BURNING UP is a compelling paranormal series with several well-known authors. Opening up BURNING UP is to immerse yourself into a new world. Upon closing the pages, I wasn't let down and decided to pick up the author's works in the series that I hadn't been following.

Blood and Roses - Angela Knight
To me, Blood and Roses is different than Ms. Knight's previous mageverse novels, but still very good. I could be wrong and often am (not really but that sounded more humble – LOL), but if you're familiar with Ms. Knight's mageverse series, I think Blood and Roses takes place in one of the other worlds Merlin traveled to create vampires and witches.

Amaris is a witch (Blood Rose) who is being held against her will. If she doesn't help the vampire Tannaz, the wizard Lord Koban, and the two Varil (beings from another universe) capture the vampire Raniero, they will kill her toddler half sister. Having no choice, Amaris helps them with their scheme only to find out that they want her to seduce Raniero. Blood Roses are the natural mates for Blood Roses.

As you can see, the world building in Blood and Roses is very complex and compelling, which had me turning the pages. Despite Blood and Roses being a novella, it has the feel of a full length novel because of how skillfully it's crafted. One of my only issues with Blood and Roses is a not so consensual sex scene that reminded me of one of Johanna Lindsay's old school romances Prisoner of My Desire where Amaris nearly forces herself on a bound Raniero.

Despite that, I enjoyed Amaris and Raniero. They each had to overcome deep seated trust issues (she with vampires, he with Blood Roses) and work together to save their world against Lord Koban, who is using her sister as a blood sacrifice to open a portal to allow warriors to come in and destroy their world. Once I finished the story, I totally believed in there happily ever after.

Whisper of Sin - Nalini Singh
Although I've read Ms. Singh's Archangel series, I've never read her Psy-Changeling series, so I'm coming to this with fresh eyes. I must confess knowing next to nothing about this world and where Whisper of Sin fits into that world.

Whisper of Sin takes place over fifty years in the future where shifters and psychics are the norm. The Dark River pack (the shifters) have recently taken over the San Francisco area and are having a hard time integrating themselves into the hearts of the locals. That starts to change when Ria is attacked by a vicious gang attempting to challenge the Dark River pack and take over their territory. She is saved by a shifter named Emmett, who feels an immediate connection to her. As I'm not familiar with this world, I'm assuming that he innately knows she is his mate.

Ria comes from a very close knit Asian-American family. Her family expects her to enter into a marriage with a family friend. Ria is chafing at her family's expectations and wants to set up an independent life for herself. Normally, it drives me batty to be confronted with a heroine who doesn't stand up for herself or speak what's on her mind. It didn't bother me here. Ms. Singh did a skillful job of making Ria respectful of her parents and their traditions and expectations, and her working around that to achieve the independence she desires. I also loved that her parents/family weren't cookie cutter characters who wanted to control their daughter, but really loved and in some cases lean on and depend on her. In other words, Whisper of Sin has a terrific and realistic family dynamic which I loved.

Emmett and Ria's relationship progression is really interesting to observe. At first Ria is a person who he feels he needs to protect but as the layers in each other personalities are revealed, he comes to not only desire and want to protect Ria, but respect her as well. Despite being an Alpha male (and by this I do not mean leader in the pack, but by personality), I enjoyed how he talks over situations such as what they are doing to capture the gang. I also loved how they muddle through their preconceptions of a human/shifter relationship. There is one particular scene that is laugh out loud funny when Ria accidently shouts in Emmett's ear and Emmett (with his super sensitive hearing) nearly dies in agony. Whisper of Sin is another story that has a satisfying ending. As a matter of fact, the moment I closed Whisper of Sin, I begin looking for the first book in the Psy-Changling series.

Shifting Sea - Virginia Kantra
I've never read a Virginia Kantra novel before. I loved the fact that it wasn't about vampires (I mean really, how many vampire novels can you have?), but mermaids. I also loved the historical setting.

Major John Harris has just resigned his commission after inheriting property in Scotland. He moves to Scotland and has a hard time inserting himself into the hearts of his tenants. While on a ride, he comes across a beautiful woman named Morwenna down by the beach. He assumes she's another eccentric tenant of his. After a passionate encounter, Morwenna sends him quickly on his way.

Morwenna is bored with her life under the sea, and is determined to prove to herself and her brother that she can make it in the human world. She is in turn amused and confused at her deepening feelings for John. I loved how she is so clueless in her naïveté of the world and how it works. I also loved John's confusion in what to make of Morwenna. Is she really what she says she is and how is that possible?

Shifting Sea is all about community and new beginnings. Both John and Morwenna, of course, are making a change in their lives. I loved the little ways peppered throughout the novel, how they slowly gain the trust of the town. I appreciated the fact that the main focus of Shifting Sea is on the developing relationship between John and Morwenna and if they will be able to resolve their conflict (human male, mermaid female).

Because of this, Shifting Sea was my favorite story in the BURNING UP anthology. I loved Ms. Kantra's writing style, the historical setting, and the fact that Shifting Sea wasn't a vampire novella.

Here There Be Monsters - Meljean Brook
I'm not a reader of steampunk. I never even watched the movie Wild, Wild West with Will Smith (if that is even considered steampunk). I did watch and like A League of Extraordinary Gentleman, but that was mainly because I liked the take they took of the classic story characters, not for the steampunk (if that is steampunk) aspect of the movie. I must admit that Here There Be Monsters confused the heck of me. I freely admit that it's most likely due to my total lack of knowledge in the genre.

Although I was confused by the plot (which is why I don't have a plot overview), there is a lot of world building in Here There Be Monsters that I believe fans will appreciate. The history of the world and background of the characters are meticulously detailed. Since I didn't understand the world, I focused on the two main characters, Ivy and Mad Machen, and their developing relationship. I must admit that was confusing to me as well. Ivy spent most of the Here There Be Monsters running away from Mad Machen, and Mad Machen spent most of the story chasing her then pushing her away when he encountered her. While I was reading I was constantly waiting for the two of them to sit down for five minutes, talk, and air out there issues. I was disappointed when that never happened.

Because of the issues mentioned above and my lack of knowledge of steampunk, this hampered my ability to enjoy this entry in the anthology. ~ Lynette