Fab Fantasy Fiction

Sometimes more isn't better. Two stars for the Shifter Romance Boxed Set an Insatiable Reads collection

I'm a huge fan of bargains, especially bargain e-books having racked up what seemed to be the debt of a nation the first few months I owned my Kindle, that's why I try to find interesting and fun offerings for the Friday posts. So, when I saw that there was a box set of Shifter Romances available from the publisher for review - and that it would be offered at $0.99 for a while - I immediately wanted to add Shifter Romance Boxed Set (11 Book Bundle), an Insatiable Reads collection of bestselling paranormal romance to my review list.

I'm not sorry I did, but I am sorry that the publisher went for quantity over quality. Don't get me wrong, I really liked several of the eleven stories included here, but I don't feel this is the most thoughtful or interesting collection I've seen - even for the rock bottom price. What irritated me the most, I think, was the inclusion of multi-partner erotica stories in a book classified as paranormal romance. It definitely carries at least an NR-17 rating if not higher.

The stories that I found most interesting and well-written were: Marina Maddix's Laid Bear, Tawny Taylor's Beared to You (both about bear shifters); Celia Kyle's He Ain't Lion, Aubrey Rose's Blind Wolf, Cynthia Brint's Until the Flood, and Adriana Hunter's Better Mate than Never. In addition, Elixa Everett offered a whole new view of shapeshifting in Whatever He Wants Her to Be. If the publisher had compiled a shifter paranormal romance collection with these seven stories, I'd be more than delighted with my expenditure of $0.99 or the list price of $9.99 as they were fun, hot, steamy romances with interesting plots and characters.

But the publisher didn't and the quality of writing was all over the place from the very good as noted above - to well, some stories I really had to force myself to read. I did read them all though and it took me all day, even with skimming through some of the ones I found quite hard to manage (in particular Julianne Reyer's Desires of the Wolfman, a multi-partner, partner swapping, erotic read that was just deadly - and not in a good way). Other stories, besides Desires of the Wolfman, that include multi partner relations are: Dawn Steele's Wanted by the Alphas and Eliza Gayle's Lucas.

So would I recommend that you purchase this collection? I think I would. As I mentioned, some of these stories were really interesting and I'd like to read more from these authors. I can't rate this very highly, but do feel that if the publisher were, in the future, to compile a real shifter romance collection and a separate shifter erotica collection the reader would be much better served, even with a few less offerings.

Fab Fantasy Fiction
http://www.fabfantasyfiction.com/2013/11/sometimes-more-isnt-better-two-stars.html

I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley for use in this review.