The last two stories in this anthology really made this book. Though I like Kim Harrison's writing, her first published short story included here was kind of dry, though Kelley Armstrong's story really rocked. I've included individual reviews for each story below.Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil by Kim HarrisonRead 08-Jun – 09-Jun-2006This is Ivy's story, before she meets Rachel and Jenks and starts Vampiric Charms. We learn a lot more about what makes Ivy tick, and how she comes to her decision to live blood-free as a living vampire. I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as the full-length novels because I missed having Rachel and Jenks too, but still, I appreciate this story for what it is... a deeper look into Ivy's life pre-Rachel. :)Rating: 6 starsThe Claire Switch Project by Lynsay SandsRead 06-Feb-2007Ugh, I should've known I wasn't going to like this one right from the first paragraph. The first sentence actually proclaimed, "A bunny," and I thought yay!! But then it turns out two of the main characters, Kyle and Claire, are running doing experiments and testing on the poor little bunny. And oh boy, I've got a wicked rant I can go on about animal testing, but since it's not really relevant to this review, sufficed to say that it's a wicked peeve of mine that hits a deep nerve.From there, we just have more cutesy, stupid characters who think nothing of hiding the truth from their friends and people they care about. Another pet peeve, one I can usually live with, but when a huge premise of the story is based upon such deception and lying, it angers me even more!I wonder why I kept on reading then... well, it was a short story and I was determined to finish it. And I did laugh at one or two parts. Had I not already read a full-length novel by this author, Single White Vampire, which I fairly enjoyed, I'd probably think twice about reading anything from this author if I were to base it only on this short story. I give it a few points not for the story, but because the author herself is a halfway decent writer, and that at least does come across here.Rating: 4 starsChaotic by Kelley ArmstrongRead 18-Feb – 19-Feb-2007Hope is a tabloid reporter and "supposed agent" for the Interracial Council. As a Half-Demon, she's got skills that enable her detect chaotic events, past or present. While attending a museum gala, she meets up with charming werewolf and jewel thief, Karl Marsten, whom we've met in previous novels. And chaos rules!!This was an excellent story! Kelley really knows how to write a short story and make it as action-packed and exciting as her full-length novels. In this novella, we're introduced to a new character, Hope, a half-demon journalist, whom I'm hoping will appear again in future books or novellas. Since Karl Marsten seems to be romantically interested in her, this may be a good possibility.Rating: 9 starsDead Man Dating by Lori HandelandRead 23-Feb-2007Kit has been saving herself for marriage and true love, so what could be better than a dating agency named, remarkably, TrueLove.com. Little did she realize that her "date" would actually be a demon from hell, and that her "knight in shining armor" would appear to save her mortal soul?Kit is startled when the rogue demon hunter Chavez manages to extinguish her date in the alley right before her very eyes. But it turns out he's not really dead—or is already dead, I should say—and the demon, part incubus and part Rakshasas, continues to stalk her and attempt to seduce her. For only her virginity can save him. And finding a virgin in this day and age is so rare!With the help of Chavez, they're able to exploit the demon's weakness and bring about his destruction. But as they're told by Satan himself, the end of the world is near, and these new demons that he's made and unleased on the world are here to bring about Armageddon. The story leaves off here, as Kit and Chavez have decided to work together, brain and brawn so to speak, to defeat this evil before it's too late. This story was actually quite good. I hadn't yet read anything else by Handeland, though I've got the first 6 books of her Nightcreature series here waiting for me to find the right time to start on them. So now that I've whet my appetite with this short story, I'm quite looking forward to them.Rating: 8 stars
I started this one and put it down almost two years ago. I was distinctly disturbed by Ivy's backstory (from the Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison), featured in Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil. It was not at all what I'd call a romance. Her relationships with the men in this story were dark, tangled, and unsettling. It's good to have some perspective on Ivy, but I'm afraid I don't have a good opinion of her character right now. Maybe that was the point, and we will see her evolve as she spends more time around the more innocent and sweeter Rachel. This was a beautifully written, but dark, dark story. Kim Harrison is one heck of a writer and she pulls you into the stories that she spins. I'm not into dark and sexual so much, and this story has that edge to it, hence I was a bit turned off. I did love the banshee part. Very cool! Four stars for the quality of the story, even though this one disturbed me. Attempt #2 Went much better as I finished the Lynsay Sands story. I actually enjoyed The Claire Switch Project, and I didn't expect to like it. I thought it was going to be way too light and fluffy and annoying as Claire used her power to deceive the man she was in love with. Thankfully I was wrong. It just goes to show that you need to be in the mood to read certain books. This reminded me of a screwball comedy from the 80s (which I love). Claire has a unique ability that her friend manipulates her into exploiting to get a little revenge against the jerk who dumped her. Her scientist colleague, Kyle, is the man she's been in love with for over ten years, but afraid to say anything. Well, he asks her out on a date the very night she has to pretend to be her friends famous date (Brad Cruise, get it?). Hilarity and confusion ensues. It was cute and fun, so I ended up giving this one 3.5 stars. Kelley Armstrong's Chaotic was interesting. The heroine is Hope, a half-chaos demon/half-human. She gets a high from chaotic/violent events that she has tried to channel into helping people working for the Interracial Council. She's on a mundane date (but on the lookout for anything unusual) and she ends up catching jewel-thief and somewhat rogue werewolf, Karl. It turns out that the people that she works for are gunning for Karl in the worse way, although he's not on the wrong side. They are. This reminded me of those beloved 80s action movies I watched too many of, even though I was probably too young for them. I have to admit that the first person didn't really seem to fit the story that well. I think third person would have gone over better. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. Heck, I'm an easy sell with the werewolf theme, and the on-the-run theme combined. I also liked Hope's unique ability (if you can call it that) I look forward to reading Private Demon to further explore Hope and Karl. Four stars.My favorite, hands down, was Dead Man Dating by Lori Handeland. It was so interesting and unique. Kit is a woman who is being relentlessly hunted by a demon who's looking for a very particular type of woman. Not too many of them found in the modern world, especially in the big city. Thankfully there is a rogue demon hunter (sorry, not Wesley Wyndham-Price) here to save her. Chavez is one sexy demon hunter. I loved the aspect of good versus evil, and finding out how to kill this demon that is gunning for Kit. I firmly believe that Ms. Handeland was inspired by Constantine, and I'm not complaining, since I love that movie and the idea of the comic book it's inspired by (I haven't read them yet, but I will). Being the complete folklore/supernatural nerd that I am, I ate this story up like Mexican food (my favorite). This was such a great story, and it flowed very well, hence the five star rating. Here I am hoping that it ties into the Doomsday Chronicles series that Ms. Handeland has out (which is in the you know what). Sign me up to read about these warriors fighting against the apocalypse.I am so glad I gave this anthology another chance. I have to thank Mel for inspiring me with her love of Karl Marsten. It really turned out to be a great read, and makes this girl who doesn't date that much pretty happy that she didn't go on any of these dates from hell (Sorry. I can't resist a bad pun).
