"Sexy supernatural short stories from a talented showcase of authors."

Volume two in a series of books of supernatural short stories from a talented showcase of authors. There's something for vampire, werewolf, and dragon tale lovers. The characters and plots for each story were well developed and I think readers will enjoy the book.

By Moon Rise by Tielle St. Clare Caitlin is the only human employed by a clan of werewolves. They adopted her and have taken good care of her and she will do anything they ask of her. While with her boss Luc enroute to his mating ceremony, the hotel enforces a 48 hour quarantine in order to isolate a viral outbreak. Unfortunately, it's during the time of the full moon and Luc will change into his wolf self unless Caitlin can help. How? By keeping Luc sexually sated in whatever way he wants. Can Caitlin give her body to a man she has been in love with for three years, but who is promised to another?

This was a good idea for an erotic plot but I would have enjoyed the story more if the sexual tension had lasted longer. Once they had sex the first time the followup scenes were similar to a 25 year old marriage --  a bit routine.

Dream Walker by Patrice Michelle Scientist Erin Stein has found the secret to time travel and now someone wants that information and is willing to kill her to get it. While she is being pursued by men who want to steal her secret she is rescued by a man named Kian with supernatural strength. He takes her to an isolated cabin in the woods where she will be safe. As Erin spends time with Kian she begins to fall in love with him, but she soon discovers that he is not who he seems and her project is once more the focus of attention. Can Erin trust Kian with her heart and her scientific knowledge?

This is an interesting science fiction story but I felt the sex was forced. There's no way I can believe that a woman who's just been pulled from a burning car and whose life is in danger, would say to the guy who rescued her, "You've saved me. Now lets go to your cabin in the woods and have sex till the killers find us." Well that's not literally what she said but that's the gist of what she did.

One Night Stand by JC Wilder Set in New Orleans during a time when supernatural beings have been assimilated into human society, this is a vampire story. Rachel has the hots for a sexy vampire, Lucius,  and she has decided to sleep with him before he leaves the city forever. But when she has finally accomplished her mission the two find themselves falling for each other and their emotions are a little complicated to deal with -- even for vampires.

The world building in this story is good. I especially liked the detail that Wilder wove in to give it a three dimensional feel.

Tail of the Tiger by R. Casteel Cedric Deverone, Jr.'s father was known as a mad scientist. He performed clone and genetic experiments that resulted in human freaks of nature. Cedric is one of those freaks -- a daywalker who struggles to suppress the demon within himself. When he discovers that his father had created other semi-humans like himself he goes to the island where they live. What he discovers is Kat, a beautiful half human, half tiger and her sister a human-panther breed. Then the unthinkable happens and they find themselves the only survivors of a nuclear disaster.

This story is a sexy retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau and R. Casteel did a fine job recreating the story. It was very enjoyable.

Dragon's Law: Mace by Alicia Sparks Elenora and all of her sisters before her have been selected by her village as virgin sacrifices to a local dragon for protection. Each year a new sacrifice is bound, tied, and left for consumption by the dragon. While Elenora awaits her fate, two dragons--one red and one black-- appear and begin to fight. During the fight, one of the dragons slashes her with his tail and she blacks out. When she comes to she discovers the dragons are gone and she is in the company of an unconscious, injured, red-haired man. Assuming that he defeated the dragons to save her life, she attempts to nurse him back to health. Then she discovers what he really is.

This story has a unique take on the virginal sacrifice. I really enjoyed it and I think other readers will too.

Taming Jack by Angela Knight Jack Ramsey is a traffic cop trying to find his sister's killer and bring him to justice. He was exceptionally close to his sister because their parents died when she was 15 and he had became her guardian. Solving the mystery has become an obsession and he neglects everything around him, like his girlfriend Lark. One night an otherworldly being visits Jack and gives him the tools necessary to solve the crime, but it costs him.

This is a well written story with an interesting plot from a talented author.

Reviewed by Angela Black for Sensual Romance.

Reviewed by Sensual Romance
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted December 22, 2004

A special edition anthology of sizzling stories from Ellora's Cave's Masters of Romantica.

By Moon Rise By Tielle St Clare
Dragon's Law: Mace By Alicia Sparks
Dream Walker By Patrice Michelle
One Night Stand By J C Wilder
Tail of the Tiger By R Casteel
Taming Jack By Angela Knight
Edited by the "Queen of Steam" Jaid Black

Summary

By Moon Rise By Tielle St Clare
After three years of working as a werewolf's personal assistant, Caitlin didn't think anything could surprise her. When she finds herself locked in a hotel room for two days with her wickedly handsome boss, she learns how wrong she is. The moon is on the rise and only one thing will satisfy the wolf inside Luc—sex, and lots of it. It's a sacrifice Caitlin is oh-so-willing to make. But when wilder, deeper emotions come to the surface, Caitlin fears she won't make it out of that room with her heart intact.

Dragon's Law Mace By Alicia Sparks
When Mace rescued Eleanora from the clutches of the dragon, he had no intention of mating with her, but fate intervened proving that sometimes the forces of nature and desire are stronger than willpower. In his fevered state, he has no idea that he has spilled Eleanora's virgin blood until he wakes up joined to her soft body.

Dream Walker By Patrice Michelle
Erin Stein thought that discovering the ability to travel in time would benefit mankind. Never could she have imagined that moving through time would become so complicated. Now that her invention has fallen into the wrong hands, she's on a mission to destroy her creation in order to save her world. Little does she realize just how much the past, present, and future will come to mean to her.

One Night Stand By J C Wilder
Lucius deVille had the face of an angel and the body of an unrepentant sinner. He was the kind of vampire every woman dreamed of calling 'Lover' at least once in her life. The proverbial tall, dark and handsome male that was the fantasy of millions of women around the world and to top it all off, he was educated and possessed a wicked sense of humor that had charmed more than one woman out of her panties. Tonight, Rachel was determined to claim Luc as her own.

Tail of the Tiger By R Casteel
Hiding since her ill-fated birth, Kat—half woman/half animal—has lived in on a small tropical island all her life. Upon the death of his father, Cedric Deverone learns of the evil his father has done and feels compelled to seek out this half-ling creature and hopefully find the answers he is searching for and the purpose of his own existence. In any quest, the answers found are not always to the questions asked, especially in matters of the heart.

Taming Jack By Angela Knight
Motorcycle cop Jack Ramsey hungers for revenge on the inhuman thing that murdered his beloved sister. So much so that his obsession drives him away from the woman he loves. So much, in fact, that he's willing to allow an alien energy being to possess him if it means gaining the power to kill his sister's killer. Lark finds herself offered a similar devil's bargain - become a host to one of the energy symbiotes, in return for the power to save Jack from himself. In his obsession, Jack has become a superhuman vigilante, absorbing the evil entities which possess killers like the man who raped and murdered his sister. But every time he kills one of the symbiotes, he runs the risk of spinning out of control.