If you like "Vampire Books" then this is a book for you. I love Laurell K. Hamilton, and because of this book I am now an avid reader of Charlaine Harris and her character "Sookie Stackhouse". I assure you that you will not be disappointed in this book.

Rating:
Summary: 4 out of 5 make the grade
Review: Need a Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake fix while waiting for Incubus Dreams to come out in paperback? DON'T BOTHER. It is short, 29 ½ pages and you will not get your Anita Blake fix. It takes you through a "case" that Anita takes on w/o any of the usual "activities" and there is nothing new to absorb or learn. I already know how & why Anita is avoiding Jean Claude. If you need an Anita fix, re-read one of the books from the series.

Charlaine Harris's - One Word Answer is even shorter, 24 pages. But, a well worth its while short read, that did give me my Sookie Stackhouse fix as I wait for Dead To The World to come out in paperback. Not a lot of action but a good quick "fix".

Mary Janice Davidson - Biting in Plain Site - Very good continuation of the series and another "fix". My only complaint, being from Minnesota, the main male squeeze, Liam, came off as some sort of lack witted, doofus. I had flashbacks of the movie Fargo and was screaming "NO we really don't talk like that". Betsy, the Queen, being a Minnesotan, should have whacked him upside his head with both shoes :-)

Angela Knight - Galahad - WOW - Excellent. Another hot continuation of what I hope is a long running series. Too bad it was in an anthology, I certainly could have handled another 200 pages of that yummy Galahad. I am definitely making room on my bookshelves for this series!

Vickie Taylor - Blood Lust - This is my first read by the author and after finishing I immediately did a "search". From what I read this is her 1st venture into the paranormal genre. This story was good and I see potential here, enough so that I have added her upcoming book, Carved In Stone to my wish list.

My summation: This book is definitely worth the read. Being a series reader I put Angela Knight at tops, Mary Janice Davidson & Charlaine Harris right on her heels. I can envision several books from all series. Vickie Taylor makes a very good debut to paranormal romance.
If you are a first time reader to Laurel K Hamilton's Anita Blake series, PLEASE start at the beginning. As an Anita Blake series fan I expected so much more depth & length. I asked myself, "Did they take a chapter that was cut from a earlier version? I hold the publisher responsible for their disservice to both Ms. Hamilton & the reader. They used Hamilton as a marketing scheme.



Rating:
Summary: I feel so cheated! These are chapters, not stories.
Review: Ok, to be fair, my ire applies only to Laurell K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris. But! I bought the book because those two are my favorites, and I'm desperate for some more Anita Blake and Sookie Stackhouse. Harris' and Hamilton's short stories start the anthology. Each is about 30-pages long and read like chapters instead of full stories. The Hamilton story is noticeably unfinished - the main plot dealing with an interesting ethical question of vampire making is just dropped. The End. Curious about the ethical question? Too bad for you. Boo, Anita Blake! How about some more plot and less of your romantic angst.

Harris' thirty pages were interesting, but again awfully short. You learn a little bit more about Harris' version of vampire society, but it could have waited for the next full book. It was disappointing to get just a terse little taste.

The winner of this anthology was Galahad by Angela Knight. This story had all that I ask for: hero, heroine, problem or question to be solved, happy ending, sex, and true love. Faint of heart, beware. Knight has some graphic sex between her modern girl and her knight in shining armor. It was a fun quickie with enough mythology to make it interesting.

Davidson and Taylor's stories were also fun and entertaining. Not memorable for me, but certainly worth the read. They gave me enough of a peek at their vampire worlds and their writing styles to make me want to read more.

Rating:
Summary: False Advertising
Review: The story by Laurell K. Hamilton was a measly thirty pages and was old news in the Anita Blake series. The story by Charlaine Harris was also too small, even for a short story. However, Angela Knight and MaryJanice Davidson's stories almost make up for Hamilton and Harris' brevity. I'd recommend borrowing it from a friend or a library rather than reading it.