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| Beyond the Dark | 
 enlarge | Authors: Angela Knight, Emma Holly, Lora Leigh, Diane Whiteside
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $2.03
You Save: $11.97 (86%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 22202
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0425218767
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780425218761
ASIN: 0425218767
Publication Date: December 4, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new, never opened, in stock, and ships right now.
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Product Description
A daring collection of never-before-published erotic desire from four of the hottest names in paranormal romance.
Four of the most sizzling authors of paranormal romance take readers beyond their wildest fantasies, to a seductive midnight world of erotic suspense, demons, mages, vampires, and knights. A world of queens with devilish secrets, and of demons with secret desires. So dangerous and fun, readers may never want to come back down to earth again...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 5 Klovers - Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques December 4, 2007
36 out of 36 found this review helpful
Four mistresses of romantic fiction come together in one fantastic anthology featuring four riveting paranormal tales. I was already a fan of Angela Knight, Emma Holly and Lora Leigh, but Beyond the Dark was the first chance I have yet had to experience Diane Whiteside's talent. In my honest opinion, each of the stories in this collection has earned Kwips' highest rating of five Klovers!
~Dragon Dance by Angela Knight~
Random humans have developed inexplicable paranormal abilities. The change comes upon them without warning, and for many, they never recover from the madness that accompanies the transition period. Hostage negotiator Arial Dean is called in to talk down one such `Hyper', as they are called, in a standoff that threatens not only the man's wife and children, but every living being in the vicinity. It will take the combined efforts of Arial and the mysterious man known only as Tracker to subdue this dangerous new Hyper.
Angela Knight recently became one of my favorite authors, and I have been greatly anticipating this story from her! Dragon Dance in no way disappointed me. This story has several twists that I did not anticipate but which greatly ramped up my excitement for this story when each was revealed. I guess I am trying to say that it got better and better with each page! LOL Of course, it was captivating from page one, with characters that leapt off the page, immediately engendering a feeling of familiarity for them, and definitely a strong empathy.
As can be expected from an author who has affectionately described her work as `blatant smut', Dragon Dance has some blazing hot love scenes between Arial and Tracker! Of course, simply calling this story blatant smut would do this talented author a disservice. Without the emotion Ms. Knight effortlessly wrings from her characters, it would simply be sex. But Knight has written a true love story, with all the romantic passion guaranteed to satisfy any romance reader.
~Caught by the Tides by Diane Whiteside~
It is 1803 and England remains on guard for threat from Napoleon Bonaparte. Both the French and the English employ the use of powerful mages with the ability to control the elements and more in their battles. Owen Bentham is just such a King's Mage, in service to England. As he carries an imperative message that can change the tide of the war, the enemy calls a storm that leaves him near dead.
When Emma finds the handsome man washed up on her beach, she recognizes him as a King's Mage by the ring he wears, and knows that her duty to help him goes beyond simple human kindness, but is a duty to her country. But in caring for Owen, she finds herself caught in the midst of the fight, an unexpected but significant pawn that the traitorous mage will do anything to control. In order to foil the traitor and help Owen succeed in his mission, she must give everything she is to Owen.
As I said previously, Caught by the Tides is the first time I have read anything by Diane Whiteside, and made me oh so glad I have two more of her books waiting on my book shelf right now! Ms. Whiteside writes with a skill that draws the reader in to the story as if they were experiencing it for themselves instead of turning pages in a book.
The author's magical take on the Napoleonic wars was an absolute delight! I am not usually drawn to stories about wars, especially true historical events, but the paranormal element added an extra `oomph' to this story that made me forget this may not be my typical reading choice. Of course, the focus of the story is really on the battle between the two mages as well as Emma's and Owen's romance, with the Napoleonic threat as more of a backdrop.
At every turn, the noble Emma is ready to perform her duty to her country and King, especially when it involves Owen. No matter what he needs, she is willing to give to him, and it soon becomes apparent to both the reader and Emma herself that this is out of more than her `duty'.
Indeed, it is Owen's own past that inhibits him from accepting Emma's assistance in full until the time is critical. Having been used and hurt in the past, he is wary of opening himself fully to another. In the end, he does what he must, and finds deep down, he trusts the lovely Emma above all others with everything he has, heart and soul.
