I really can't believe someone said they were "disappointed" in this book.

I hated it. I'm extremely sorry I paid money for it. I should have used the money to line my cat's litter box.

Okay, story by story this is how it goes.

The Kenyon story: Is she holding a contest for weird made up names of people and species and sub species and sub sub species. Holy cow. I've read all of her books. (Except Acheron which is upstairs waiting.) I've read them and I still had to think. Okay, what in the hell is a limani or a katagaria. I swear I spend half my time trying to work through her newest funnest word.


The Ward story: I love JR Ward's books. She is my ultimate guilty pleasure. They are so much fun to read. Except this one. Don't get me wrong. This is the best short story in this book. That is a dubious honor akin to being the valedictorian of summer school. I didn't like the ending. Honestly I didn't think it made a lot of sense. I found myself questioning their morals. In a vampire romance story. Seriously.

The Squires story: Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring. Snore. I haven't read any of her other work and if I ever develop a major case of insomnia: I certainly will rush right out. The entire premise left me completely incredulous. The stupid villagers think she is a ghost who can bite people. Puh-leeze.

And finally, last but not least, the Love story. After having made myself read this story I can say with certain confidence I would rather walk on my own lips than ever try to read another by her. Ever. I cannot even begin to tell you the premise of this story. It made no sense. Gods, witches, a group named (of course) VIPER. Telekinesis and possession. It is a hot mess. Yuck.

To sum up: do not order this book.

Immediately take it off of your wishlist. You'll thank me for it later.

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I'd heard this wasn't very good, but ordered it anyway. Mistake - or maybe it was just a mistake to read the last two stories.

The Sherrilyn Kenyon story is decent, but only if you're already familiar with her Dark-Hunter universe. Fury Kattalakis, a Katagarian, is the main character. We get catch up a bit with Vane (Fury's brother) and Bride, the couple from Night Play, as well as a few other characters from the series.

I thought I was going to be getting a new Black Dagger Brotherhood story from J.R. Ward. While this is probably set in the same universe, the BDB is not involved at all. I didn't particularly enjoy the story, but perhaps that was due to it not being what I was expecting.

The Susan Squires story was just boring.

The Dianna Love story I gave up on after the first twenty pages. I flipped through the rest of it, read the last few pages, and it didn't look like it got any better.

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This was a good book. I love the hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon which is why I originally wanted this book. However the best for my was the story by J.R.Ward. It really pulled me in for being so short. It could have been expanded and made into a great full length book. I found myself wanting answers about who is father was and if there were any others like him. I felt it has huge potential for a great series. The story by Susan Squires was ok. Take it or leave it.

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Loved this book! Or rather I loved half of it!

Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon was exactly what you would expect from her. If you're following the Dark-Hunters then its a must read, and does not dissapoint. This is Fury's story.

The Story of Son by JR Ward was my FAVORITE tho! I cant tell you how many times I've re read this one! This is completely seperet from the Brotherhood books, although the same rules still seem to apply. I loved it!

Beyond the Night by Susan Squires was OK. Im not really familiar with her books, but it wasn't bad. About a ghostly vampire.

Midnight Kiss Goodbye by Dianna Love.... acutally I never even finished this one. Didn't hold my interest at all.

All in all, this book is worth reading just for Ms. kenyon and Ms. Ward.

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Very disappointing book. Without all of Kenyon's world building her story is hard to follow. The story by Ward is probably the best of the lot but there are several things about the plot that seem to jar with her Caldwell, NY world. Didn't read the story by Susan Squires at all. Don't think I will be picking up any books by Dianna Love. Again if you are not familiar with all of these author's previous books, I found the stories hard to follow.

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The only good read was Kenyon, the rest I couldn't really get into.
Ward story seemed like the roles were reversed!!!!!!!
Squires' story was rushed. & Love's story was confusing!

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I am normally a fan of J.R. Ward but The Story of Son which I really bought the book for - is an odd, odd story with ends hanging all over the place - who is this guy's father? Why is the butler evil? Locked up for 50 some years???? By his mother???? It's strange for a lot of reasons plus really long hair on a guy is just off-putting for me. While this book is obviously placed on the "fringe" of her usual setting of Caldwell, N.Y., it is like a bad, fan fiction knock-off of her usual full-length novels.

