Shannon C.’s review of Damned, Delicious and Dangerous by Delilah Devlin, Lisa Renee Jones, and Megan Kerans
Paranormal erotic romance anthology released by Aphrodisia 1 Jun 08

Ahh, paranormal erotic romance. It can be the cheesiest thing ever, or it can be a place to escape into a dark, sensual world for a few hours. Two of the three authors in this anthology were ones I’ve heard praise for, so I was eager to try out their work. Sadly, my favorite piece in the anthology wasn’t one written by either of the authors I was hoping to read. 

The Demon Lord’s Cloak by Delilah Devlin

This is a Beauty and the Beast story. Reading it, I was struck with a sense of deja vu. I’ve read this story before countless times and this rendition didn’t stick out. Both the characters were likeable, but I kept getting distracted by the fact that I never really got a good sense of place from the story and kept noticing continuity slip-ups. I also find it annoyingly implausible that a man who keeps getting virgins sacrificed to him had never encountered anyone as innocent as the heroine. I mean, they can’t all have been whores in disguise. And Voletta seems more like an Italian name than a French one. But, like I said, the story itself is pleasant, and I haven’t written off Ms. Devlin yet.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Bound and naked, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead his brooding presence intrigues her, his hard body excites her—and his rough touch arouses her…

You can read an excerpt here

Night Sins by Lisa Renee Jones

This offering has the germs of a really good story. In fact, though it started out fairly weakly, it’s grown on me.

I was at first worried that heroine Kayla would merely be a faux strong woman–feisty and TSTL. But though she does have a couple of bad moments, I really liked how she and Ethan, the hero, worked together to solve their problems. I also liked the ending, which promised that their hurdles weren’t entirely over. And what’s more, I believed that Ethan and Kayla had long been attracted to each other.

Unfortunately, a lot of time is spent setting up this world, time I’m not really all that sure we needed to have taken. There was information about the world that never ever came into play, and could have been left out entirely without the reader having lost anything. This built to a very weak start that only picked up as Ms. Jones settled into her story.

Grade: C+

Summary:
In the battle between good and evil, Kayla Ward knows vampires are strictly off limits. But Ethan’s dark sensuality and seductive allure leave her craving hot, passionate sex…

I couldn’t find an excerpt for this story.

The Devil’s Paradise by Megan Kerans

This was my favorite story in the anthology. I really liked the characters and got a sense of who they were. Both of them are a bit cliched–Justice works as a wedding planner, and she’s raising her brother and is completely selfless. Dashiel is a devil doomed to an eternity of torment managing a hotel that works as a last fling for the damned. But they both work. I loved their banter, and their sex scenes are actually pretty hot. I wasn’t totally engaged in the story, but I definitely think it’s the best in the anthology and shouldn’t be missed.

Grade: B

Summary:
Justice Malloy is looking for the perfect place for a wedding reception. What she finds at The Last Resort Hotel is a man whose raw male power promises carnal pleasure like she’s never felt before.

I couldn’t find an excerpt for this story.

With two stories that were just OK and one story that was pretty good, I’d recommend this anthology to paranormal fans who want something light to read, or fans of the three authors. Casual readers should definitely pick up the Kearns story but could probably give the others a pass.

Overall Grade: C+

Summary:
Men of darkness, men of passion.trapped by temptation and bound by desire. No woman can refuse their erotic invitation for sexual pleasure. “The Demon Lord’s Cloak” by Delilah Devlin Bound and naked, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead his brooding presence intrigues her, his hard body excites her-and his rough touch arouses her. “Night Sins” by Lisa Renee Jones In the battle between good and evil, Kayla Ward knows vampires are strictly off limits. But Ethan’s dark sensuality and seductive allure leave her craving hot, passionate sex. “The Devil’s Paradise” by Megan Kerans Justice Malloy is looking for the perfect place for a wedding reception. What she finds at The Last Resort Hotel is a man whose raw male power promises carnal pleasure like she’s never felt before.