Reviewer: Tracy
Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, Milla Vane
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: November 25th 2014
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 384
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Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance plunge readers into the dangerous, captivating world unearthed beyond the dark...

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight, as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals, when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.
From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn't a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself. 
It’s seer Makenna Frazier's first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms.

 

Tracy’s review of Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin and Milla Vane

(Kate Daniels #6.5, SPI Files # 0.5, Psy-Changeling #12.5, Barbarian #1)

I have to say that I’m a total fan of anthologies. I’m not always sure what I’m gonna get and I like that.  This story introduced me to 2 new to me authors (or so I thought) and that’s always a good thing.

Nalini’s story was wonderful, as per her usual. I loved that it was a story of Bastien finding his mate and that not too many outside forces were trying to keep them apart. Kirby thinks she’s human but her scent, as well as a few other freaky things that keep happening, are saying that she’s shifter as well. The story was very sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these two characters.

In Andrews’ novella I got to read about Jim and Dali once again and that made me very happy. I was a little surprised in this story that their relationship hadn’t been completely solidified, as I thought it already had been in their previous story (did I miss something?). Seeing them work together and reading about Dali’s talents was awesome though. It made me laugh and smile and I couldn’t put it down.

Lucky Charms by Shearin was the shortest story in the book and definitely not a romance, which is what I was expecting. Mac’s first night on the job with SPI is filled with crazy happenings and she’s not so happy when she finds out there’s a proverbial target on her back. This story, while cute, was obviously the prequel to an already established storyline. I felt like it wasn’t a standalone but just a teaser/taste of what I could get if I chose to continue reading the series. I can’t say I’m a fan of that particular ploy at all.

Milla Vane’s story surprised the heck outta me, I must say. When I first started reading I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the story or not. At first it seemed the story was a bit shocking but for shock value alone however as I continued reading I started enjoying the world that the author built (and the shocking parts). The barbarian, Kavik, was a seriously tortured hero who was in love with a woman he’d dreamed about for years but never met. When he sees her in person he’s excited until he starts believing she’s there to humiliate and/or kill him. Despite these beliefs the two can’t seem to stay away from each other and in that harsh destructive world two people found each other. I ended up really, really enjoying the story and can’t wait to read more set in this world.
(FYI – I just went to Milla Vane’s Goodreads page to see if she had any other books and lo and behold I found out that Milla is an alternate name for Meljean Brook. Now I know one of the reasons I loved the story so much. Hello. It’s Meljean! Love her. :))

Overall a pretty great anthology with just a little blip in the 3^rd story. This is definitely a book I’d recommend to any paranormal romance lover.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This title is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the author is exchange for an honest review.