Ash’s review of Entangled by Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, Michelle Miles, and Allison Brennan
Paranormal romance anthology ebook published by Authors4theCure 07 Sept 11

First off I want to say that I think that what these authors are doing is a wonderful thing. I do Relay for Life every year for my aunt’s best friend who is a breast cancer survivor, as well as my great aunt who passed away due to breast cancer. I had a hard time with this review because I don’t want to say anything bad about this book. I think everyone should buy it, and I even planned to gift it to someone since I got my copy free to review. I didn’t like every story, not at all. The ones I did like, however, were beyond terrific and are worth every cent and more. Those are the ones I am going to talk about most.

Halloween Frost by Jennifer Estep

I love this one and it is a great start to the book. Powerful teens sent off to a special school is really nothing new anymore, but this feels fresh. I was able to immediately connect to Gwen and the other characters all have distinct personalities that stood out. I have a clear picture of the people, the town, and even the creatures. As soon as I read this,  I bought the first one in the series. The quick glimpse of Gwen Frost and her world pulls you in, and I can’t wait to read and learn more about it.

Grade: A

Medium Rare by Nancy Haddock

Here is another story that is clear and stands out in all the good ways.  I feel like I’m there with the characters and not just reading about them.  I’m not usually a fan of stories centered on ghosts because they tend to feel unrealistic (yes, I do believe in ghosts),  but Nancy Haddock knows what she is doing. It also has one of my favorite romance plot lines, enemies (ok not really, but definitely not friends) to lovers. I only wish there’s more romance, but I always feel that way.

Grade: B

Sweet Demon by Misty Evans

So this one appears to be the start of a new series, and I’m super excited about that. Sweet Demon feels like a full-length novel, and every time I remember it’s a short story, I get sad. I would have been happy reading much more about Kali Sweet. I am dying to know what happened between her and Rad 300 years ago, and especially what he was going to tell her when he saw her again. I have no clue when the next book comes out, but I really wish it’s soon.

Grade: A+

Feel the Magic by Liz Kreger

Definitely an interesting story. I can’t say I have ever read about a woman wanting to be magically transformed into a cat. The story felt a little bogged down with all the characters and all the talk about making the transformation legal. I would have liked more focus on the magic, the witch, and the cat wannabe.

Grade: C

A Bit of Bite by Cynthia Eden

This story reminds me why I always enjoy Cynthia Eden’s books. I haven’t read one in awhile, but now I want to go hunt some down. Werewolves have been slowly becoming my favorite over the past few years, and A Bit of Bite shows me why. Julian is the alpha werewolf and he has no intentions of letting Ava get away from him again. The tension in A Bit of Bite is thick and I love every bit of it.

Grade: B+

Sian’s Solution by Dale Mayer

A vampire saves her lover from a blood farm, and it is more of a slow build-up instead of loaded with drama. In a full-length novel I probably wouldn’t have had the patience, but it works as a short story. It’s interesting how she plans to get them both out safely and I always love when it’s the heroine doing the rescuing. A little more action would have helped a bit, though.

Grade: C

Breaking Out by Michelle Diener

This story is kind of Alias meets Heroes and I am definitely a fan of both. We have people with powers, black ops, and mind control. Add in some romance and I am sold. I feel teased with such a great short story and I sincerely hope there is more coming. I have to know more about Kell, Nate, and Giles.

Grade: A

So, it’s a great book for a great cause. I am anxious to start reading some of the series that these stories are from, and my only issue is I don’t know where to start. You also can’t beat the price, and considering it is all going to BCRF, it is more than worth it.

Overall Grade: A+

Summary:

Ghosts, vampires, demons, and more! Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal short stories from authors Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Michelle Miles, plus a Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan.

Stacia Kane contributed the foreword. Formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan.

All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Read an excerpt.