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The Others #3.5
No Rest for the Witches
"The Majicka" AND "Voodoo Moon" AND "Breath of Magic" AND "Any Witch Way She Can"
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 2, 2007
About the author
MaryJanice Davidson
137 books5,301 followersMaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
August 28, 2019
Okay since there are only four stories in this anthology let me break it down for you story by story...
"The Majicka" - very cute. An interesting mix of paranormal characters. The romance did feel a bit rushed though.
"Voodoo Moon" - interesting, to say the least with this one. Although nice and steamy it was a little too cops and robbers for me.
"Breath of Magic" - did not like this one. By far the weakest story in the bunch. It seemed to drag on and it did not catch my attention at all.
"Any Witch Way She Can" - after reading a little bit behind the scenes of this book I have come to the conclusion that this story is actually a part of a series which makes it a little weird and disorienting for someone who is not reading that series. it feels like the author just dropped you into that world without any description or purpose.
All things considered I'd say this is a good book but not a great book. I would recommend it for a cute little Halloween read perhaps.
"The Majicka" - very cute. An interesting mix of paranormal characters. The romance did feel a bit rushed though.
"Voodoo Moon" - interesting, to say the least with this one. Although nice and steamy it was a little too cops and robbers for me.
"Breath of Magic" - did not like this one. By far the weakest story in the bunch. It seemed to drag on and it did not catch my attention at all.
"Any Witch Way She Can" - after reading a little bit behind the scenes of this book I have come to the conclusion that this story is actually a part of a series which makes it a little weird and disorienting for someone who is not reading that series. it feels like the author just dropped you into that world without any description or purpose.
All things considered I'd say this is a good book but not a great book. I would recommend it for a cute little Halloween read perhaps.
March 4, 2011
I'm giving this book 3 generous STARS because I didn't exactly read each story all the way through and it just seemed fair.
Except for the first one, The Majicka by MaryJanice Davidson. This story I completely read and I loved it. It could be because I love MJD and her Undead series, although I did overdose on Queen Betsy and had to back away for awhile, but that's another story. The Majicka was cute and funny as Hell. The main character, Ireland, is sort of a supernatural creature horder. She finds, or they find her, these paranormal beings and takes them into her home to care for or just let them become her roomies in her big farm house. Judith was hilarious and I adorded Ezra. The only thing was the relationship between Ireland and Micah was too fast for me, for this I wish it was a full book, not just a short story. So 4.5 STARS for The Majika.
Didn't read Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland for 2 reasons. First she dissed my precious X-Files on the first page. I was obsessed with the show back in the day, I don't take kindly to it being called 'utterly far fetched', especially since I'm and avid paranormal reader. I love the utterly far fetched with a passion. As long as there's some sex, but that's beside the point. Anywho, second thing against the story, of maybe this should be the first, is it is about Voodoo. I have yet to get into the Voodoo stories (or Zombie stories), so if I find a short about either, it automatically gets a little inward groan from me. I generally will still read it, but with the other strike against it I decided to skip this one.
Read about half of Breath of Magic by Cheyenne McCray. Couldn't really get into it, started skimming A LOT and finally skimmed to the good stuff. That would be the sex scenes. They were good, but as I mentioned in my update I just couldn't get past the author calling the main chicks goodies a 'channel'. A lot. It was just weird to me.
So that brought me to the last story, Any Witch Way She Can by Christine Warren. Wow, I rode the roller coaster with this one. One minute I liked it, the main character Randy made me laugh and she seemed pretty spunky. Then the next minute I was like, Really are ya that stupid? She would annoy the poodle poop out of me and then say something funny and I'd like her again. Seriously, I hated and liked her about every other page. She was great until the third chapter and then she turned stupid. She grew up with magic, should know how serious it is and that it is not to be played with yet she stupidly casts a spell with out doing it properly and says 'hey, what can go wrong?' Really? It could have been funny, but it was like the author was trying way to hard and ended up making the character an idiot with a mouth. I wanted to slap her. BUT i did read it all the way through and I give it 3 STARS for it's humor. Nothing more.
So, even though I didn't read all the stories, I have put a few of the authors' full books on my tbr shelf cause I know short stories don't show all of an authors potential (sometimes) and I want to give them more of a chance. I could tell myself again that I am staying away from anthologies, but I know better now, if one comes along I'll pick it up and feel no shame skimming if I have too.
Except for the first one, The Majicka by MaryJanice Davidson. This story I completely read and I loved it. It could be because I love MJD and her Undead series, although I did overdose on Queen Betsy and had to back away for awhile, but that's another story. The Majicka was cute and funny as Hell. The main character, Ireland, is sort of a supernatural creature horder. She finds, or they find her, these paranormal beings and takes them into her home to care for or just let them become her roomies in her big farm house. Judith was hilarious and I adorded Ezra. The only thing was the relationship between Ireland and Micah was too fast for me, for this I wish it was a full book, not just a short story. So 4.5 STARS for The Majika.
Didn't read Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland for 2 reasons. First she dissed my precious X-Files on the first page. I was obsessed with the show back in the day, I don't take kindly to it being called 'utterly far fetched', especially since I'm and avid paranormal reader. I love the utterly far fetched with a passion. As long as there's some sex, but that's beside the point. Anywho, second thing against the story, of maybe this should be the first, is it is about Voodoo. I have yet to get into the Voodoo stories (or Zombie stories), so if I find a short about either, it automatically gets a little inward groan from me. I generally will still read it, but with the other strike against it I decided to skip this one.
Read about half of Breath of Magic by Cheyenne McCray. Couldn't really get into it, started skimming A LOT and finally skimmed to the good stuff. That would be the sex scenes. They were good, but as I mentioned in my update I just couldn't get past the author calling the main chicks goodies a 'channel'. A lot. It was just weird to me.
So that brought me to the last story, Any Witch Way She Can by Christine Warren. Wow, I rode the roller coaster with this one. One minute I liked it, the main character Randy made me laugh and she seemed pretty spunky. Then the next minute I was like, Really are ya that stupid? She would annoy the poodle poop out of me and then say something funny and I'd like her again. Seriously, I hated and liked her about every other page. She was great until the third chapter and then she turned stupid. She grew up with magic, should know how serious it is and that it is not to be played with yet she stupidly casts a spell with out doing it properly and says 'hey, what can go wrong?' Really? It could have been funny, but it was like the author was trying way to hard and ended up making the character an idiot with a mouth. I wanted to slap her. BUT i did read it all the way through and I give it 3 STARS for it's humor. Nothing more.
So, even though I didn't read all the stories, I have put a few of the authors' full books on my tbr shelf cause I know short stories don't show all of an authors potential (sometimes) and I want to give them more of a chance. I could tell myself again that I am staying away from anthologies, but I know better now, if one comes along I'll pick it up and feel no shame skimming if I have too.
December 10, 2010
Anthology. Just average to me. Nothing to write home about.
1. The Majicka by MaryJanice Davidson. Funny story about Ireland and her group of misfit non-paying roommates. Micah has come over to teach her majick (that's not my misspell) while she's in the middle of her crisis of the week. Loved the story ****
2. Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland. FBI agent Duran is sent to Devil's Fork to see if there's a serial killer. She meets the local voodoo store owner who is also a suspect. Within 24 hours they're having sex to combat evil, which of course is not a problem for an FBI agent, I guess. (I'm being sarcastic!). **
3. Breath of Majic by Cheyenne McCray. I know I'm the exception but I really don't like this series. There's a lot of double entendres that are stupid with Groucho Marx eyebrows. Not my cup of tea. **
4. Any Witch Way She Can by Christine Warren. Miranda (Randy) is in a family of female foxes (the animal) and she can't change. She tries a love spell and ends up the day before at her Grandmother's house where she meets Michael. 45 minutes later they're having sex. I could see it happening :) ***
1. The Majicka by MaryJanice Davidson. Funny story about Ireland and her group of misfit non-paying roommates. Micah has come over to teach her majick (that's not my misspell) while she's in the middle of her crisis of the week. Loved the story ****
2. Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland. FBI agent Duran is sent to Devil's Fork to see if there's a serial killer. She meets the local voodoo store owner who is also a suspect. Within 24 hours they're having sex to combat evil, which of course is not a problem for an FBI agent, I guess. (I'm being sarcastic!). **
3. Breath of Majic by Cheyenne McCray. I know I'm the exception but I really don't like this series. There's a lot of double entendres that are stupid with Groucho Marx eyebrows. Not my cup of tea. **
4. Any Witch Way She Can by Christine Warren. Miranda (Randy) is in a family of female foxes (the animal) and she can't change. She tries a love spell and ends up the day before at her Grandmother's house where she meets Michael. 45 minutes later they're having sex. I could see it happening :) ***
March 4, 2009
MaryJanice Davidson
“The Majicka”
Life’s a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates—a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie…especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?
