Vegas Bites: A Werewolf Romance Anthology [Paperback]

VEGAS BITES is an eclectic mix of werewolves 'Weres',
vampires 'Vamps', 'Humans', and 'Others'. The action is sequestered
within four separate stories surrounding the French Quarter Hotel
and Casino, in Las Vegas. It is owned by 'Weres' who are hosting a
twenty million dollar tournament.

HEAT by Leslie Esdaile: The owners of the French Quarter are
retiring and a rival 'Were' pack is positioning themselves for a
hostile takeover. Police officer Butch Maverick is in Vegas to
help Laurel, the casino's chief of security, abort the takeover.
Laurel and Butch have a tangled history; she is the only 'Were' to
ever tame the wolf in him, but he messed up. Laurel wants to keep
things between them strictly business. But when Butch steps through
the casino doors, he can smell Laurel's perfume and he feels the
heat.

THE HUNGER WITHIN by J.M. Jeffries: Solange Warwick, the personal
assistant for the casino's owners, was adopted by them after she was
bitten, over a century ago. Because of her unrequited love for
their son she plans to leave the casino. She is further stressed
when she learns that the casino will be robbed, and also when she
meets Jared, an undercover FBI agent working for the enemy. Jared
is 'Human' and therefore off limits. First they must save the casino
and then Solange must decide what a century old werewolf can do with a
thirty something human?

DOUBLE DOWN by Seressia Glass: Simone Masters, daughter to the
casino owners, has the distinction of being born a werewolf and as
such has additional powers. Another 'Were' was killed and Simone
feels responsible, so it has been five years since she has run the
plains as a wolf. As head of entertainment, she tries to compensate
by booking superb acts for the casino. The current act, a human
magician, has been asked to be a guest on The Mystery Channel. This
would bring major publicity to the casino; but he refuses. Simone's
attempts to get to the bottom of his refusal, reveals he is
not 'Human'. The revelation could be the death or quite possilby the
life of her.

OUT OF THE DARK by Natalie Dunbar: Kellie Monroe, home to bury her
grandmother, is attacked and bitten by a 'Were'. Kellie's DNA is
more than human, and an antidote to prevent her from being turned
almost kills her. Attempts to kidnap her puts her in the custody of
Garen Roy, who is working with the Las Vegas Preternatural Police.
Kellie learns her grandmother was not 'Were', 'Vamp', or 'Human'.
But there is an amulet her grandmother left to her, which holds the
key to all of the mystery, gives Kellie a power she could never have
imagined, and offers hope to a smitten Garen Roy.

Hot, tantalizing, out-of-this world describes this collaboration of
nocturnal musings. VEGAS BITES will leave you wondering and watching,
especially the eyes of people you meet. Kudos to the authors for
taking readers to the outer-limits in a well told and highly erotic
way.

Reviewed by aNN of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

The next time you take a stroll along the Vegas Strip, you might want to look closely at who passes you by. If they seem extra hairy, have extra long canine teeth or send shivers through you, you might be looking at a werewolf. By day, they are as normal as you and I, but on a full moon night or in the midst of a brawl they can shift into a dangerous and scary creature. The four female authors of this anthology provide a story surrounding the French Quarter Hotel and Casino big poker tournament in this novel, Vegas Bites.

L.A. Banks, known for her vampire series mixes werewolves and vampires in her story, Heat. Bounty hunter, Butch Maverick, returns to Vegas to investigate rumblings that someone was out to rob the hotel and steal the tournament booty. Butch has to solicit the help of Laurel, the hotel's security boss. Butch and Laurel have a past they thought they were over, but with a full moon and her being in heat, they can not resist the temptation to mate again and perhaps rekindle their relationship. Together they fight off a rogue werewolf band to save the hotel's fortune.

J.M. Jeffries picks up the story as she introduces more members of the Warwick family in her story, The Hunger Within. An Omega werewolf, Solange Warwick is contemplating leaving the family when her parents retire and move from Vegas to Alaska. With her omega status, she needs the protection of her parents. The another rogue werewolf is after the Warwick family fortune and Special Agent Jarred Maitland is on hand to stave off the burglary. In the midst of his work, he falls hard for the beautiful Solange, and helps her move up in the ranks of the Warwick family.

Seressia Glass wrote my favorite story in the anthology, Double Down. Simone is the entertainer director of the French Quarter Hotel and Casino. She has booked magician Kadim for the hotel and now the Mystery Channel wants to do an expose on him. But, Kadim is not cooperating. He is a private person and refuses to be shown on film. Simone decides to take matters in her own hands and heads to his hideaway home; what she does not know is that it is all for her. Kadim is full of secrets. He can shift into a werewolf, but is not a werewolf. He is in love with Simone and his biggest secrets can keeps him enslaved to an unwanted master. Can Kadim and Simone find love?

In Natalie Dunbar's story, Out of the Dark, the werewolves are on a rampage in a small town outside of Vegas. They have killed many of the town's residents, but after viciously attacking Kellie Monroe they allow her to live, but the doctor almost kills her when she has a violent reaction to the vaccine to prevent her from becoming a werewolf. Her case intrigues Preternatural Police officer Garen Roy. He has two mysteries to solve. Why was Kellie not killed and if she is not a werewolf, then what is she.

This book offers a little for both the romance and sci-fi reader. For the romance reader, this anthology provides four romantic stories between male and females. For the reader who enjoys sci-fi, they will like the ideal of werewolves working and living as humans until they are attacked. I say if you are looking for a little something different in your usual boy meets girl romance, then this might be the book for you..

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

As a huge fan of L.A. Banks' VHL series, and having enjoyed her werewolf story from Dark Dreams II, I was looking forward to her story. And I have enjoyed the J.M. Jeffries stories I've read before. However I don't think I've ever read anything by Seressia Glass or Natalie Dunbar before. As for the stories, I liked them all, but had some reservations about the last one. They all took place revolving around the hotel and the Temple wolf clan, but the 4th story involved a cousin or something and just seemed a little off from the other stories. The way they are connected, I guess I expected the last story to be about Malcolm, the future clan leader of the Temple clan. In L.A. Banks' story, it seems she alluded to Malcolm having a mate, but the others made it seem like he didn't. That was a little confusing. But I loved the premise and the set up has the potential for a continuing series given the size of the clans. They just have to work on the consistancies more. Overall, an enjoyable group of stories. And quite a few steamy parts. Without a doubt L.A. Bank's story would be my favorite, but I admit to being biased. I would recomend reading the book. Give it a try.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 13 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars