By Sandy Amazeen Jul 2, 2009, 23:33 GMT
Penned by some of the top authors of the paranormal genre, this collection of four novellas features hellhounds as the uniting thread. Most fans will be familiar with Charlaine Harris’ work from her popular Southern Vampire series and here she takes a break from Sookie Stackhouse to create some new characters. In “The Britlingens Go to Hell”, a pair of warriors take on the task of safeguarding a thief, not realizing they’d be going to Hell in pursuit of Lucifer’s favorite toy and along the way, encounter some very interesting travelers.
Nalini Singh adds to her Guild Hunter series with “Angels’ Judgment” that includes Deacon the Slayer, the hunters equivalent of the boogieman. Sara is tempted by the drop-dead gorgeous hunk but with a rouge hunter on the loose and a life altering decision weighing heavy on her shoulders, now is hardly to time to fall in love.
While Kate Daniels takes some much needed downtime, Andrea Nash acts as her replacement at the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid in “Magic Mourns” by Ilona Andrews. Responding to a call for help, Andrea must outwit Cerberus, locate a missing corpse and confront her true nature with the assistance of a persistent suitor.
“Blind Spot” by Meljean Brook is a nice Guardian tale that pits Maggie Wren’s considerable talent against an old comrade she had once been ordered to kill. Her mission is to locate and retrieve missing family members of one of the most powerful vampires in the world with the aid of a hellhound. Failure is not an option but with Maggie’s loyalties in question, even success is no guarantee her employer won’t go hunting her down.
Although hellhounds are the unifying thread, they actually play a small role in most of these paranormal romance stories. Strong storylines and some familiar characters make these an enjoyable light read, just the ticket for the dog days of summer.
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