 |
CREEPIN' - L.A. Banks | Donna Hill
| Monica Jackson | J.M. Jeffries | Janice Sims Harlequin Kimani/Sepia June 2007 |
SYNOPSIS: Alpha males, sultry beauties, and lusty creatures find passion and confront betrayal in these supersexy tales of the paranormal with an African-American flavor. This groundbreaking collection contains stories by Jackson, L.A. Banks, Donna Hill, J.M. Jeffries, and Janice Sims.
PARANORMAL FICTION |4| La-Tessa Montgomery
REVIEW: Have you ever heard the phrase “Revenge is a dish best served cold”? Well let me tell you, the ladies featured in this anthology are master chefs, with a specialty in payback! CREEPIN’ features stories about five women who will stop at nothing to ensure the ones that betrayed them get a little street justice, served up supernatural style!!
PAYBACK IS A BITCH; L.A. Banks ( 4++) Sidney Coleburn-West is a
fairly successful lawyer who’s at her wits end with her two timing, no
good husband. Sidney is outraged that after spending all of her efforts,
and a lot of her money, to build Douglas’ sports management career, that
he has the audacity to try to clean her out in the divorce proceeding.
Being left with no other choice, Sidney knows that her best chance of
getting justice is to start playing a little dirty herself. For help,
she turns to Brick, an alpha wolf and sexy P.I. who agrees to get her
what she needs to divorce Douglas. Brick will do what it takes to ensure
Sidney gets what she wants; but after one meeting with her, he adds
himself to that list! Neither Sidney, Brick, nor anyone else for that
matter, can deny the passion flaring between them; and they can’t help
but give in to it. But what type of future can they realistically have
with Sidney’s vindictive ex-husband in the picture and Brick secret life
hanging over their heads?
What a way to start off this anthology! PAYBACK IS A BITCH is
easily my favorite story in this collection. It’s fast paced and
entertaining, but nothing about it felt rushed. Ms. Banks is to be
commended for the way she expertly develops the leads and then weaves
the story around them. And speaking of the leads, there’s not much to
say to describe them but HOT!! From the beginning to the end, these two
definitely keep it on and popping. Even though this is a novella, there
were still enough twists to keep me firmly engrossed in this story. And
speaking of twists, I really enjoyed Leonora’s impact on the story.
Lenora, also a werewolf, is good friends with both Brick and Sidney. A
nice layer of tension and humor is added to the story through her and
Brick’s jealously of each other’s relationship with Sidney.
THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT; Donna Hill (3+) Christine has lusted after
Melody since high school, but since Melody doesn’t “swing that way”,
Chris has settled for best friend status instead. But years of
unrequited lust has taken its toll on Chris. She is become increasingly
sexually frustrated since she never puts any real energy in seeking out
an outlet for her release; she too busy pining after Melody. But all
this drastically changes one night when the outlet finds her instead and
will not take no for an answer! Chris has no reasonable explanation for
the mysterious presence that sexes her crazy on a regular basis. But
when she can no longer hide her evident neglect and lackadaisical
attitude, just how will she explain her mystifying caller who never
fails to deliver on the goods?
I liked the concept behind this story. I found it very mysterious and
intriguing, and the plot twist at the end was completely unexpected. The
fact that the male lead is an incubus makes for an interesting dynamic
between the leads. The story is fast paced and flows well, which is
enhanced by the author’s use of first person narrative. The one thing
that really hampered me from fully enjoying this story was Chris’s
constant lusting after Melody. It is emphasized a great deal, and for my
own personal tastes, this element just didn’t work for me, it only
served to distract me.
VAMPED; Monica Jackson (4) All is right with Joy’s world and she
couldn’t be happier with her recent engagement to Andre. Joy has nothing
but love for Andre; he’s an excellent chef, treats her like a queen, and
never fails to satisfy her in the bedroom. However, Andre never leaves
his house, except for work. While Joy finds this a bit strange, she puts
up with it because she loves him. However, she is determine to get Andre
out of the house one night to show him off to her co-workers; who are
all convinced that he is just a figment of her imagination. When Andre
relents, Joy is on cloud nine; however her victory is short-lived once a
blonde haired, blue-eyed seductress suddenly appears and takes off with
her man. Joy’s has unknowingly set off a chain of events that will force
her into showdown with an other-worldly enemy for both her soul, and her
man.