The other stories are forgetable.

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I was disappointed in this book. Out of 4 stories, not one held my interest. They weren't awful - just not in the least entertaining to me.

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The only one of these stories that I liked was J.R. Ward's. The others were confusing. The Kenyon story requires you to understand her other books (not a bad thing, but I am not too familiar with her books). The other stories were just OK.

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2 of my fav authors are of this book:

Sherrylin Kenyon adds to the Dark/Were-Hunter saga starring Fury. Someone from his past is taking out Katagaris with a dangerous weapon. someone from his ex (Arcadian) pack.

I liked the story, it was short but sweet. We get to see whats going with Vane and Bride, and i was taken TOTALY off guard by the suprise guest star.
---

JRWard adds to her BDB Vampire universe, with some new characters. Claire, while finalizing a document with a client, is taken hostage to feed said client's half-vampire son.

"Son" is a tortured spirit, imprisoned because his mother doesnt understand what he is. it's a compelling story, and while not part of the baseline of the BDB, (no lessers) it was a very good read. The only bad part is that there are a few unanswered questions.

i did not read the other 2 stories because they just didnt apeal to me, but im sure theyre just as god.

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This book was rated in 4 parts or me. Sherrilyn Kenyon was typical Dark Hunter, which I like. J.R. Ward was AMAZING, Susan Squire's book was good, I enjoyed it and will continue to read. Dianna Love's book in theory was good. I liked the chracters, I wanted to know more about them, but... the writing seemed way too "staged" for me.

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As usual I was dissapointed that more than one of the stories didn't capture my attention. Kenyon and Ward's stories were good; the other two I did not read, which in my book, is a waste of money.

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Love the :Story of Son" - story is great and a true love story - wished my own hubby ws like this. The Kenyon story was great. It finally mated up Fury of the were hunters...yea baybee!!!

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Only bought this book because J.R. Ward's name was on the cover. Didn't even read the other stories, only read Story of Son. Great, Great, Story. I love her work. Just wish it had been in a longer format, a book of its own. Falls in line with The Black dagger Brotherhood Series, which I love. If you like them, you would like this story.

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I'm sorry to say that I paid for this piece of crap with my hard-earned money. I should have given the money to charity,at the very least it would have done good for my soul; but nooo, I had to buy it.
The only story I would give 3 stars for is The story of Son, since I don't have time to follow Sherrilyn Kenyon's incredibly complex world I was utterly lost during the first story. The last story I tried several times to finish, but coud not get 'into', so I gave up on it.
About the technical stuff I usually comment on, I would just say
AVOID THIS BOOK!!
all the stories -with the notable exception of Ms. Squires- lack internal cohesion; meaning that they feel like pieces of text taken from the middle of a larger novel. They do not have a beginning or an end; and that, my friends, is terribly annoying.
If the short story is set on a larger universe, I would like to be told about it. (Kudos to Alyssa Day for announcing that her story in Wild Things was in her warriors of Poseidon world!)

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I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I normally don't buy anthologies...just not much of a short story kinda person I guess. This was the first time I'd read any of the authors.

Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon was a bit confusing without the Dark-Hunters background but not so much that I couldn't enjoy the story. (This is Fury's story.) It certainly gave me a taste of the Dark-Hunter series and did not disappoint. I'd say this was my second favorite of all four.

The Story of Son by JR Ward was definitely my favorite. From what I understand this story, while in the same world, is separate from the Brotherhood series. I was completely engaged from the first page. I'll be investing in more of Ward's books.

Beyond the Night by Susan Squires was good and while I wasn't disappointed in the story it wasn't on par with the first two. It was about a "ghostly" vampire and moved along fairly well. I'll check out other books by Squires through the library to get a better feel for her style before spending money on her books.

Midnight Kiss Goodbye by Dianna Love had more going on than should have been in a short story. If her goal was to try out characters and settings then she succeeded otherwise she fell short. I've seen her name paired with Kenyon's so my feeling is that she's a friend Kenyon is hoping to launch. Perhaps, she'll improve with experience.

