Book Review: Kick @$$

Book Review: Kick @$$
By Maggie Shayne, MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight, Jacey Ford

While I normally don’t read short stories, this book filled with tough heroines fell into my lap and surprised me. All four stories focus on tough chicks who kick butt to save the day and as the cover blurb reads “and enjoy the rewards of night”. I think the best thing about these stories is that they all read like full-length stories. The authors have nailed down conflict, plot and character development as well as story arcs, squeezing it all into a hundred pages or less.

The Bride Wore a .44 (Maggie Shayne) takes an unique approach to the amnesia story and features a amnesiac bride who  is forced to kick some butt on her wedding day as she begins to recall her past. There are some interesting twists that will keep the reader guessing and wondering. I won’t reveal them–you have to discover them for yourself.

The Incredible Misadventures of Boo and the Boy Blunder (MaryJanice Davidson) is a typical Davidson vampire story with a saucy heroine and of course, hunky vampires. Boo, a vampire slayer, ends up stuck with a would-have-been vampire victim trailing around like a lovesick puppy as she attempts to track down vicious vampires and of course, not to fall in love with any during her adventures (and misadventures).

Warfem (Angela Knight) is a fantasy romance staring a biologically altered fighting gal who bumps into her old lover who is investigating her for treason. Only she doesn’t know that. She also doesn’t figure it out seeing as she is pretty busy saving  the world, her son and trying to take down a powerful treasonish leader all at the same time. Oh, and of course deal with all those pesky hormonal surges her body seems to have whenever her former lover and partner comes around.

Painkillers (Jacey Ford) features a supermodel turned half-spy (it’s a secret though) and her boy next-door guy friend who so obviously wants everyone to know he’s a spy out there saving the world. When the two find themselves deep in the jungle (saving a small island from revolution and hopefully their own skins) the two learn more about themselves and each other than they would have hanging out in their own backyards.

These stories are a fantastic way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. I promise you’ll look up at the clock in shock. How did you just lose three hours anyway?

Buy the book:
Chapters, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble