A Review of The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

If you are into vampire romance then you have to read this anthology of 25 vampire tales by some of the hottest authors in the genre.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance has stories from top vampire authors including: Colleen Gleason, Jenna Maclaine, Kerri Arthur, Susan Sizemore, Vicki Petterson and others who have popular vampire series that are now on my to-read list.

I have read all of Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles so I was thrilled to read a little something extra since the series is now over. "In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead" might even have been a deleted scene from one of the books but I don't care, it was like crack to an addict, I got my fix. It occurred sometime after Victoria discovers she is a Venator but before she marries Phillip.

Kerri Arthur's Riley Jensen series is one that is currently on my must read list, in fact I have a bookmark of hers next to my computer so I can get all the books at once. "Dreams" gave me a taste of Riley's world and her vampire lover Quinn. I have to admit I am thirsting for more.

I am a big fan of Jenna Maclaine as well and her story "The Righteous" is a prequel to her Cin Craven series. If you've read the Cin Craven novels you might want to read this, it gives a nice background on how the Righteous came to be and how the whole thing may evolve in future novels.

A few stories didn't do much for me like "Fade to Black" by Sherri Erwin. It was OK but not thrilling, "Viper's Bite" by Delilah Devlin was sad, "Coming Home" by Lilith Saintcrow didn't really hold my interest, and "Overbite" by Savannah Russe left me confused.

Stories in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance that I did enjoy include: "Fangs for Hire" by Jenna Black. I like the vampire hit woman with a conscience. The voice and feel of the story worked for me; "Knowledge of Evil" by Raven Heart was interesting gotta love the thirst for knowledge; "Love Bites" by Kimberly Raye was awesome, even if it was a cliche' theme, poor vampire hunter just can't hack it and falls for the vampire; "Dancing with a Star" by Susan Sizemore was a nice romance, nothing spectacular but nice. It worked; "Play Dead" by Dina James was also pretty good.

Shiloh Walker's stories sometimes seem to follow a formula, young girl hunting monsters that killed her family or someone she loves then she falls for a good guy who turns out to be one of the monsters. Hmmm... Not that it was bad, it was a good story just the same formula over and over...Anyway "Hunter's Choice" was like a spin off from her series where the wronged woman turned vamp slayer falls for a guy who happens to be a vampire and a "hunter".

For the most part this is a collection not to be missed for vampire romance fans.