Customer Reviews
Great read - By: Book lover, 09 Aug 2007 
A book with short stories is always nice. Here you get 4 stories for the price of one. And it's a good way to discover new authors. I had only read books from Kelley Armstrong & Kim Harrison & liked what they did, so this probably was gonna be good ! And it was.
In "Undead in the Garden of Good & Evil" Kim Harrison describes Ivy's 'early days' when she's hooked on blood & passion, not the strong willed Ivy we got to know in the other books. She did come a long way... If you haven't read anuthing from Kim Harrison, maybe this is a good place to start, at the beginning... The main characters (Ivy & Kristen) also play a major rol in her other books.
"The Claire Switch Project" by Lynsay Sands. This was a bit of a dissapointment for me. This is sience gone awry, nothing preternatural: no vampires, werewolves, ghosts & whatnots. Just a romance novel with some shapeshifting (through science). It's well enough written & funny at times, but not quite what I expected in this omnibus...
Chaotic... I love Kelley Armstrong her work & this was no exception ! I love how she doesn't stick with one person for her whole series, because if you do that, the bad just has to get badder & bigger with every book & look where that got Laurell K Hamilton... but I'm drifting away from the subject. Armstrong introduces in Chaotic a new character, Hope, a half demon who doen't quite now what to do with her power... Then she gets in contact with someone who works for the Counsel & finallly she can do some good with her powers, chatch bad guys & satisfy the demon in her. After a while & old familiar pops up, of whom we see a whole new side ! Loved it !
Last in line was "Dead Man Dating" by Lori Handeland. Also a new author for me & I like her style ! I'm sure gonna buy more of her books... It's fast passed, well written & with a sens of humour. And I loved the fact that for the heroin wasn't a perfect shaped, long legged blond with perfect vision... but someone with a great love for books, ancient civilisations & who wears glasses...
All in alll a very good book.
Dates from Hell? - By: M. Hill, 05 Sep 2006 
This book,is reallly for alll vampire, werewolves & demon loving fans. However, its not a invigorating read. The best short story in this collection, was by KellEy Armstrong,"Chaotic". In which a half demon is employed to track down deviant supernaturals, only to have the tables turned, when she bumps into a rather lush werewolf.Very well written.
"Undead in the Garden of good & evil" Kim Harrison is about a vampire living with the virus, & a dead vampire of a boss who covers up a serious crime. The characters are interesting & dynamic, an excellent prequel to the Rachel Morgan series!
"The Clair Swich Project" is about a molecular destabilisation, when is effects Clair, she & her side kick Kyle have an interesting reunion.....not good but, funny in parts!
"Dead Man Dating", is by far the worst one in the book..it is for alll your paranormal fans, but leaves the reader, how can one say..disappointed.
Overalll, its an interesting read....for alll that love romantic chaotic dates! (Holiday read only!)
Dates from Hell - By: R.P, 02 Jun 2006 
If you are into the supernatural romance genre, this is a great bet for that. It's fun, wicked & fantasticallly sexy. And the price isn't bad either. A most definite recommend! Can't wait for the follow-up!!!
Excellent Turnout by Four Top Writers - By: K. Montgomery, 31 May 2006 If you're a fan of vampire, werewolf & other such paranormal fiction, you do not want to miss this anthology! All four are masters in their genres & none fail to entertain the reader. If you've never read any of the authors, prepare to suspend your belief system (that means let loose, fellow readers--it makes for much more fun reading) & hang on for a great thrill of a reading ride.
"Undead in the Garden of Good & Evil" by Kim Harrison--A very exciting story as it is a prequel to Harrison's Rachel Morgan series (Dead Witch Walking). This one is told from Ivy's point of view. She's trying to climb the corporate ladder in her office, but must do so on her boss's terms. Art is a "dead" vampire, as opposed to Ivy, who is a living one with the vampire virus. He wants Ivy to feed off of. When she discover's Art is covering up a serious crime, she takes measures to put a stop to his interference in her job.--Loved this one as we get a more intimate view of Ivy's character, one I didn't fully understand, or like, till reading this short. If you're a fan of Harrison's books, pick this one up & enjoy. You'll be sorry you missed it otherwise. Five stars.
"The Claire Switch Project" by Lynsay Sands--Claire Beckett & Kyle Lockhart are scientists experimenting with & perfecting a molecular destabilizer. A rogue employee, impatient to test the device on humans, tricks Claire & zaps her with the device's beam. Concerned, Kyle takes her home with him to watch for any harmful effects. What neither knows is that teach of them has cared for one another for quite some time. Claire sees an opportunity to get close to Kevin, & Kevin wants the same. When the destabalizer's beam ends up effecting Claire after alll, they're in for an interesting night when they go to their high school reunion.--A very humerous story that flowed well, despite some silly moments. Of course there's going to be some silly moments--the heroine is zapped with a destabilizer!! It makes for some hilarious scenes, as only Sands can write them. Four stars for the lighthearted read of the four.
"Chaotic" by Kelly Armstrong--Hope is half demon, her ability to see & feel chaos magic both a help & a hindrance at times. When her mother sets her up on a blind date, chaos jumps up & runs amock in the form of jewel thief & werewolf, Marsten. An enigmatic man, to say the least, her boss wants something from Marsten & she's to make sure he stays put till the boss arrives. When she realizes she's being used, she & Marsten throw in together to ensure their survival.--I've heard such wonderful things about Armstrong's books, never picked them up though. This short was an excellent intro to her kick-butt, no-nonsense style & I definitely plan on picking up her books in the future. Hope & Marsten were an interesting pair I would love to see in a full-length book. Four Stars.
"Dead Man Dating" by Lori Handeland--A must buy author for paranormal fans!! This short is no exception. Kit Morelli, plain jane & bored literary agent, has a hot date, which she knows is fishy since she's not hot. What she doesn't realize is that her date is dead. He's seeking something from her that only she can give. It becomes obvious on their date what that is, but in comes demon hunter, Chavez to the rescue. He's hunted every kind of monster & demon there is, but he doesn't know what is hunting Rachel. He's determined to find out though, at any cost--to himself, to Kit & to the world. I loved this tale by Handeland!! I'm very much in love with her werewolf series (Moon series) & this tale was a great switch to see what else she can produce. A great five star read.
Though fairly short in length, alll four stories came across as very satisfying. As a fan of most of these authors it was a delight to experience their styles in the short story format, & anyone else who is a fan of these authors will know what I mean. If you've never read any of them before, these are a great intro into what each is capable of--then go get their fuul-length books! Great weekend, week-night or any other time reading. Very highly recommended!!
K. Montgomery
Official Reviewer for The Mystic Castle
2 out of 4 - By: omnivore, 18 May 2006 Armstrong delivers again & makes you want to beg her to write a whole book on the further adventures of her characters. Harrison: I still can't make up my mind about Ivy, but I am willing to go along for the ride. And Kisten became more interesting. If the other two stories were up to the same standard, this would be a 5-star. However, although Handeland was readable, Sands' story left me cold. The main plot gimmick was rubbish. And why bring science into the mix, if you are unable to follow through. If I could rate individualy, the results would be 5, 4, 3, 1.
