"Three kick-butt female agents fight evil and find love"

WINTER WARRIORS is an anthology that features three female agents from an ultra-secret government agency. Each woman can kick butt with the best of them, but hasn't found the love that will make her complete. All of the stories have a paranormal element adding to the intrigue.

Maneater by Denise Agnew

Cora Destiny Tremayne has a tough-as-nails ball-buster reputation at the Special Investigations Agency. No man can even come close to penetrating her uber-bitch exterior. Except maybe Mac Tudor. Ever since their sexually charged dance at the Christmas reception last year, Destiny has worked hard to avoid Mac at all costs. Now she's ordered to work with him on an assignment that has already caused the disappearance of one SIA operative.

Mac Tudor doesn't know why he's so attracted to Destiny when she puts out all of those hostile signals. He finds himself intrigued with the woman, wanting to know what's hidden under her tough shell. She turns him on like no woman ever has before. Can Mac make use of their attraction to each other to bring about a cease-fire? For the mission's sake, he'd better.

When Destiny and Mac head out on their mission in a mysterious Colorado lab, it's eventful from the start. Forced to fight for survival from the get-go, they gradually lower the barriers between them. When a murder at the lab compound is discovered, both Destiny and Mac know that something freaky is going on. Are the people at the lab experimenting in genetic mutations? And why would they do so? Something not quite human is stalking the halls, looking for more victims.

The unusual circumstances allow Mac to get past Destiny's barriers much faster than he would in their normal setting. Destiny doesn't know what's happening to her where Mac is concerned. Sure the sex is great, but is there more to it? Is it just the danger they're in that is spurring all of these feelings?

Maneater began as a spy story and then morphed into a horror story. It was still enjoyable, just unexpected. Destiny and Mac make a powerful team, each able to hold his/her own with danger. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. Ms. Agnew has penned an exciting thrill-ride of a story!

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 6.

Solstice Surrender by Tracey Cooper-Posey

Solstice Surrender begins with a scene that we all wish would happen to the bullies of the world. Tapping into her mental powers for the first time, Jenna MacDonald manages to mentally cause a cup of hot coffee to be dumped in the lap of a belittling, boorish jerk. Stunned, she denies at first that's she's responsible for the "incident". With the help of a familiar stranger, Jenna learns more about the danger stalking her. She can handle physical danger as a trained SIA operative, but what about mental attacks?

Rhys Cellyn has been waiting for a very long time to find Jenna. He has sensed her presence, without knowing her exact location. Now that he has found her, he will do anything to protect her from the danger that stalks them. Rhys and Jenna are something more than mere humans, as Jenna learns.

As Rhys tutors Jenna on the fine points of her mental powers, she's overwhelmed by the feelings she has for him. The sexual tension between them is palpable, bringing them ever closer to the edge. But Jenna questions her destiny as Rhys' mate. She's never been a believer in fate, believing instead in free will to make her own decisions. Will Rhys sway her to embrace his viewpoint before the winter solstice? That's when they must bond and form a nearly unstoppable partnership.

I found Solstice Surrender to be a non-stop action- packed adventure. Rhys' love for Jenna is apparent in every move he makes. Imagine waiting for time on end for the love of your life. Ms. Cooper-Posey has written an engaging entry in this anthology.

Sensuality: Rated S-ensuous by the publisher. Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 8.

Turkish Delight by Rosemary Laurey

Nur Aydan is more than just the average SIA operative. She is a moroii -- a living vampire. When her vacation in Turkey is interrupted, she's tempted to pass by this latest assignment. When her spymaster swears that this is an easy assignment, a "doddle", she agrees to travel to England to investigate the company that has private ownership of a megalithic stone circle. Since the company has terrorist connections, SIA is right to worry about what the company is planning to do.

Undercover as a Turkish teacher named Yildiz Geçtan, Nur finds the small village of Great Havering in an uproar over the fences surrounding the Hollrigg stones. She decides to attend the planning meeting held in her hotel to learn more about the situation. There, she meets a very appealing man who is involved in the protest over the stones.

Mike Proudfoot doesn't trust that Yildiz is who she says she is. Is she a reporter? Or worse, a plant from Rudicorp, the company that bought the stones? Either way, he'll keep her close at hand. Besides, Mike finds himself incredibly attracted to her and wants to act on the mutual attraction.

Something underhanded is happening at the stones. Will Nur find out the plot before it's too late? Why are the stones so important to Rudicorp? And just what will happen on the winter solstice? With Mike's contacts in the village, Nur may just get the help she needs to stop Rudicorp.

I found the ending of Turkish Delight to be a bit anticlimactic. And readers who expect a rosy happily-ever-after for the hero and heroine may be disappointed. They have potential, but it's too soon to tell. Ms. Laurey has penned a fresh twist on the vampire mythology that has its roots in Turkish culture. Nur is a heroine who won't be easily forgotten.

Sensuality: Rated S-ensuous by the publisher. Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 4.

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted November 17, 2003

Summary

For Special Investigations Agency Operatives Destiny Tremayne, Jenna MacDonald, and Nur Aydan, Christmas isn't all about celebrating.

Maneater by Denise A. Agnew
When Destiny Tremayne and fellow agent Mac Tudor are assigned to investigate mysterious disappearances at a strange lab high in the Colorado Mountains, they clash at every turn. Destiny thinks Mac is a throwback. Mac thinks Destiny hates any man who has balls.

When they realize something monstrous stalks the secluded high-mountain lab, they'll face a terrifying enemy and a blazing sexual inferno they may not survive.

Solstice Surrender by Tracy Cooper-Posey
Jenna MacDonald, cynic extraordinaire, flees to Banff, Canada, for the holiday season to lick her wounds in private after an assignment takes a tragic turn. But trouble manages to find her even in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.

A mystery-clad stranger called Rhys Cellyn exerts a powerful influence over her mind and her body, while Jenna struggles to stay afloat in the mythical world he plunges her into. Time is against her, for at the moment of the winter solstice she must make a fateful choice.

Turkish Delight by Rosemary Laurey
Nur Aydan, a moroii—a living vampire—accepts a commission in the UK, investigating investment of terrorist funds. The supposedly routine job, has Nur involved in a local protest over rights-of-way, rescuing demonstrators for attackers, using her moroii abilities to thwart terrorists...

And falling in love.

Sexual Content: 2 S-ensuous/1E-rotic. Genre: Paranormal.