Gena Showalter's Ever Night is a stand-out short story in this collection: each year on her birthday, Rose Pascal travels to another world. Instead of being chased or eaten or killed by what she perceives to be monsters, she is thrust into the company of a handsome, but dangerous -- and dangerously acerbic -- man who asks her for information she does not have and expects her to train to face him in combat. A jewel of a story, Ever Night quickly ramps over the original "what if" of the plot to dwell on deeper concepts of preconceptions.

In Shannon K. Butcher's The Collector, Neal Etan needs an artifact from Viviana Rowen or a friend of his will die. It's that simple. However, the demon hunter's quick purchase, (or snatch-n-grab, if necessary) of the artifact is no simple matter when he realizes that Viviana's touch dams his own barrage of pain. He has to quickly gain her trust in order to give them both time to discover what they've been looking for.

Jessica Andersen's Crystal Skull revolves around what happens when an archeologist makes the discovery of a lifetime, and finds it has dangerous connections to her old flame. Can she train him in the power of hope, or will the shadows of his past and the all-too-deadly monsters in their present be too much?

Finally, in Deirdre Knight's Red Angel, Jamie Angel confronts a manner of creature he's never encountered in the flesh: he knows Sunny isn't human, but no one believes him. As his family is trained to destroy evil creatures, he's concerned about Sunny, and he tells himself it has nothing to do with her beauty. When he discovers her secret, he endangers them both, and it's up to Sunny to learn how she can save them.

This quartet of stories based around the themes of paranormal romance and hunting serves as a great diversion that ranges the gamut from fluffy to meatier fare. The stories have clever or cute elements within their packaging of paranormal romance, and all four are engaging and worthwhile reads.

Book Summary

Four hot authors come together in this steamy collectino to tell new stories about shadow creatures, intoxicating magic, and hunters who know a little something about a good slay.

In New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter's Ever Night, Rose Pascal is swept into a dark, haunting world every year on her birthday - a world ruled by a warrior king who hunts her kind. Neither of them can deny the passion that soon consumes them both...

In Shannon K. Butcher's The Collector, demon hunter Neal Etan sets out to acquire a powerful artifact, but finds much more in beautiful Viviana Rowan. The antique dealer's touch strengthens his magic - and her life may be in Neal's hands if they don't recover the artifact in time...

In Jessica Andersen's Crystal Skull, archaeologist Natalie Albright's dig gets shut down amid rumors she has awakened the local demons. But when the terrifying underworld creatures attack, Natalie must team up with her ex to survive. As they fight the ancient menace, they discover a destiny that binds them together - and threatens to tear them apart...

And in Deidre Knight's Red Angel, Jamie Angel, leader ofthe deadly Nightshades, has tracked every kind of monster and demon that roams the darkness, but none of his experiences can prepare him for falling in love with one of the creatures he's trained to destroy...

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