Hotter Than Hell [マスマーケット]

At just under 500 pages, Hotter Than Hell, collects a dozen short stories from some of the biggest names in paranormal romance and urban fantasy into one nice little beach ready tome. Because there are a dozen that need a review let me do my best here and give you a very short bit on each one (in the order from the book)!

Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff is a quicky about a talent scout for a music studio and her sultry adventures to sign a hunky pair of country-rock musicians who's sound has a magic all its own. I hate to say this was my favorite since it was the first story but I loved Huff's crazy concepts for it. 5/5 stars

Minotaur in Stone by Marjorie M. Liu is a darkly fantastical fable about a lonely young woman who is haunted by sensual dreams of a monsterous minotaur made of stone. The concept was great, the present tense narration was awful. Very sexy but not typical Liu. 4/5 stars

Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray is a story about a writer working on a book relating to incubae when she starts having steamy late night visits from one. A little too cutesey and cliche for me to love but well written and a good example of McCray's writing. 4/5 stars

Equinox by L.A. Banks is a modern mythology of the goddess Artemis' campaign to protect the forests of the world but a group of elite soldiers gets involved and vows get broken. Another excellent story, Banks at her finest and very sensual as always. 5/5 stars

Ride A Dark Horse by Susan Krinard is about a recently divorced woman trying to put her life back together while vacationing in the southwest, there she meets a seductive stranger and a beautiful horse who change her life forever. Never read Krinard before that I know of and I loved this story and her style, another favorite. 5/5 stars

To Die For by Keri Arthur is about a wolf shapeshifter and a werewolf investigating the dissappearance of two teens while fighting the urges to investigate one another intimately. This was one of my least favorite stories. Too abrupt, lacking chemistry and it was more focused on the sex than the story. 2/5 stars

Curse of the Dragon's Tears by Heidi Betts is the story of a man cursed to wear the scales of a dragon and the young woman who wants to break that curse with her love. I've never heard of Betts and I don't plan to look for her after this sloppy story, too many inaccurate details of the culture of Scotland. 1/5 stars

Brother's Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow is about a psychic who's brother is murdered after she receives a frantic call from him and the vampire who protects her. I've not read Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series but I am pretty sure this takes place in the same world. I wasn't impressed and didn't like the characters though the author writes very well. 1/5 stars

(Like A) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little is a time-travel story, a seer trapped in the past and her rescuer tangle with Arthurian legend. A little cheesy and poorly plotted but fresh and fun. 3/5 stars

Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn is a tale about a newly made vampire struggling with her new power and how it will affect her love life. Fans of the Kitty Norville series will recognize Alette and the story is a good representation of Vaughn's writing but it falls flat otherwise. 3/5 stars

Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones is a cutesey short about a young woman who thinks her neighbor is a vampire and how she tries to prove it but falls in lust/love with him in the process. I've read one of Jones' trilogies and I love her writing, she's got a way of making things light and fun but still solid enough stories and it shows with this one. Very cute and sexy. 4/5 stars

Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison is the final story, about a banshee and her quest to feed her baby daughter. I hate to say it but this one totally lost me. I was so confused by the story I can't give a proper description and I felt it was not Harrison's best despite how much I love her Rachel Morgan series. 1/5 stars

So there you have them... the overall concepts and what I liked and disliked about each of them. Overall I think that this is a good book for someone looking to dabble into the realm of paranormals to pick up so they can try these authors and the concepts of vampires, weres, icubi, time-travel and the like. At the very least check it out at the library and try some of the stories for their unusual faire 'cause stories about banshees, minotaurs and men cursed to be horses aren't your typical everyday paranormal fantasy.

Even if you don't normally like anthologies there is such a variety of authors and styles in Hotter than Hell that you're sure to find more than a few that you'll like. And since the stories here are truly short stories, instead of the usual four novellas, there are a dozen little tidbits from some of the hottest paranormal romance(PNR) and urban fantasy (UF) authors. Weighing in at 30 to 50 pages each, most of the authors manage to squeeze a fair amount story into these sexy shorts even though the setup is fast and consummation follows quickly to leave room for the resolution.

