Tag Archives: Anthology

Fire of the Frost by Jeffe Kennedy, Grace Draven, Darynda Jones, and Amanda Bouchet

*Editor’s Note: I don’t normally do this but I’d like to note Aidee submitted this review in February of 2022, so my apologies to her, and you, and think that might be why there are some unknowns in the review that have already been answered. Thanks for understanding.

Fire of the Frost by Jeffe Kennedy, Grace Draven, Darynda Jones, and Amanda Bouchet
Midwinter Holiday Fantasy Romance Anthology Released by Brightlynx Publishing on December 22, 2021

From Darynda Jones, a standalone novella set in a world where vampyres are hunted for sport. The only thing standing between them and total annihilation is Winter, a warrior bred to save them from extinction. Forbidden to fall in love, Winter cares only about her oaths… until she meets the devilish prince of the underworld.

Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles meets modern-day New York City! Piers, an exiled warrior from Thalyria, finds himself in the Big Apple just before the holidays. The world and everything in it might be utterly foreign to him, but that won’t stop Piers from helping to complete a vital mission for Athena and protect Sophie, a French teacher from Connecticut who’s suddenly knee-deep in inexplicable phenomena, danger, and henchmen after an Olympian treasure that should never have ended up in her hands—or remained on Earth after the Greek gods abandoned it.

The King of Hel by Grace Draven
A novella-length expansion of a stand-alone short story in which a cursed mage-king from a frozen kingdom is obligated to marry a woman of high-ranking nobility but meets his soulmate in a lowly scribe.

Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
It’s holiday time at Convocation Academy, but best friends Han and Iliana are finding it hard to celebrate. As a familiar, Iliana is facing her assignment to a life of servitude to a wizard, very soon. And Han… despite being tested by the oracle daily, he is still uncategorized. As Iliana and Han face being separated forever, they at last find the courage—or desperation—to break the rules and acknowledge their deeper feelings for each other. But it will take more than true love to save them from the laws of the Convocation…

This was a good winter-themed anthology from some well-known authors. It landed a little unevenly on me, because I was not familiar with one of the authors’ writing, but if you’re familiar with most or all of the authors’ books, then this anthology is pretty good. There are four novellas in this anthology, and andeach one is based in a pre-existing world by one of the authors. Grace Draven’s novella is a prequel to her upcoming novel. Jeffe Kennedy’s novella introduces some new characters in her Bonds of Magic series. Amanda Bouchet’s novella ties together her two series. Darynda Jones’s novella was the least interesting to me, but that could be because I am not familiar with her books. Continue reading

Review: Hamilton’s Battalion by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole

Aidee’s review of Hamilton’s Battalion by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole
Historical romance anthology released on October 17, 2017

Book CoverLove in the time of Hamilton…

On October 14, 1781, Alexander Hamilton led a daring assault on Yorktown’s defenses and won a decisive victory in America’s fight for independence. Decades later, when Eliza Hamilton collected his soldiers’ stories, she discovered that while the war was won at Yorktown, the battle for love took place on many fronts…

PROMISED LAND by Rose Lerner

Donning men’s clothing, Rachel left her life behind to fight the British as Corporal Ezra Jacobs—but life catches up with a vengeance when she arrests an old love as a Loyalist spy.

At first she thinks Nathan Mendelson hasn’t changed one bit: he’s annoying, he talks too much, he sticks his handsome nose where it doesn’t belong, and he’s self-righteously indignant just because Rachel might have faked her own death a little. She’ll be lucky if he doesn’t spill her secret to the entire Continental Army.

Then Nathan shares a secret of his own, one that changes everything…

THE PURSUIT OF… by Courtney Milan

What do a Black American soldier, invalided out at Yorktown, and a British officer who deserted his post have in common? Quite a bit, actually.
•They attempted to kill each other the first time they met.
• They’re liable to try again at some point in the five-hundred mile journey that they’re inexplicably sharing.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are… Oh, no.

THAT COULD BE ENOUGH by Alyssa Cole

Mercy Stiel knows the best thing to do with pesky feelings like “love” and “hope”: avoid them at all cost. Serving as a maid to Eliza Hamilton, and an assistant in the woman’s stubborn desire to preserve her late husband’s legacy, has driven that point home for Mercy—as have her own previous heartbreaks.

When Andromeda Broadnax shows up at Hamilton Grange for an interview in her grandfather’s stead, Mercy’s resolution to live a quiet, pain-free life is tested by the beautiful, flirtatious, and entirely overwhelming dressmaker.

Andromeda has staid Mercy reconsidering her world view, but neither is prepared for love—or for what happens when it’s not enough.

