Synopsis
from Goodreads: Some
marriages are made in heaven . . . Some are not.
What
happens when "the happiest day of your life" turns into a
nightmare? Forget the drunken best man or the bridesmaid dresses from
the '80s . . . none of these wedding day disasters can compare to a
cursed bride determined to make it down the aisle, or a vampire who
is about to disrupt your wedding.
Join
New
York Times bestselling
authors Maggie Shayne and Jeaniene Frost, USA
Today bestseller
Kathryn Smith, as well as Terri Garey in four unforgettable tales of
unholy matrimony . . . where the grooms are dark, dangerous, and
mostly dead, and to love and cherish till death takes on a whole new
meaning.
Stats
for my copy: Mass market
paperback, Harper, 2008.
How
acquired: Bought.
My
thoughts:
TILL
DEATH, by Maggie Shayne
This
is my first time reading Maggie Shayne, though a quick count shows I
have around 12 other books in my TBR by her, although half of those
seem to be omnibuses with other authors.
When
Kira was seven her mother died in a freak accident, and her father
took his own life not long after. Now, eighteen years later, Kira
receives a call from Scotland, advising her that a relative has died
and she needs to come to Scotland for the reading of the will. There
she meets her mother's family for the first time – several
assorted, unmarried aunts – and learns of a curse placed on the
family line – that MacLellan women are always killed at the hands of
their husband. She also meets Ian, one of her family's solicitors,
who she is instantly attracted to. A short novella but with so much
packed into those 91 pages. I really enjoyed it and obviously need to
read more of Ms. Shayne.
HAPPILY
NEVER AFTER, by Jeaniene Frost
This
story is the reason I bought the book. I love Ms. Frost's Night
Huntress series, so I was looking forward to this story set in that
universe. It's been awhile since I finished the Cat and Bones books,
but I think Chance and Isabella, the hero and heroine of HAPPILY
NEVER AFTER, had made an appearance in one of the books. I vaguely
remember their names.
Isa
is engaged to the local mob boss, Robert Bertini. Or at least Robert
thinks she is. Isa's brother, Frazier, has disappeared, after begging
Isa to go along with the engagement for the time being. So while she
can't stand Robert, she's pretending to be love struck. Meanwhile,
Isa's grandmother, Greta, knows something's up, but doesn't know
what. So she contacts her old friend, Bones, a vampire, and ask him
for help finding Frazier. Bones passes the assignment on to another
vampire, Chance. I liked Isa, and I liked Chance. He's no Bones, but
then who is? I enjoyed the story, and for readers who've not yet been
introduced to the Night Huntress series, it's a good peek at what
kind of vampires inhabit that universe. But it didn't quite grab me
the way the Cat and Bones books did.
GHOUL'S
NIGHT OUT, by Terri Garey
This
story just blew the others right out of my head. I'm very anal about
reading series books in order, and I had looked up each story ahead
of time, but somehow I missed the fact that this story was part of a
series. Otherwise, I would not have read it until I found the rest of
the Nicki Styx books and had read them in order up to where this one
comes in (number 2.5 per Goodreads). But I am really glad I read it
because I loved it. I loved Nicki. I loved the idea of her seeing
spirits and reluctantly helping them with whatever they need help
with before they can go into the light, ala Jennifer Love Hewett in
“Ghost Whisperer”, which I just happen to be streaming on
Netflix.
In
this story, Nicki's cousin Debbie has asked her to be a last minute
bridesmaid in her wedding. Nicki doesn't want to, especially after
seeing the hideous dress she must wear, but she knows her late mother
would expect her to. While at a fitting for the dress, Michelle walks
in and demands to know why Nicki is wearing her dress. Turns out
Michelle was supposed to be the bridesmaid, but after a fight with
Debbie she stormed off and was never heard or seen from again. Nobody
realizes that she's dead, including herself.
I
loved Nicki, and her interactions with Michelle. I loved the way
Michelle's appearance changed depending on her mood or what she
remembered. We also meet Nicki's boyfriend Joe, and while he didn't
actually appear until halfway into the story, I loved him.
I
started drifting away from paranormal romance because I got burned
out on vampires, but ghosts still fascinate me,and I am very eager
now to find the rest of the Nicki Styx books.
I
did not read the fourth story in the book, THE WEDDING KNIGHT, by
Kathryn Smith, because I know it's part of her Brotherhood of the
Blood series, and I have the first three books already, so I plan to
come back to this book and read THE WEDDING KNIGHT when I reach that
point in the series. I know, I know, when these stories appear in
these omnibuses like this they're supposed to work as standalones,
but still.
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