Review: Kiss Me, Kill Me

Kiss Me, Kill Me by H.P. Mallory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I've been working on reading this short story anthology for quite some time. This was sort of a mixed bag -- some I really liked, some were not really my style. All in all, it was a good read. I'm not so good at reviewing short stories as a big review, so here's the breakdown.

A Ghoulish Valentine by H.P. Mallory: This was the story I wanted this book for. I love the Knight/Dulcie chemistry and this was an adorable installment in the series. Poor Knight can’t seem to get a break and it was fun to watch.

Cat Fight by Zoe Winters: I was unfamiliar with this author when I picked this book up. This story was a short but sweet little comedy about a man who is in the middle of a fight with his cat shifter wife. Hilarity ensues.

Impulse Control by Susan Bischoff: I’ve also never read anything from this author before, but the story that she draws upon is really interesting. The world it takes place in is one from the Talent Chronicles (the author’s series) where superpowered kids are in a school together that is run by the government. There is some adorable YA romance that manages to get squeezed into this action packed story.

A Fairytale Ending by M.T. Murphy: This was one of the darker stories in the bunch. A waitress is trying to eek out a living while inadvertently throwing herself into a werewolf/vampire power struggle. The poor mortals always lose in that situation.

Blind Sight by Kait Nolan: Such a tease! Normally I don’t complain about short stories wanting me to read more, but this one literally ended in the middle of a scene! Sheesh. I immediately searched for other books by the author (the point of this tease, I guess) and it looks like a longer version is already on my kindle (from a free book). I’ll stop complaining now. This is the beginning of a story about Isla, a seer, and her unlikely rescuer, Ransom. The world appears to be contemporary, maybe, and filled with paranormals and magic. Isla is being kept as a fake daughter of some mob-type guy, who I guess warrants being free of. There wasn’t much further development, but it really did suck me in. I wish we got to see what happened with Ransom.

Wild Passion by Lori Brighton: I recently fell in love with Lori Brighton in her Mind Readers series. This isn’t set in the same story, but was a good read either way. It follows James and Adelaide as they bicker and flirt over a piece of treasure. If this was the start of a bigger story, I’d pick it up just to get more. James was a great character and we watched him grow a lot, even in this short story.

The Sacrifice by Toni LoTempio:
This story was very similar to old Dracula tales, with a twist (and a contemporary edge). Jennifer leaves her long time boyfriend suddenly for Alfred, who turns out to be controlling her with dark magic to get her to be his sacrifice. This was a pretty fleshed out story and it was interesting enough to have me breezing through it.

Until the Breaking of the Day by Daniel Arenson:
This was another story where I was a severe disadvantage by not knowing any backstory or previous history with this type of world. Fantasy is not really my thing, but by the end of the story I wanted to read more. From what I gather, this took place in a hell-like world where a bat-like woman is forced to marry a supposedly harsh ruler.

If You Leave by Stacey Wallace Benefiel:
Tied into the world I know from the Zellie Wells books, this continued Gabrielle's story. It was bittersweet and short, showing how Jorge copes with Gabrielle's death (and afterlife). I love this author, so it was no surprise that I loved this little gem.



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