Anthologies are strange creatures, in that they’re collections of novellas or short stories, loosely bound by a theme—sometimes. They’re great for seeing snippets of an author’s writing, although, shorter stories being what they are—namely, not a novel—they can be inaccurate representations of what an author can do. But fear not! I’m here to tell you, in case you haven’t heard it from someone else, that Hamilton’s Battalion is the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, the dark chocolate of anthologies. (Okay, maybe not dark chocolate, but definitely a really fine dessert of your choice.) All three novellas stick to the theme in the blurb, and they’re wonderful in their own ways. This is, also, quite possibly the most diverse collection of characters I’ve seen in a month, at least. Continue reading

Teaser Tuesday Exclusive Excerpt: An Unsuitable Duchess by Carolyn Jewel

Dancing in the Duke's ArmsAn Unsuitable Duchess by Carolyn Jewel The duke of Stoke Teversault has well earned his reputation for bloodless calculation. Indeed, recently widowed Georgina Lark has no idea he’s loved her since before her late husband swept her off her feet. Stoke Teversault means to keep it that way. The cold and forbidding duke and the blithe and open Georgina could not be less suited in any capacity. And yet, when Georgina and her sister arrive at his home, his ice-bound heart may melt away. Georgina Lark has never thought of the duke of Stoke Teversault as a man capable of inducing passion in anyone. He’s long disapproved of her, but she will be forever grateful to him for his assistance after her husband died. It’s been a year since she’s realized he’s not the man she thought. Can she convince him to open his heart to her?

An Unsuitable Duchess– excerpt from Chapter 12 by Carolyn Jewel, from the Anthology Dancing in the Duke’s Arms. Continue reading

Guest: Cynthia Sax On Mastered 2 & Secret Romances + An Exclusive Excerpt of One Night With My Billionaire Master

Hi friends! Here we are for the weekend! If anyone has emailed me the past few days you’d have gotten a quippy little message … I only wish I’d managed to set that up earlier. 😉 However, as you see today we have first time guest Cynthia Sax visiting with us! So everyone please remember to offer her a warm welcome and say “Hey!” 😀

Mastered 2 And Secret Romances

Thank you so much for having me here at A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet. (hugs Limecello).

I’m Cynthia Sax, one of the lucky writers contributing a brand new, never before published erotic romance to Mastered 2, a deliciously naughty boxed set. Continue reading

Guest(s): Jess Dee! (And Jayne Rylon + Lorelei James)

Hi Lovelies! Today we’ve got Jess Dee visiting with us! And also, Jayne Rylon, and Lorelei James should be stopping by to answer any questions you have. I expect you’ll have something to say, yes? 😉

Two To Tango

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago (okay, maybe 4 or 5 years ago), a call went out around the kingdom. Samhain had decided to publish a trilogy of books—all three of them ménage romances—and were looking for authors to write those stories.

Authors far and wide scurried to heed the call. Books were written and submitted, and the breathless wait for further announcements began. Weeks passed in nervous anticipation, until finally a statement was issued by Samhain. Three books had been selected for the anthology. Three very different books which all had a common theme: Red-hot, erotic threesome romance.

And so the Menage And More/Three’s Company anthology was born, with authors Lorelei James, Jayne Rylon and Jess Dee at the helm.

 

The anthology released, and the authors had a wonderful time with readers buying and reading their books. Years passed, with the authors moving on to other, different projects. But a restlessness seemed to be growing. A yearning to revisit the times of old. A longing to reopen the pages of the anthology.

And then came the day a message went out. Not around the kingdom. This time, straight to our inboxes. And this is what the message said:

Jess/Lorelei ah, my menage and more buddies.  I remember the days when I was a super newbie and I got thrown into an antho with two big names.  Luckiest day ever for me.  I think Three’s Company has been a smashing success and every time I sign one at a conference I think of you two and smile.  So, why not get the gang together for another run at it?  I know I’ve talked to both of you about the possibility at some point in the past year.

Here’s the deal… Lorelei pitched the idea to Lindsey. Her spin was doing something mainstream, straight m/f and playing off TWO instead of THREE.  She would do a non-cowboy story, I would try to remember how to write straight non-super erotic m/f and Jess… well, this seems right up your alley.  I brainstormed some titles/ideas today in a meeting (don’t judge!) and here are a few concepts I came up with:

Two to Tango
Two of a Kind
Make it Two
Two Strikes (this could be people who have broken up before and are getting back together)
Two Shakes (could be people who fall in love/lust fast)
Two Can Play
Two to Two-Step… ha ha lame.
Two Timers (again could would for a second chance kind of thing)
Two in the Bush (HAHAHAHAHAHA  This could be another menage book!!!)
Two Peas in a Pod
Two’s Company

How about it?  Are we in?

Jayne

Jess laughed at the message. Luckiest day ever for Jayne? Er, hell no. Luckiest day ever for Jess. As for Lorelei, she wasted no time laughing. Quicker than the other two could blink, she’d organized for the trilogy to be published. And thus Two To Tango was born.

Which is why, on the 2nd of October, these three books, which form the Two To Tango anthology, release in e-format at Samhain Publishing.

 

We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed writing them.

🙂

Lorelei, Jayne & Jess

So have you read books from Samhain before? What do you think about menage romances? Or any of these great authors? Come on – I’m curious as to what you have to say. (And I challenge you to throw out some eyebrow raising questions too!) 😉

*ETA: There are books as prizes up for grabs, in case you needed the incentive! 😀