Mystic Desire Anthology/Paranormal Romance
BVS Black Velvet Seductions Publishing Company
October 1, 2019
401
Mystic Desire is a collection of short paranormal romance stories. This is a chance to read and discover the work of a diverse group of very talented authors.
The themes in this book are varied, as are the collection of characters and artifacts, including Native American dream catchers, mystical jewelry, and characters such as lustful vampires, hot warlocks, a grumpy leprechaun, a ghostly terrier, a zombie apocalypse and things that go bump in the night.
From soft and tender love to hot passionate, kinky sex, there is something for everyone in this anthology.
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
This is a diverse collection of short stories by various authors some of which I am familiar with and some of them who are not on my list of authors to read.
Unconditional Lust: Breanna Hayse: 5*****Stars
This was such an interesting story filled with merfolk, a US Army Captain named Nurys Shaye and a corrupt boat owner, Evan Carlton. Carlton’s boat keep sinking and men are dying and Nurys is determined to find out the cause. It is believed that he is stealing maritime antiquities but that couldn’t be father from the truth because what he wants is to capture one of the merfolk and he is convinced that will happen now because he is onboard an army vessel stronger than any of his. When he captures Muruch the leader he locks him up with Nurys knowing full well that the merfolk eat their captives and Nurys will no longer be a problem for him. Well guess again because Muruch doesn’t eat Nurys but what he does do you will have to find out for yourself. A very sexy read.
The Sweetest Magic of All: Alice Renaud 5*****Stars
Sapphire (Saffy) Seaborne is an apprentice witch whose aunt had a stroke and her magical amulet was nowhere to be found when she entered the hospital. The amulet is necessary for her aunt’s recovery and must be found and so Saffy tries a location spell, but fails. What does show up is Aaron Wolfsbane the new teacher who promises to help her. Aaron is a warlock with the ability to travel from one time period to another and it seems that the missing amulet is still in her aunt’s kitchen only the seventeenth century kitchen. It is while in the seventieth century that Aaron realizes that Saffy is his one true love but as an untrained witch she is convinced that they don’t belong together and she runs. Beautiful love story.
Bewitching the Wolf: Zia Westfield: 5*****Stars
Brodie MacEwan has come to Rainbow’s End B&B to find out who killed the original owner Henry Duncan. It is up to Brodie to find the killer and bring him to justice since Henry was part of the family, or clan since Brodie is a wolf shifter. When he meets the owner’s niece Alice Humphreys he is immediately smitten and has no idea the forces working behind the scenes to bring Brodie and Alice together. Alice is part wolf, a part that she has kept hidden from the world, but that part will be brought to the forefront thanks to the interference of her aunt. Brodie realizes what he and Alice are to each other but Alice is still in the dark. A great story with great characters, I especially loved Oggie the drunk leprechaun.
An Awareness of Evil: Dee S. Knight: 5*****Stars
Amanda Masterson is a psychic who has been sensing the cries of a little girl. She knows that something terrible is going on and feels the girl’s fear so she decides to go to the police. She knows there isn’t much she can tell them but she is so afraid for a child she feels is in terrible danger. It is detective Brendan Gilchrist that takes her fear seriously and who also has a very real and very strong attraction to Amanda. Trying to gather as much information as she can to give to Brendan they both realize that what she sees is not nearly enough to find the girl. Then a vision changes everything because she sees the girl, the man who keeps telling her never to tell and a body. I am not going to go into what happens, who the girl is and what her story is but I will say that this was a suspenseful story full of surprises and romance.
Love that Binds: Carol Schoenig: 4****Stars
Ianthee has been bullied by a group of girls calling her a witch and chasing her, it is Caleb Oster who finds her covered in mud and who ignores the girls cries to get away from her or she will turn him into a frog. Sixteen years old their whole lives ahead of them and looking to get to know each other better after Caleb kisses her but that would not be because Caleb and his family disappear and Ianthee and her mom and grandmother are thrown out of town. It is twenty years later when the truth of what happened comes to light, why did Caleb and his family disappear and what has happened to him and Ianthee in all those years. Neither of them has forgotten the kiss or each other and fate brings them back to town but will they have a chance finally to be together.
Dream Catcher: Callie Carmen: 4****Stars
Angelica went into an antique store where she saw a beautiful dream catcher made by an Iroquois shaman for a young married couple. The couple had the dream catchers all through their marriage and they like the catchers were never separated till now. It seems that a man bought one of them just before Angelica but she couldn’t resist buying the one that was left.
The store owner told her of a legend connected to the dream catchers that if they were ever separated the new owners would be drawn together as soul mates. At the age of 28 Angelica has never been kissed, she never found Mr. Right or Mr. Wrong but now she is craving someone to love and be with. Her passion is reading sexy romance novels only the night she brought home her dream catcher she found herself having a dream of a handsome man who tells her he is the author of the book she is reading. Jake Miller the owner of the other dream catcher is have the exact same dream as Angelica and through their dreams they fall in love but are these dreams going to lead them to each other.
