Customer Reviews
Worth a look, but only if you buy it discounted... - By: emimar, 11 Jan 2008 
I must admit that I only bought this book for the Patrica Briggs story, which was excellant & I'm looking forward to the full novel she'll be releasing later on this year with the characters.
However, I didn't like the other storiesin it at all (I only got around to the thrid story, but I was kinda bored with the book at that point, so I didn't even bother reading Sunny's...from some of the reveiws here, I'm probably glad that I didn't...) The reason why I'm disapointedin the rest of the book is because I thought that with a title like "On the Prowl" they would all be werewolf stories, but sadly, aside from Patrica Briggs' story, that isn't the case. In fact, I think a better choice for the other authors would have been Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Vaughn & Kim Harrison, but that's the thing with these anthologies - you usually get an author that you love, which gets you to buy the book, but find the rest not to your liking...
A mixed bag - By: avid reader, 23 Dec 2007 
As others have mentioned it's hard to write an overall review for an anthology.
Patricia Briggs - as usual, especiallyin her werewolf series, a really good read. The characters were nicely developed with the emphasis on their feelings as opposed to the "thriller" angle. I also liked the fact that the supposed bad guyin the end had motivation that you could identify with even if his methods were despicable.
Eileen Wilks - overall a good story. It lost it's way a bitin the middle but managed to finish well. I felt as if it would be a good introduction to a series involving Kai, Nathan & Dell.
Karen Chance - This one worked well as a stand alone story although I did feel as if the sex was a little gratuitous & it would have been possible to find some other way to (more believably) have her manifest her potential. I particularly liked the conclusion.
Sunny - I'd never read any of her work previously & now have absolutely no desire to. There wasn't really a plot & the whole thing seemed to be an excuse for ever more graphic sex scenes. The main characters grief at the death of her lover would have been more believable had she not been very enthusiastically sleeping with at least three other people (I may have lost count). Frankly I think this story would have been better off clearly labeled as "adult" fiction.
Worth Buying for the Patricia Briggs and Karen Chance stories... - By: Lesley70, 03 Sep 2007 The problem I find with anthologies is you tend to buy them for one (or maybe two) stories. Therefore I shall admit my bias straight off & say I bought On the Prowl for the Patricia Briggs story.
Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs.
Setin the Mercy Thompson universe (Moon Called, Blood Bound). Alpha & Omega follows Charles (the son of werewolf king Bran) when he comes to Chicago to deal with unrestin the Chicago pack. Although this story takes place during Moon Called it's not necessary to have read Moon Called to enjoy this story.
Not surprisingly I really liked this. It's also a story I've dipped back into whilst reading the other three. My favourite part being when Anna initially calls Bran for help. In a way this serves as an introduction to Anna & Charles who will be getting their own series of booksin 2008, so there is something of a feeling that there is more to come. If I had any quibbles it would be that on p69 Anna smells Boyd's blood but Boyd wasn't involvedin the fighting. So surely it should be Justin's blood? Rate - 4/5
Inhuman by Eileen Wilks.
As I'm not familiar with the Universe this is set in, I found it unsatisfying. I feel strongly that even if a short story is setin an ongoing series, it should be able to stand on its own. However, I felt like I'd comein part way through the action, the characters were talking about things I knew nothing about. The situation is ultimately resolved by magical means so I didn't feel like it had really been dealt with. The heroine wasn't that interesting, but Nathan was well written, I could have read more about him & how he saw the world. One for the fans who'll have a better idea of what's going on & might enjoy it more. Rate - 2.5/5
Buying Trouble by Karen Chance.
This was my second favourite. I thought the story had real humour & the characters were engaging. It had a bit of a slow start, but following the gamelans escape, the story had much more pace. Claire's transformation scene was very well done, & Heidar has a way with the witty remark. Claire had an appealing voice & I could happily read more about her. Based on this short story I'd definitely check out Karen Chance's backlist. Rate - 3.5/5
Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny
I have only read Book 1 of the Mona Lisa series. And if you'rein the same position you may want to give this one a miss - because it's got huge spoilersin it regarding the death of a character.
There is very little plot here. There's quite a bit of exposition bringing you up to date with what's happened - kind of like a 'Previouslyin the Mona Lisa Universe...'. It's more of a filler between books & is probably only interesting if you're a fan of the series. Nothing really happens, & it happens for about 60 pages.
Also, similarities between the Mona Lisa world & both Laurell K.Hamilton's Merry Gentry & Anne Bishop's Black Jewels stories are slightly grating to say the least. 0/5
Disregrading Mona Lisa Betwining I'm giving the anthology a four overall. Worth checking out. :)
On the Prowl - a breakdown - By: Kags, 29 Aug 2007 There are four 'romance' stories written by four authors. The 1st is written by Patricia Briggs & when she gets it right she's fabulous - & this is a great example of this. Her story is setin the same world as Moon Called/Blood Bound & deals with a Chicargo Werewolf Pack - Anna who is an abused member gets the courage to inform the Morrok (head werewolf)in Montana of a murder within the pack. He sends an 'investigator' his son Charles & arranges for Anna to liase with him. The story then develops as Charles investigates what's gone wrong with the pack including how they treat Anna, & Anna learns about the true rules of the wolfpacks. The romance is a beautiful thread & I can't wait for the sequel! The 2nd story is by Eileen Wilks & is about a psychic called Kai with an unusual power, her inhuman friend Nathan & a deadly magical creature that is murdering Gifted people. The idea is a 'power wind' brought magic back to the world so there are now Gifted e.g mages & psychics & lots of unexpected flotsom... The race is on for them to find the killer before it finds Kai, & for Kai & Nathan to sort out their feelings. Loved the twists, including Nathan's true identity! The 3rd story is by Karen Chance who delivers a wonderfully inventive tale with a few twists of it's own set within the same world as Touch the Dark etc but this time focused on a mage called Claire who is a mage null & as such a highly prized rarity, which is how she finds herself for auction. This is not good news as her value isin her death &in escaping she ends upin Faerie - fortunately with a Fey Lord who'sin as much trouble as her as they've landedin enemy territory. The 4th story is by Sunny setin the same world as the Mona Lisa series. Forget the romance, the story whacks a bit of sexin instead & it's just a chapter which could have easily been included within her books where Mona Lisa finds out some consequences of having killed the Queen Louisa & that she's getting a little mixed up with the demon dead again. Pretty important if you're reading the series, a disappointing story if you're expecting ANY romance or engaging world/characters.
