A Changeling for All Seasons

I bought this book only for Ms. Knight's story. This compilation was decent. There was a little bit of everything. It reminded me of Chinese Dim Sum. Just a taste of each author, enough to make you want more but not enough to satisfy. Generally, I don't buy these compilations because the stories never make much sense. It's just a little scene and that's it. I'm left frustrated and wanting.

Dafuq did I just read? TBH, my first "erotica"/"romance" read, but it seems like it was written by a horny teenager. Playing with SF/fantasy cliches was done very poorly, mostly for the purpose of having a bad post-sex pun.

The characters are bleak, and for ten tales marketed as "unforgettable", they tend to be very dull. Most of the stories are borderline rape, which is ironic, taking into account that all the writers are female, making me wonder whether that's the extent of the author's sexual fantasy/imagination.

One of the ten stories actually tries to reach certain depths, but it's only highlighted because it's matched with nine utter nightmares. These authors should take a page out of George R. R. Martin's book (perhaps literally), just to get some basic understanding of how to tackle fantasy, while centering on the erotic parts of the interhuman relationships.

OK, nothing special. No novella connected to any series I've encountered.

With ten stories from various authors and genres I'm betting you'll find at least something you like in A Changeling For All Seasons, and may even discover a few things you didn’t realize you enjoyed until now. I know I did.

Angela Knight - A Vampire Christmas

Picture walking into your home feeling on top of the world knowing your sexy fiancé is waiting with open arms. Only you open the door and instead of the loving man you expected you get a bloodthirsty creature. This is exactly what happens to Amelia.

She had no idea what happened, she only knew was that life would never be normal again. I really did enjoy this story because you frequently read about falling in love with a supernatural, but it is rare to read about a character having someone they love changing and having to choose whether to leave them or accept them. One thing I did wish I got more of was David's POV. It was hard to follow the relationship development because I just didn’t know enough about his character to understand his actions. In the end though everything worked itself out and Amelia may not have ended up with the life she dreamed of, but she got one equally rewarding.

Sahara Kelly - A Christmas Pageant

Joey and Marty sitting in a tree... but they are doing way more that kissing. I really enjoyed this story. It played nicely off of a schoolboy fantasy, which most readers can appreciate. Marty desperately needed change to get past the rut in his life, and Joey definitely changed things for him. All he has to do is get her out of that skimpy outfit and into his bed.

Judy Mays - Jingle Balls

With a name like Jingle Balls this story has got to be good! Then I started reading it and thought to myself “Uh oh, this is some cheesy play off of Christmas”. Well I should have gone with my original thought because turns out it was good. By the time they made it to the club scene I was sold. The relationship development while a little slow to start but after a while really drew me in. Richard and Jessica definitely do complement each other well including both of their tempers. It seems both characters can go off at any given moment so I know their relationship will be one interesting ride. And yes I even enjoyed the cheesy play off of Christmas.

Marteeka Karland - Sealed With A Kiss

We have moved from Christmas to Valentine’s Day. I have to admit I have mix feeling about this story. The relationship develop for me was good, but the overall plot of the story just seemed as if it was missing something. I would have liked just a little more excitement or conflict. I prefer a more complex plot, but the relationship itself was good. I liked that it was almost a competition between Marie and Daxon on who could seduce who first. Plus in this relationship you can see the emotional development without being told about it, which I liked. All-in-all it was a story I enjoyed reading.

Kate Douglas - My Valentine

Ginny is my favorite character within this anthology so far. She suffered greatly in her life and deserved a shot at happiness. Her happiness is in the form of St. Valentine and, as appropriate to the holiday, he sweeps her off her feet and warms her heart and soul in an attempt to show her what life and living should be. This is a short story I can see myself reading over again and still getting that warm fuzzy feeling in my heart every time.

Shelby Morgen – Changeling

Now it's time for St. Patrick’s day and where better to celebrate than Ireland! This story was an interesting one since we start with Michael, a none believer in all things magical, but drunk enough to explore anyway. I liked the way the relationship between Arien and Michael unraveled especially the twist of them being together. One thing I was disappointed by was the end of the story. I would have liked to have seen a more definitive conclusion, but regardless, I consider this another lovely story.