Life Saving: Anne Krist: 5*****Stars
A very short but very sweet story. After his wife’s death Hank Ewell has decided that life is no longer worth living and he goes to the beach intent on killing himself only he meets a little girl named Dinah clutching her stuffed bunny telling him that he is not alone. She tells him of a place called Henson Beach, a place where her mother said no one is sad. By the time Dinah leaves Hank alone it is past the time he was going to walk into the ocean and the next day his boss assigns him to a job in Henson Beach. Every day in Henson Beach he thanks his lucky stars that he didn’t kill himself, every day he finds himself getting happier and happier with life and then he meets Dinah’s mom moving back home. I don’t want to say anything more.
The Mortal Vampire: Suzanne Smith: 4.5****’Stars
Remy is a vampire who doesn’t hesitate to kill to feed his need for blood but the night he attacked Priscilla he decided not to kill her when she revealed she had a young child at home. The idea of leaving a child motherless was something he didn’t want to do but unfortunately it was too late and she died. The next woman he decided to drink from, a woman whose blood smelled so pure he once again found himself unable to kill her. He wanted her and when she asked him to help her home after injuring her ankle he realized that he was suddenly feeling a thumping in his chest. Angela invited him into her home and did not hide her desire for him but he knew that making love with a vampire would kill her. In spite of having a girlfriend he has been with for three hundred years his feelings for Angela are much stronger than anything he ever felt for Giselle. Then the truth of his thumping chest is revealed and his involvement with Angela and Giselle also is revealed and that was a surprise.
Love from the Mist: Patricia Elliott: 5*****Stars
Jace Warden is supposed to go to a family reunion something that is held every year only this year he refuses to attend when his ex-wife, his cheating ex-wife will be attending. Refusing to answer his family’s calls he boards a plane to Australia. When there is engine trouble and the plane’s wing breaks apart Jace realizes that he made the biggest mistake not attending the reunion and being with his family now he will probably die and never see them again. When Jace wakes up on a beach hurt and alone he can’t understand how he managed to be the only one alive. Now he has to find food and build a shelter and hope that someone comes looking for the plane and hope that someone else is on the island with him. It turns out that Jace is not alone on the island but who he is on the island with is not one of the people on the plane.
Love’s Ghost: R.M. Olivia: 4****Stars
It has been two years since Ingrid lost her husband John but everyday feels like it just happened. She has earned tenure as a professor but even that mile stone brings her little joy. As a way to escape everything she decides on a vacation to Paris but being in the land of romance was not a good choice. She begins to see John and at night dreams of making love to him, a dream that is so real she can feel him on her skin and smell him. Afraid that she is losing her mind she is actually face to face with the man she loves and he explains the reason for him being there, she is willing to do anything for them to stay together but is he real or is he just a figment of her imagination. A story about true love and loss.
Love Knows no Apocalypse: Patricia Elliott: 5*****Stars
Samantha Wheeler and Steve Jones are part of a group that has been ridding the town of the undead, zombies walk the earth but they are convinced that they have finally gotten the upper hand until one night a horde of them appear surrounding them and with nowhere to hide. Fighting with everything they have, knives, guns and fists they are finally able to destroy the last one attacking them. At that point Samantha wonders why she has never given her and Steve a chance at the relationship he has always wanted but never pushed for. Every day is a fight to stay alive so she finally has to decide if it is time to let love into her life.
Calling All Angels: Lora Logan: 4.5****’Stars
Celeste left school after freshman year shocking her adoptive parents and friends but when she received a house and 40 acres of land from the people who left her on the steps of a church she decided to go there. One day walking her dog Josie, I mean one day when Josie was walking her she fell leaving her scratched and hurt. A man came out of the woods who lived nearby and offered her help, help she accepted even as her mind kept telling her he didn’t look like a serial killer but neither did Ted Bundy. Elijah and Celeste fall for each other very quickly but he has a secret that involves his fight with demons. With Celeste around he doesn’t see the demons or hear his brothers in arms calling for him so he knows he has to end it with her, but does he?
The Anniversary: Richard Savage: 5*****Stars
Evelyn fell in love with Peter, they married and he became her master and all she wanted was
to please him but now she is married to James and she and Peter meet once a year on their anniversary. Although when she meets Peter she feels guilty about leaving James she knows that nothing can keep her from the man she loves and who satisfies her sexually like no other. Evelyn and Peter’s story is all about their BDSM lifestyle, their love and the reason they can only see each other once a year. A beautiful story about love and giving yourself to someone in every way possible.
Through the Veil: Jan Selbourne: 4****Stars
Rachel Finlay walked in to her boyfriend’s home to find him in bed with his boss’s wife. After pouring wine on their heads she left and almost got killed by a car because of her lack of attention. Rachel has always managed to meet the wrong man, she can’t hold a job, she either is fired or quits and now she receives a call that her great aunt has died, an aunt who looked after her and her sister Sandra. Looking through her aunt’s papers she finds an album and one of the people is very familiar, it is as if she knows the man and so she returns to the scene of where the newly engaged couple’s carriage went off the road and left Marcus Townsend dead, laying on top of Helen to protect her. Everything becomes clear to Rachel and she finally learns why she has always felt lost.
I have given this book five stars in spite of the fact that not every story earned a five, overall this book was filled with a very eclectic variety of stories and I truly enjoyed them all. I have found some new authors I was not familiar with and can’t wait to read other books of theirs.