A review by rouver
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon by P.N. Elrod
3.0
The 3 stars is for Jim Butcher's "Harry Dresden" short in this book. In this one, Harry must pair up with Gard, the magic 'heavy' that works for Marcone, the local organized crime boss. We learn exactly what supernatural creature Gard is, with a nice bit of action. Standard Butcher fare, and it's what I'm here for.
Some thoughts on the other stories:
"Stalked" by Kelley Armstrong
Look, I love werewolf stories, but this one rubbed me the wrong way. In most, there are 'loner' werewolves that can cause problems for 'regular' werewolves who are part of a pack. Usually they're more violent, cause bad press for the werewolf community, etc. In this setting, the 'good guy' werewolf kept referring to the loner werewolf as a 'mutt'. In the other books I read, the werewolf clans usually try to help loner wolves, but here, they're only worthy of derision. The other books I've read have colored my view, so I don't think this series is for me.
"Roman Holiday" by Rachel Caine
Too much romance for me, and the female protagonist was your typical helpless damsel in distress. It didn't make sense because the story presented her as having 'rescued' her lover/fiance/ex-ghost/still-pirate captain. Not worth the headache and blech.
"Her Mother's Daughter" by P. N. Elrod
I've actually read a bunch of Elrod's vampire books. Sort of a 20s/30s vampire noir sort of thing. They're fine. An easy quick read that are decently written.
"Newlydeads" by Caitlin Kitteredge
There were so many inconsistencies and unsatisfying world building...not gonna pick up any of her books.
"Where the Heart Lives" by Marjorie M. Liu
This name was really familiar to me, and when I looked Liu up, I can see that I *did* try her "Hunter Kiss" series & dropped it after just one novel. And on the other hand, I've enjoyed her (very weird) graphic novels "Monstress." Since this one is set in her "Dirk and Steele" series, and I enjoyed this short story, I guess I can give it a try.
No, wait. I just read the synopsis from the first one:
"Dela has danced through the echo of his soul and knows this warrior will obey her every command. Hari has been used and abused for millennia. But he sees, upon his release from the riddle box, that this new mistress is different. There is a hidden power in Dela's eyes- and with her, he may regain all that was lost to him."
Euuughhh...no.
"Cat Got Your Tongue?" by Katie MacAlister
Ghost story (yay!), misogyny (what?), broken internal logic (no thanks)
"I have my own wife to ogle, thank you," Raphael said stiffly. "Perhaps if you kept yours confined rather than let her run the hallways half-naked"
"Half of Being Married" by Lilith Saintcrow
I like the idea of a vampire hunter & a werewolf married couple, but this writing style just wasn't for me. And apparently they got married w/o knowing or telling the other about these essential aspects of their lives? Just, no.
"A Wulf in Groom's Clothing" by Ronda Thompson
Another story about a newly married couple that had misled each other about vital aspects of their lives. He's cursed as a werewolf, she hates the outdoors. Classically hilarious [eyeroll]. Oh, and the curse is 'broken' when it moves into her instead. Misogynistic undercurrents, and ....just not to my taste.
Some thoughts on the other stories:
"Stalked" by Kelley Armstrong
Look, I love werewolf stories, but this one rubbed me the wrong way. In most, there are 'loner' werewolves that can cause problems for 'regular' werewolves who are part of a pack. Usually they're more violent, cause bad press for the werewolf community, etc. In this setting, the 'good guy' werewolf kept referring to the loner werewolf as a 'mutt'. In the other books I read, the werewolf clans usually try to help loner wolves, but here, they're only worthy of derision. The other books I've read have colored my view, so I don't think this series is for me.
"Roman Holiday" by Rachel Caine
Too much romance for me, and the female protagonist was your typical helpless damsel in distress. It didn't make sense because the story presented her as having 'rescued' her lover/fiance/ex-ghost/still-pirate captain. Not worth the headache and blech.
"Her Mother's Daughter" by P. N. Elrod
I've actually read a bunch of Elrod's vampire books. Sort of a 20s/30s vampire noir sort of thing. They're fine. An easy quick read that are decently written.
"Newlydeads" by Caitlin Kitteredge
There were so many inconsistencies and unsatisfying world building...not gonna pick up any of her books.
"Where the Heart Lives" by Marjorie M. Liu
This name was really familiar to me, and when I looked Liu up, I can see that I *did* try her "Hunter Kiss" series & dropped it after just one novel. And on the other hand, I've enjoyed her (very weird) graphic novels "Monstress." Since this one is set in her "Dirk and Steele" series, and I enjoyed this short story, I guess I can give it a try.
No, wait. I just read the synopsis from the first one:
"Dela has danced through the echo of his soul and knows this warrior will obey her every command. Hari has been used and abused for millennia. But he sees, upon his release from the riddle box, that this new mistress is different. There is a hidden power in Dela's eyes- and with her, he may regain all that was lost to him."
Euuughhh...no.
"Cat Got Your Tongue?" by Katie MacAlister
Ghost story (yay!), misogyny (what?), broken internal logic (no thanks)
"I have my own wife to ogle, thank you," Raphael said stiffly. "Perhaps if you kept yours confined rather than let her run the hallways half-naked"
"Half of Being Married" by Lilith Saintcrow
I like the idea of a vampire hunter & a werewolf married couple, but this writing style just wasn't for me. And apparently they got married w/o knowing or telling the other about these essential aspects of their lives? Just, no.
"A Wulf in Groom's Clothing" by Ronda Thompson
Another story about a newly married couple that had misled each other about vital aspects of their lives. He's cursed as a werewolf, she hates the outdoors. Classically hilarious [eyeroll]. Oh, and the curse is 'broken' when it moves into her instead. Misogynistic undercurrents, and ....just not to my taste.