Dates From Helll. Surprisingly, all of the novellas in this paranormal romance collection are pretty good. Readers are probably picking it up for Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong's entries, and the two don't disappoint.

In "Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil," Harrison gives a prequel to her Hollows series, following Ivy in a vampire power struggle immediately preceding her meeting with Rachel; it's the one novella that does presume familiarity with both the characters and the universe, but I think it better for it. Lynsay Sands's "The Claire Switch Project" is a straight comedy, consistent with her tongue-in-cheek vampire romances, and is quite readable, despite the fluff value. Kelley Armstrong offers up a wholly original character that I hope to see more of in "Chaotic," throwing in museum theft and cabal politics that fit nicely within her existing universe without requiring prior knowledge. The one slightly disappointing entry is Lori Handeland's "Dead Man Dating" - it hits all the cheesy romance/horror cliches while adding in the sexy but virginal librarian type. Having just finished an academic collection that addresses library stereotyping, I found it more annoying than cute.

Read August 2006