ETERNAL LOVER

Author: Hannah Howell, Lynsay Sands, Jackie Kessler, Richelle Mead ISBN: 9780758225115 4/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: KENSINGTON

Theirs is a world of ancient desires and forbidden pleasures. They are men of mystery and women of seduction, wild creatures with the power to entrance and enchant, tease and tantalize. Enter their secret world, if you dare... The Yearning by Hannah Howell Alpin has lived for centuries with a lust that can never be quenched with mere physical pleasure. And then he meets Sophie whose own search for lasting love binds them together in a cloak of shimmering sensuality... A Hell of a Time by Jackie Kessler Jesse's immortal life as a soul-stealing succubus is over. And now that she is human, she longs to tempt her lover with all her persuasive powers of total sexual seduction... City of Demons by Richelle Mead Seth cannot resist the intense sexual allure of his demon lover Georgina. Yet their love reaches beyond the physical, into a place of complete untamed surrender... Bitten by Lynsay Sands Keeran's existence as a vampire has taught him to accept a life without love...until he saves Emily from certain death. And suddenly he discovers the soul-searing passion he thought he'd lost forever...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

While not the biggest fan of paranormal romance, when taken in short doses in an anthology I find I can tolerate it fairly well. In the case of ETERNAL LOVER, no tolerance was needed. I really enjoyed reading it. Period.

The first story by Hannah Howell, The Yearning, was my least favorite of the bunch. A medieval setting, an ancient curse, a brooding hero and the beautiful maiden determined to right the wrong done between two families isn't really anything new. I've read this scenario too many times, and despite Ms. Howell's best efforts and good writing I just couldn't connect with this one.

However, things immediately picked up with Jackie Kessler's A Hell of a Time. How much more original can you get than having a sassy, succubus-turned-mortal woman battle it out against the minions of Mother Nature with her cop-turned-White Knight boyfriend by her side? Everything about this story was original, creative and fun, and sucked me right in with all it's jazzy dialogue and unique characters.

Next up is City of Demons by Richelle Mead. It's cute (yeah, it really is in a way) and sort of a quirky combination of paranormal and suspense. Demon murder, demon juries and judges, punishments from hell (literally) and a succubus who's trying to maintain a platonic relationship with her mortal boyfriend so she doesn't suck away his soul, play into its wit-filled storyline. I really liked the author's style in this one and hope to read more of Richelle Mead.

And, as most things in life seem to go, the best was saved for last. Bitten by Lynsay Sands has one of the most touching, take-to-your-heart leading men I've read about in such a short story. Keeran is a vampire with a heart, and this sad yet tender story immediately tugs at the old heartstrings. Pacing wise too, Bitten is the quickest and easiest to read of the four novellas. My only regret was that it ended all too soon.

So, even if you're not the biggest fan of paranormals, there's something to satisfy every reader in ETERNAL LOVER. It's very, very well done, that coming from a not-so-often paranormal reader.

Nancy Davis