I am an avid fan of the sci-fi/paranormal genre, and I really enjoyed
Ms. Jackson take on the classic vampire lore. I enjoyed Joy as the lead.
She is very strong and independent, yet the author allows her
shortcoming show as well; this lends an air of humanity to her. It’s
easy to see the love between Joy and Andre, but I also experienced their
pain and angst as they work to reconcile the consequences of their
choices to their desires. Dahlia is a formidable opponent, in both
strength and cunningness. Her character definitely serves to heighten
the tension in the story. This is good story, however I felt that that
Joy and Andre’s problem was resolved too quickly and conveniently at the
end; thus raising some answers questions that left me scratching my head
a bit.
BALANCING THE SCALES; J.M. Jeffries (3+) Paloma is a 15 year
veteran in the entertainment industry, and her husband Keith has been
there every step of the way, managing her career. Paloma had not only
funded his many business ventures, but she has also endured his endless
suggestions for her to “slut up” her image. In early from a business
trip, Paloma arrives home to find her husband in bed with his newest
prodigy. Out of shock, she flees her home silently to lick her wounds.
But once evidence of more of Keith’s dirty deals come to light, Paloma
realizes that he has not only robbed her of happiness, but he has
cleaned out of finances as well. Paloma soon realizes that the only
thing that will make this right for her is to have Keith’s head on a
platter.
BALANCING THE SCALES differs from the other stories in this
collection because there are no creatures or fantastical beasts present.
Here, the authors make use of a voodoo priestess and a hex, with a very
interesting method of deployment, to tell their tale. The story flows
smoothly, and has some twists to keep it interesting; however the
tension level was not quite acute enough to keep me fully engaged.
Another weakness, for me, was the leads and their relationship. While
they have some very hot and bold interludes, I experienced a slight
disconnect that I struggled to get past. I just failed to buy into the
fact that Paloma could have such passionate responses to a man that she
knew for a fact was cheating, was using her, and had completely wiped
her out financially. This element of the story was just a bit of a hard
sale for me.
AVENGING ANGELS; Janice Sims (4+) The world is filled with
supernatural beings that unknowingly to humans, coexist along side them.
As a Nephilim, or fallen angel, Sarai Wingate is one such individual.
Sarai has a heart of gold and as a Chicago detective, uses her natural
abilities to apprehend pedophiles roaming Chicago. She is happily
married to her human husband Daniel, but Nighthawk, a fellow Nephilim
and past love, could care less. Especially since he is now aware of
prophecy that foretells that his and Sarai’s child would be most
powerful Son of the Morning Star ever. All Nephilm fall into two groups:
either they are of the Grigori, and loyal to God; or they are Sons of
the Morning Star, with alliances to the devil. In his greed to have this
honor, Nighthawk puts a devilish plan into play that threatens to
destroy all Sarai holds dear, including Daniel and their unborn child.
Wow! I really enjoyed this story. I especially love mythical tales with
spiritual overtones and Ms. Sims hit this one out of the park. The plot
moves along smoothly and is full of suspense, explosive love making, and
a great twist. I loved Sarai and Daniel; they complemented each other
and you can sense their chemistry and level of commitment to each other.
And I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Nighthawk’s character and all
that he brought to the story. He is certainly one handsome and roguish
devil, and I mean that quite literally! While I enjoyed the action and
excitement of this story, he pacing slowed a little because of the
author’s focus on Sarai’s case.
CREEPIN’ is a definite must read for all who enjoy paranormal
romance, or for those looking a good, hot read. CREEPIN’ is the
epitome of erotic sensuality, and is not the faint of heart!! When you
pick up this book, make sure that you are ready for some scorching tales
of vindication. A tall cold drink, readily available, is a must!
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 28th October 2007