Caught by the Tides was a magnificent introduction to Diane Whiteside's work, and I cannot wait to read more from her very soon!
~Queen of all She Surveys by Emma Holly~
Once again, Queen Tou has won the latest battle between herself and King Ravna. This time, she has taken his surviving warriors hostage, demanding he ransom them for his own son, the legendary Prince Memnon. It is said that King Ravna has been touched by the gods, and his son is rumored to have inherited his father's insatiable lust. Unlike his father, however, Prince Memnon indulges himself only once a month, when the need becomes too great to control.
Queen Tou has also been blessed by the gods with eternal youth, but has been left with a raging sexual need that requires a harem of men to sate her each night. Her new husband, Prince Memnon, is not a man willing to share, but can he satisfy her needs in full by himself? More importantly, can the son of her enemy truly be trusted in her bed and her heart?
No matter the genre she is writing in, Emma Holly never fails to spin a fascinating tale full of some very memorable love scenes. But no matter how wild the sex, she always manages to infuse the scene with a great deal of true caring. Consequently, the sex scenes never come across as gratuitous but instead an expression of love between the characters involved.
Despite her heightened sexual appetite, Queen Tou only chooses men for her harem that she truly cares for. As such, I would not consider her promiscuous, despite her numerous sexual encounters. Especially since everything changes when she meets the irresistible Prince Memnon. Once she touches him, she desires no other, and so begins their love story.
Prince Memnon is a man consumed by worry over his own appetites, having never met a woman who can handle his sex drive when fully unleashed. In Queen Tou, he is more than surprised to find a woman he can respect, love, and with whom he can completely let himself go.
~In a Wolf's Embrace by Lora Leigh~
A Breed male often recognizes his mate the moment he first sees her or scents her. Matthias Slaughter recognized Grace Anderson's importance to him the moment he first met her, but knew he couldn't act on his feelings until his mission was complete. Fate has a way of taking decisions out of your hands, however, and when Grace accidentally witnesses Matthias assassinating her boss, an evil Council Scientist, Matthias has no choice but to take her with him.
Sequestered in a secluded cabin together, Matthias sets out to woo his little mate, explaining why he'd been assigned to terminate her employer. He is determined to allow her to choose him instead of forcing the Mating Heat on her, but his own hormones become difficult to control.
Grace knows she should run far away from this dangerous man, but something about him pulls at her, preventing her from denying him. Soon, their close proximity will break their control, binding them forever in a way that will consume them both.
Anyone who follows my reviews has probably figured out that Lora Leigh is at the top of my list of favorite authors. This woman cannot miss. It is evident in every book she releases that she cares passionately about both her characters and their stories and her imagination knows no limit.
Although sexy beyond belief, Matthias Slaughter is probably the hardest, most daunting Breed male we have yet met in the Breeds saga. The man is beyond hardcore, dedicated to eradicating the evil that spawned the Breeds and now threatens their very existence. It is just his luck to meet his own mate on just such a mission. How ironic that the kind, soft-hearted Grace should be his mate. But it is just those qualities that gentle him, and he fights his very nature to allow her the freedom of choice so important to her.
Grace proves a godsend to the intimidating assassin. With her sweet demeanor and open heart, she easily softens his own. And once she finds her way into his heart and soul, she teaches him how to enjoy life to its fullest instead of just surviving.
In a Wolf's Embrace is an outstanding addition to Leigh's Breeds series, and a story that will stay in my heart for a long time to come. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried more than once during this sweet and sexy romance, and I highly recommend grabbing a box of tissue before you sit down to read your own copy!
