Book Review

ALLURING TALES

By :: Various Authors; Vivi Anna, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Cathryn Fox,

Myla Jackson, Lisa Renee Jones, Sasha White

Avon Red, March 2007

Reviewed by :: Jayna Gardner

Erotica Anthology

It is very rare that I find an anthology that doesn't have at least one mediocre or dreadful story in it. But that isn't the case with Alluring Tales . This seven story anthology features seven unique, erotic but uniformly delightful stories.

Caira yearns for the true love she experiences through her dreams and fantasies with the man whose portrait has been passed down in her family for generations. After one particularly disappointing bad date, Caira and her friend Nikki visit “The Magic Boutique” where they encounter an old gypsy shop woman. It is there Caira is drawn to an antique necklace called the “The Lover's Locket”. Legend has it that if the original owner of the locket, Princess Bella says the incantation inscribed on the back two things will happen – her true love will come to her and she will unleash the Keeper of Darkness. She must defeat the Keeper of Darkness but the price of failure is death. The question becomes, once Caira says the incantation will her lover for the man in the portrait, Zarek be enough to defeat the Keeper of Darkness?

Kili Wilder is fascinated with a gladiator known as Ice Man. When she gets flustered meeting him before having to propose , her co-worker and friend suggests a Virtual Vacation. Unbeknownst to Kili, the Ice Man aka Gunnar Thorsson, overheard her not so intelligent, down right lustful thoughts of him. So he sets out to teach her a lesson when her bribes his way into her virtual reality vacation getaway. But it's both who end up learning something from the experience. The question in the end becomes will they be able to make the same connection in reality.

Jessica Montgomery sees a very sexy Latino man in a bar she stops in to use the phone because her cell has no signal. She's enthralled by his looks and gives him the nickname Zorro but doesn't get a chance to approach as he's leaving the bar. While she would love to be the type of woman who goes after the deliciously sexy Latino, Jessica is still reeling from her ex-husband comments that she's sexually repressed. Fate intervenes when her car breaks down during a storm which offers up the perfect opportunity for Jessica to get to know Zorro aka Dominic Montez better. The motel just gave away the last room and she's faced with the very dangerous situation of staying in her car. Dominic offers shelter in the form of sharing his room with her. From there things heat up quickly and. They both get more than they bargained for along with a fantastic sexual connection comes inexplicable emotions.

Set in post Katrina and Rita Houston, Detective TJ Evans and his partner are trying to keep the streets clean and safe for those who ignored the mandatory evacuation order by the mayor. After a rough night of fighting undead riffraff, TJ goes home to find that his neighbor is one of those who ignored the mayor's order. He had brief fling with his neighbor Cassidy Jones after they met in night school in a criminology class. The chemistry between the two was explosive. They became study partners and eventually gave into their feelings. Desire won out and they had a great night of sex. The problem is that soon after Cassidy becomes standoffish towards TJ, avoiding him at all costs. Another problem becomes the fact that TJ works for a Special Task Force for the Houston Police Department. After their night together, an attack leaves Cassidy a very unwilling vampire the very creature TJ is sworn to protect the human citizens of Houston from. And therefore makes her TJ's nemesis.

Victoria St. John wants revenge on The High Council for the death of her warlock master. So she does something to force their hand in hopes of getting a chance to enact her plan against them. The High Council sends in Max Westin, the Hunter. Victoria has gone feral and as a familiar they need to either collar and tame her so she can be with another warlock or kill her. But when Max discovers that he's met his match and likes it he's faced with a choice he's never had to make – fulfill his duty and possibly get promotion to the Council or follow his heart?

Tough, street-hardened former stripper Grace Walters seeks out a strictly sexual relationship with her boss' son, Lukas Martin. Lukas obliges, hoping to win Grace over and go on a real date with her, something he's been asking her for many times in the past month. He agrees knowing that she's in need of solace but also because he's in love with her. A second opportunity to be with Grace comes up and Lukas again agrees to her doing things her way. But this time it's Grace whose left spinning from the emotion and passion between the two of them. Will Grace be able to go through with her original plan or will Lukas be able to change convince her to give him a real chance? Or will he have to settle for just being her bedmate?

Sangria Silver is a conveyor of all sorts of cargo that may or may not be legal. She doesn't ask any questions which is what makes her the best at her job. She gets a call along with an offer of two million dollars if she can make a delivery of a metal case about 250 lbs, six feet by three feet by four. When the caller knows too much information about her and her background, Sangria gets even more suspicions but realizes she has no choice but to take the job. A glitch in the form of a semi running into her Hummer leaves her vehicle flipped, the case open and Vance Verona standing in the middle of the road, hands bound wearing only black silk boxers. Unfortunately, this also breaks Sangria's number one rule, never look inside the package. When Vance explains he's a sex worker and that her client is really First Lady Maxine Madison, the danger level intensifies. Sangria realizes how deep the hot water she's in is and how high up her problem goes. Her unexpected problem takes a turn when a rest break to clean up and regroup leads to the eruption of scorching passion between them. Vance becomes a surprisingly welcome companion making Sangria even more determined to keep them alive. And it leaves her with only one option left – run and take Vance with her.

From the first story Cathryn Fox's Lover's Locket to the final one Vivi Anna's Quick Silver , I was pulled into the settings of these beautifully written tales. It is rare to find such cohesive and complimentary voices in an anthology of this size. Each story, though not related when coupled with the author's voice, transitioned smoothly into the next tale. Alluring Tales – Awaken the Fantasy is a stunning, emotional and erotic mix of short stories.