Reviews

Heroic Hearts by Anne Bishop, R.R. Virdi, Annie Bellet, Chloe Neill, Charlaine Harris, Nancy Holder, Jim Butcher, Jennifer Brozek, Kerrie L. Hughes, Patricia Briggs, Kevin Hearne, Rachel Caine, Kelley Armstrong

winemakerssister's review against another edition

4.0

A collection of short stories/novellas written during the pandemic. The theme running through all of them is heroes. I was very happy to see some of my favorite UF/Paranormal writers along with some that are new to me. Perhaps the most disappointing was from Charlaine Harris. The story was just too short for me to get to know the characters well. But I absolutely loved Asil's next step in the dating world from Patricia Briggs. And I also loved that the original narrators from each series read their respective stories. James Marsden!!

andskye's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

prettyprettyunicorn101's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

writings_of_a_reader's review against another edition

4.0

I picked this up specifically to read the stories by Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, and Anne Bishop as they are related to three series that I love. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of them and they each get 4 stars from me, but the last one by Patricia Briggs, about Asil and Ruby, was my favorite.

I haven't read the series by the other authors yet. Some of them I'll eventually get to, and then I'll come back and read those stories.

jbkep's review against another edition

4.0

Bit of a stretch to say that I finished it since I really only read the Butcher and Hearne stories. I did enjoy those 2, and the snippets I read of the other stories has me tempted to start some of their originating series so that I can back to this book sometime.

mat_hyperborealwolf's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

zdriesen's review against another edition

4.0

I picked up "Heroic Hearts" purely for the new Dresden short story by Jim Butcher. As the title and the prologue explain, the short stories all focus on heroes - people who show courage. The flow from story to story was really well done. Overall, I enjoyed most of the stories available. Here are some of my various thoughts:

Little Things x Jim Butcher - A bit of a let down. It was fine, but not at the normal high standard of Dresden File materials. I'm not sure if Toot Toot needed more book time than he already gets. I do look forward to reading more about Dresden's new homestead and the community that develops within/around it.

Comfort Zone x Kelly Armstrong - Maybe not the best writing, but I greatly enjoyed the story. After I learned it was based on her other books, I ordered the first book in the series. Excited to start that one!

Fire Hazard x Kevin Hearne - The perspective of a dog made for an odd story. It worked really well for a short, but I could see it being tiresome if extended out longer than this. I really enjoyed this one.

Grave Gambles x R.R. Virdi - One of my favorite ideas in the book. I will be exploring the novels around this character. I could even see the character making a fantastic TV show.

The Vampires Karamazov x Nancy Holder - One of my least favorites. I would skip it in a re-read.

The Necessity of Pragmatic Magic x Jennifer Brozek - A fun read. The trope of magic happening at a museum is always fun.

library_breeder's review

4.0

I read this anthology for the Anne Bishop and Patricia Briggs parts. I have not read any of the other series represented in this book, so I don't plan on finishing it unless I start those series. I loved the parts I read!

Since the last part was the Anne Bishop story, and I was reading it on a Kindle, it automatically marked it as read on GR with the read date. This date is only for the part I read.

stripedwolfie's review against another edition

3.0

This was a mixed bag for me. I’ve enjoyed most of the stories. Its a nice introduction to authors I haven’t read before. I will try other books by Annie Bellet, R.R. Virdi, and Kelley Armstrong based on their stories. Dating Terrors by Patricia Briggs was outstanding and a good treat for fans of the universe. It made me chuckle several times. On the other hand, I found the Dark Ship (too formulaic) and Vampires Karamazov (rehashing Russian literature with not much added) disappointing. As I was using the audiobook version, I could not finish the stories about the pixies and the dog. The way the voice was read was just too annoying. I tried and gave up halfway on both of these stories.

sambam_42's review

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5