I'm not usually a fan of the 'light and quirky' side of paranormal romance. I like it dark and angsty. The fact that I enjoyed this story so much is a testament to MaryJanice Davidson's ability. The fact that I picked up another one of her books because of it is 'off the charts' unusual. Okay, I'm exagerrating. But still, I liked it very much. I think it was the sheer boldness of the voice, the inventiveness of her 'version' of some very old and overdone ideas, and the cast of delightful characters. She didn't convert me from my angsty roots, but she certainly entertained me.
Lori Handeland
“Voodoo Moon”
For Devil’s Fork–based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…
This was more along the lines of what I picked up this book for. Again, Ms. Handeland was a new author to me. I will definitely be picking up another title of hers. The premise was along the lines of what I like, the mystery and tension held through most of the story. The hero was dark and sexy and muchos wantable, the heroine I could relate to. The only place this story failed in my eyes was the 'lets have sex to save the world' ploy. Because of that, I undergrade it, because an author of Ms. Handeland's talent should know better.
Cheyenne McCray
“Breath of Magic”
San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?
This one started off good. I was intrigued, but quickly lost interest. I'm not sure what it was specifically, but for some reason, it didn't ring true to me. It felt forced, and the attraction between the two characters was over-emphasized. I kept expecting to read about heaving bosoms. The purple prose kicked me out, and I didn't actually finish. Perhaps the world building that interested me at the beginning would have pulled me back in, but short on time, I didn't give it a chance.
Christine Warren
“Any Witch Way She Can”
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad…only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.
What I liked most about this story is that it did what most novellas should, in my opinion - it focused on character development and not plot. Yes, a novella needs a mechanism or catalyst to make things happen, but it doesn't need a full novel's worth of plot. I liked that Ms. Warren set up one event, and the fallout that ensued threw the two characters together. She made them real, I could relate to them and understand their choices. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the heroine in this piece, and the hero definitely had me hot under the collar. Just when I thought I had maybe wasted my money, this piece redeemed the St. Martin's editors in my eyes. I'll be checking out Ms. Warren's other works.
“The Majicka”
Life’s a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates—a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie…especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?
I'm not usually a fan of the 'light and quirky' side of paranormal romance. I like it dark and angsty. The fact that I enjoyed this story so much is a testament to MaryJanice Davidson's ability. The fact that I picked up another one of her books because of it is 'off the charts' unusual. Okay, I'm exagerrating. But still, I liked it very much. I think it was the sheer boldness of the voice, the inventiveness of her 'version' of some very old and overdone ideas, and the cast of delightful characters. She didn't convert me from my angsty roots, but she certainly entertained me.
Lori Handeland
“Voodoo Moon”
For Devil’s Fork–based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…
This was more along the lines of what I picked up this book for. Again, Ms. Handeland was a new author to me. I will definitely be picking up another title of hers. The premise was along the lines of what I like, the mystery and tension held through most of the story. The hero was dark and sexy and muchos wantable, the heroine I could relate to. The only place this story failed in my eyes was the 'lets have sex to save the world' ploy. Because of that, I undergrade it, because an author of Ms. Handeland's talent should know better.
Cheyenne McCray
“Breath of Magic”
San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?
This one started off good. I was intrigued, but quickly lost interest. I'm not sure what it was specifically, but for some reason, it didn't ring true to me. It felt forced, and the attraction between the two characters was over-emphasized. I kept expecting to read about heaving bosoms. The purple prose kicked me out, and I didn't actually finish. Perhaps the world building that interested me at the beginning would have pulled me back in, but short on time, I didn't give it a chance.
Christine Warren
“Any Witch Way She Can”
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad…only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.
What I liked most about this story is that it did what most novellas should, in my opinion - it focused on character development and not plot. Yes, a novella needs a mechanism or catalyst to make things happen, but it doesn't need a full novel's worth of plot. I liked that Ms. Warren set up one event, and the fallout that ensued threw the two characters together. She made them real, I could relate to them and understand their choices. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the heroine in this piece, and the hero definitely had me hot under the collar. Just when I thought I had maybe wasted my money, this piece redeemed the St. Martin's editors in my eyes. I'll be checking out Ms. Warren's other works.
February 11, 2009
Four stories written by four different writers. All feature various Otherworld creatures. Three of the stories I liked, one I didn't like at all.
"The Majicka" by Maryjanice Davidson - Ireland lives in an old farmhouse with several supernatural creatures;
A vampire named Ezra, a werewolf named Ownen who had been booted out of his pack, a very tall fairy named Lent and a possessed car named Judith. She decides to protect these unusual houemates but doesn't understand why until Micah arrives on her door step. He tries to explain to Ireland, her destiny is that she is a Majicka. Otherworld characters are drawn to a Majicka who is supposed to protect them. Her protection abilities are stretched to the max when a dryad named Willow appears.
"Voodoo Moon" by Lori Handeland's is the story of FBI agent, Dana Duran, who is in Devil's Fork to investigate several unexplained deaths suspected to be murders. When the explaination seems to indicate Voodoo, skeptical Dana has to redirect her thinking. Complications begin when one of her prime suspects is a man she feels extremely attracted to.
"Breath of Magic" by Cheyenne McCray's is the one story I didn't find interesting. I assume that one needs to be familar to the series in order to grasp know what's going on in this short story. It seems Syndey has to use her powers to save the world.
"Any Witch Way She Can" by Christine Warren's was a fun read. When Randy tries her hand at a love spell to bring Mr. Right into her life, she makes a few ingredient substitutions to the mix. The spell causes her to experience more than she bargained for. Not only does she immediately come face-to-face with the man of her dreams, she winds up in her grandmother's house in the middle of an Otherworly political unrest.
Contacting terra57 as she is next on the reading list.
"The Majicka" by Maryjanice Davidson - Ireland lives in an old farmhouse with several supernatural creatures;
A vampire named Ezra, a werewolf named Ownen who had been booted out of his pack, a very tall fairy named Lent and a possessed car named Judith. She decides to protect these unusual houemates but doesn't understand why until Micah arrives on her door step. He tries to explain to Ireland, her destiny is that she is a Majicka. Otherworld characters are drawn to a Majicka who is supposed to protect them. Her protection abilities are stretched to the max when a dryad named Willow appears.
"Voodoo Moon" by Lori Handeland's is the story of FBI agent, Dana Duran, who is in Devil's Fork to investigate several unexplained deaths suspected to be murders. When the explaination seems to indicate Voodoo, skeptical Dana has to redirect her thinking. Complications begin when one of her prime suspects is a man she feels extremely attracted to.
"Breath of Magic" by Cheyenne McCray's is the one story I didn't find interesting. I assume that one needs to be familar to the series in order to grasp know what's going on in this short story. It seems Syndey has to use her powers to save the world.
"Any Witch Way She Can" by Christine Warren's was a fun read. When Randy tries her hand at a love spell to bring Mr. Right into her life, she makes a few ingredient substitutions to the mix. The spell causes her to experience more than she bargained for. Not only does she immediately come face-to-face with the man of her dreams, she winds up in her grandmother's house in the middle of an Otherworly political unrest.
Contacting terra57 as she is next on the reading list.
February 10, 2008
Four novellas by four writers of paranormal romances.
"The Majicka" by MaryJane Davidson was an interesting and entertaining retelling of The Gifts of the Magi. It would be nice to see more of these. It was really nicely written with good stories and endearing characters.
"Voodoo Moon" by Lori Handleland was another great suspense story with hunky men and tough women. Edge of your seat suspense, hot sex, and a great story.
