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Could NOT Put this one Down!
This is my first time reading Amanda Ashley & Rhonda Thomson, but definitely not my last! Both are now that greatest of all finds--new favorite authors! I can't remember the last time I read a collection of short stories, but I wanted to sample these authors in hopes of finding more paranormal romances to enjoy. I'm new to this genre, the closest I came was Rice's vampire...
Published on May 30 2004 by ginazone
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3 great stories
Well I normally don't like short story collections because they are short stories. Ususally the characters don't have time to really develope and grow but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I bought it with the intent to oly read Christine Feehan's story "Dark Dream" but soon was pleased to find the other two stories enjoyable to read also. The first is by Amanda...
Published on Jul 9 2002 by Brenda Condit
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3 great stories, Jul 9 2002
Well I normally don't like short story collections because they are short stories. Ususally the characters don't have time to really develope and grow but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I bought it with the intent to oly read Christine Feehan's story "Dark Dream" but soon was pleased to find the other two stories enjoyable to read also.
The first is by Amanda Ashley aka Madeline Baker. Its a vampire story & much like the other vampire stories she's written, the hero is the vampire who was turned hundreds of years ago but would give it all up to be human again. The heroine is a modern day actress who is a cast member in his favorite musical, "the Phantom of the Opera." He feels such attraction for her that he can't stay away from her but he also knows that he can never have a life with her because of what he is. This story is full of longing and heartwrenching scenes. I really enjoyed the story and was happy I had taken the time to read it.
The second story is "Dark Dream" by Christine Feehan. Its another in her Dark series. I have loved all of her stories and this one was no different. The hero, Falcon is a very ancient Carpathian who comes across a very strong and unusal human female. She has been out running and out smarting a evil vampire for years. She is drawn to Falcon because she has been his lifemate for centuries. Even before she was born he knew her. Together they must defeat the evil and save some very special children. We get to meet up with several characters from the early Dark books. It was nice to meet Mikail,Raven, Jacques & Shea again. These characters are so vividly written and thier stories so compelling that it makes you crave more and more stories.
The third story is from an author I'd never read before, Ronda Thompson. Her story "Midnight Serenade" is a werewolf story. It starts off with the heroine, Stephanie who's a wildlife researcher there to study wolves, scarring off some hunters after a male wolf. They have shot him and she is on his trail to help the injured wolf. She follows the trail of blood into a cabin where she meets Dr. Rick Donovan DVM. Rick is the wolf but he can't let her know that. He doesn't ever remember anything when he turns so he has no clue that he bit her as a wolf. Now he is terrified that she will turn just as he has. Together they struggle for the life and freedom of the wolf. They must also battle thier own feelings of passion and fear. Its a very well developed story for a short story and I think this author will have to be put on my to buy list for the future.
All in all I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I finished it all in one setting.
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Could NOT Put this one Down!, May 30 2004
This is my first time reading Amanda Ashley & Rhonda Thomson, but definitely not my last! Both are now that greatest of all finds--new favorite authors! I can't remember the last time I read a collection of short stories, but I wanted to sample these authors in hopes of finding more paranormal romances to enjoy. I'm new to this genre, the closest I came was Rice's vampire series, now seen as incomparable in excitement, sensuality, and satisfaction. I've seen the future & it's not Rice or her Lestat.Thomson's Werewolf story is the most believable, moving and romantic of its type, unique as incredible as that seems, for this wolf-man is almost too human, & sexy is an understatement. I may never go back to mere human romances again. I hope this author keeps her unique edge and continues to breathe life into such marvelous character-driven stories. Amanda Ashley creates a female antagonist, Leanne, who is a bit too incredible & perfect to believe in fully, plus annoyingly reluctant one minute, accepting too much too soon the next. Jason, not an imaginative name for a vampire from Europe, & Leanne go back & forth constantly--vowing to never see each other again, only to fall back into each other's arms repeatedly--a tiring plot design of crisis & fulfillment that keeps irritatingly