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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
An anthology of nine short stories revolving around a theme of footwear.
Series:
"Forked Tongues" (Holly & Andy, 3)
"The Devil's Left Boot" (Jane Yellowrock, 6.25)
"High Stakes" (Chicagoland Vampires, 8.25)
"The Parlor" (Latter-Day Olympians, 3.5)
"Red Isn't Really My Color" (Black Wings, 2.5)
"Snakeskin" (Trickster, 0.5)
"Ruby Red" (Alex Craft, 2.5; Darque Files, 0.5)
The Stories
Rachel Caine's "Forked Tongues" seems mislabeled unless it's a metaphor for lying ass demon. Witches are under attack in Austin, and Holly Caldwell and her boyfriend, the Old West zombie Andy Toland, are hurtin' until they find the reason for it. And after events in Hex Appeal: "Holly's Balm", 2, the cops aren't interested in helping out.
It's those boots, they've got juice. A good story albeit very short, but then I'm prejudiced towards this short story series. On the negative side, I realize that, having read the first two stories, I'm filling in a lot of blanks Caine left. I'm not sure "Forked Tongues" will make sense unless you've read at least one of the previous two: Strange Brew: "Death Warmed Over", 1, or/and Hex Appeal: "Holly's Balm", 2.
Shannon K. Butcher's "Stolen Goods" is a good one! I love Butcher's creation of her sexy, sultry thief who needs to be brought back to the path. Between those sexy red boots and the matching handbag...she hasn't got a chance against leatherworker Marcus Brighton's convictions.
Really well done. Butcher has created an entire world in just over 40 pages and makes me want to read more!
Chris Marie Green's "The Girl With No Name" is another good one except for all the vague bits. Part of the vague is useful, which helps you empathize with Lilly as she tries to figure out who she is and stay alive. It gets vaguer yet when they don't explain about a dragon's line of vampires??, although Green does provide a tease of background.
Faith Hunter's "The Devil's Left Boot" brings Liz and Cia, the twin Everhart witches, up against Layla, their high school mean girl. Seems Layla is missin' her mama and wants their help. Ha. Ha-ha-ha.
I'm not impressed with this one, and lord knows I wanted to be. Instead, it's all tell and little show. Worth reading if only for the resolution between these two sisters and Jane.
Chloe Neill's "High Stakes" was just dumb. A threat from Lindsey's past arises, and sure, she needs to deal with it. But Neill doesn't give any good reasons why Luc can't come along and be her backup. It immediately leaps into a dump situation. Which is almost as stupid. In New York, Lindsey leaps right into trouble without scouting the situation…duhh… And again, all tell and little show.
Lucienne Diver's "The Parlor" weaves back and forth between good and huh? It takes awhile before we even learn the protagonist's name, and it feels as though we were simply dropped into the story. I felt as though I were scrambling. Maybe that's a good thing as it seemed that Tori was scrambling to figure things out as well.
Christina Henry's "Red Isn't Really My Color" puts this one in my TBR file. I like Beezle! It's a whole lotta world in this short story and incorporates the fairy tale of the Red Shoes. Ick. Amarantha, the faerie queen, has a major hate on for Madeline and her many greats-grandfather, Lucifer. It's a twisty, tricky story involving those red shoes, although it is somewhat simplistic. We'll have to see how good the full-length stories are.
Rob Thurman's "Snakeskin" is a ten-years-previous prequel and introduces Zeke and Griffin. That said, Trixa is delighted with the liar who shows up at her bar—she tells the best lies—and does her best to fulfill Elizabeth Rose Burke-Lane's request.
This was good. Thurman leads you up the garden path with the larcenous Trixa, perky, happy, and deadly when she investigates. Oh, yeah, Trixa will give Bethy what she wants all right. It's a sudden twist and yet fulfills the specifics of the bargain.
Kalayna Price's "Ruby Red" introduces us to Briar Darque and her partner, Derrick Knight—huh, Darque Knight *waggles her brows*—when they investigate shadow creatures before they get sent to check out some grave witch named Alex Craft.
Briar's a cold one, but there are hints of warmth and want in her, but this short story is more an introduction to Darque's philosophy and her partner whom I don't believe we met in Grave Memory, 3.
The Cover
The cover is a deep purple of lights and darks in a plank'd floor and a stony wall with the lightest lilac showcasing a woman's legs, the calf of one raised and black booted leg resting against her knee, her cuff'd forearm resting on that upraised knee, and holding a tactical knife. You can't miss the these boots...yep, a 3 ½-inch heel in black, glossy, over-the-knee leather.