Lora Leigh
Series Order (NY books only):
Megan's Mark (The Breeds, Book 1) (Berkley Sensation)
Harmony's Way (The Breeds, Book 2)
Tanner's Scheme (The Breeds, Book 3)
Dawn's Awakening (The Breeds, Book 4)
Connected Books:
Hot Spell (The Guardians, Book 1) (The Breed Next Door) (The Countess's Pleasure) (The Blood Kiss)(Falling For Anthony)
Beyond the Dark
Shifter (Berkley Sensation)
Five Blue Ribbons for In A Wolf's Embrace by Lora Leigh December 4, 2007
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
Matthias Slaughter, a wolf breed and highly trained assassin, was freed from the labs long ago. Tattoos cover his body and earrings pierce his skin. One thing never touches him, however, and that is love - or so he thinks. Sent to assassinate one of the Genetics Council members, he lies in wait for the monster to return. There is just a bit of a problem. One of the hotel staff, a woman Matthias has spent much time with just witnessed his cold blooded assassination. Matthias does the only thing that will keep her alive - he kidnaps her. After all, he might not know it yet, but Grace is his mate and he will do anything to keep her from harm.
Grace laments the fact that the man she thought she knew is a killer. Not happy, she threatens and pleads to be let loose. She fell in love with Matthias during the past several weeks and her heart is broken with the belief that he is actually completely different from her perceptions. But, as time passes and Grace opens her heart up to the wolf breed, something happens. The heart she tried to harden softens and Matthias steals his way into it once again. She is his mate and there is nothing she wouldn't do in order to make a life with him.
Matthias and Grace only have a few days to realize their love. It seems that the Genetics Council has found them and now that evil wants Grace and is willing to kill Matthias to get to her.
I don't know how Lora Leigh does it, but I am glad she does. She weaves her magic around IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE creating an incredible novella. Matthias Slaughter is not a breed that we have been exposed to yet. He is scarred, he has tattoos, and he is one delicious bad boy! But, in every bad boy's life there is a woman that completes him and that woman is Grace. Her name says it all. She is regal, she is graceful, and she is loyal. Her love for Matthias brought tears to my eyes and made my heart beat faster. Their love scenes are explosive, breathtaking, and so real even I blushed.
I was very happy to see a new wolf breed story from this author. As a breed junkie, I can't get enough of this series, and without a doubt, Ms. Leigh can write one heck of a story. IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE will grab you, it will make you sit spellbound, and you won't stop reading until the very last word.
IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE is a novella in the anthology Beyond the Dark which released on December 4, 2007.
5 stars for one story. 2 and 3 stars for the other stories. January 1, 2008
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
This book contains the following four stories.
5 stars for DRAGON'S DANCE by Angela Knight.
Creative, new, different, fun. Humans with special powers are called Hypers. Some are good and some are bad. I don't want to give away some of the fun surprises, so I won't tell any more of the story, other than it was well done and worth buying. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: three. Setting: current day Blue Ridge Mountain area in U.S. Genre: paranormal romance.
To date, I have read the following Angela Knight stories.
5 stars. Dragon Dance (in anthology "Beyond The Dark"). Copyright 2007. Review Date 12/31/07.
3.5 stars. Jane's Warlord. Copyright 2004. Review Date 4/3/07.
2 stars. Master of the Moon. Copyright 2005. Review Date 6/15/08.
3 stars for IN A WOLF'S EMBRACE by Lora Leigh.
Some parts wild, wicked and fun. Other parts a little weak. Too much time was spent in the thoughts of Matthais, thinking and worrying about losing her and his life without her. Too much time was spent with Grace rejecting him and wanting to get away from him after seeing him shoot another man. But otherwise, it was enjoyable. Story brief: Matthais is 1/2 wolf and 1/2 human. His breed has only one mate for life. He meets Grace and knows she is his. He spends time with her. Then she sees him execute a man who had tortured others. Matthais kidnaps Grace and she eventually gives in and falls in love with him. Sexual language: erotic. Number of sex scenes: five, some several pages long. Setting: 2003 New York city and Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.
For a listing of my reviews of other Lora Leigh books, see my review of "Tempting the Beast" posted on 6/30/08.
2 stars for CAUGHT BY THE TIDES by Diane Whiteside.
Not entertaining enough. Something was missing. I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters. I was bored with the way the author described the lifestyle, schooling and lack of parenting of mages, as well as the powers of mages and magick of the land. I'm having a hard time describing what was wrong, but overall I was not entertained. Story brief: A British spy, Owen who is a mage, just returned from spying on Napoleon in France. He is injured and Emma heals him. Trevelyn is a spy for France, living in England and is also a mage. He and Owen fight. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: 1803 English coast. Genre: historical, paranormal romance.
