WITCHES NIGHT

By::Kallysten, Barri Brian, et. al.

Linden Bay Romance, 2006

Reviewed by :: Dayna Harrett

An erotic paranormal e-book

Witches Night is an anthology of stories about witches—either the mythical kind, or the Wiccan variety. Each story puts its own spin on magic, romance, and the way the two are so often interchangeable.

Under the Spell , by Kallysten was a pretty story about Tina, a woman with some hereditary magical abilities, who finds herself missing her boyfriend so much she's willing to conjure a look-alike to soothe herself with. Only something seems to go wrong with the spell—or did it just go right?

Witches Apprentice, by Barri Bryan was my least favorite of the stories, but it was still an amusing enough tale of Marigold, a sharp-tongued girl unlikely to net a husband, so she's apprenticed to the local witch instead. When she sneaks off on a stolen broom, she runs headlong into a local mage—and her destiny. Although this story was ‘cute', it never quite came across for me. Without giving any spoilers, there's something in the ending that didn't quite gel for me.

One Magical Night, by Melanie Anderson is a nice story about Jane, a witch and waitress, who meets Scott at the bar she works at. While I liked this story, and rooted for the couple, I'll admit it went on a little longer than I think it needed to for readers to be satisfied. It was still a good read, however.

The Way You Look Tonight, by Vivien Dean is a glimpse into the life of Cash and Maddy, characters who star in their own prequel, Two Lives in Waltz Time. Cash is a magician whose use of his powers is restricted, and Maddy is the woman who loves him. It is the night before they move to another continent, and Cash gives Maddy a night to remember. It's clear that this story is a sequel, but not in the jarring way of many ‘follow up stories'. The affection between Cash and Maddy is well-established, and their references to their previous adventure is done with the easy familiarity the characters should have for those events, without leaving the reader wondering what on earth went on. I was thrilled with how well Ms. Dean walked that line.

No Other Magic, by Ariel Graham tells of Carrie, a woman who finds organizing charity events more interesting than attending them. Nick is the whirlwind lover, brought in by a storm, who upends her world for a while, leading her to true love in an unexpected manner. This is probably tied for my second favorite of the book—not only were the characters engaging, likeable, and the heat between them palpable—the twist ending had me gasping for breath and laughing with delight at Ms. Graham's ability to surprise me.

Black Cat, by Cat Johnson was the other tied-for-favorite book in this collection. Lar is a man trapped in an immortal cat's body for the sin of refusing a witch's ‘charms'. After centuries of living as a cat, he is adopted by Belinda, who is dabbling in witchcraft with her friends to pass the time while waiting for her boyfriend to come home from late nights at work. When Lar decides Belinda is his human, he takes some effort to convince her Max is not the man for her. Of course, neither is Lar, unless he can find a way for the spell to be broken. This story is funny, yet emotional, tender, yet not so laden with emotion it could be called anything but a light read. Lar blends cat-like sensibilities with human rationalities, managing to be both at once. Refreshingly honest, and a little devious, Lar manages to steal this show.

Witch of the Wind , by Lee Rowan had a lot to live up to. While this story was well-crafted, tense, and emotional, I'm not sure it quite met the mark set by Black Cat , preceding it. Meri is a nature witch, and Matt is her forest-rescue live-in boyfriend. While he is out fighting to save people, she is home praying for his safety. And if she occasionally does a little more than pray, no one's to be the wiser. I was waiting for a little more at the end of this—repercussions of the rather grand gesture she takes in the course of the story. Instead, the end was slightly anticlimactic because of the lack of fanfare about her deed. Still a nice read, I do question it being chosen as the closing book.

With all that being said, Witches Night is a great collection of stories that range from sweet to steamy, celebrating (whether intentionally or not) a diverse group of smart, savvy, and independent women. Despite the differences in magic, and how it works, each story makes the impossible believable and reaffirms that love is a brand of magic all its own.

4 ½ Kisses