Love is Murder edited by Sandra Brown

Before I jump into the review I want to say that I will be doing this review not like my other short story reviews. There are a lot of stories and to go one by one would make this post really long. To prevent that I will do this review like the full length novels.

Twenty-nine short stories of romance, suspense, mystery and more are beautifully put together in Love is Murder. The authors that are showcased are Roxanne St. Claire, Carla Neggers, Beverly Barton, Robert Browne, Andrea Kane, William Simon, Laura Griffin, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Patricia Rosemoor, Jon Land writing with Jeff Ayers, Heather Graham, Mariah Stewart, D.P. Lyle, Cindy Gerard, J.T. Ellison, Bill Floyd, William Bernhardt, Brenda Novak, Vicki Hinze, Julie Kenner, James Macomber, Alexandra Sokoloff, Pamela Callow, Debra Webb, Toni McGee Causey, Lori Armstrong, Allison Brennan, and last but not least Lee Child. I don't know about you all but I recognized quite a number of these names and got really excited to read a little from all of them.

I liked and even loved well over half of these stories, I'd say close to 95% of them. With the first story Diamond Drop by Roxanne St. Claire, I forgot that I was reading a book of anthologies and thought I was reading a full novel. A couple of stories later Speechless by Robert Browne had me raving. *SEMI-SPOILER ALERT* I was sincerely hoping that the boyfriend wasn't the bad guy, but when it became solid who was, part of me knew it and the other part of me said "well damn, that ain't right". *SEMI-SPOILER ENDED* After reading Deadly Fixation by Diana Love and Hot Note by Patricia Moore I could definitely see myself picking up a novel by each of them and know that I would love it. The mix of action and supernatural always draws me in, but the way that each wrote had me fixed to my seat and not moving. The same goes for Grave Danger by Heather Graham, I wasn't left disappointed at all, once I had finished I wanted more. With Dying to Score by Cindy Gerard, I normally wouldn't read something that is war driven but I think I might start thanks to Gerard. This would be a perfect series to get into because this short story is part of her Black Ops series.

I wasn't really disappointed about any of the stories. They all had their things about them that made them great. However, there are some that didn't strike my fancy. Spider's Tango by William Simon was one of them. It was more of run of the mill kidnapping story. I knew within a few pages who the real bad guy was and what his problem was. Last Shot by Jon Land and Jeff Ayers is a conflicting one for me. I love the plot and where things are set to go, if it where a novel I think I would like it more. The last anthology in particular was a let down for me. I was expecting a little more from Lee Child's I Heard a Romantic Story. I love the ending and everything, but just the way that it was led there I didn't particularly like. I was expecting more from Child, I know his work is very good. I was quite happy with how few stories I didn't like too well.

In the end I am so happy to be able to say I own this book. What stories I did mention are not all that are in the book, and I highly recommend Love is Murder to anyone who wants to read it. The only thing I would suggest is to get a hardcover copy. I have a paperback and it was killer not to break the spine and read all at once. There are some sexier scenes in this book, so anyone not wanting that or don't want their younger child to read it, don't pick it up. I do know I will be picking up a few books by some of the authors I was introduced to. It is a great little collection to sample some writings of others, and a great way to find some new authors.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 707 pages (paperback)

Price: $9.99

Next Book: Zom-B Mission by Darren Shan

Thank you for reading!
~Jade

Unseaming by Mike Allen

First, I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway for free. You will see it featured in a upcoming September Book Haul. Second, I am so very sorry about the lack of reviews but I have not had the time to read. The very few chances I did have to read I snuck in Unseaming and I am quite happy that I did. As usual, what I liked is the first few paragraphs below. What I wasn't too thrilled about is going to be all in the second to last paragraph. I hope you enjoy.

Unseaming is a collection of dark fantasy and horror stories by Mike Allen. I love my share of anything scary, especially with the month of October creeping upon us. Quite a few of these stories left me wanting more. The collection is broken into three parts. In Part One The Button Bin was my favorite, the term "wearing someone" can be taken quite literal, all with the help of the button bin. At first I said I wanted that bin. Humpty was another one I like from part one. I think almost everyone can say they remember that one certain toy from their childhood. That one that sort of freaked you out. Imagine it coming to life, and well, becoming your worst nightmare all over again. There are three other stories in part one that are also hair raising.

Right away in Part Two The Hikers Tale seeing a ghost could be the least of your worries. With a opening to the spirit world wide open and something incredibly not human coming out I would rather see the ghost. Stone Flowers did not go where I was expecting it to go and I am very happy with that. A slightly more bitter than sweet story, a loved one makes a sacrifice and continues to do so throughout their lives together. Once I finished, I really wanted a full length novel from it. In Part Three, we get a sequel to The Button Bin. Remember how I said I wanted the bin? Well after reading The Quiltmaker, I no longer want that bin. I don't know why but I was disturbed and very fascinated all at once.

There were two stories that I couldn't particularly grasp, The Lead Between the Panes and Gutter. While Let There Be Darkness wasn't my favorite. Quite honestly it just didn't interest me like the rest, each other story had me ooo'ing at some point. I did read this story twice before I moved on and both times my opinion wasn't changed. Is this a deal breaker for me on the book? Absolutely not. I'm sure that with the first two if I read them again I will most likely understand and love them like the rest of Allen's stories.

There are a total (in my copy which is an ARC) of 14 short stories. I did not go one by one this time because this post would have been crazy long. I completely recommend this to anyone who likes horror books. This is the first that I am reading anything by Mike Allen and I am hooked. I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and will have no problem rereading it later. As for younger kids reading this, I would say it would be up to their guardian to decide if they can read it or not.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Page Count: 221 pages (paperback)

Price: $15.95

Next Book: Love is Murder or my September Book Haul

Thank you so much for reading!
~Jade