Huntress [Mass Market Paperback]

Think I've mentioned before how much I love anthologies. I've discovered several new authors this way, and don't feel cheated if I don't like a particular author, as there's several more to choose from.

The first story in this collection is The Devil's Bargain by Christine Warren. Lilli Corbin made a deal with a devil and all she has to do to finally fulfill the bargain is retrieve an old book. Too bad it's a book of prophecies that will bring about the Apocalypse. This story was just okay for me, and my least favorite. Didn't really warm up to either Lilli or Aaron, the current owner of the book. And while this book is classified as a romance, I thought the sex scene was a little unnecessary.

Next up is The Robber Bride by Marjorie M. Liu. Maggie runs a junkyard in a post-apocalyptic world, on the outskirts of a small settlement of other survivors. Maggie's world is turned upside down when a strange gang of bikers invade her town and make off with several of her neighbors. Concerned for an old friend when she sees one of the bikers with Trace's necklace, she sets off in pursuit. Think this was my second favorite story, as it had interesting characters with a good plot. Loved the twist towards the end, and think Maggie deserves to have a full length novel of her very own!

Third story is Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go by Caitlin Kittredge. This one features Jack Winter, the bad boy mage we all know and love. Jack is tricked into helping a sexy demon slayer seek revenge against a demon in the underworld. While I usually like Jack, I didn't really care for this story. Couldn't really get into it, and wasn't really invested in the outcome.

Last but not least is the final story, Sin Slayer by Jenna Maclaine. Think this one was my favorite and I'm looking forward to reading more by Jenna, as she's a new discovery for me. Cin Craven is a vampire witch and a member of The Righteous, a group of vampires who police the vampire world and answer to no one but the High King. Jack the Ripper has started targeting vampires, and it's up to Cin to stop him. And oh yeah, Jack just happens to be a demon who's possessed Cin's husband, Michael. This was a great story with all the action you could possibly want, plus well developed characters that left you wanting more! Very happy to discover that Cin has her own series, as I'm now a fan!

Gave this collection a 4 out of 5, as thought that two of the stories were really, really good, and the remaining two were okay. Definitely worth buying!

Huntress arrived quite unexpectedly in my mailbox but I was very happy to see it. Caitlin Kittredge had revealed on her blog that a Jack Winter story was waiting for me inside the pages of this anthology. If you haven't read Street Magic, first in the Black London series you might not understand my anticipation. Oops, got distracted by thoughts of Jack. Each story involves a huntress, but each unique.

I must confess that I read Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go by Caitlin Kittredge first. We get to see Jack in all his glory before he meets Pete and goes down the dark road of addiction. Very unique story and I was riveted until the end.

Then I went back to the beginning and read Devil's Bargain by Christine Warren. I hadn't read Ms. Warren since she first broke into big time publishing. I enjoyed this story with its geeky hero Aaron Bullard and Lilith Corbin, the huntress. Lilith needs to retrieve a book that Aaron owns to return it to the devil Samael in order to end her bargain with said devil. But it turns out that it isn't just a book and Lilith isn't just a huntress.

The Robber Bride by Marjorie M. Liu was so good, words escape me. I would love LOVE love to see more of these characters. After a horrible virus wipes out a large portion of the population, people make do with what they have, what they can grow, and what they can trade or scavenge. Maggie is a fixer, collecting pieces of civilization that was and making it functional or using the pieces to make something new. One day a strange man on a motorcycle shows up and changes the course of Maggie's existence. In order to save a friend, Maggie sets out to find the man on the motorcycle and finds more that she bargained for.
Originally reviewed at Night Owl Romance

Like most anthologies this was a mixture of fantastic stories and horrible stories.

Christine Warren's "Devil's Bargain" was a good story, it was by no means the greatest story I have ever read, but I definitely enjoyed it. There was action, sex and magic - an excellent mix.

Marjorie M. Liu's "The Robber Bride" was my favorite story in the entire book! It's actually one of my favorite stories ever, but then I love post-apocalyptic worlds. Liu's writing was fantastic, you could picture everything she described in her unique tale. I loved it so much that the second I finished reading I rushed to see what else the author has written.

Caitlin Kittredge's "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go" was so horrible I didn't even finish it. I love the occasional raunchy story, but this one was just so lame that it made me roll my eyes and skip to the next tale. It was like the trailer trash of the book, all the other stories shined, but not this one.

Jenna Maclaine's "Sin Slayer" was another good one. I loved her ass-kicking vampires. I loved how it was a woman that saves her true love, not the other way around.

Honestly, if it wasn't for Marjorie M. Liu's story this book would have got 3 stars instead, but she saved it. This was a good collection, but it wasn't an amazing 'read in one sitting' one.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars