Hot Nights, Dark Desires [Paperback]

Bantam Dell brings three talented authors together for one great anthology as hot as the Louisiana bayous the stories are set in! While I pre-ordered my copy of HOT NIGHTS, DARK DESIRES because I'm a fan of Eden Bradley's work, authors Stephanie Tyler and Sydney Croft certainly held their own with Ms. Bradley. Each of the three stories in this anthology are outstanding. What a treat to begin reading a book for one author, and finish it with two new ones to add to my list of favorite writers. That is one of the main reasons I enjoy anthologies so much.

~THE ART OF DESIRE by Eden Bradley~

Sophie has always been fascinated by tattoos, to the point of obsession. That's why she never allowed herself one before - she's afraid she wouldn't be able to stop, and her strict religious upbringing frowns on such marking of the body. When her friend drags her along to a tattoo salon, Sophie can't deny her reaction as she watches the artist decorate her friend's skin, nor can she deny her reaction to the artist himself.

Tristan is the embodiment of everything Sophie has ever fantasized about in a man. She finds herself compelled to have him do her very first tattoo. The experience is life changing - for both of them.

Eden Bradley is known for her unconventional romances, and THE ART OF DESIRE ranks right up there with the best of them. Using the art and beauty of tattoos to bring Tristan and Sophie together, Bradley then builds on their connection, layering their compatibilities until there is no doubt in anyone's mind that this couple is right for each other.

If only Tristan's self-image allowed him to believe he deserved the luxury of loving someone. Tristan's past is rife with pain, and before this pair can enjoy their happy ending together, he must first work through his self-recrimination. When he finally does and sees that Sophie is his chance for redemption and happiness, we have a happily ever after to rival any other.

Through it all, we experience the sensual art of the tattoo, and I must say that the way Eden Bradley presents it had this reviewer, who could barely stand the pain of having her ears pierced, actually considering getting a tattoo! Perhaps one day, when I find one as meaningful to me as Sophie's are to her. Or when I meet a man like the sexy Tristan... *grin*

~SHADOW PLAY by Sydney Croft~

Brenna St. James makes her living as a well-known, high-paid supermodel. Well, she used to. That was before a ghost decided to attach himself to her and blur her image in any photo taken of her. Desperate to rid herself of the jealous phantasm, she calls the renowned ghost photographer, Hex, for assistance.

Hex knows it is a bad idea to get involved with Brenna; her celebrity lifestyle wouldn't mix with his job working in the covert ACRO organization. But he just can't seem to stop himself.

Love and Fate definitely work in mysterious ways, and Sydney Croft's story in this anthology is a perfect example. In SHADOW PLAY, we have two people set upon completely different paths who come together for what should be a brief interlude in each other's lives. Their time together, however, changes the course of their lives forever.

Brenna goes through quite the transformation in this story, and her paranormal trial forces her to look inside and find who she really is. Once Hex succeeds in ridding her of the haint ruining her life, she finds her goals are no longer as clear-cut as they were before she met Hex. While she may begin the tale as the stereotypical self-involved model, the woman she is by the end of the story is one to be admired.

SHADOW PLAY is a fascinating paranormal romance that is as inspiring as it is sexy. While it is connected to the ACRO series, it can be read easily as a standalone story - something I can easily testify to since this is the first I've read yet. I guarantee you that it will not be the last I read, however!

~NIGHT VISION by Stephanie Tyler~

Inheriting a bar in Louisiana from an uncle she never knew, Catie is determined to investigate her roots, moving to Bayou Rouge to run the bar herself. She never counted on the saloon being full of roughnecks sapping the profits from her new business. Disheartened, she resolves to sell the bar, but must clean house before she can put it on the market.

To that end, she hires the infamous cooler, Bat Kelly, to rid her bar of the undesirable element. One look at Bat, though, and the normally controlled Catie finds her knees going weak and her heart beating a little faster.

As for Bat, he finds the sexy little barkeep is enough to make him think of planting his own roots right here in his hometown of Bayou Rouge. Catie makes him long for things he never thought he could have, and even though he knows their time together is temporary, he can't resist indulging in a very sultry fling with her.

I have to say, NIGHT VISION makes me kick myself when I think of the other Stephanie Tyler books already sitting on my bookshelf, still unread. I bought them because they looked intriguing and I heard good things about her work, but had I known just how good Tyler's stories really were, they would have already been at the top of my to-be-read pile.

Bat Kelly is the stuff of every rough and tumble fantasy I've ever had. The man is beyond hot, with his bad boy attitude covering up a heart that is unselfish and kind. Of course, it doesn't take Catie long to see the real man underneath that bouncer bluster.

Catie is a wonderful heroine. A bit repressed at first, when she decides to let herself go with Bat, her personality and sexuality blossoms.

There are some rather delicious moments in this story, and I have to admit when we discover just how Bat earned his unusual name, I do believe I blushed... Nope, I'm not telling why his name is Bat - you'll just have to read NIGHT VISION!

