On the Hunt-Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Anderson, and Deidre Knight

On the Hunt
Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Anderson, and Deidre Knight
Signet, Feb 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451232434

“Ever Night” by Gena Showalter. When she turned eighteen, Rose Pascal magically leaves her bedroom with its electronic gizmos for a world of thicket woods. There she meets nasty Vasili who calls her a mouse before explaining she is a Dimension Walker. He sends her home though he normally kills Walkers. Over the years on her birthday she returns while her parents think she is crazy. Eventually his little mouse becomes a roaring lioness that Vasili falls in love with; but he and his people hunt her kind.

“The Collector” by Shannon K. Butcher. In St. Louis, demon Hunter Neal Etan meets antique dealer Viviana Rowan when she agrees to give him an artifact that allegedly will cure his friend’s paralysis. They touch and each feels the attraction. However, her life becomes threatened when the artifact vanishes.

“Crystal Skull” by Jessica Anderson. In the Mexican rainforest, archeologist Natalie Albright finds her excavation abruptly stopped by officials because they fear she has demons. She is stunned by what she considers superstitious inanity until strange beasts arrack her after she and her team find the crystal skull. Only her ex husband JT can possibly keep her safe from the ancient evil that stalks her.

“Red Angel” by Deidre Knight. Nightshades demon team leader Jamie Angel has had problems with his family’s acceptance of Kate Rabineau, a freaking vampire, who is now engaged to Dillon Fox. Thus when he falls for Kate’s best friend Sunny Renfoe, Jamie is aghast because he knows she is not human, but what “Sunshine” is he has no idea.

These are four well written exciting romantic fantasies though the novella format limits lead couple development.

Harriet Klausner