A mixed bag - but two out four makes it worth reading - By: clairefromwales, 19 Aug 2007 Got to take the rough with the smooth as they say & that's certainly true of anthologies. I guess most people will be picking this book up because it has a story by an author they like. Personally, I'm a Patricia Briggs & Karen Chance fan but I'd never read anything by Eileen Wilks or Sunny.
It's very difficult to give the book an overall rating - three stars makes a reasonable compromise - so I've rated each short story on its own.
-- Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs - 5 stars --
I've read everything by Patricia Briggs which isin print & have enjoyed them all. The Mercy Thompson universe, which is where this book is set, is a wonderful & somehow very real creation. The story is an offshoot of 'Moon Called' although you don't really need to have read it for the story to work.
Charles is the eldest son of Bran, the 'Marrok' or leader of the Werewolves livingin North America, & he acts as his father's enforcer. He is sent to Chicago to find out why the Alpha of one of the City's two packs has been turning people without their consent & selling them.
In the course of his investigations he discovers Anna, a fairly new werewolf, who he realises has a very special talent - she's an Omega wolf, naturally able to quell the violent urges of her pack mates, but she's been viciously abused by her pack.
It's one of the interesting features of this author that she writes about serious issues like abuse with a sensitivity, & an emphasis on the positive action that people takein confronting & then moving beyond these horrific events, which makes you think the books are less dark than they actually are.
At heart this is a love story, but one where commitment comes almost before the relationship because as Anna & Charles get to know one another (and so do their wolves) their bond deepens very rapidly.
It's fascinating to see Charles come alive. He's quite a distant characterin Moon Called, but evenin that book he shows a caring sidein his interaction with Mercyin Montana. Here is gets to display those wonderful protective Alpha instincts.
There are also some lovely moments with the seemingly omniscient Bran. He's a such an interesting character, so much power yet he makes so little display of it. (I may also be slightly bias as he's Welsh!)
The main disappointment was how short the story was. I would have loved more - & would happily have sacrificed some of the space given over to some of the other storiesin this book.
Overall - short, but beautifully written, wonderfully pitched characters & simple, but well thought out plot. Can't wait for the next stories for these characters (and for Mercy herself.)
-- Inhuman by Eileen Wilks - 3 stars --
I'm still not sure what to make of this one. The worldin which it takes place was interesting & the characters were likeable & had a believable relationship.
It follows Kai, a telepath, & her friend Nathan, who is a policeman. Nathan is also not human or at least wasn't when he started out life. They livein a sort of post-magical apocolypic world. Where talented humans are not entirely welcome. A series of horrible murders begin & Kai & Nathan find themselves draw into the chase.
For me, the plot didn't really work. The initial murders, investigations & then going on the run were fine, but the story lost me towards the end by going all high drama & fey queens. The explanations got rather convoluted & I simply didn't buy the motivations that shaped the decisions relating to Dell.
Overall - it was solidly written, readable, but nothing special.
-- Buying Trouble by Karen Chance - 5 stars --
Ah, Karen Chance - her books are always guaranteed to be funny, have a plot that moves at ludrioucs speed & be filled with crazy characters & lots of action (of all sorts.)
This may be a short story, but she still managed to pack it all in.
The story follows Claire, a projective null who can dull magic, on a voyage of discovery when she is whisked away by a magic rune & a rather attractive Lord of the Light Fey when things go spectacularly wrong at the auction house where she works.
She ends upin the Faerie, but unfortunatelyin the bit controlled by the enemies of her companion, Heidar. There then follows a wet, frenetic chase & Claire makes some very surprising discoveries about herself.
The story is very amusing. Claire is a great lead character - likeable, tough but still vulnerable. Heidar is adorable - probably the most 'leading man' of any of Chance's male characters (I love Mircea & especially Pritkin, but the geas & being generally psychotic do count against!)
There is a chapter or so where things get slightly fairytale princess, but it's soon back to sarcasm & our world.
Overall - I loved it. The story made me smile, I really liked the characters & would like to read more about them.
-- Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny - 2 stars --
Hmm... well... I guess if you like this author this would be okay, but it just isn't my thing.
I don't have a problem with sex scenesin a book, but this was just too graphic without a discernible plot to break up the... er... action.
I will say that the world of the Monere was interesting & the book wasn't badly written, but the motivations of the characters, including the lead character, Mona Lisa, made no sense to me - again, if you've read other books setin this universe I guess this wouldn't have been a problem.
Overall - Not my cup of tea.
For On the Prowl overall - reading this book confirmed that I like what I like, but didn't entice me to check out anything else by the other two writers (in fact for Sunny it simply served to label her work 'avoidin future'.) Still it's a good way to test out some different authors.
