Ash’s review of Primal by Lora Leigh, Michelle Rowen, Jory Strong, and Ava Gray
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 01 Feb 11
One really good story can make an anthology worth it, and with Primal I got three of them.
Bleeding Heart by Michelle Rowen
First up is Michelle Rowen’s story, Bleeding Heart, which takes place a few days after the end of Nightshade. It’s my favorite story in the book and for being only 82 pages, it’s very satisfying. There is a little bit of everything, action, romance, and suspense. Best of all, there is Declan. Somehow Michelle Rowen makes a scarred, one eyed, emotionless man one of my favorite characters. I wanted to go out and immediately read Bloodlust. This book is worth it for this story alone.
Grade: A+
Skin and Bone by Ava Gray
The second story is Skin & Bone by Ava Gray. It’s part of her Skin series that I haven’t read and at first I felt a little lost. There are characters and places mentioned that I knew nothing about, but I was able to follow along pretty quickly. Ava Gray also does a great job at delivering a full story in under 100 pages. I have the first few books in this series, and after reading this they have moved up in my TBR. It’s a world I definitely want to get into.
Grade: B
Angel-Claimed by Jory Strong
Angel-Claimed by Jory Strong left me kind of confused. I haven’t read any of her books yet and this one is set in her Ghostland world. I didn’t really know what was going on and I found it hard to follow what they were talking about. I ended up putting this story aside and not wanting to go back to it. It didn’t leave me wanting to read this series either.
Grade: DNF
Primal Kiss by Lora Leigh
Last up is Primal Kiss by Lora Leigh. It’s set in her Breeds world and while it’s been years since I read a book in that series, I was easily drawn back into it. For some reason I find once I start reading them I always want more. It wasn’t hard to get back into the story even though I have only read the first few books of this massive series. I liked the romance of Creed and Kita, though part of it might be because it was a short story. I am not sure I could have dealt with a full length novel.
Grade: C+
Overall I enjoyed the book and most of the stories left me wanting to go out and read more. With an anthology, I can’t ask for anything more. These authors did a great job at catching my interest, mostly.
Overall Grade: B-
Summary:
When desire cannot be controlled…When personal will is overpowered by carnal cravings…When only one fearless impulse feeds you, body and soul…
You can’t deny it. It’s something primal.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh returns to her sensual world of the Breeds …in Kyote’s Ghost, an all-new novella that explores just how savage, how far, and how deep a man is willing to go in the name of desire.
Ava Gray, known for her “riveting romantic suspense” (Publishers Weekly)…now tells a tantalizing tale of an ordinary man—blessed and cursed with extraordinary powers—who gets a second, deserving chance at life and love.
Set in the same dark, seductive corners of the Nightshade universe…the new novella by Michelle Rowen draws an innocent young woman into the dark world of a vampire whose eternal love could be the death of her.
Jory Strong’s “worldbuilding is nothing short of stunning” (Genre Reviews)…and all the more so her startling novella of an angel who crosses the boundaries of desire when he falls desperately in love with a mortal female.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