Oh, yeah, these boots are definitely Kicking It: These Boots are Made for Stalking with the men following with their tongues hanging out, LOL.
Series:
"Forked Tongues" (Holly & Andy, 3)
"The Devil's Left Boot" (Jane Yellowrock, 6.25)
"High Stakes" (Chicagoland Vampires, 8.25)
"The Parlor" (Latter-Day Olympians, 3.5)
"Red Isn't Really My Color" (Black Wings, 2.5)
"Snakeskin" (Trickster, 0.5)
"Ruby Red" (Alex Craft, 2.5; Darque Files, 0.5)
The Stories
Rachel Caine's "Forked Tongues" seems mislabeled unless it's a metaphor for lying ass demon. Witches are under attack in Austin, and Holly Caldwell and her boyfriend, the Old West zombie Andy Toland, are hurtin' until they find the reason for it. And after events in Hex Appeal: "Holly's Balm", 2, the cops aren't interested in helping out.
It's those boots, they've got juice. A good story albeit very short, but then I'm prejudiced towards this short story series. On the negative side, I realize that, having read the first two stories, I'm filling in a lot of blanks Caine left. I'm not sure "Forked Tongues" will make sense unless you've read at least one of the previous two: Strange Brew: "Death Warmed Over", 1, or/and Hex Appeal: "Holly's Balm", 2.
Shannon K. Butcher's "Stolen Goods" is a good one! I love Butcher's creation of her sexy, sultry thief who needs to be brought back to the path. Between those sexy red boots and the matching handbag...she hasn't got a chance against leatherworker Marcus Brighton's convictions.
Really well done. Butcher has created an entire world in just over 40 pages and makes me want to read more!
Chris Marie Green's "The Girl With No Name" is another good one except for all the vague bits. Part of the vague is useful, which helps you empathize with Lilly as she tries to figure out who she is and stay alive. It gets vaguer yet when they don't explain about a dragon's line of vampires??, although Green does provide a tease of background.
Faith Hunter's "The Devil's Left Boot" brings Liz and Cia, the twin Everhart witches, up against Layla, their high school mean girl. Seems Layla is missin' her mama and wants their help. Ha. Ha-ha-ha.
I'm not impressed with this one, and lord knows I wanted to be. Instead, it's all tell and little show. Worth reading if only for the resolution between these two sisters and Jane.
Chloe Neill's "High Stakes" was just dumb. A threat from Lindsey's past arises, and sure, she needs to deal with it. But Neill doesn't give any good reasons why Luc can't come along and be her backup. It immediately leaps into a dump situation. Which is almost as stupid. In New York, Lindsey leaps right into trouble without scouting the situation…duhh… And again, all tell and little show.
Lucienne Diver's "The Parlor" weaves back and forth between good and huh? It takes awhile before we even learn the protagonist's name, and it feels as though we were simply dropped into the story. I felt as though I were scrambling. Maybe that's a good thing as it seemed that Tori was scrambling to figure things out as well.
Christina Henry's "Red Isn't Really My Color" puts this one in my TBR file. I like Beezle! It's a whole lotta world in this short story and incorporates the fairy tale of the Red Shoes. Ick. Amarantha, the faerie queen, has a major hate on for Madeline and her many greats-grandfather, Lucifer. It's a twisty, tricky story involving those red shoes, although it is somewhat simplistic. We'll have to see how good the full-length stories are.
Rob Thurman's "Snakeskin" is a ten-years-previous prequel and introduces Zeke and Griffin. That said, Trixa is delighted with the liar who shows up at her bar—she tells the best lies—and does her best to fulfill Elizabeth Rose Burke-Lane's request.
This was good. Thurman leads you up the garden path with the larcenous Trixa, perky, happy, and deadly when she investigates. Oh, yeah, Trixa will give Bethy what she wants all right. It's a sudden twist and yet fulfills the specifics of the bargain.
Kalayna Price's "Ruby Red" introduces us to Briar Darque and her partner, Derrick Knight—huh, Darque Knight *waggles her brows*—when they investigate shadow creatures before they get sent to check out some grave witch named Alex Craft.
Briar's a cold one, but there are hints of warmth and want in her, but this short story is more an introduction to Darque's philosophy and her partner whom I don't believe we met in Grave Memory, 3.
The Cover
The cover is a deep purple of lights and darks in a plank'd floor and a stony wall with the lightest lilac showcasing a woman's legs, the calf of one raised and black booted leg resting against her knee, her cuff'd forearm resting on that upraised knee, and holding a tactical knife. You can't miss the these boots...yep, a 3 ½-inch heel in black, glossy, over-the-knee leather.