For a list of my reviews of other Diane Whiteside books, see my 2.5 star review for The Irish Devil posted 8/31/08.
2 stars for QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS by Emma Holly.
Something is missing, I'm not sure what. I kind of wanted it to be over. The plot is about having sex, not much else. The king has a large sexual appetite. His son Memnon, does as well, but he chooses one woman per month to be with. An enemy queen has a stable of harem men. She uses several of them every day to service her. Her army captures the king's army and she requests Memnon as the ransom. Memnon goes to her at his father's command. He is so good in bed, or should I say they are so good for each other, that she keeps him and no longer uses her harem of men. Sexual language: erotic. Number of sex scenes: six, some several pages long. Setting: ancient Yama civilization on earth. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.
 Ok anthology December 8, 2007
6 out of 13 found this review helpful
I loved the Lora Leigh story but the others to me were not that great. I love Diane Whiteside's books and have read her since ebook but I was really disappointed in the story. Emma Holly I don't read too often but liked the story. A little similar to Lora's breeds though. I was also very disappointed with Angela Knights story. Like Diane I have read Angela's books since they were just emails and ebooks. I felt it just wasn't up to her great writing.
Hoping the next stories by Angela and Diane are better!
Very Hot and Sensual Read December 6, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Wow! I liked every story in this anthology. Each author did a great job and on the heat meter they reached "Ouch".
Angela Knight's story is about the humans who have mysteriously gained powers. They have been isolated and tested and not one cause has been found. Arial is a police officer who arrives at a hostage situation where a newly turned "hyper" has taken his wife and kids hostage. Not prepared to take on a hyper, the sheriff calls in an FBI agent called "Tracker". He is a hyper who helps subdue those hypers who go out of control. When he takes the hyper down, the madman grabs Ariel's leg and Tracker sees the blue glow that tells him she is now infected. He quickly convinces her that she is in danger and takes her to a friend at his safe house so she can learn to control whatever powers she manifests. But there is another hyper who is strong enough to control other hypers and she is on their trail. Great adventure, action and romance.
Emma Holly takes us back to the Demon World and two warring kingdoms. Both are led by "god-touched" leaders. King Ravna leads by hatred, his heir and son Memnon is not as hard as his father. He treats his people as humans need to be treated. Queen Tou leads Kemet, she is loved by her people and hated by the Southern kingdom led by Ravna. In a treaty Ravna offers his son as one of her consorts. Memnon is convinced to go for the sake of peace. In his heart he hates the Queen and is determined not to be her servant. However, when he arrives he finds a woman who is loved for her goodness and the care she has for her people. The romance is hot and the story is great. Maybe we will get some more novels about the beginnings of the Demon World.
Lora Leigh takes us into her Breed world. Matthias is a wolf breed, he has been ordered to assassinate a member of the Directorate. Grace is the manager of the hotel where the assassination will take place. Matthias has romanced her to learn needed information. She unexpectedly turns up exactly when he shoots Albrecht. He grabs her and quickly exits the hotel and heads out to her family's vacation cabin where he was supposed to meet her. Now he must convince her of why he killed Albrecht and inform her that she is his mate. Matthias has been alone his whole life and to find the woman that completes him is a miracle to the lonely wolf inside. He deals with her doubts as well as the mating heat that consumes both of them. Great story and great romance.
Diane Whiteside tells us of a mage caught between the traitor who caused his ship to sink and the woman who has saved his life. Owen Bentham never wanted to be a mage but his life took that turn when a magess used him to power a spell during the last war against Boneparte. Emma Sinclair is a widow whose husband died in the last war against Boneparte. Unknown to her she is a chalice, a mage who can hold unlimited power for another mage. Now the traitor wants both her and her power. He also wants Owen dead so he can't deliver the magiced message that will protect England from Boneparte. Very good read and wonderful romance.
I loved all these stories and the romances were very hot.
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