"Breath of Magic" by Cheyenne McCray; I just could not get into it.
"Any Witch Way She Can" by Christine Warren was great. I'm looking for more of hers to be sure. Psi Beings, time shifting, hot steamy romance, and a happy ending. What more could you want?
"The Majicka" by MaryJane Davidson was an interesting and entertaining retelling of The Gifts of the Magi. It would be nice to see more of these. It was really nicely written with good stories and endearing characters.
"Voodoo Moon" by Lori Handleland was another great suspense story with hunky men and tough women. Edge of your seat suspense, hot sex, and a great story.
"Breath of Magic" by Cheyenne McCray; I just could not get into it.
"Any Witch Way She Can" by Christine Warren was great. I'm looking for more of hers to be sure. Psi Beings, time shifting, hot steamy romance, and a happy ending. What more could you want?
October 13, 2008
Sexy, fun and good for a short attention span as there is four short stories in this book. I love these multiple author books as it is a really good way to discover new authors.
October 31, 2008
I wasnt really that impressed maybe I prefer a full story to a short one I dont know. It seems almost like an excuse to read about sex. I just met you lets have sex 15 minutes later
May 26, 2010
Hmm. Apparently I've read this before. I'm giving it 2 stars for being forgettable enough that I ordered it from the library again.
July 15, 2010
MaryJanice Davidson - The Majicka
Life’s a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates—a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie…especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?
Ireland Shea is an unknowing guardian of the Magick (a Magicka). She lives with a vampire, a werewolf, a faerie and a mage spelled into a car. Micah is new Magicks tutor. He teaches them the ropes. When he goes to Ireland to tutor her, he finds her in the middle of saving a Dryad from being killed. Micah tags along, they save the Dryad, fall in love and live happily ever after.
This story was really not for me but I think MaryJanice Davidson fans will like it. It just was not my thing despite being a pleasant and funny story. There's a lot of funny bantering and sarcastic dialogues but there was just too much going on and to little pages to explain it all, which left me with a rushed and dissatisfied feeling. For example I still don't know what a Magicka does exactly or what Micah role exactly entails other than that he is the tutor. There is a lot of humor in the story but just not my kind of humor and I missed the balance between humor and romance a bit. I like humor in books and the wittier, the more I like but there also has to be some kind of balance and in my opinion this story lacked that balance. I had the feeling the author was trying to outdo herself in the funny department, trying to see if she could make every sentence funnier than the previous one. Because of this the focus is too much on the funny part and less on the storyline/plot and that combined with the lack of explanation and background on certain things and characters hasn't won me over for MaryJanice Davidson. I was never really attracted to her books and unfortunately this story hasn't changed that.
2,5 stars
Lori Handeland - Voodoo Moon
For Devil’s Fork–based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…
FBI Agent Dana Duran is sent to Devil's Fork to investigate a string of unexplainable murders. When she arrives there it turns out that voodoo is involved in the killings. Subsequently the voodoo-shop owner Julian Portier is the main suspect and Dana finds herself in an investigation that will change her life forever!
This was a story in first person narrative from Dana's perspective and as I've mentioned before in reviews this is not my favorite narrative. There are very few authors who can enthrall me with it and I must say that Lori Handeland turned out to be one of them.
In this short story Lori Handeland delivered well-rounded and believable characters, a strong and sensual romance and a very original plot and the outcome of whom and why and how they dealt with him was fascinating to say the least. Despite the fact that it was short I didn't have the feeling I was missing something or the usual dissatisfied feeling I have when reading anthology-story.
The story was utterly captivating, exploring the voodoo scene with well-researched accuracy. The story was able to keep my attention and I kept on reading breathlessly, anxious for how it all was going to unfold, sad when I finished it because I didn't want it to end.
3,5 stars
Cheyenne McCray - Breath of Magic (part 4 in Magic Series)
San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?
Sydney Aline, one of the gray witches of the San Francisco D'Anu Coven has stayed behind with a handful of D'Danann warriors to find the warlock Darkwolf and his Fomorii companion Junga. The rest of the Coven and warriors have gone to Otherworld to round up allies to fight the evil goddess and god who threaten to destroy San Francisco. One of the D'Danann warriors who has stayed behind is Conlan. He is a proverbial playboy; he enjoys the pleasure of women but never commits to them. Sydney finds herself attracted to this warrior but doesn't want to give in to those feelings because of his playboy ways. But in the middle of the search for Darkwolf and Junga the attraction between them grows into something more. Conlan discovers that Sydney is not just another pleasure partner for him and Sydney has to admit to deeper feelings for Conlan.
This was the story I was most anticipating in the anthology and to be honest I was a little bit disappointed. The full-length books in the series were amazing and captivating but despite the fact that the story was pleasant and fitting in the series there was something lacking for me that I did find in the books. I can't pinpoint it exactly but I didn't feel the chemistry between the hero and the heroine. This can be because of the limited page-count which forces the romance plot, not giving them time to build up the sensual tension and a relationship in which they can grow. I would incline to think that because in the books this was present and that's what made me like the books so much. So I'm going to blame it on the fact that it's an anthology-novella.
Again, and even in this short story, the plot thickens. McCray brings answers to some questions from the previous books but she also raises more new questions.
The storyline from the books continues. This time concentrating more on Darkwolf though. He does some remarkable things that make you wonder what his true goals ultimately will be. I hope to get answers to this in the two future books that will conclude the series.
I like this series and this short story, despite the weaker main couple, is another addition to the continuing plot, setting up the next full-length novel. All the elements were there, just with a bit less depth and intensity.
3 stars
Christine Warren - Any Witch Way She Can
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad…only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.
Miranda Berry (Randy) has had it with her single life and the lowlife men that pass through it. She wants a worthy mate and what better way to get one than to use a little magic to help things along. But little does she know that this little magic is going to bring her not only her the man of her dreams in the form of male witch Michael Devon but also a whole lot of trouble.
This story certainly took me by surprise. I wasn't familiar with Christine Warren's writing so I didn't know what to expect. But what I got was a well-written, delightful story with witty characters, a lovely romance and even a little villain-plot worked into it.
I really loved everything about this story. This one had the perfect balance between humor and romance I mentioned in my review of another story in this anthology.
The fluent and easy writing style and the extremely witty characters, especially Randy, and the magical elements pulled me into the story deep and fast.
Randy is adorable and chaotic, trouble has no problems finding her and many times this is her own fault. Michael is one hot witch, very capable and calm. He’s the perfect match for Randy. The plot involving Randy's grandmother and someone trying to sabotage her was a nice touch to the story, giving it that little bit extra to make it a well-rounded story with lots of laugh-out-loud moments.
This taste of Christine Warren's writing certainly has intrigued me so I'm going to look into finding more of her writing and see if I enjoy that as much as I did this story.
4 stars
This was an anthology with for me different level of stories. I liked the Handeland and Warren stories best because these were the stories with the best-written mix and balance between humor, characters and story. The McCray story was not bad but just didn't live up to my expectations, proving once again that writing amazing books doesn't automatically mean writing great novella's and the Davidson story just wasn't my cup of tea, proving that my gut-feeling when choosing books/authors is something I really can rely on and in this aspect I'm glad that these kind of anthologies exist. They are the perfect way to find out if an author's writing style agrees with you or not.
Life’s a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates—a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie…especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?
Ireland Shea is an unknowing guardian of the Magick (a Magicka). She lives with a vampire, a werewolf, a faerie and a mage spelled into a car. Micah is new Magicks tutor. He teaches them the ropes. When he goes to Ireland to tutor her, he finds her in the middle of saving a Dryad from being killed. Micah tags along, they save the Dryad, fall in love and live happily ever after.
This story was really not for me but I think MaryJanice Davidson fans will like it. It just was not my thing despite being a pleasant and funny story. There's a lot of funny bantering and sarcastic dialogues but there was just too much going on and to little pages to explain it all, which left me with a rushed and dissatisfied feeling. For example I still don't know what a Magicka does exactly or what Micah role exactly entails other than that he is the tutor. There is a lot of humor in the story but just not my kind of humor and I missed the balance between humor and romance a bit. I like humor in books and the wittier, the more I like but there also has to be some kind of balance and in my opinion this story lacked that balance. I had the feeling the author was trying to outdo herself in the funny department, trying to see if she could make every sentence funnier than the previous one. Because of this the focus is too much on the funny part and less on the storyline/plot and that combined with the lack of explanation and background on certain things and characters hasn't won me over for MaryJanice Davidson. I was never really attracted to her books and unfortunately this story hasn't changed that.
