Gwen’s review of Suite 606 by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas
Paranormal fiction anthology released by Berkley Jove 4 Nov 08

At first glance, this anthology seems to be a mixed bag of stories, covering all kinds of time periods and topics.  And, well, it is and it isn’t.  It all comes together in the end (wink wink).  It was very entertaining, even if I didn’t like all of the stories.  Read on to see what worked and what didn’t… 

Ritual In Death by J.D. Robb
Futuristic suspense thriller, 80-pages

The In Death books are less about the romance than they are the mystery and suspense.  Don’t get me wrong – the relationship between Eve and Roarke is still a key element – and, ohmigawd, is he ever still the HOTTEST hottie on paper – but it’s not why we’re here.  We’re here to solve a series of grisly deaths, one of which takes place in Suite 606.

We get a tiny taste of the paranormal in this story – more perhaps than has been present in the other In Death stories/books.  Remembering, of course, it’s set in the year 2060, so “paranormal” is subjective.  RID has more to do with “sensitives” and some woo-woo elements, but the key to the story is definitely solving the murder.  Something Eve, her man, and her crew does with rapid ease.

This was a very satisfying In Death story, if a little brief.  It’s not necessary to be familiar with the In Death world to enjoy this story.

Grade: B+

Summary:

J.D. Robb plunges Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the violent aftermath of a ritualistic murder — and into the mind of an alleged witness who can’t remember a thing to save his life.

Read an excerpt.

Love Endures by Mary Blayney
Historical paranormal romance, 79-pages

This story was a little more traditional paranormal romance than the Robb entry.  The hero, Stephen, is a bit long-suffering to be attractive to me, and he takes FOREVER to make his intentions known to our heroine, Summer (isn’t that an odd name for a Regency era heroine?).

This was a nice romance, but the woo-woo elements were a little too contrived to be totally believable.  The Suite 606 in this story is a special place couples can go to work through misunderstandings without the pressures of the outside world impinging on them, including time – days can be passed in a matter of moments to the outside world.

This was an entertaining, brief story, but largely forgettable.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Mary Blayney investigates the connection between a ghost, a magic coin, and a deception that has kept two lovers apart for years.

[From the author’s site]  Despite the best efforts of a ghost, love stands the test of time as Summer Cassidy and Lord Stephen Bradley are reunited after a five year separation.

No excerpt available.

Cold Case by Ruth Ryan Langan
Contemporary & Historical romantic suspense, 70 pages

This was my least favorite of the four stories.  There’s a little bit of time-travel involved (not much of a spoiler to tell that about the story).  The premise is a little grim and there’s no real resolution to the story’s main tension.  It’s hinted at, but we never see the resolution. 🙁

In my opinion, this lack is in large part due to the story’s brevity.  Perhaps with more pages, we could have seen the hero solve the “old” crimes, put the ghosts of the past at rest so to speak, and begin living the life he envisions in this small Vermont town.  Sadly, Langan doesn’t take us there.  Instead, she spends far too much time in a grim farmhouse of the past, reliving two women’s very grim life.

Also, this story’s hero represents something of an overused character these days – a big city cop who is used up, just lost his partner in a shooting where he blames himself for the death, and is wandering in search of his soul.  Yawn.

This was well-written, but too dark for my taste, though perhaps others won’t have the problems with it I did.  The Suite 606 here is the room number our hero would have had in the original hotel and the one he gets in the Inn at the end of the story.  Not a horrible story, but I wanted a lot more.

Grade: D+

Summary:

Ruth Ryan Langan brings a lost man out of a pounding storm and into the arms of a welcoming woman to face a breathtaking twist of fate.

No excerpt available.

Wayward Wizard by Mary Kay McComas (no author site with current info found)
Time-travel romance, 95-pages

This was my favorite of the four stories, other than the In Death story – which, to be honest, is in a class all its own, I mean, Roarke? Thank you.  I really enjoyed McComas’s writing style, once I got used to it; she writes her character’s thoughts in a bit of a frenetic style that takes some practice.  This was the first of her writing for me but won’t be the last.  The characters are fresh, funny, real, and someone to cheer for.  The plot is interesting and unique.  The emotions were literally wrung out of me – I was tearing up several times (the mom in me) – and I loved the romance, loved the heroine’s confession, etc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and believe anyone reading the book will, as well.  I don’t remember which of the many places they stayed in was Suite 606.  And there’s an interesting tie-in to the other stories that I won’t spoil, but it’s a ton of fun.  The ending is a peach.

Grade: A

Summary:

And Mary Kay McComas follows a mother, her son lost in the threads of history and an impaired wizard who must return them to fulfill his own destiny — in time.

No excerpt available.

I enjoyed this anthology.  As with most anths, I felt some stories were better than others.  The clever twist in this one makes it a lot of fun to read.  I won’t spoil the twist, except to tell you that it had me going back and re-reading portions of each story to relive the moments.

I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of any of these authors, or anyone looking for a quick airport read.  You won’t be disappointed.

Overall Grade: B