"She thought her date was out of this world. Actually, he was not of this world . . .We've all been on bad dates, nightmare dates, dreadful experiences that turned out to be uniquely memorable in the very worst way. But at least our partners for these detestable evenings were more or less . . . human!

Now Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland -- four of the very best writers currently exploring the dangerous seduction of the supernatural -- offer up dating disasters (and unexpected delights) of a completely different sort: dark, wicked, paranormally sensual assignations with werewolves, demon lovers, and the romantically challenged undead. Sexy, witty, chilling, and altogether remarkable, here is proof positive that some love matches are made someplace other than heaven."

Dangerous seduction? I think not. With the exception of Kelley Armstrong, the stories fell short of the mark.

One by one:

Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison : and the purpose of this story is...? To feed the need of the Rachel Morgan groupies? Smells a lot like Laurell K. Hamilton. Ivy is interesting, but still.

The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands : shape-shifting courtesy of science. The Claire in question ends up with a double date to the high school reunion...as her best friend's date, and her best friend's brother's date. Yes, it's complex. It's also too cute. But since I haven't read Lynsay Sands before, I'm cutting her a lot of slack.

Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong: best of the lot. A werewolf and a half-demon collide in a museum, and all Hell breaks loose. I'm not surprised this is the strongest story, since it is original and well plotted. And fast.

Dead Man Dating by Lori Handeland: One vast drawback to this story. It's entirely too short. A publicist with self-esteem issues. An incubus trying to suck her dry. A demon hunter trying to protect her. And while this is going on, Handeland plops Satan into the mix. You can't add Satan into the end of a short story. It's just not right.

I'm not terribly impressed with the romance aspect at all, which makes the jacket a lie (big surprise there.) I had the distinct impression the sex was an afterthought...a bit of kissing, a little crotch rubbing, vague sex in the backseat of a car, and sex scenes that made me yawn for lack of interest.

Dates from Hell is fairly accurate. I could have stayed home and washed my hair instead of spending a Saturday night with this.


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Publisher: Avon (April 1, 2006)
ISBN: 006085409X