2,5 stars
Lori Handeland - Voodoo Moon
For Devil’s Fork–based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…
FBI Agent Dana Duran is sent to Devil's Fork to investigate a string of unexplainable murders. When she arrives there it turns out that voodoo is involved in the killings. Subsequently the voodoo-shop owner Julian Portier is the main suspect and Dana finds herself in an investigation that will change her life forever!
This was a story in first person narrative from Dana's perspective and as I've mentioned before in reviews this is not my favorite narrative. There are very few authors who can enthrall me with it and I must say that Lori Handeland turned out to be one of them.
In this short story Lori Handeland delivered well-rounded and believable characters, a strong and sensual romance and a very original plot and the outcome of whom and why and how they dealt with him was fascinating to say the least. Despite the fact that it was short I didn't have the feeling I was missing something or the usual dissatisfied feeling I have when reading anthology-story.
The story was utterly captivating, exploring the voodoo scene with well-researched accuracy. The story was able to keep my attention and I kept on reading breathlessly, anxious for how it all was going to unfold, sad when I finished it because I didn't want it to end.
3,5 stars
Cheyenne McCray - Breath of Magic (part 4 in Magic Series)
San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?
Sydney Aline, one of the gray witches of the San Francisco D'Anu Coven has stayed behind with a handful of D'Danann warriors to find the warlock Darkwolf and his Fomorii companion Junga. The rest of the Coven and warriors have gone to Otherworld to round up allies to fight the evil goddess and god who threaten to destroy San Francisco. One of the D'Danann warriors who has stayed behind is Conlan. He is a proverbial playboy; he enjoys the pleasure of women but never commits to them. Sydney finds herself attracted to this warrior but doesn't want to give in to those feelings because of his playboy ways. But in the middle of the search for Darkwolf and Junga the attraction between them grows into something more. Conlan discovers that Sydney is not just another pleasure partner for him and Sydney has to admit to deeper feelings for Conlan.
This was the story I was most anticipating in the anthology and to be honest I was a little bit disappointed. The full-length books in the series were amazing and captivating but despite the fact that the story was pleasant and fitting in the series there was something lacking for me that I did find in the books. I can't pinpoint it exactly but I didn't feel the chemistry between the hero and the heroine. This can be because of the limited page-count which forces the romance plot, not giving them time to build up the sensual tension and a relationship in which they can grow. I would incline to think that because in the books this was present and that's what made me like the books so much. So I'm going to blame it on the fact that it's an anthology-novella.
Again, and even in this short story, the plot thickens. McCray brings answers to some questions from the previous books but she also raises more new questions.
The storyline from the books continues. This time concentrating more on Darkwolf though. He does some remarkable things that make you wonder what his true goals ultimately will be. I hope to get answers to this in the two future books that will conclude the series.
I like this series and this short story, despite the weaker main couple, is another addition to the continuing plot, setting up the next full-length novel. All the elements were there, just with a bit less depth and intensity.
3 stars
Christine Warren - Any Witch Way She Can
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad…only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.
Miranda Berry (Randy) has had it with her single life and the lowlife men that pass through it. She wants a worthy mate and what better way to get one than to use a little magic to help things along. But little does she know that this little magic is going to bring her not only her the man of her dreams in the form of male witch Michael Devon but also a whole lot of trouble.
This story certainly took me by surprise. I wasn't familiar with Christine Warren's writing so I didn't know what to expect. But what I got was a well-written, delightful story with witty characters, a lovely romance and even a little villain-plot worked into it.
I really loved everything about this story. This one had the perfect balance between humor and romance I mentioned in my review of another story in this anthology.
The fluent and easy writing style and the extremely witty characters, especially Randy, and the magical elements pulled me into the story deep and fast.
Randy is adorable and chaotic, trouble has no problems finding her and many times this is her own fault. Michael is one hot witch, very capable and calm. He’s the perfect match for Randy. The plot involving Randy's grandmother and someone trying to sabotage her was a nice touch to the story, giving it that little bit extra to make it a well-rounded story with lots of laugh-out-loud moments.
This taste of Christine Warren's writing certainly has intrigued me so I'm going to look into finding more of her writing and see if I enjoy that as much as I did this story.
4 stars
This was an anthology with for me different level of stories. I liked the Handeland and Warren stories best because these were the stories with the best-written mix and balance between humor, characters and story. The McCray story was not bad but just didn't live up to my expectations, proving once again that writing amazing books doesn't automatically mean writing great novella's and the Davidson story just wasn't my cup of tea, proving that my gut-feeling when choosing books/authors is something I really can rely on and in this aspect I'm glad that these kind of anthologies exist. They are the perfect way to find out if an author's writing style agrees with you or not.
October 21, 2023
I didn't think any of these shorts were particularly good. For starters, the writing is fairly poor in all of them. They are probably OK if you follow the main series, these would just provide a little more info about characters that from those books. If you like a bit of sex then there's plenty in here, probably the best bits as the rest of the tales are pretty also-ran.
"The Majicka" by MaryJanice Davidson
Life's a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates--a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie...especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?
"Voodoo Moon" (Night Creature #7.5) by Lori Handeland
For Devil's Fork-based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy...
"Breath of Magic" aka The Enchanted/One Breath (Dark Sorcery #3.5) by Cheyenne McCray
San Francisco's witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?
"Any Witch Way She Can" (The Others #3.5) by Christine Warren
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad...only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.
"The Majicka" by MaryJanice Davidson
Life's a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates--a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie...especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?
"Voodoo Moon" (Night Creature #7.5) by Lori Handeland
For Devil's Fork-based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy...
"Breath of Magic" aka The Enchanted/One Breath (Dark Sorcery #3.5) by Cheyenne McCray
San Francisco's witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?
"Any Witch Way She Can" (The Others #3.5) by Christine Warren
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad...only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.
January 11, 2018
I picked up NO REST FOR THE WITCHES as a light Halloween read and that's exactly what it is. Nevermind that I read it in January (Oops).
Inside are 4 novellas, each featuring a witch or witches. Each have their own charm, and each are hilarious romps of romance that had me in tears of laughter. MaryJanice Davidson's "The Majicka" in particular had me screaming because it's exactly the sort of thing I want to write: giant team-ups of magical creatures going on silly adventures and fighting the establishment. "Voodoo Moon" was darker, and a lot of "Is it really going to do this? Omg it did it" happened in my head, and I wanted to give it a star. The amount of fun Cheyenne McCray had in writing "Breath of Magic" was apparent, to the point I wondered if it was legal to have that much fun. The main character of Randy in Christine Warren's "Any Witch Way She Can" is someone I want to 100% befriend in real life. She's such a riot!
Though I did have fun, the stories succumb to flaws that prevent me from giving a 5 star rating. Some of these quibbles might be just between me and the romance genre in general. I'm demisexual, so I had trouble suspending disbelief that characters could go from meeting to boinking (and once, proposing marriage) in the space of 24 hours. Also...there is a lot of boinking in the mud, which does not sound pleasant. They couldn't wait for a bed? The plots also had a level of predictability that was probably meant to be comforting, but wasn't for me. While the characters being more in their 30s was heartening, I was waiting for a non-white protagonist or maybe a woman who loves women, but was disappointed on both fronts, I think.
In any case, pick NO REST FOR THE WITCHES up if you're in the mood for a good time, but not a terribly inventive one. If you ever meet a real life Randy or Ireland, let me know so we can be BFFs forever.