interrupting the reader's escape into the story. This seems a lazy, template-driven way to create tension to me. Still, this is a sensual fantasy fairy tale that will satisfy almost any appetite, though the climax may seem effortful once it's over. Ashley delivers on her promises predictably--I'm still hoping to find an author who will surprise me with an unpredictable ending in this genre. I will peek at Ashley's other paranormals to see if she's a worthy new favorite author to explore fully. Feehan satisfies completely with another fantastic book from her "Dark" series. Dark Dreams features a powerful ancient Carpathian guardian of his people, about to walk into the sun & end his existence. He has given up in his search of the Light lifemate who could save him from becoming the very evil he hunts & destroys. Same exact plot, just different names and details. We get exactly what we expect in Feehan's Dark series, and the climactic moment, while even thrilling at times & eventually satisfying, gets as stale as monogamy in a loveless marriage after awhile. What makes up for that predictability is Feehan's expert character development which makes us care about & love them like we would a chosen family. The humor is perfectly blended and laugh-out-loud hilarious. The romance & sensuality more fulfilling, detailed & REAL than any other in this genre. Still, the laziest phrase authors use in ALL of these novels, though gratefully Feehan uses it less than most, "he deepens the kiss", turns me off like a cold shower. Please authors & EDITORS, delete that phrase from your stories--it adds nothing to our knowledge of the characters or story, and is just unnecessary sloth. It is exciting to read each author's different idea of what would make mythic monsters romantic and acceptable to the human characters & readers alike. I'm addicted to this new-for-me genre because these authors DO make suspending reality fairly easy, an escape sorely needed in today's world of human monster's with no morals. Here instead, we are confronted with morally good creatures traditionally seen as monsters that are anything BUT. Thanks to these three authors for introducing me to a new source of pleasure--short novel length stories packed into a single-book bargain. I look forward to filling my selves with more books from all three! Like those potato chips we can't eat just one of, these stories are irresistable.
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Two stories okay, one very poor - not a keeper, Aug 13 2003
If you like vampire romances - as I do - you might think that this book is worth buying; after all, it offers three different vampire-type romances from different authors. But, as with all anthologies, quality varies and in the end it's not worth the purchase price.Amanda Ashley's Masquerade is better than a number of her longer novels, though it contains yet another tortured vampire who tries to give up the woman he loves because he won't 'subject' her to what he is. Jason loves Leanne, but has only approached her because she was in danger. He can't resist spending some time with her, but he knows that it's only a matter of time before he must send her away for her own good. Anyone who's read any of Ashley's novels will know how the story goes. What set this one apart for me was the allegory with the Phantom of the Opera musical. Ashley draws comparisons between 'Phantom' and Jason's existence as a vampire. Enjoyable - perhaps 3 stars. It's really unfortunate that the longest story in this anthology was also by far the worst. Christine Feehan's Dark Dream was appallingly bad. The protagonists meet and 'fall in love' in the space of about an hour, right at the start of the book. Oh, sure, Sara is scared of Falcon at first because she thinks he's a vampire (he isn't; he's some sort of weird sub-vampiric species Feehan has invented for her books, which I've never read); but within seconds she 'sees' into his eyes and she 'knows' him as someone she's known in her dreams for years. And then they're apart for the vast majority of this 150-page novella. The rest of the story is a vampire hunt: it's violent and ugly and unutterably boring. There was far too little interaction between the protagonists, and I wasn't convinced that they were in love. Oh, and just how many times does Falcon have to 'exchange' with Sara before she's converted?! Awful. Finally, Rhonda Thompson's Midnight Serenade is somewhat different: Rick is a werewolf, and Stephanie is an environmentalist whose job is studying and filming wolves in the wild. This story felt rushed; I would have liked to know much more about how Rick became a werewolf, and I would also have liked to see the protagonists get to know each other better - it was more like falling in lust than in love. Overall, this isn't a collection I'd read again. wmr-uk
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Christine Feehan!, Aug 2 2003
I bought the book because of Dark Dream. I read the other two stories, it wasn't worth reading. Dark Dream was a great short story, only wished it was a whole novel instead of an anthology.