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I really liked JR Ward's The Story of Son story in this collection. Parts of it seemed pretty discturbing but I really liked how original the idea was. The Squires story was mediocre, very similar to all of her other work. I was not familiar with Dianna Love prior to reading her story and honestly I was less then impressed. The Kenyon story was pretty good and probably very enjoyable to readers who like her other Dream Hunters novels.

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kenyon and ward stores are great. enjoyable read

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Loved it!

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I really enjoyed all of the short stories except for the last one by Dianna Love. The other stories were super sexy and hot but the last one just dragged on. I felt bogged down with too many characters and too many details. Very confusing. I just lost interest and stopped reading halfway through the story.

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This is a MUST Read for fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter Series! This is the Love Story of Fury finding his mate Angelia, and fills in the gaps in the continuation of the Katallakis brothers stories. If you haven't read Bad Moon Rising, i highly recommend reading this first before moving on to Fang and Aimee's story. I am also a Huge fan of JR Ward and plan to read her story, and the other authors of this anthology soon!

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kenyon's was great. the rest were ok. the midnight kiss goodbye took a lot to get into it. not that good for me.

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Really enjoyed the story the Story of Son, by JR Ward. It is a well written short story. I cannot say the same for Shadow of the Moon by Sherilyn Kenyon. I feel that this story just stopped and didn't really have a good ending. I also enjoyed Beyond the Night by Susan Squires.

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I, for one, very much enjoyed this novel :) 4 amazing tales packed into one exciting novel! I'm a huge fan of paranormal romance so this book was a must read for me :) I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan or those of you who are not :)

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This is a paranormal anthology with 4 stories. I only liked two of the stories and didn't finish the other two.

"Shadow of the Moon" by Sherrilyn Kenyon is about Werewolf Fury Kattalakis who is searching for the person who attached a Lion Shapeshifter. He finds Angelia, a woman who grew up as his best friend before she betrayed him years ago. Now Angelia is part of a group who kills shapeshifters as revenge for her parents death.

I found this story interesting and really liked the secondary characters, but had a hard time following some of the terminology since I haven't read the other stories in Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. I needed a glossary. My rating: 3.5 Stars.

"The Story of Son" by J.R. Ward finds attorney Claire Stroughton visiting an elderly client. When the client tells her she should meet her son, she thinks that she is matchmaking. But later she wakes up in a dungeon bedroom with a strange man. The man apologizes to her, then proceeds to bite her neck. As Claire gets to know the man, she learns that he is the vampire son of her client, and has been locked in the basement for over 50 years. It doesn't take long for Claire to fall for him and plan to break then both out of dungeon.

I really enjoyed this story. Michael is a great tortured hero and Claire is a smart heroine who has to figure out how to get them out of this situation. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

The other two stories in this book were boring and confusing. I didn't finish them. My overall rating for the book is 3.5 Stars, with two good stories and two wastes of time.

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Prior to reading this book I have read all but the newest J.R. Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood series, as well as some of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. I normally do not enjoy anthologies as much as full length novels because the stories are generally underdeveloped. Perhaps it is trouble to combine a limited page requirement with fantasy novels, because they are generally more confusing and require a lot of set up.
Kenyon's book: If you are an avid reader of her series, then you will have no trouble with the terms she throws around. I, on the other hand, had forgotten who was what race/ why these people hated these, etc. It was confusing at first, but I was able to follow later on. The characters had some substance, but the plot could have been carried further.
Ward's book: Normally I expect the male character to be the dominant Alpha-male in Ward's books. However, in the situation that this vampire is in, the female plays the more "aggressive" role. It was a bit off putting, but I wasn't overly perturbed. Also, Ward did not tie up some loose ends, and it made me wonder about some of the specifics of why? how? for what reason? I still enjoyed this book. If you swap for this novel, I think that Ward redeems some of the others that are to follow.
Squires: Eh. This novel was kind of silly in a way, and wasn't very strong. I thought it was odd that they described her first as a ghost, when they also say she is draws your blood. C'mon villagers, put the two together! It was kind of stupid that the male stubbornly wanted to take revenge even after 15 years or so- he just could not let that go. I did not hate this book, however it wasn't particularly memorable.
Love: This was probably the worst of them all. I found the story to be confusing and contrived. The characters held no appeal to me, and I did not finish this one, despite having read about half of the story.