Inside are 4 novellas, each featuring a witch or witches. Each have their own charm, and each are hilarious romps of romance that had me in tears of laughter. MaryJanice Davidson's "The Majicka" in particular had me screaming because it's exactly the sort of thing I want to write: giant team-ups of magical creatures going on silly adventures and fighting the establishment. "Voodoo Moon" was darker, and a lot of "Is it really going to do this? Omg it did it" happened in my head, and I wanted to give it a star. The amount of fun Cheyenne McCray had in writing "Breath of Magic" was apparent, to the point I wondered if it was legal to have that much fun. The main character of Randy in Christine Warren's "Any Witch Way She Can" is someone I want to 100% befriend in real life. She's such a riot!
Though I did have fun, the stories succumb to flaws that prevent me from giving a 5 star rating. Some of these quibbles might be just between me and the romance genre in general. I'm demisexual, so I had trouble suspending disbelief that characters could go from meeting to boinking (and once, proposing marriage) in the space of 24 hours. Also...there is a lot of boinking in the mud, which does not sound pleasant. They couldn't wait for a bed? The plots also had a level of predictability that was probably meant to be comforting, but wasn't for me. While the characters being more in their 30s was heartening, I was waiting for a non-white protagonist or maybe a woman who loves women, but was disappointed on both fronts, I think.
In any case, pick NO REST FOR THE WITCHES up if you're in the mood for a good time, but not a terribly inventive one. If you ever meet a real life Randy or Ireland, let me know so we can be BFFs forever.
September 9, 2019
This was one of those random books that I picked up in a second hand shop. I had no idea what it was about. Really what genre it belonged to, and only vaguely recognised the names of the authors who had contributed. I really just liked the name of the collection, it was a fun little pun that made me quite intrigued…
From beginning to end, this collection has women who pack an amazing punch. They’re strong, they’re powerful and they’re constantly finding themselves in a spot of trouble. All things which I thoroughly love in a good, strong protagonist. The fact that sex, lust and magic are all mixed in with each other to create some incredibly fun and often times awkward stories just makes it that much better. Mostly the sex and lust. A girls gotta get her kicks where she can…
All four of these novellas, like many other similar collections have sent me down the path of finding new beloved authors and series. They’re always a good way to escape for only a short amount of time when I have to be responsible, but long enough that I get completely sucked into a whole new world. The fact that these were all paranormal fantasy and filled with a good dose of romance just made me sink all the quicker into these stories. Definitely one that I would suggest to anybody who likes their witches with a bit of extra steam!
For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/no-rest-for-...
From beginning to end, this collection has women who pack an amazing punch. They’re strong, they’re powerful and they’re constantly finding themselves in a spot of trouble. All things which I thoroughly love in a good, strong protagonist. The fact that sex, lust and magic are all mixed in with each other to create some incredibly fun and often times awkward stories just makes it that much better. Mostly the sex and lust. A girls gotta get her kicks where she can…
All four of these novellas, like many other similar collections have sent me down the path of finding new beloved authors and series. They’re always a good way to escape for only a short amount of time when I have to be responsible, but long enough that I get completely sucked into a whole new world. The fact that these were all paranormal fantasy and filled with a good dose of romance just made me sink all the quicker into these stories. Definitely one that I would suggest to anybody who likes their witches with a bit of extra steam!
For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/no-rest-for-...
March 27, 2023
I should have known these were romance stories. . . but I didn't.
first one was fine, good even.
second, strong dislike. I hate sex-dependent stories, especially when it's love/lust at first site and you figure out part way through that this is working. Sex magic I would have accepted.
third had 3 sex scenes . . . and I've forgotten everything else which should tell you something
fourth - not bad. interesting world building, more sex ish scenes than necessary but it wasn't annoying.
I'm not sorry I don't like sex scenes
I'll try to come through later and replace first/second/etc with the title & author
first one was fine, good even.
second, strong dislike. I hate sex-dependent stories, especially when it's love/lust at first site and you figure out part way through that this is working. Sex magic I would have accepted.
third had 3 sex scenes . . . and I've forgotten everything else which should tell you something
fourth - not bad. interesting world building, more sex ish scenes than necessary but it wasn't annoying.
I'm not sorry I don't like sex scenes
I'll try to come through later and replace first/second/etc with the title & author
May 24, 2019
Haveto admit this was put down a lot because I have been on a fanfiction kick.
March 18, 2020
The stories were all solid. Decent reading. =)
March 13, 2021
Really enjoyed all the stories.
November 15, 2017
I love witchy tales. Fun, steamy, and very full of fantasy!
Enjoyable if you like steamy romance novels.
Enjoyable if you like steamy romance novels.
March 4, 2017
The Majicka – Maryjanice Davidson – 3/5 – An intriguing story about Ireland Shea, who collects undead and other paranormal roommates and takes them on as projects. She’s in the process of helping a zombie, when Micah, “the tutor” for Magicka, shows up to begin her training. But first he has to help the zombie, who turns out to be a dryad and somehow convince Ireland that she is as special as her roommates. This was definitely intriguing with a very dynamic cast of characters. The downside I think is that there was an ensemble in a novella, which makes it hard to really get to know the characters, but I still found them quite engaging. Micah was the only one who was boring, only because we never learned much about him. I actually would have liked a bit more background to this world – I felt like I’d been dropped into the middle of it without a guide and things were confusing at first. I didn’t know the rules. I’m not sure this works so well as a standalone.
Voodoo Moon – Lori Handeland – 4/5 – Special Agent Dana Duran is as skeptical as you get. So when she arrives in Devil’s Fork, LA and realizes that people are dying from voodoo dolls, she has no idea where to start. Except perhaps with local voodoo practitioner Julian Portier. He is broody and powerful and the only one capable of making Dana believe in the supernatural going on around her. This is a deviation from the usual werewolf stuff we usually get in this series, but it fits more with the theme of the anthology of witches. The H/h were interesting and had chemistry and they got together pretty quickly, as must happen in a novella. But the pacing was good, the connection between them was believable and it was good. The only thing, in retrospect, that I struggle with is how quickly and easily Dana dropped the skepticism, but in the story itself, it happened quite seamlessly and didn’t bother me at all.
Breath of Magic – Cheyenne McCray – 3/5 – An interesting little world, obviously part of a series that I’ve never read. Took me a bit to get used to the rules of the world, but this could easily work as a standalone. Sydney is one of four witches working alongside four Fae Warriors to track down an evil warlock who stole the eye of an Underworld god. They need to find him before he can hook up with the god to hand over his eye (with which he will do major damage). There is also the fighting of demons here. Sydney is majorly attracted to her partner, Conlan, who seems to be a one-night stand kind of guy and Sydney doesn’t usually go for that. But she’ll make an exception. Overall, I liked Sydney. Conlan seems not fleshed out enough for me, because he doesn’t have much personality other than feeling the need to protect this woman at all costs. I actually thought Darkwolf was more interesting and thought this from the beginning, before I knew who the love interest was going to be.
Any Witch Way She Can – Christine Warren – 2/5 – Randy is unsatisfied with her love life, so she decides to try a love spell even though she has no magical powers. She finds herself 24 hours back in time, smack in the middle of her grandmother’s meeting of witches, vampires, etc. and some sort of plot to overthrow her position in the Council of Others. She also finds herself teamed up with the man of her dreams, who is also a witch. This was an entertaining story, but for me the heroine kind of intruded upon my enjoyment. I really didn’t like Randy. She starts out the whole thing bitching and complaining and in general being very negative and she doesn’t really improve. I didn’t find her charming, I found her irritating. The H/h experience some sort of insta-love and not 45 minutes into knowing he knows she’s for him, even though all he knows of her is that she dresses and acts a bit like a petulant teenager. What’s so attractive about her? And that same night he’s mediating 20 some years worth of problems between her and her grandmother. Bit intrusive IMHO. And honestly the fact the heroine and her aunt manage to patch things up that quickly was a bit ridiculous.
Voodoo Moon – Lori Handeland – 4/5 – Special Agent Dana Duran is as skeptical as you get. So when she arrives in Devil’s Fork, LA and realizes that people are dying from voodoo dolls, she has no idea where to start. Except perhaps with local voodoo practitioner Julian Portier. He is broody and powerful and the only one capable of making Dana believe in the supernatural going on around her. This is a deviation from the usual werewolf stuff we usually get in this series, but it fits more with the theme of the anthology of witches. The H/h were interesting and had chemistry and they got together pretty quickly, as must happen in a novella. But the pacing was good, the connection between them was believable and it was good. The only thing, in retrospect, that I struggle with is how quickly and easily Dana dropped the skepticism, but in the story itself, it happened quite seamlessly and didn’t bother me at all.
