Shifter is an anthology involving some recognizable names from paranormal romance:
- Angela Knight, author of the Mageverse (Master of the Night)
- Lora Leigh, author of the Breeds series (Tempting the Beast)
- Alyssa Day, author of the Warriors of Poseidon series (Atlantis Rising)
- Virginia Kantra, author of Children of the Sea series (Sea Witch)
Mad Dog by Angela Knight
I’m not a huge fan of futuristic stories, but if they are from an author I know, then I will usually give them a try. With that said, I should mention that Angela Knight’s contribution takes place in the year 2450 and it involves some technology that I kind of wish was available today. The story was actually quick and easy to follow along, but I think I would rather have seen this as a full length novel. I would have definitely picked this up as a full novel. The technology (which is usually throws me off of the futuristic milieu) was believable and not overly done. I’ve read stories that describe the world’s technology a little zealously and that really doesn’t help in my opinion. In fact, Knight did it really well and even told a pretty good romance story along with it.
A Jaguar’s Kiss by Lora Leigh
Lora Leigh is a new author for me, and I’ve heard of her Breeds series, so finding out her contribution was another story in her series, it gave me a little bit more of a reason to pay attention. What I wasn’t expecting was to get sucked into the story, and at one point, get tears in my eyes. The story had a very intense emotional feeling to it and there were times where you just had to read on. At other times, Leigh kind of got carried away in my opinion. Scenes that could have been shorter weren’t and moments were dragged out until I really didn’t care anymore. The ending was like that for me. Once the climax of the story occurred, I was ready for a quick ending and I didn’t get that. Overall I enjoyed the story, and I’ll have to get to her books sooner rather than later, but it didn’t make me go out and find something now.
Shifter’s Lady by Alyssa Day
While I did enjoy the story, it was obvious that Shifter’s Lady was a part of another series. Day has create a whole new world that seems to be very descriptive and without reading any of the other stories, there were things that lost me a little. Nothing serious or that took away from the story, but there was already a bigger story line going on and I didn’t have any of the back story/plot. Other than that, the story was good and it did make me interested to find out what I missed by getting the first Atlantis novel.
Sea Crossing by Virginia Kantra
This novella actually begins a whole new series for Kantra and so far I’m interested. The world builds around the mythology/legend of Selkies in the British Isles and, in my opinion, is kind of new. If you’re a fan of historical romances, than the Selkie myth isn’t anything you should be unfamiliar with. It’s been referenced to in any Cornish based book, or at least alluded to, and now we’re actually getting a story from the Selkie’s perspective and I’m intrigued. Sea Crossing is only the beginning and we get more with her follow up novels – Sea Witch and Sea Fever. The fourth novel in the Children of the Sea series will be Sea Lord, which doesn’t come out until May 2009. The only thing I am unsure of is when the novel takes place. The story really doesn’t allude to a certain time frame, but I get a feeling of a more historical time period. Personally, this doesn’t bother me, but it may some.
Overall, this anthology was actually pretty good. It had three new authors for me and all three gave me something to look forward to. I haven’t read anything by Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, or Virginia Kantra, but I plan to and now I’m a little more familiar with their story worlds. Whether your a fan of these authors or they are new to you, Shifter is definitely worth a read.