My favorites of the bunch were Liu's, Arthur's and McCray's. Liu's two lonely souls coming together had such a sweetness to it, and I am a fan of Arthur's shifters -- this one reminded me of her Imajinn releases which you should check out if you like this one. But the real surprise for me was McCray's tale, I liked the story and liked that she avoided the cruder language she employs in her Magic series. The strangest entry was Saintcrow's, which seemed like it was randomly carved out of a larger story. And Harrison's was the one I liked the least, I read these out of order and the twist to the story left a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste coming on the heels of one of the sweeter romances in the book.

To wet your appetite, here's just a hint for each story.

** Marjorie Liu - "Minotaur in Stone" (PNR)- With a touch of myth, the Minotaur trapped in the Labyrinth and a woman imprisoned by her own isolation grasp their one chance for escape.(5 stars)

** Keri Arthur - "To Die For" (PNR)- A Wolf shifter psychic investigator finds it hard to avoid the animal attraction to her werewolf partner as they hunt for two kidnapped boys.(4.5 stars)

** Cheyenne McCray "Demon Lover" (PNR) - An Incubus' must choose whether his last assignment will earn him heaven or hell.(5 stars)

** Susan Krinard "Ride a Dark Horse" (PNR) - As a woman seeks solitude and emotional healing on a remote ranch, she encounters a dark sensual stranger and the majestic magical horse of her childhood dreams.(4 stars)

** Heidi Betts - "Curse of the Dragon's Tears"- (PNR) A woman searches out the man who has suffered her ancestor's curse and finds the unusual lover who has haunted her dreams for years.(4 stars)

** Tanya Huff "Music Hath Charms" (UF) -A musical duo who weave sensual magic with their music, are sought by two music execs - one who would use that power for a darker purpose.(4 stars)

** Linda Winstead Jones "Moonlight Becomes you" (PNR) - A woman is convinced that her new neighbor is a vamp. Is the attraction that she feels real or has she just fallen under his "spell"? (4 stars)

** Susan Sizemore and Denise Little "(Like a) Virgin of Spring" (PNR) - A group of time travelers may just have to make history to keep from changing the past.(4 stars)

** Lilith Saintcrow - "My Brother's Keeper" (UF) - An odd little slice of life, set in Saintcrow's Saint City World (Dante Valentine, Watchers) featuring a sexwitch and Nictvahren (vampire) with a bit of hate sex thrown in. (3.5 stars) -- it turns out this is the prequel to a serial novel available for subscription on Saintcrow's website.

** L.A. Banks "Equinox" (PNR)- A modern warrior is a worthy adversary for the huntress goddess who awakens to extract retribution from those who have despoiled the world. (3.5 stars)

** Carrie Vaughn - "Life is the Teacher" (UF) - A newbie vamp goes on her first hunt. (3 stars)

** Kim Harrison "Dirty Magic"(UF) - A banshee (emotional vampire) uses a wish to love without harm. (3 stars)

Because the anthology is edited by Kim Harrison, one of my favorite urban fantasy authors, I expected more of an urban fantasy theme and less paranormal romance. I knew there would be some eroticism to the stories, given the title, but I still found myself rolling my eyes as every single story had at least one sex scene in it--and often, the sex wasn't a crucial element of the story.
Kim Harrison's story did not disappoint, and neither did Tanya Huff's or Carrie Vaughn's. Vaughn's was especially exciting because it was a spinoff from her Kitty series, following a newly-made vampire from Kitty Goes to Washington.Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville Series, Book 2)
I usually enjoy anthologies because I can find new favorite authors; this one has taught me, however, that it might be more prudent to wait and read the reviews first.
In short, if you enjoy paranormal romance, this anthology will give you an abundance of authors to discover. If your tastes lean more towards urban fantasy, this one could be disappointing.