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A Great Anthology!, Jul 18 2002
"After Twilight" is a satisfying paranormal romance anthology containing three well-written tales of mysterious and powerful men and the women who love them. Though the first and last stories were a little uneven at times, that did not take away from my enjoyment of these darkly seductive tales."Masquerade" by Amanda Ashley tells the story of Jason Blackthorne, a vampire who has walked the earth utterly alone for the last three hundred years. But a ray of light reaches his tortured soul when he sees Leanne performing in the play "The Phantom of the Opera". Leanne bears an uncanny resemblance to Jason's long lost love, and as he gets to know her, she brings to life feelings in Jason that he thought were gone forever. For once in his long existence, Jason has found happiness, but he knows that he loves Leanne far too much to inflict his dark curse on her, and he fears how she will react if she discovers what he really is. Terrified that he will end up hurting Leanne if his bloodlust becomes too strong, Jason knows he must end their relationship. Will losing Leanne destroy Jason's soul forever, or will the power of Leanne's love save Jason from an eternity of darkness?
Though Jason was somewhat of the clichéd tortured monster, Ashley's compelling story still kept me turning pages. "Dark Dream" by Christine Feehan is by far the best story in this anthology, and the main reason I bought it. We are once again taken into Feehan's fabulous world of Carpathians, immortal beings who drink blood to survive but never kill those they feed on, can shape-shift into just about anything and can communicate by telepathy. Falcon is one of the most ancient Carpathians, who was sent out by Prince Vladimir before the prince's untimely death to protect mortals and immortals alike from vampires, monsters without equal who were once Carpathians but chose to give up their souls for the momentary rush of the kill.
Falcon has long since lost his emotions and the ability to see in colour, as all male Carpathians do after a few hundred years of life, and the only thing that can save him from the darkness slowly consuming his soul is finding his lifemate, the one woman made specifically for him who can balance out his darkness with her light. Convinced long ago that he would never find his lifemate, Falcon poured his heart out to her in a diary. And now, when Falcon knows he is close to the edge, he is on his way back to his homeland to meet his new Prince and his once human lifemate before he ends his existence by greeting the dawn. But on his journey, Falcon meets a woman in an alley in Romania, and suddenly he is bombarded by colour and emotion. But just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman is gone, so Falcon sets out to find her.
Sara Marten has spent the last fifteen years living a nightmare. Her entire family was murdered by a vampire, and the terrifying monster now follows Sara wherever she goes. So when she sees Falcon drinking the blood of a man, she believes he is a vampire too. But when Falcon finds her and she gets a look at him, she sees the familiar face of her Dark Angel. Because Sara found Falcon's diary fifteen years ago, and she has loved and cherished the words he wrote for her ever since.
Falcon and Sara are a fantastic couple, and the passion that sparks between makes for some wonderfully sensual reading. Together, Falcon and Sara are determined to find and destroy the ancient vampire that has tortured Sara for all these years and the reader is treated to some thrilling and suspenseful scenes. The story builds to a heart-pounding climax and as an extra treat; some old favourites from previous "Dark" books make an appearance! "Dark Dream" is a wonderful read that really deserved a full-length book, but was still great just as it is. "Midnight Serenade" by Ronda Thompson introduces Rick Donovan, a country veterinarian who is tormented by a curse - he's a werewolf. When wildlife advocate Stephanie Shane rescues an injured wolf from some illegal hunters, she is bitten while trying to help the animal. But this is no ordinary wolf, and Stephanie follows the trail of blood right into Rick Donovan's house. Rick is terrified that he may have given Stephanie his curse by biting her, but as these two get to know each other, he can't help falling in love with her. Stephanie too loses her heart to this handsome and reclusive vet, and their romance is both passionate and sweet. But when Stephanie starts experiencing some strange changes, Rick knows his worst fears have become reality. Will Rick have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the woman he loves? Or will fate intervene and allow these two to be together?