Breath of Magic – Cheyenne McCray – 3/5 – An interesting little world, obviously part of a series that I’ve never read. Took me a bit to get used to the rules of the world, but this could easily work as a standalone. Sydney is one of four witches working alongside four Fae Warriors to track down an evil warlock who stole the eye of an Underworld god. They need to find him before he can hook up with the god to hand over his eye (with which he will do major damage). There is also the fighting of demons here. Sydney is majorly attracted to her partner, Conlan, who seems to be a one-night stand kind of guy and Sydney doesn’t usually go for that. But she’ll make an exception. Overall, I liked Sydney. Conlan seems not fleshed out enough for me, because he doesn’t have much personality other than feeling the need to protect this woman at all costs. I actually thought Darkwolf was more interesting and thought this from the beginning, before I knew who the love interest was going to be.
Any Witch Way She Can – Christine Warren – 2/5 – Randy is unsatisfied with her love life, so she decides to try a love spell even though she has no magical powers. She finds herself 24 hours back in time, smack in the middle of her grandmother’s meeting of witches, vampires, etc. and some sort of plot to overthrow her position in the Council of Others. She also finds herself teamed up with the man of her dreams, who is also a witch. This was an entertaining story, but for me the heroine kind of intruded upon my enjoyment. I really didn’t like Randy. She starts out the whole thing bitching and complaining and in general being very negative and she doesn’t really improve. I didn’t find her charming, I found her irritating. The H/h experience some sort of insta-love and not 45 minutes into knowing he knows she’s for him, even though all he knows of her is that she dresses and acts a bit like a petulant teenager. What’s so attractive about her? And that same night he’s mediating 20 some years worth of problems between her and her grandmother. Bit intrusive IMHO. And honestly the fact the heroine and her aunt manage to patch things up that quickly was a bit ridiculous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2010
This book contains 4 novellas by 4 fantastic authors. The first story is by
MaryJanice Davidson titled “The Majicka”.
This book is about Ireland a self-proclaimed do-gooder who has accumulated a number of supernatural roommates: a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and a mage spelled into a car and now a zombie, or what Ireland thinks of as a zombie. Unbeknownst to Ireland, she is also a Magicka, an unknowing guardian of Magick. Introduce Micah, a tutor for the new Majicka, a spattering of rogue werewolves and the unlikely outcome of saving a Dryad from being killed and you have an entertaining short story.
This is a very funny novella, I liked the banter between characters and think it was the ingenuity of her 'version' of some old and overdone ideas that I liked most. As with most short stories it leaves a lot of information out, like what is a Majicka, what does Micah do exactly? I loved the funny side of this story but found the ending irritatingly unfulfilling.
The next story is by Lori Handeland entitled “Voodoo Moon”.
This book is centred on FBI Agent Dana Duran, who is sent to Devil's Fork to investigate a number of unexplainable murders. Dana soon discovers there is more to the crimes than she anticipated, and is pulled into the world of voodoo by voodoo-shop owner Julian Portier. He is originally Dan’s main subject but as she is pulled further into the investigation, she finds she must trust him to save her life.
In this story Handeland delivered an original and well-rounded plot with believable characters, and a sensual romance. I found that the use of voodoo was fascinating and despite it being a short story I wasn’t left with the feeling I was missing vital information that I sometimes have when reading anthology.
The next novella was by Cheyenne McCray called “Breath of Magic”
This story revolves around Sydney Aline, a of the gray witches of the San Francisco D'Anu Coven, and Conlan a D'Danann warrior from another dimension, who teams up with the witches to help find and destroy the warlock Darkwolf and his Fomorii companion Junga. After Sydney and Conlan find Darkwolf, both are trapped in a room where they are free to explore their passion for one another. The coven must stop Darkwolf before he opens a dimension which will bring chaos and destruction to their world.
I had read a previous book by McCray and wasn’t thrilled by it. I think there was something lacking for me in this story. I didn’t quite believe in the passion between the main characters. This may be attributed to the need to have a limited number of pages, but I still found that the whole story was a little too forced. I’m not a big reader of purely witch or magical stories so maybe this also marred by overall opinion
The next story was by Christine Warren entitled “Any Witch Way She Can”
Miranda Berry “Randy” is the central character in this book which is set in a world of “The Others”. Randy belongs to a family of others but is the only member to not have magical powers. Randy, in an attempt to bring her the man of her dreams, uses some misguided spell that promptly dumps her in her grandmother’s house in front of witch Michael Devon. Randy must help Michael and her grandmother, who she has a neurotic relationship with, to uncover a plot to unseat her from the Council of Others.
This, in my opinion, was the best out of all the short stories. I wasn't familiar with Christine Warren's writing but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Overall it was a well-written, enjoyable story with witty characters, a sensual romance and a snarky heroine who I quite liked. The plot involving Randy's grandmother, the introduction of sophisticated witch Michael, and the growing attraction between the characters gave the story a well-rounded edge with lots of witty banter. I will make sure to read more Christine Warren's books
MaryJanice Davidson titled “The Majicka”.
This book is about Ireland a self-proclaimed do-gooder who has accumulated a number of supernatural roommates: a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and a mage spelled into a car and now a zombie, or what Ireland thinks of as a zombie. Unbeknownst to Ireland, she is also a Magicka, an unknowing guardian of Magick. Introduce Micah, a tutor for the new Majicka, a spattering of rogue werewolves and the unlikely outcome of saving a Dryad from being killed and you have an entertaining short story.
This is a very funny novella, I liked the banter between characters and think it was the ingenuity of her 'version' of some old and overdone ideas that I liked most. As with most short stories it leaves a lot of information out, like what is a Majicka, what does Micah do exactly? I loved the funny side of this story but found the ending irritatingly unfulfilling.
The next story is by Lori Handeland entitled “Voodoo Moon”.
This book is centred on FBI Agent Dana Duran, who is sent to Devil's Fork to investigate a number of unexplainable murders. Dana soon discovers there is more to the crimes than she anticipated, and is pulled into the world of voodoo by voodoo-shop owner Julian Portier. He is originally Dan’s main subject but as she is pulled further into the investigation, she finds she must trust him to save her life.
In this story Handeland delivered an original and well-rounded plot with believable characters, and a sensual romance. I found that the use of voodoo was fascinating and despite it being a short story I wasn’t left with the feeling I was missing vital information that I sometimes have when reading anthology.
The next novella was by Cheyenne McCray called “Breath of Magic”
This story revolves around Sydney Aline, a of the gray witches of the San Francisco D'Anu Coven, and Conlan a D'Danann warrior from another dimension, who teams up with the witches to help find and destroy the warlock Darkwolf and his Fomorii companion Junga. After Sydney and Conlan find Darkwolf, both are trapped in a room where they are free to explore their passion for one another. The coven must stop Darkwolf before he opens a dimension which will bring chaos and destruction to their world.
I had read a previous book by McCray and wasn’t thrilled by it. I think there was something lacking for me in this story. I didn’t quite believe in the passion between the main characters. This may be attributed to the need to have a limited number of pages, but I still found that the whole story was a little too forced. I’m not a big reader of purely witch or magical stories so maybe this also marred by overall opinion
The next story was by Christine Warren entitled “Any Witch Way She Can”
Miranda Berry “Randy” is the central character in this book which is set in a world of “The Others”. Randy belongs to a family of others but is the only member to not have magical powers. Randy, in an attempt to bring her the man of her dreams, uses some misguided spell that promptly dumps her in her grandmother’s house in front of witch Michael Devon. Randy must help Michael and her grandmother, who she has a neurotic relationship with, to uncover a plot to unseat her from the Council of Others.
This, in my opinion, was the best out of all the short stories. I wasn't familiar with Christine Warren's writing but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Overall it was a well-written, enjoyable story with witty characters, a sensual romance and a snarky heroine who I quite liked. The plot involving Randy's grandmother, the introduction of sophisticated witch Michael, and the growing attraction between the characters gave the story a well-rounded edge with lots of witty banter. I will make sure to read more Christine Warren's books
May 14, 2012
I really enjoyed this paranormal romance anthology. Cheyenne McCray and Lori Handeland's novellas both were peppered with a little urban fantasy which I appreciated.
