"Inventive Vampire Anthology"

LONELY HEART by Fae Harlow

Kora Hart is a witch, living in a town ruled by an arrogant and hostile coven — a coven that she becomes more involved with than she wants to when she casts a spell to bring her soulmate to her. Dark and mysterious, Griffin Sandler is a Shadow — a psychic vampire. A being that the local coven has vowed to destroy, regardless of who gets in their way.

Harlow's contribution to this anthology is talented, but a bit raw. The characterization and world-building are great, both evocative and interesting. The romantic relationship between the characters is full of tension and fun to read, and the sex is steamy and appealing. Kora's witchcraft is at least partially derived from modern-day wiccan practices. The rawness involves the writing itself, as Harlow's prose is a bit scattered at the beginning, making the story somewhat difficult to get into. Regardless of Harlow's awkward beginning, this story is refreshingly romantic and decidedly different.

ISABELLA'S WAY by Lydia Parks

Nathan Cotton is an ancient vampire haunted by his past. He's smitten when he meets young, inexperienced Isabella — a vampire who knows nothing about her powers, or the responsibilities she has inherited. He decides to teach her — and to get to know her better in the process. Their love is a brief but bright interlude in Cotton's long, dark life.

ISABELLA'S WAY is an interesting little novella, though a little too short on romance to please a true romance reader. Nathan is a well-developed vampire, as he should be, considering he's a main character in many of Parks' novel-length works. Isabella comes off as a bit spoiled, but their interlude is intriguing. The vampire mystique truly shines here — Parks' rules are explained clearly and effortlessly and, like the best vampire stories, Cotton's history is seamlessly woven into the narrative. Unfortunately, the story's end, in my opinion, lowered its overall appeal, but if you don't need a happy-ever-after to enjoy your vampire romance, Ms. Parks' story is well worth the read.

FAIR CAITRINA by Brenna Lyons

It is 1497. Caitrina de Leon meets her destined mate, Lord Jorg de Schmeidt. Jorg — Veriel — has loved and lost his soulmate many times through the years, and Caitrina is another in a long line of reincarnations of his ancient love Regana. Though together again, their reunion is fraught with peril — many others seek Regana, and her life is fragile.

This story is clearly part of one of Ms. Lyons' other series in some way or another — terms and concepts are introduced with little or no explanation, though their meaning can be gleaned from the story. The supposition seems to be that the reader is familiar with Veriel's story, which wasn't true in my case. Perhaps a more familiar reader would have found his tale more sympathetic — I found myself wondering what was going on part of the time. Besides that complication, however, Ms. Lyons' writing is wonderful — descriptive and evocative, and her world building skills are excellent. Even though I was unfamiliar with Veriel's world and mythos, I found myself enjoying the story. This story had a less-than-happy ending, but was still promising.

Reviewed by Ann Leveille
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted September 27, 2003

Summary

In "Lonely Heart" by Fae Harlow, a witch without a coven casts a spell to find her soulmate. The last person she expects to summon is a very willing Griffin Sandler. Griffin is everything her mother never warned her about, and he is a Shadow, a psychic vampire who needs her help.

In "Isabella's Way" by Lydia Parks, a 400-year-old vampire finds a female on the run from the one who made her. Isabella is the light to his darkness, but she is also naïve to the vampire's ways. Can Nathan teach her the things she needs to survive as a vampire among humans?

In "Fair Caitrina" by Brenna Lyons, the mad elder Veriel, aka Jörg, finds his soulmate yet again. Jörg has lost his soulmate five times, his punishment as a traitor to his gods. Caitrina is pursued by humans, beasts, and cursed warriors alike. Jörg is driven to protect her and fated to lose her. Will Jörg finally discover the secret to having the love stolen from him or will Caitrina be the sixth soul he loses?