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This was a good read. Some of the stories were ok. I give this book three stars.

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I loved JR Ward's Story of Son.

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I love the short stories by SK and JRW. They pull all of the elements together to make a satisfying tale without leaving you feeling like there should be more pages once you reach the end.

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The Kenyon is a Were-Hunter story and the JR Ward is an [unrelated to BDB as yet:] vampire story set in the same city as the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. The other two are good reads but not outstanding. [Of course they didn't come with a built-in 'gotta read' for the followers of the other two series...:]

I'll mark this a 4 because of the other two stories, but the Kenyon and Ward stories are 5s.

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While I like Sherrilyn Kenyon, she's wearing a bit thin on me. So, the only reason this one is staying in the collection is the OMGAMAZING story by JR Ward.

Seriously, if it's set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, I'm eating it up with the proverbial spoon

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Very glad that I got this book at the library so that I did not waste a credit. I could not get into the Kenyon story at the beginning of the book - a bad sign when the "lead off" short story is weak. The next story was more engaging "Son" by JR Ward, but had a weird/creepy child abuse feel to it. I read the Susan Squires story "Beyond the Night" with some hope that at least something in the book would be good - it was written okay, but once it got shoehorned into the series with all the weird species, it fell apart for me. The last story in this book was not worth skimming - I read part of the first two chapters and called it quits.

I wish some of these authors that keep writing in their own little universes would get over themselves and take the opportunity to write a real short story, that can stand on its own. Kenyon had so many characters in her story, it would only make sense to a diehard fan of the series. The other stories had a lighter hand, more like short stories with fewer characters. The Squires story was okay, and would have been better if you weren't jolted with all manner of unnecessary supernatural contrivances based on her other books.

Save your money and your time. All the stories were average or below average in this book.

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For those of you who are Black Dagger Brotherhood fans, "The Story of Son" by J.R. Ward is NOT part of the BDB series, but it is set in the BDB world. Totally separate from the Brothers, however.

Good story, but is you are looking for BDB characters, you will be disappointed.

The book features short stories by other authors as well, in the paranormal genre.

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loved "the story of son" it could have beed a stand alone book- i read the whole book twice!
glenna

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Great short stories! Fun read!

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I only read Sherrilyn Kenyon story about Fury Kattalakis. His story takes place before Fangs story, since it started out a Fury passing a love note from him to Sasha then to Aimee Peltier. But Fury wants to look into a mystery that is causing Katagaria or Arcadians when shot to stay in their base forms, but Arcadians are shooting the Katagarias to keep them in their animal so they are easier to kill. Well at Sanctuary there is a lion shot but this weapon and Fury wants to help track down to shooters but he never thought that one of the scents on the lion would bring him back to his childhood to the only girl he ever loved. Angelia has teamed up with Dare ( Fury, Fang & Vane's brother) in hunting 'animals' to stop the horrors that happened in her childhood but when that path lead her to her childhood friend that she betrayed when his mothers people tried to kill him she turned her back to him, but now she and Dare use their 'human thinking' to over power Fury. Dare and a Jackal torture Fury until she thinks she can get him to talk but she never thought her real emotions would play apart in this and Angelia took Fury out of the camp but she should have never underestimate Fury when he is pissed and she becomes his hostage and takes her to his safe place, Vane's house, where she will see a softer side of Fury around his brothers, his pack and his nephew Trace.

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Some great short stories by some great writers. I was mainly looking forward to this book because of the Kenyon and Ward stories - which were awesome! Kenyon's story goes with her Dark Hunter series while Ward's is set in Caldwell and goes with her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I look forward to seeing both sets of characters in future books! The other two stories by Squires and Love were okay - not as good as the first two, but definitely readable and enjoyable. I recommend this book.

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