Cheyenne McCray "Breath of Magic" I checked this anthology out of the library for this novella and I wasn't disappointed. This particular novella seems to pick up where Wicked Magic leaves off. Sydney, a D'Anu witch and Conlan, a Tuatha D'Danann warrior along with the rest of the D'Anu coven and warriors that came over from Otherworld, track down Darkwolf and Junga. Unfortunately they get more than they bargained for when Balor, the god of death shows up as well. A battle for Balor's powerful eye ensues. This story was well thought out, smoothly done and felt complete. There was a ton of action, magic, sex and mystery. This was by far my favorite story out of this anthology. 5/5
Lori Handeland "Voodoo Moon" Special Agent Dana Duran has been sent to Devils Fork, Louisiana to investigate a unique serial killer. She meets Julian, a local voodoo shop owner, who opens her eyes to some of the dark secrets of voodoo. This story felt smooth and complete. There was a nice eerie and spooky feeling to it but at the same time there was a sense of predictability, however, the novella was interesting and enjoyable nonetheless. I am a sucker for stories that focus on voodoo and I commend Lori for going the non-traditional route and including a delightfully different supernatural story, unlike most fantasies today that pretty much stick to the European version of supernatural mythology. This story came in at a close second favorite. 5/5
MaryJanice Davidson "The Majicka" This story was much ado about nothing. This story was a potpourri of supernatural beings. It felt like the author just threw a whole bunch of different supernaturals creatures together, with no interesting focus and called it a story. I didn't enjoy this story and probably won't read anything from this author in the future. 1/5
Christine Warren "Any Witch Way She Can" This story was completely boring and couldn't keep my interest. The main character struck me as rather pathetic. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I probably won't read anything from her again in the future. 1/5
All-in-all I think this anthology was a success. The anthology was even split between two fantastic novellas and two flops.
I also recommend:
Forbidden Magic (Magic Series, Book 1)
Any Given Doomsday (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 1)
Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)
Blood Engines (Marla Mason, Book 1)
Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2)
Cheyenne McCray "Breath of Magic" I checked this anthology out of the library for this novella and I wasn't disappointed. This particular novella seems to pick up where Wicked Magic leaves off. Sydney, a D'Anu witch and Conlan, a Tuatha D'Danann warrior along with the rest of the D'Anu coven and warriors that came over from Otherworld, track down Darkwolf and Junga. Unfortunately they get more than they bargained for when Balor, the god of death shows up as well. A battle for Balor's powerful eye ensues. This story was well thought out, smoothly done and felt complete. There was a ton of action, magic, sex and mystery. This was by far my favorite story out of this anthology. 5/5
Lori Handeland "Voodoo Moon" Special Agent Dana Duran has been sent to Devils Fork, Louisiana to investigate a unique serial killer. She meets Julian, a local voodoo shop owner, who opens her eyes to some of the dark secrets of voodoo. This story felt smooth and complete. There was a nice eerie and spooky feeling to it but at the same time there was a sense of predictability, however, the novella was interesting and enjoyable nonetheless. I am a sucker for stories that focus on voodoo and I commend Lori for going the non-traditional route and including a delightfully different supernatural story, unlike most fantasies today that pretty much stick to the European version of supernatural mythology. This story came in at a close second favorite. 5/5
MaryJanice Davidson "The Majicka" This story was much ado about nothing. This story was a potpourri of supernatural beings. It felt like the author just threw a whole bunch of different supernaturals creatures together, with no interesting focus and called it a story. I didn't enjoy this story and probably won't read anything from this author in the future. 1/5
Christine Warren "Any Witch Way She Can" This story was completely boring and couldn't keep my interest. The main character struck me as rather pathetic. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I probably won't read anything from her again in the future. 1/5
All-in-all I think this anthology was a success. The anthology was even split between two fantastic novellas and two flops.
I also recommend:
Forbidden Magic (Magic Series, Book 1)
Any Given Doomsday (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 1)
Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)
Blood Engines (Marla Mason, Book 1)
Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2)
February 1, 2016
This is a group of short stories, the first of which is by MaryJanice Davidson. It's entitled The Majika and its incredibly funny. A girl named Ireland has a house that's sort of like a place where people pick up stray pets and let them stay.
In her case, though, the beings aren't pets. There's Lent, a tall fairy; Ezra, a vampire; Owen, a werewolf cast off from the pack, and Judith, whose spirit inhabits Ireland's car. If that wasn't enough, Ireland picks up a new 'stray,” a woman she thinks is a zombie but turns out to be a dryad.
And then there's Micah, who is supposed to be training Ireland since she's The Magica, but Ireland doesn't really have enough time to pay him any attention while other things are going on. It's a really, really funny read.
The second story is Voodoo Moon. This one concerns Dana Duran, and F.B.I. agent who comes to a small town to try to solve a series of murders. She initially doesn't believe in paranormal types of things but her growing friendship with a guy who runs a store that carries voodoo-related materials and her sighting of a creature without a face gradually cause her to change her mind.
Then she needs to figure out how to stop this being, because she is the next person marked to be murdered.
The third story is Breath of Magic. This has traditional elements of an evil god and goddess, Dark Elves, witches, etc. A group of beings is fighting a being named Darkwolf who has an eye from an evil god. The story is basically divided; half of it dealing with the fighting, half dealing with explicit sex scenes between one of the witches and a warrior.
The over-dependence on sexual scenes actually hurts the story. I can't tell if it was used so much to pad out the basic plot lines, or if this is really a sex story with material about elves and witches padding it. Either way, it doesn't work.
The final story is Any Witch Way She Can, which is about a woman that wants some man to love her and she casts a general love spell. She makes improvisations in the spell, though, and ends up going one day back in time right into a meeting of witches and 'others.'
She's also at her grandmother's house and she doesn't get along with her at all. Seems Randy is not an actual witch, and that disappoints her grandmother. There's also a theme about a guy wanting to discredit her grandmother so he can take control of the Council, and there's a man that ends up taking a very strong interest in Randy.
As with the third story, there's a lot of sex here, but it doesn't overwhelm the general plot. It comes close, though.
Overall, I think this is an okay book, but just barely.
In her case, though, the beings aren't pets. There's Lent, a tall fairy; Ezra, a vampire; Owen, a werewolf cast off from the pack, and Judith, whose spirit inhabits Ireland's car. If that wasn't enough, Ireland picks up a new 'stray,” a woman she thinks is a zombie but turns out to be a dryad.
And then there's Micah, who is supposed to be training Ireland since she's The Magica, but Ireland doesn't really have enough time to pay him any attention while other things are going on. It's a really, really funny read.
The second story is Voodoo Moon. This one concerns Dana Duran, and F.B.I. agent who comes to a small town to try to solve a series of murders. She initially doesn't believe in paranormal types of things but her growing friendship with a guy who runs a store that carries voodoo-related materials and her sighting of a creature without a face gradually cause her to change her mind.
Then she needs to figure out how to stop this being, because she is the next person marked to be murdered.
The third story is Breath of Magic. This has traditional elements of an evil god and goddess, Dark Elves, witches, etc. A group of beings is fighting a being named Darkwolf who has an eye from an evil god. The story is basically divided; half of it dealing with the fighting, half dealing with explicit sex scenes between one of the witches and a warrior.
The over-dependence on sexual scenes actually hurts the story. I can't tell if it was used so much to pad out the basic plot lines, or if this is really a sex story with material about elves and witches padding it. Either way, it doesn't work.
The final story is Any Witch Way She Can, which is about a woman that wants some man to love her and she casts a general love spell. She makes improvisations in the spell, though, and ends up going one day back in time right into a meeting of witches and 'others.'
She's also at her grandmother's house and she doesn't get along with her at all. Seems Randy is not an actual witch, and that disappoints her grandmother. There's also a theme about a guy wanting to discredit her grandmother so he can take control of the Council, and there's a man that ends up taking a very strong interest in Randy.
As with the third story, there's a lot of sex here, but it doesn't overwhelm the general plot. It comes close, though.
