Lana B. (lanalucy) reviewed on 6/10/2011 + 3 more book reviews

I picked up this book off the clearance rack at my local Half Price Books. I received nothing in exchange for this review.

This is an anthology, a trilogy of stories around a central theme. In this case, men of paranormal ability who are sent to guard or eliminate a female, who may or may not have some paranormal ability. The book is billed as erotic romance.

DANGER, DANGER, DANGER! BAD LANGUAGE AHEAD!

OK, in case you didn't get the message, this review contains a bit of bad language.

Temptation on Ice by Cherry Adair. Yes, she has a porn name, or what sounds like one. This is apropos, as her story reads like a porno. I have to mention that using words like cock, pussy, fuck and the like do not make a story erotic. They do make it explicit. Explicit is not necessarily erotic, though it can be. In this case, it's just bad. Thank goodness it was the shortest story in the book. This story rates a solid Poor.

Hunting Temptation by Lorie O'Clare. OK, her name's not quite so bad. The story is better, too. In this case, a human bounty hunter (pardon me, fugitive apprehension professional) is hunting what he learns is a rogue male werewolf. His first clue, passed along by a long-time informational contact, leads him to a nightclub, where he is distracted by a woman who has eyes for him. Turns out, she's a werewolf, part of a local pack, which he learns pretty late into the story. So, in this case, the theme is turned around and it's the woman who's paranormal and the man who may or may not be. Anyway, the romance seemed a little forced on the woman's side, and the overprotectiveness of the males in her pack got to be more than a little wearing to me, so I'm assuming this is why she felt the need to cut loose a little. This story rates a marginal Good.

Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter. The third story in the book (actually, it was the middle story), the longest by far, and the only one written by an author whose name I recognized (her name is why I bought the book, frankly), is also the best. It's actually erotic romance, between two people who are grown, not rebelling against anything, not constantly thinking with their sex organs. The premise of the story is solid, with a clear bad guy, and a heroine who's flawed but not weak. The romance takes time, and isn't some kind of instantaneous mind-boggling hormone-fest. Gena includes romance, suspense, action and a little mystery. The hero's paranormal ability is related to shadows, thus the name of the story, and it's an interesting ability. This story rates a solid Very Good.

This book is not worth the cover price. I got it for $2, and still felt a little gypped, until I read Gena Showalter's story. If you find it and are interested, avoid paying too much for it. I'll be listing it on my paperbackswap bookshelf.

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