Willa Okati - Elven Enchantment

I absolutely adored this story. Ciara had some crappy luck with men until she walks into a bar. Even though there was a band the real show was the two guys who couldn’t keep their hands off each other -- a far better show, and Ciara thought so, too. Even more fun was when Seanan and Ardal invite Ciara for a night of unimaginable pleasure. Who wouldn't jump at the change to join Blondie and Dark & Delicious? Everything about this story was perfect from beginning to end, and I would love to see more of these lovable characters.

Kate Hill - Jolene's Pooka

Another great story riveted with myth and lore. Larkin is really the stand out character in this story. Athough he came off a little too arrogant and dominant for me, knowing what he is really helps me understand why he acts that way. Apparently it is just what Jolene needs because she falls into his bed, and refuses to leave once she realized how much fun it was. I don't know if the legend of the pooka is true, but I'm sold and would love for one to show up at in front of my house. I wonder if they travel to the city?

Lacey Savage - Chemistry to Burn

While the beginning of this story confused me a bit I quickly figured out what was going on. Some men will go to any length to get a girl's attention. Griffin is no exception; he refused to play second fiddle to Angelina’s research so he came up with an infallible plan to fix that problem. But he soon realized he may have made a big mistake. I actually liked Griffin once I got to know him, he isn’t as bad of a guy that Angelina thought he was. Griffin, go get your girl and refuse to accept no for an answer!

Shelby Morgen - Troll Under The Bridge

This story was short enough the characters were able to be fairly anonymous, only going by Troll and Cop. I think this was a nice little encounter at the end of this anthology. The twist at the end made it interesting. This was the shortest story within the anthology so there really wasn’t room for error and the author made sure there were none.

All in all I would have to say this was good anthology. I think that it had a nice theme that it continued from beginning to end and while each story was different they complemented each other. As a paranormal erotica fan I was able to read about fairies, shifters, trolls, vampires and other creatures. I discovered some new authors that I would love to read more stories by, which is always a plus and one of the reasons I have always enjoyed anthologies. So I would say, go ahead and read this anthology -- you might be surprised by the creatures you bump into.

Originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

the best story in this one involved Santa Claus. that should tell you everything.

I bought this book because I like Angela Knight and like anthologies to find new authors - what a disappointment. The whole series of novellas is very average -- I don't recommend this one.

THE BOOK CAME ON TIME AND IN LIKE NEW CONDITION.  HOWEVER, THE BOOK SMELLS OF HEAVY CIGARETTE SMOKE AND I GAVE IT TO THE LOCAL LIBRARY.  I HAVE HAD 4 HEART ATTACKS SINCE 1986 AND ALSO HAVE COPD.  I CHOKED UP AND HAD PROBELMS CATCHING MY BREATH WHEN I OPENED THE PACKAGE.  NOT YOU PROBLEM BUT A HORRIBLE ONE FOR ME.  I AM SURE YOU MEANT WELL BUT IT JUST DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.

SARA

This collection of short fantasy stories caught my attention because the cover features what looks like an angel...and I really enjoy reading stories about angels.  But the cover is misleading...that's no angel.  That's a fairy, and not a characteristic fairy either. The book is an anthology of very short stories, including "A Vampire Christmas; "A Christmas Pageant", "Jingle Balls", "Sealed With a Kiss", "My Valentine", and the title piece "Changling", "Elven Enchantment, " Jolene's Pooka", Chemistry to Burn", and finally, "Troll Under the Bridge".  I can remember a fairytale about a troll under a bridge from when I was a child...but it was nothing like the Troll in this storybook.  This "troll" is female, and she has a day job in the city...and a boyfriend who's a cop.  This is a fairytale romance about a cop and a troll.  Go figure!  All the stories are short, and creative, and entertaining. The book is from "Changling Press.com"  -- the perfect publisher for great little adult fairytales like this.  This is a book for reading a little at the time... like on your coffee break.  I love it.