What do You think about Dates From Hell (2006)?
I am using 3-star rating here liberally, because I actually read only 1 story out of 4 - Kelley Armstrong's novella "Chaotic." Having been burned by many anthologies, nowadays I only bother to read short stories written by the authors I know and respect. Kelley, again, didn't let me down."Chaotic" is one of those Armstrong's stories which will be interesting to both existing fans of her "Women of the Otherworld" series and readers new to her writing. Unlike stories in "Men of the Otherworld" anthology, "Chaotic" doesn't just fill in the blanks or explores the events whose outcome we already know from reading her novels. It introduces a completely new character and a very well realized tale with fresh mythology and excellent back stories. (In this respect "Chaotic" reminded me of another well done novella of Armstrong's - "Twilight" about a vampire Cassandra.) Hope Adams is a tabloid journalist and a half-demon who feeds on chaos around her. During one of her assignments she encounters another supernatural - a jewel thief Karl Marsten who we know from "Bitten." The two get caught up in a criminal case and, of course, a mutual attraction develops. The story is engaging and witty and sexy, basically, an example of what a paranormal novella should be. I was thoroughly intrigued by Hope and her strange abilities and can't wait to read more about her and see how her relationship with Karl develops. Thankfully, "Personal Demon" covers it all and is already out.
—Tatiana
This is a 4 story anthology with very good stories. "Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil" by Kim Harrison is the story of Ivy and Kirsten before they met Rachel. Ivy is being pressured by her boss Art (a vampire jerk) and how she deals with him is downright funny; it also explains why she wound up as a runner for Interland Security. 4 stars "The Claire Switch Project" by Lynsay Sands Clare and Kyle are old high school buddies (now grad students) working on a molecular destabilizer. She is zapped by another researcher who wants to speed up human trials, and finds that as a result she can change her appearance to that of anyone else. This hasn't blown the plot that’s about what happens at her high school reunion. The disaster is quite funny and about as complete as could be expected. Several good surprises as well and it was nice to read a funny story after Ivy’s intense one. 4 stars "Chaotic" by Kelly Armstrong Hope is a half demon who can sense chaotic forces. She is working for the Interracial Council running down supernatural bad guys. She senses a heist at a museum fund raiser and meets Marsten a werewolf, that’s when the surprises start. Some humour and an excellent plot. It’s nice not to have the protagonists jump each other’s bones in a short. The characters are compelling and interesting, i loved reading about them and the way they connected. 5 stars "Dead Man Dating" by Lori Handeland is one of the more original stories I have come across in a while. Kit is a bored literary agent and has demon troubles (this is a little rocky technically as the author is confusing members of the descending hierarchy with demons, but hey it’s a fantasy) and demon hunter Chavez comes to the rescue. Good characters, interesting plot. One brief erotic scene but that’s central to the plot. Overall an excellent read. 5 stars. While these stores are short all are excellent for the genre and overall the book deserves 4 stars.
—(´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´)
Since this is an anthology with four stories, I'll give you condensed thoughts about each of them.1-Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison. I was sorely disappointed in this, I was looking forward to seeing events told from Ivy's perspective, and while this book delivered, I was not impressed. It was boring and a bit confusing. If what she did to Art really happened, why is there no repercussions that would have followed through in the first book? 2 Stars.2-The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands. This one was really really cute. Things kept getting more and more ridiculous as you read on, but it remained funny until the end. 3 Stars.3-Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong. This was by far my favorite out of the four. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I absolutely adored the chase. I've never heard of this author before, but I'm definitely sold and will be checking more of her stuff out soon. 4 Stars. 4-Dead Man Dating by Lori Handeland. You know something is wrong when you're cheering for the bad guy to win. The two love interests were insufferably cliched. What bothered me the most is the slut shaming. "Oh, you're so special because you're one of the only remaining virgins in NY." Hyuck. Good for you, here have a cake. Just no. 1 Star.
—Katya
