Gwen’s review of On the Prowl by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, and Sunny
Paranormal, Fantasy Anthology released by Berkley 7 Aug 07

Anthologies are interesting, especially when they’re about related topics – in this case, people with two natures – animal and human.  This set of four stories all have critters in common: werewolves, hellhounds, dragons, and tigers. Two of these authors I know something about (Briggs and Wilks), but two were new to me (Chance and Sunny).  It’s interesting to read new authors in this context.  Sometimes they suffer by comparison, and sometimes they benefit by getting a new audience.

Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs

     The werewolf Anna finds a new sense of self when the son of the werewolf king comes to town to quell unrest in the Chicago pack – and inspires a power in Anna that she’s never felt before.

Read an excerpt.

A&O is by one of my favorite paranormal authors, Patricia Briggs.  Her Mercy Thompson series is a very fun read and this story is linked to it thru a couple of characters, but it is standalone enough to read by itself.  What I like about Briggs’s stories is they’re very “real” – her characters, for all their special abilities, have normal jobs and normal concerns.  It’s like reading about your neighbor or your best friend, thrown into extraordinary situations.  It’s all so compelling and so readable.  Whenever I stopped reading A&O for some real-life interruption, I couldn’t wait to get back to the story.  Briggs tells us more about Anna and Charles (the heroine and hero) in August 2008 and I can’t wait.

Grade: A

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks

     Kai has a secret gift of sensing thoughts and desires.  What she senses in her neighbor Nathan could be dangerous.  Because he has a secret gift, too, and it’s about to be let loose.

[Note from Gwen: An excerpt is available on the author’s website, but you have to sign up for her newsletter to get it  🙁  .  Insult to injury – the newsletter sign up didn’t work properly for me when I visited her site (clickie no workie).]

This is by another of my favorite paranormal authors, Eileen Wilks.  Her World of the Lupi series is unique, sexy, and way fun.  Her heroines are unconventional and heroes are luscious.  Wilks writing is excellent and evocative of writers like Steinbeck – it has an economy of words that is briefly and elegantly complete.  The more she writes, the more I like it.  Here’s an example of her craft:

     Humans were peculiar. They were by turns squeamish and appallingly violent.  Eventually Nathan had concluded it was their very bloodthirstiness that made them erect so many legal and social barriers against culling the vicious from their midst.  They didn’t trust themselves to stop with the obviously evil.

This story is related to Wilks’s Lupi series in that it discusses common events.  While it could be helpful if you have read them, but isn’t required to enjoy the story.  We get to hear more about Kai and Nathan (the heroine and hero) in Wilks’s next book, Night Season.  (By the way, imagine my surprise discovering Wilks was born in Monahans – in seriously west Texas.)

Grade: B

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance

     In a New York auction house, a Lord of the Fey crosses paths with a fiery redheaded mage named Claire.  But in this strange underground society, the rarity up for sale is Claire herself.

Read an excerpt.

BT is written by an author who is new to me, Karen Chance.  This story tells of a young woman in extraordinary circumstances.  After being placed on an auction block by her boss’s son and somehow transported to a faerie realm with a hunky fae.  She discovers something startling about herself in this realm.  This story isn’t as richly told as the first two but it was still a lot of fun.  It had some fantasy, sword play (both kinds), long lost fathers, and surprises. I enjoyed this story but not so much I’m rushing out to buy Chance’s back list.

Grade: B-

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny

     Among the children of the moon, Mona Lisa is of Mixed Blood – Part Monere, part human, and destined to be alone.  Then she meets a man who could be her salvation – or her downfall.

Read an excerpt.

MLB is by another author who is new to me, Sunny. Frankly, I find the whole “no last name” thing to be a bit affected.  I just don’t see the point.  Regardless, I was prepared to overlook this if the story was good.  And the story wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have anything to recommend it over anything else I’ve read this year.  In fact, it was a little too LKH’ish for my taste.  I like LKH – even if she’s gone a wee bit around the bend lately, but I read her stuff.  I just don’t care for imitators and this story was a little too close in several details. In addition to that, the writing was oddly uneven – alternating from a formal speaking voice and casual colloquialisms.

Grade: D

Overall Grade: B-

Here’s the book blurb:

     These all-new paranormal romances from today’s hottest authors feature a female werewolf who comes into her own; a Lord who crosses paths with a fiery mage; a mixed-blood Child of the Moon who faces an uncertain future; and a woman whose sixth sense proves to be a dangerous talent.

What’s next for these authors:

	Patricia Briggs, coming 2 Jan 2008		Eileen Wilks, coming 2 Jan 2008
	Karen Chance, Embrace the Night (Cassandra Palmer Book 3) coming 1 Apr 2008		Sunny, coming 2 Jan 2008