**Courtesy of Wild on Books**

Set in sultry New Orleans, HOT NIGHTS, DARK DESIRES includes three erotic love stories not to be missed.

THE ART OF DESIRE

Sophie Fiore loves tattoos. From simple to complex, she finds them erotic and entrancing. However, Sophie does not have one because of her family's potential reaction. Accompanying her friend to the tattoo parlor, Sophie can stand it no longer and allows Tristan, the sinfully gorgeous artist to tattoo her. Emotions flare and Sophie is unable to contain her desire - for Tristan and for tattoos.

Tristan holds great guilt inside of him for the death of his younger brother. He feels unworthy of a woman such as Sophie and as such refuses to fall in love. Until Sophie, though, this was a pretty easy thing to do. In a matter of minutes, Tristan is ensnared by this beguiling woman and can't seem to keep his hands, and his tattoo needle, off of her.

Each character in Eden Bradley's THE ART OF DESIRE, has issues concerning love and acceptance. Guilt plays a big part in their lives where there are two constants - their desire for tattoos and their desire for each other. Tristan and Sophie's love is timeless and no matter how much they fight the emotion each feels for the other, the end result is two halves becoming whole.

SHADOW PLAY

Hex is a member of a paranormal society that investigates ghost sightings and strives to capture those images on film. He enjoys his work and while he can't tell anyone what he does, his cover as a professional photographer makes him more than enough to live on. Having received a call from super model Brenna St. James and subsequently ignored it, Hex is surprised to find himself outside her home in the middle of the night. When he hears her scream, he must find out what is wrong.

What good is a cover model that can't be photographed? Her career in shambles, flat broke, and desperately in need of a job, Brenna St. James telephoned and left a message for Hex, a famous photographer, but he never returned her call. Brenna has not been in a focused picture in months because she is being haunted and undermined by a ghost in her home. Screaming her frustration, her savior arrives in the form of Hex, the man she urgently needs in order to jump start her career.

SHADOW PLAY by Sydney Croft explores the supernatural world of ghosts and the phenomena of house haunting. Hex and Brenna each are affected by ghosts and unexplained occurrences and while Hex accepts his paranormal abilities and even makes a career out of them, Brenna does not. Made fun of and forced to bear witness to her mother's idiosyncrasies as a child, Brenna just wants the entity gone so that she can move on with her life and become once again the model she is famous for being.

NIGHT VISION

Catie Lanford has a huge problem on her hands. She was the sole beneficiary of her uncle's ramshackle bar and wants nothing more than to get it profitable again and sell it. Hiring a cooler, a professional `butt kicker', to come in and slap the bar into shape, Catie doesn't count on his abilities to seduce her. As an artist, Catie has a plan. She wants to finish art school before moving forward with her career. While she loves and desires the time she and her hired man spend together, she knows that in the end, they are not meant for each other. Or are they?

Bat Kelly has seen his share of bars and barroom brawls. An ex soldier turned cooler, he requires money up front and complete control. Seeing Catie in the middle of a bar fight the first night on the job makes his plans change somewhat. When she spills the beans and confesses to her deception for hiring him, Bat knows he should pick up stakes and head out. But he can't. It seems that Miss Catie Lanford has gotten under his skin though he knows she has plans and a life waiting on her. He refuses to stand in her way and even goes so far as to make her dream a reality. What happens when Catie leaves? Will Bat let her go?

NIGHT VISION by Stephanie Tyler is risqué and steamy. Bat and Catie both know that falling in love is not in either of their plans and while they fight their feelings every step of the way, the one thing they agree upon is the most important. They desire each other to the point of obsession and until it is time for Catie to return to school, they are going to grasp every moment together as if it is their last.

When three authors come together to write an anthology, I always worry about whether or not I am going to like one story more than another. In HOT NIGHTS, DARK DESIRES I should have known better. Each novella in this fabulously written anthology is worthy of the 5 Blue Ribbons I gave the entire novel. Eden Bradley's well written first segment, THE ART OF DESIRE, is deliciously frank in its sex appeal and I found myself squirming in my seat more than once at the sweltering love scenes and beautiful emotions of the characters. SHADOW PLAY by Sydney Croft grabbed my attention first off with the hero's name. Ironic to say the least, Hex is the perfect name, at least in my book for a hero that can photograph ghosts. The fact that he seems to `hex' his heroine didn't slip by me as well. Hex and Brenna come together in a burst of steam hot enough to melt wax and I loved watching their lives become perfectly entwined. NIGHT VISION by Stephanie Tyler knocked my socks off with Bat Kelly and his naughtiness. Full of life and not afraid to reach for what he wants even though he knows he'll have to let her go, Bat made my heart pound. Together these two strong characters forged their way into my heart and I loved every minute.

HOT NIGHTS, DARK DESIRES is a delight and one that I will read more than once. Each novella contained in this anthology is well written and certifiably hotter than a firecracker. Grab the ice, turn on the air conditioner, and sit back and enjoy this tremendous anthology!

I really liked this book, it was a lot better than I thought it would be. Eden Bradley is really great. I would really recommend it