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
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