Once again, we are given somewhat of the same old tortured monster, but the story had enough originality and interesting enough characters that I was still able to enjoy it. "After Twilight" may well appeal to some readers more than others, but with the excellent Feehan story and the highly entertaining Ashley and Thompson stories, I think there is something in this anthology for everyone. Each of these tales is a quick, romantic, and intriguing read and comes well recommended!
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three dark romances, May 23 2002
Firstly, what I liked about the book was, that there were three stories in it not just one, because it meant, they were not as long as they usually are, and that the authors, would get to the point sooner. Because of this, the stories are more fast paced than the usuall vampire/werevolf/or ordinary romance novels would be. It may be a drawback for some readers, but I apreciated it.
The stories themself are good, even though the first one is a bit cheesyer (how could a romance not be) than the following two.
It`s about a vampire and a mortal girl that falls in love with him (and he with her). A classic plot, so I will not tell you more about, because it would be telling too much.
The second story is again a vampire story, only that the vampire in question is not the tall, beautifull man, dressed in black, with a long cape. He belongs to a race, with a very important task, the guarding of the land assigned, FROM vampires. He too drinks blood but, not out of malice, but simply because he needs it. Originally his race and the vampires are one and the same, only when the deamon inside them takes over, do they became vicious. This story and the plot are really good and it is my favourite of the three in this book.
The last one is a werewolf story. It is again a woman and a werewolf, she falls in love with. And he is afraid for her, because, he cannot be with her, he could harm her. So, there is the problem. What should he do. I won`t tell you more here either, because it would spoil the fun.
If you like vampires and werevolfs, if you like romances (wich probably means you are a woman)read this lovely book. It`s not bad.
I gave it three stars, because they are still romances, and you really cannot expect too much from romances. So that would be a four, I gave it a three, because most of the charachters are a bit shallow, you only know they love eachother. If there was half a star I would rate it 3 and 1/2.
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What a Surprise, April 2 2002
This was my first exposure to Amanda Ashley and Chrisine Feehan. All I can say is Wow! I've enjoyed Linda Lael Miller's vampire stories and was looking for something similar. I enjoyed Ashley's story, Masquerade, about Leanne and Jason. The setting was today, the characters seemed so real, you felt you knew them, especially Jason. He had such a tender side but his character did not seem far-fetched. This was a very touching and beautiful love story, beginning to end.
Christine Feehan's Dark Dream was my introduction to her Dark Series, Wow. I really marvelled at her ability to create this uniquely different world. There was a great love story, an introduction to the Carpathian Society which so engrossed me, I went out and bought all of her Dark Series books. It reminded me of Lucas' Star Wars empire. Christine has created a believable story of how vampires came to be which is more unusual and therefore more entertaining. These Carpathians are not human but a nearly extinct species that is mistaken for vampires. This was a truely different type of love story but this difference, made it that much more interesting. This story had so much of everything. If you want something different and satisfying, without a large investment give this a try. Thompson's Midnight Serenade was also a satisfying story, but after the first two stories, not as interesting. You get three love stories with a slight twist. If you like unique romance reading, give this a try, you'll love it!!
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great read, Feb 26 2002
By A Customer
This was my first book to read by these authors. Since reading this book, I have read books by both Amanda Ashley and Christine Feehan. A wonderful read and a great way to see if you like the authors style. Highly recommended if you enjoy vampires and werewolves.
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intrigueing!, Jan 14 2002
wow! i got this book as a gift from a friend who knew i liked unusual stories. and i have to say that ms. Feehan's story about Falcon and Sara was heart touching, and i wouldn't mind seeing a more lenghty book for them. but i have now become interested in the Carpathians. now all i have to do is find the first one and go from there![....]
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A Book of the Power of Love, Jan 14 2002
The three stories in this book all have the same message the power of True Love and Hope. The savage beasts that the three heros have become are tamed by the love of three very strong womwn. This is second of this type of romance I've read and I enjoyed it very much.
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After Twilight by Christine Feehan (Mass Market Paperback - Sep 3 2002)
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