Overall, I think this is an okay book, but just barely.
March 9, 2010
"The Majicka"- 4 stars But this was the funniest story I've read in a long time. There was no plot, but it was hysterical. I have no clue what the story was about but I loved it. Just tons of witty banter and the Zombie girl who wasn't a zombie, but a dryad, the Faerie who loved his hot tub, the snooty vampire and more! Too funny.
"Voodoo Moon"- 4 stars A good quick read. I've read some of Lori Handeland's short stories from this series before and I like it, and her style of writing.
"Breath of Magic"- 4.5 stars...I think it might be from a series, I'll have to look into it, but it was fantastic! Really want to read more. That's the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating; no resolution, but I think that's for the next book. At least the warrior and the witch got a sweet (and sexy) HEA
"Any Witch Way She Can"-5 stars I love Christine Warren's "Others" series and wish that this had been a full-length book. It was amazing!!!! Loved Randy in A Wolf at the Door, Loved her here! And Michael...hope we see more of him!
"Voodoo Moon"- 4 stars A good quick read. I've read some of Lori Handeland's short stories from this series before and I like it, and her style of writing.
"Breath of Magic"- 4.5 stars...I think it might be from a series, I'll have to look into it, but it was fantastic! Really want to read more. That's the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating; no resolution, but I think that's for the next book. At least the warrior and the witch got a sweet (and sexy) HEA
"Any Witch Way She Can"-5 stars I love Christine Warren's "Others" series and wish that this had been a full-length book. It was amazing!!!! Loved Randy in A Wolf at the Door, Loved her here! And Michael...hope we see more of him!
April 17, 2015
Okay, not really into witches. They’re okay within books about other creatures, but I mainly read this for the Voodoo Moon story. Needless to say I just skimmed the last two, so I’m not really qualified to review them. But I’ll put this in for the first story which I did read.
1)"The Majicka’ by Mary Janice Davidson. 3 Stars. This reads like it should be part of a series, but I can’t find a connection to any other of Ms. Davidson’s books. Maybe she was just trying out an idea. In this story a human lives with a vampire, a werewolf, a possessed car and a 7 ½ foot fairy on her country estate. When the human brings home a scared zombie, things get complicated. At least they think she’s a zombie. Sounds like a bad joke huh? This is the craziest story I’ve read in a long time.
2)‘Voodoo Moon’ by Lori Handeland. Nightcreatures 7.5 3 stars. (Please see separate review under author’s name.)
3)‘Breath of Magic’ by Cheyenne McCray. Magic 3.5
4)‘Any Witch Way She Can’ by Christine Warren. The Others. 3.5
1)"The Majicka’ by Mary Janice Davidson. 3 Stars. This reads like it should be part of a series, but I can’t find a connection to any other of Ms. Davidson’s books. Maybe she was just trying out an idea. In this story a human lives with a vampire, a werewolf, a possessed car and a 7 ½ foot fairy on her country estate. When the human brings home a scared zombie, things get complicated. At least they think she’s a zombie. Sounds like a bad joke huh? This is the craziest story I’ve read in a long time.
2)‘Voodoo Moon’ by Lori Handeland. Nightcreatures 7.5 3 stars. (Please see separate review under author’s name.)
3)‘Breath of Magic’ by Cheyenne McCray. Magic 3.5
4)‘Any Witch Way She Can’ by Christine Warren. The Others. 3.5
January 1, 2013
No Rest for the Witches (Nightcreature, #7.5) (Magic, #3.5) let me revisit some favorite authors. I need to read more Lori Handeland and Mary Janice Davidson and now I wonder why I haven't read Cheyenne McCray. Christine Warren's contribution was enjoyable, too, and was the reason I read the anthology. I have to admit that in reading McCray's "Breath of Magic", every time her secondary character, grey witch Silver, appeared I blinked. This is the second witch character named Silver that I've encountered. Hrmmmm.... One is a good witch and one is a bad witch and I'm pleading the fifth! Like all anthologies, this is a great way to sample authors new and favorite and discover new worlds to explore.
July 2, 2013
I only read the Christine Warren "Any Witch Way She Can," since I'm currently reading that series, so this review is for that one only. I thought the story idea a good one, but the characters were very one-dimensional. I was also confused because this book didn't have any of the characters from the three previous books nor ones that were ever mentioned in any of those--I'm used to that being the case when reading these in between novellas. Also, there was a couple of references made to The Others being "out" as in the regular human race knew about them and that it had already taken place. Like we should already know about it. What?! There was none of this in the previous books and if that's the way it's headed, I'm going to be disappointed that it was spoiled in this novella. It's almost like it's out of order. Maybe it will make sense when I read the other ones.
November 3, 2012
Like most short-story collections, the stories in this vary in quality, but this was a pleasant enough diversion for Halloween.
Here's my mini-review for each of the stories:
"The Majicka"- Not super-original, but fun, although the romance portion is a bit rushed.
"Voodoo Moon"- Liked the romance, but the supernatural elements got more and more unrealistic as it went along.
"Breath of Magic"- The weakest story in the collection. The supernatural plot was not involving, and the romance seemed to consist of the two main characters jumping each other at every opportunity, even when in mortal danger.
"Any Witch Way She Can"- I gather this is part of a larger universe, but being "dropped in," so to speak, was a little disorienting.
Here's my mini-review for each of the stories:
"The Majicka"- Not super-original, but fun, although the romance portion is a bit rushed.
"Voodoo Moon"- Liked the romance, but the supernatural elements got more and more unrealistic as it went along.
"Breath of Magic"- The weakest story in the collection. The supernatural plot was not involving, and the romance seemed to consist of the two main characters jumping each other at every opportunity, even when in mortal danger.
"Any Witch Way She Can"- I gather this is part of a larger universe, but being "dropped in," so to speak, was a little disorienting.
December 31, 2008
Majicka, MaryJanice Davidson
This one is funny and held my interest. I will be looking for more by the author of this short story.
Voodoo Moon, Lori Handeland
Whew! Is it hot in here or is it me? This one is steamy! Also has an original storyline.
Breath of Magic, Cheyenne McCray
I couldn't get into this one. It just seemed to drag.
Any Witch Way She Can, Christine Warren
This story was cute. I found it interesting and steamy. I'll be looking for more from this author.
One more cool thing about this collection is that at the end there is some sneak peeks from each of the authors. Some of them have really peaked my interest!
This one is funny and held my interest. I will be looking for more by the author of this short story.
Voodoo Moon, Lori Handeland
Whew! Is it hot in here or is it me? This one is steamy! Also has an original storyline.
Breath of Magic, Cheyenne McCray
I couldn't get into this one. It just seemed to drag.
Any Witch Way She Can, Christine Warren
This story was cute. I found it interesting and steamy. I'll be looking for more from this author.
One more cool thing about this collection is that at the end there is some sneak peeks from each of the authors. Some of them have really peaked my interest!
June 18, 2011
I really enjoyed the Mary Janice Davidson story. In fact, I found myself wishing these characters had more time--in that the entire book had been about them! It felt like an excellent start to a longer work. Sadly, with the way it wrapped up, I really doubt this will ever happen. (Not that it was a horrific ending--just that it had a definite wrap-up.)
The second and third were fine, and I really disliked the last story. It's difficult to enjoy something when the heroine is so unlikable. Really, really unlikable. Like the kind of person you see and then you walk the other direction and perhaps hide behind something to avoid them just so you don't have to even say "hi".
The second and third were fine, and I really disliked the last story. It's difficult to enjoy something when the heroine is so unlikable. Really, really unlikable. Like the kind of person you see and then you walk the other direction and perhaps hide behind something to avoid them just so you don't have to even say "hi".
March 24, 2012
Hm. I'm the opposite of most here. I really did not like the MaryJanice Davidson story but enjoyed the rest and will probably pick up the other books in the series they are connected to. I nearly stopped reading the book after getting halfway through Davidson's story which is surprising since I've loved all of her other series/etc. To me it just tried too hard and threw in too many characters in an attempt to be quirky/funny but in the end just fell flat. Maybe it would have worked better for me if it had been a full length book and the characters were all developed a bit more but none did anything for me. They weren't particularly likable/endearing or memorable.
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