“Black Leather Night”

The vampire Robhain has been hiding his desire for his employee, the mage Byrne, for a long time.  According to the law, humans are off-limits for vampires, however.  What will happen when Robhain loses control?

“Black Leather Night” is a smoking hot story!  I was unsettled by Robhain’s stalker-ish behavior at first, but everything worked out in the end.

“Into the Shadows”

Money-changer Donal has a busy and often dull life, but he’s at last beginning to fit in with the crowd of his coworkers.  The only problem is what waits in the shadows…for him.

I couldn’t get into “Into the Shadows”. The initial scene between the vampire Kyreion and Donal was more manipulative than hot to me, and Donal’s wishy-washiness made the ending ring hollow.

“The Hunter”

Medic Ronan works in the ER patching up the victims of rogue vampire attacks, a job that keeps him incredibly busy.  Every so often, however, he gets the urge for a little uncomplicated companionship and goes out into the night looking for it.

“The Hunter” is an interesting story with a twist at the end.  Picking up a prostitute isn’t usually the basis for a romance, but it actually worked in this story. 

“Tale of the Night”

City Guardsman Darien is barely getting by, so he jumps at the chance to get a temporary promotion in order to watch over a “tame” vampire.  Attraction to the vampire is a complication he doesn’t need…

“Tale of the Night” had an interesting premise, but I wasn’t terribly fond of the characters.  The vampire Aydn was very manipulative, and Darien seemed weaker-willed than he ought to be.  The story was hot, but not very emotional to me.

“Crimson Nights”

Young vampire Silvan and his mentor, the old vampire Malaki, are fleeing the City for a safer place.  On the way, a terrible accident may separate them forever…

“Crimson Nights” was my favorite story in this collection.  Malaki and Silvan have an obvious affection for each other and the way Silvan cares for Malaki after the accident is very sweet.  And of course, there are hot scenes as well.

“Sixty-Nine Reasons”

Tired of being beaten down by his sire, Draylen, and his harem, Reziel flees to make his own home.  On the way, he meets an unexpected woman.  Now all he has to do is find a mate.

“Sixty-Nine Reasons” features several ruthless characters, including Reziel and the woman he meets.  It illustrates the cruelty and viciousness of vampire culture, and it’s hot, but it’s not an emotional tale.  Everything happens very quickly.

“Missing Pieces”

Two men in the middle of a sex act suddenly forget who they are, or why they’re in an isolated dugout house during a terrible snowstorm.  Will they remember who they are before its too late?

“Missing Pieces” is an interesting if somewhat confusing tale.  I liked being shown glimpses of the men’s identities and learning things as they did.  The last part of the story was a bit of a letdown for me, but I still liked it.