Hex Appeal Paperback – June 5, 2012

I buy anthologies if there's one or two authors I like. There were three in this one--two I follow regularly, and one I am testing the waters with. What I liked about these stories was they're accessible--you don't need to know a lot about the worlds. The Rachel Caine is a continuation of her story in another anthology, but I think it's still pretty approachable--there's not really references to the events of the story, just background on the relationship, which is adequately explained. I found the three stories I read well-done. My main criticism is the blurb said it involved cursed characters, and it really didn't.

I have to say that I am becoming such an Ilona Andrews fan girl that any anthology that has a story by them has an immediate leg up. While Andrews story was my favorite, there were enough othe entertaining hexy shorts to make this a worthwhile collection for me.In the order that I read them...Bigfoot on Campus - Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden short, this is episode number three of "Harry and the son of Bigfoot" -Irwin's dad has a vision of his son in lethal trouble and again sends Harry in to pinch hit - I enjoyed this one, and I love Harry's humor <spoiler> (cop to Harry) "you could explain to me why I found you in the middle of an orgy." (Harry)"Well," I said, "if you're going to be in an orgy, the middle is the best spot, isn't it."</spoiler>Holly's Balm - Rachel Caine - This is continuation of another short "Death Warmed Over" from another anthology Strange Brew - Talk about deadly deja vu, a witch is raising the victims of a serial killer so that murderer can kill them all over again - I really loved getting chance to see more of Holly, a witch who can raise the dead, and Andy, an old west era witch she raised who,through the power of love, managed to beat the 76 hour deadline that sends revenants back to the grave.The Arcane Art of Misdirection - Carrie Vaugh - featuring Vegas magician Odysseus Grant from the Kitty Norville series - A Vegas dealer who 'sees' more that she should hooks up with Odysseus on the hunt for someone who is trying to cheat 'the House' - I have always liked Odysseus and I liked his 'helper' and wouldn't mind seeing more of this pair.Retribution Clause - Ilona Andrews - set in the Kate Daniel universe, the leading man is a frost giant relative of Saiman - A supernatural insurance adjuster and his partner need to carry out a vengeance clause to one of their policies which stipulated should the insuree be murdered the benificiary would pay the price with his life - I love Ilona Andrews, her(actually their, since this is a husband/wife writing team) world building is soooo good, and this short story has me screaming for more of the starring pair.There Will Be Demons - Lori Handland - connected to her Apocalypse series - I think that this is the backstory to Jimmy's betrayal, but it's been along time since I read anything from this series - this was okayCherry Kisses - Erica Hayes - a Shadow Fae short - I was surprised by the ending but I shouldn't have been - this was pretty good.How Do You Feel? - Simon Green - a short little bizarre trip to Nightside, Dead Boy stars -Outside the Box - P N Elrod - for some reason I like Nightside stories, they are really oddball so won't be everyone's cup of tea - pretty goodSnow Job - Carole Nelson Douglas - Delilah Street story - this is the only story that I didn't make it through yet. I don't follow the series and just didn't feel like working that hard when I got around to it - I'll probably get around to it eventually.

As expected, Jim Butcher's short was as slick as Harry's wit and just as jaunty. A fun read. P.N. Elrod's short was equally as entertaining. The rest ran the gambit from 2 star to 4 star, with a couple being 100% predictable, one being way too confusing and jumbled (not to mention cliched - the author tried to be amusing and clever over-using cliche's and failed) I picked this up for my kindle so I had something to read in the waiting room at the dentist. A lot better than old travel mags and dental hygiene flyers.To be honest, there were a couple I almost did not finish. The only reason I did was the choice was them or an ADA brochure on flossing.

I haven't read a collection of short stories in a while, and admit I bought this simply because it had a new (to me) story by Jim Butcher. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the other stories and authors in here though, and now am looking at other works by Elrod, Ilona Andrews, Rachel Caine, and especially Carole Nelson Douglas. Others in this collection are more forgettable and formulaic.

This is an excellent anthology. All the stories surround the use of magic and the mayhem and the charms it has . The stories come from some very well-known authors as well as some rather new authors . Nonetheless the stories are all excellent and deserve five stars .

Of the 9 stories 6 were excellent to outstanding. But this anthology was disappointing as the three authors I was not familiar with did well crafted stories that I just found unappealing. I buy anthologies as a way to evaluate new authors. Unfortunately they were all good writers with decent concepts--I just didn't find them appealing. No I'm not going to say which they were--after all you may like them. My favorites were--familiar authors--Ilona Andrews and Jim Butcher(very funny). Overall a very good read.

Purchased for Ilona Andrews "Retribution Clause" which was great (5 plus stars). I have loved all of Ilona Andrews books and the characters and worlds they create in them. Big Foot on Campus by Jim Butcher was another great story. I found all the stories enjoyable and will reread several of them. 4 stars for the book overall.

So fun to take these short trips to the paranormal I especially enjoyed Carrie Vaughns contribution This anthology was a delightful buffet to savor