Review to follow ( )

Looking for the 'Lost Ones' he saves the damsel and then helps her save others cages for their blood

A Knight Beyond Black by Jackie Ivie - 3
Moirae is Guardian until Dorian returns seeking his nephew, who's spawn are attacking villagers. At first she tries to run him off then she convinces him to train her to fight with sword

The Guardian by Michele Sinclair - 4
Iain comes to claim his mate that he arranged with his father after she was born, only she doesn't know it, interesting but grated at times
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Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This delightful anthology delivers romance, plenty of interesting characters, and will leave readers wanting more.

The Review:

This is my first story by all three of these authors, at least that I can recall. Each of these stories features a paranormal lead male of the “vampire” variety and a not so vampire-ish leading lady. All of the stories are set in the Highlands of Scotland in the time of kings and lairds…

“Dark Embrace” by Hannah Howell (MacNachton Vampires series)

A touching tale of an innocent maiden, on the run from a psychotic madman, who is saved by knight on a black horse instead of a white horse and without the shine. You catch the drift. However, Una Dunn is not your typical damsel in distress. This girl can kick butt and take the pursuant names, all without breaking a nail. A genetic mix between ordinary human and the clan MacNachton, Una has always been stronger and faster than the average bad guy. While being held captive with eight others like her, Una escapes to search for help. But, after being starved and bled for weeks, she finds herself surrounded by henchmen and in danger of being recaptured. Then, just at the right moment, in marches, or rides as the case may be, Sir Raibeart MacNachton, resident hot guy on a horse and, it turns out, he’s pretty good with his sword too…ahem. After hearing her story, he offers his and his fellow clansmen’s aid in rescuing her fellow captives. The bad guys are defeated, the captives recovered, and in the end Una realizes that Raibeart has not only rescued her friends, but also her heart as well.

Rating: 4/5

“A Knight Beyond Black” by Jackie Ivie

Just looking back through my notes for this story, my first reaction is “Ummmmm” shortly followed by “Huh?” I will say that this story starts off a tad bit…. randomly. It took me a full three chapters to understand fully the premise of the story. And in a story with only sixteen chapters, that kind of seems like a long time. Anyway, this story starts off at a ball in London, where the almost beautiful Miss Tira Coombs is scandalously swept off her very feet by the enigmatic and very fan worthy Iain Duncan Evan James Alexander MacAvee. The IV. Duke of MacAvee, Earl of blah blah blah, chieftain of clans so on and so forth. She then finds out that Iain is her arranged betrothed, her parental unit having kept this news from her for the entirety of her 21 years. Love those good old days. Imagine on his part, waiting 21 years for his bride to mature, that’s a long wait. Especially when, on the day of her birth, the very earth whispered to him that his soul mate had arrived. Eventually, Iain wears Tira down and the couple is married. So the “happy” couple leaves London after their nuptials and they board a ship to his homeland. While on the ship she finds out her new husband is a… *gasp* …a vampire and on top of that bad news he has turned her into one as well.

This is the one thing that I dislike the most when I see it in any historical or paranormal romance. I know it’s the way things were, and I get it, but I hate when a characters free will is taken from them. Really! Aside from that point, the story is a good one, and I liked it. And they do eventually find their HEA.

Rating: 3/5

“The Guardian” by Michele Sinclair (McTiernay Brothers series)

This novella tells the story of Dorian, a centuries old nosferatu who is bored with life and searching for something. We are also introduced to Moirae Deincourt, enigmatic social outcast who runs around at night protecting the innocent, a la Bruce Wayne. After an attack and subsequent fire leave her physically damaged at age seventeen, Moirae vows to find those responsible. Dorian, a mystery himself, takes up residence in a nearby castle, and also takes over the role of Batman, or in this case, “The Guardian.” When the new guardian repeatedly out performs her, and saves her life, once or twice, Moirae decides to use Dorian as an asset and she bribes him into training her in physical combat. Dorian, on the other hand, is aiming for another type of physical training altogether. By the end of the story it is revealed that not only does Dorian have a touch of the paranormal within his chromosomes, but Moirae is also special within her own right. And that ensures a rather long HEA in their future.

Rating: 4/5

FTC Advisory: Kensington Books provided me with a copy of Highland Hunger. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

"Dark Embrace " by Hannah Howell (MacNachton Vampires series)
A young woman manages to escape a prison where she was being kept because of her unique blood and is aided by a man who claims that she is descended from vampires. They slowly fall in love while on the run from her captors in a way that novellas rarely capture. ‘Dark Embrace’ is the clear winner in this anthology. It has the details historical fans crave, the beautiful love story for romance fans, and the vampire mythology that paranormal fans will devour. I’ve never read the MacNachton Vampire series before, but this story makes me want to.
Sexual Content: One sex scene. References to rape Rating: 4/5

"The Guardian " by Michele Sinclair (McTiernay Brothers series)
When confronted with a superior swordsman, a woman who has sworn to avenge the death of her family enlists his help to master the blade. Romance blossoms as he teaches her, but as an immortal, he is not willing to risk loving a mortal who will die, whereas she is determined never to let him go. This story had moments that reminded me of My Fair Lady, but the ending was rushed to resolve everything much too quickly for my taste. The sequel set up at the end is a good one though, and I would be interesting in reading more about this couple.
Sexual Content: One sex scene Rating: 3/5

"A Knight Beyond Black " by Jackie Ivie
On the eve of her twenty-first birthday, a spinster woman is shocked to learn that she’s been betrothed since birth to an uncivilized Scotsman, who, unbeknownst to her, is a centuries old vampire. This is one of those ‘I know you are my mate the moment I see you’ stories that I tend to have little patience with. Initially, Iain had that fun arrogance that I always fall for, but he soon turned into an emotional wreck as he constantly begged his new wife to keep her distance since he couldn’t control his desire for her. It never made sense to me since his wife was extremely happy with his desire. Tira, on the other hand, was was too schizophrenic when it came to her feeling to win me over. Plus it was really not sexy to read about her ‘woman place’ and his ‘man part’.
Sexual Content: a few sex scenes Rating: 2/5 ( )