Oh, yeah, these boots are definitely Kicking It: These Boots are Made for Stalking with the men following with their tongues hanging out, LOL.
crochetchrisie's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook
As always with short stories, this one was a mixed bag. None of the stories were bad, per say, but none of them really stood out to me either. And the boot/shoe connection was tenuous at best for a couple of them. Oh well. ;)
Usually when I read compilations like this, I find at least one author to check out but I knew most of these already anyway. The one story that most people seem interested in (the Rachel Caine one I think) really fell flat for me... I think maybe I just don't like her writing style (I've read some of her other books too). If I hadn't already read the Alex Craft series I would have checked that one out on the merits of this short story though... love me some Kalayna Price.
Audiobook narrator (was it the same woman throughout?) was really good though.
As always with short stories, this one was a mixed bag. None of the stories were bad, per say, but none of them really stood out to me either. And the boot/shoe connection was tenuous at best for a couple of them. Oh well. ;)
Usually when I read compilations like this, I find at least one author to check out but I knew most of these already anyway. The one story that most people seem interested in (the Rachel Caine one I think) really fell flat for me... I think maybe I just don't like her writing style (I've read some of her other books too). If I hadn't already read the Alex Craft series I would have checked that one out on the merits of this short story though... love me some Kalayna Price.
Audiobook narrator (was it the same woman throughout?) was really good though.
witchylevy's review against another edition
4.0
I actually hate anthologies. So far I've only read Ruby Red by Kalayna Pierce. It was short and sweet. And now I have to go back to the Alex Craft story because I don't remember the reference they made! lol
angels_gp17's review
3.0
3 High Stakes Stars
Kicking It
I only read "High Stakes" by Chloe Neill. This short story features Lindsay and Luc, of Cadogan House.
Lindsay murky past comes visiting and to protect her human family (wait what human family?) she will have to go back to New York and face what awaits her.
It is great to see some of Lindsey’s past since she is closed mouth about it. Also she is afraid to commit to Luc the hunky cowboy vampire. It is satisfying to see Luc and Lindsay get closer in their "non-relationship" with a little danger and hot emotional sex.
Fans of the Chicagoland Vampires series will want to check this story out.
Kicking It
I only read "High Stakes" by Chloe Neill. This short story features Lindsay and Luc, of Cadogan House.
Lindsay murky past comes visiting and to protect her human family (wait what human family?) she will have to go back to New York and face what awaits her.
It is great to see some of Lindsey’s past since she is closed mouth about it. Also she is afraid to commit to Luc the hunky cowboy vampire. It is satisfying to see Luc and Lindsay get closer in their "non-relationship" with a little danger and hot emotional sex.
Fans of the Chicagoland Vampires series will want to check this story out.
ameretet's review against another edition
3.0
I read this for the Chicagoland Vampire short.
I'd realllly love a longer story with Luc and Lindsay.
I'd realllly love a longer story with Luc and Lindsay.
leabookjoy's review against another edition
4.0
French & English reviews : only the short-story by Chloe Neill
A nice little story that shows us an aspect of Lindsey's past but also the way she and Luke got together.
However, always the same reproach with this kind of short-storyn: IT'S TOO SHORT !!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Une petite histoire bien sympa qui nous montre un aspect du passé de Lindsey mais aussi la manière dont elle et Luc se sont mis ensemble.
Toujours le même reproche avec les nouvelles toutefois : C'EST TROP COURT !!
A nice little story that shows us an aspect of Lindsey's past but also the way she and Luke got together.
However, always the same reproach with this kind of short-storyn: IT'S TOO SHORT !!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Une petite histoire bien sympa qui nous montre un aspect du passé de Lindsey mais aussi la manière dont elle et Luc se sont mis ensemble.
Toujours le même reproche avec les nouvelles toutefois : C'EST TROP COURT !!
inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition
4.0
I recently took a long road trip with my husband. We listened to and enjoyed this anthology. The only downside is I've now found new series to buy.
angie_stl's review against another edition
5.0
I've really only read two stories so far, the Chicagoland Vampire short and the Jane Yellowrock tie in, but for those two alone, I deem it a five star book. Maybe once I've read the whole book, which I definitely plan to do, I might change my rating. The only complaint I have is that the Chicagoland story was too short. There was barely enough time to see Ms Neill's brilliance during it, or the romance between Luc and Lindsey. It was more about her past, which I appreciate, and about how much they fight. Hopefully they're done with that now though.