at the store. And yes, I did get some strange looks from the other store patrons. Pretty sure they were because of the dancing.The over-arching theme here is, of course, Valentine's Day. But that is pretty much where the similarities end. Sands's novella, Vampire Valentine, is an Argeneau story and features Tiny McGraw--a secondary character from several full length vampire novels. Pamela Palmer's story, Hearts Untamed, is about shifters--sort of. And Jaime Rush's story, Kiss and Kill Cupid, is about psychic powers and a serial killer.
While I enjoyed all three stories in varying degrees, I must admit that Vampire Valentine was easily the favorite. I just love Tiny's character. And unlike the last Argeneau novel I read, this one was sweet, funny, and consistently good. Readers unfamiliar with the Argeneau stories will likely be lost, though. And it was a little short. Long time fans of the series will likely think Tiny deserved his own novel.
My Grade: B+
Palmer's Hearts Untamed was also quite good. Due no doubt to length constraints, I felt a little lost. There's obviously some serious world building that was missing here. But this story was the most intense of the three as far as emotional punch. The characters jump right off of the page--the emotional turmoil was quite palpable. I had some issues with the reasoning behind the hero's extended absence, but otherwise enjoyed the story.
My Grade: B
Rush's Kiss and Kill Cupid was a bit more problematic. It could be that I just didn't like the writing style, but there were sections where I found the writing kind of awkward. And the pacing was a bit odd, also. I liked the suspense aspects--although the whodunnit was a bit obvious. It's probably the least paranormal of the three stories and definitely my least favorite.
My Grade: C+
Overall Grade is B/B-
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