Joint Review – Entangled, A Paranormal Anthology edited by Edie Ramer and Misty Evans

Publisher: Authors4theCure
Publish Date: Out Now
How We Got the Book: From the editors

Ghosts, vampires, demons, and more! Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal short stories from authors Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Michelle Miles, plus a Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan.

Stacia Kane contributed the foreword. Formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan.

All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
This blurb came from Edie Ramer’s website here.

Forward by Stacia Kane
Touching. I liked how Ms Kane talked about how writers can add or remove health or moral issues in world-building but you can’t edit the real world. I think everyone has known someone who has fought or is fighting some form of cancer and breast cancer effects both men and women.

Halloween Frost by Jennifer Estep
E: Good YA series. I don’t recommend starting the Mythos Academy books with this short story because it clearly falls after the events in Touch of Frost. There is some YA angst but it is minimal. I liked how Ms Estep pulled in the thought of real monsters out on Halloween night. I have to admit that Jennifer Estep continues to stay on my auto-buy list.
Y: Ditto. Jennifer Estep is on my auto-buy list. She is one of a rare authors who can write short stories really well. Her heroines are sensible and very likable.

The Fat Cat by Edie Ramer
E: Wow this certainly had a twist I wasn’t expecting. Ms Ramer had me at the beginning when she was looking to adopt a cat, and when she adopted the one she did…awww. (E owns 2 cats and one is large and black) Like Ying, I would have preferred if she left out the romantic interest.
Y: I’m not keen on this story. I’d prefer if she have left the romantic interest out of the story all together. Also, the fight scene was an anticlimax for me. Instead of fighting they just prayed for their gods to grant them the power.

Medium Rare by Nancy Haddock
E: It was really neat reading a ghost story that wasn’t filled with ghosts seeking revenge for one reason or another. I liked how the heroine’s first response in dealing with ghosts wasn’t to attempt to send them on their way but to gain an agreement for peaceful co-existence.
Y: I enjoyed reading it. The story was interesting and I felt like I’ve gone back in time in some of the scenes. However, I would find the heroine more likable if she wasn’t so concern on proving she is legit than helping the ghosts.

Sweet Demon by Misty Evans
E: In the recent increase of stories containing demons, Ms Evans short story here has made me add her upcoming novel in the Kali Sweet series to my wish list. I could see glimpses of a very complex intertwined world and I look forward to seeing how Kali deals with her current situation.
Y: I agree. I like Kali. I wish the story was a little longer. The world building is great. I want to find out more about the vengeance demon and what actually happened between Rad and Kali before this novella.

Sian’s Solution by Dale Mayer
E: Ms Mayer has a short sweet story about what a vampire will do/risk for love and that not all vampires are sweetness and light. I did wish we got some resolution on if she was scheduled for termination or if she was just seeing the worst possible result given the tension she was under.
Y: Sian Solution was interesting, I enjoyed the world building. It reminded me of a scene in Blade (the movie). However I wish it was a chapter longer just to read the conclusion of the story.

A Bit of a Bite by Cynthia Eden
E: Ms Eden is another of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed her contribution and her interesting take on how rumors of power available only on specific nights can cause people to take drastic measures.
Y: A Bit of a Bite is actually my favourite story in this book. It is well balanced and truly represented how a good novella should be written. After I finished reading this story, I didn’t feel like it was a preview for another story.

Sinfully Sweet by Michelle Miles
E: People often say that good baked goods take magic and that all written recipes leave out that secret ingredient. Well Ms Miles certainly provides ample proof that something special is included.
Y: I wish I could reach in and pluck those cupcakes out of the book. Very interesting idea of adding magic to the food to lift up your mood or to create passion.

A Night of Forever by Lori Brighton
E: Ms Brighton uses her contribution to distill the essence of why Alpha heroes are so attractive. I don’t think I have ever seen it phrased as nicely as her heroine does. In part “Someone who won’t abandon me when life is difficult. Someone…love me unconditionally.” The entire passage more then makes up for the fact that you never get to see the bad guys get what should be coming to them.
Y: This is a lovely little story. It has a little Jane Eyre feeling to it at the start with a paranormal twist to it.

Feel the Magic by Liz Kreger
E: A very interesting story that melds modern day court/news system with the use of magic. I certainly hope Ms Kreger is able to sell her novel that contains the two main female characters. I really want to see where this goes.
Y: I found the beginning of this story hilarious. I didn’t think that Jessica was serious. It reads like a prologue to an interesting story with 2 female leads.

Breaking Out by Michelle Diener
E: This was certainly a prison break. Ms Diener says in her note that she usually writes historical fiction, well I hope she decides to continue working with paranormals because she wrote an excellent short story introduction to what could become a series *fingers crossed*
Y: Breaking Out had me hold on to my seat waiting to see if they will make an escape. The heroine rocks. It is like watching ‘Heroes’.

Ghostly Justice by Allison Brennan
E: This is the longest of all the submissions and is probably the one that freaked me out the most. I don’t enjoy reading about negative rituals and this was written well. I recommend that you actually read the previous Seven Deadly Sins books first because this relies on a lot of back story to fully understand the motivation of the good guys.
Y: I agree with E. The story referenced back to the previous books so heavily that you will might be a bit lost at a time. However it was well written and well constructed.

Overall
E: I really admire that this large group of authors got together, spent their time writing something to support trying to cure a disease that can affect all of us men and women. Like any anthology some works were really good and others not so good in my opinion. I think some of them suffered from the limited word count but I would still encourage you to go out and buy this. You will probably add to your author wish list.
I give Entangled a B.
Y: I applaud those authors who donating their talents so generously to create this lovely book. It is a great pick and mix, giving you a flavour of their writing style. There are many authors I would definitely checking out. I also give Entangled a B.

Links to Purchase:
BN Nook | Kindle eBook