Ever heard of animal attraction or better yet, felt it? The mindless drive to mate with another person? Forget social niceties; there are only the two of you. If you want to relive the wild, untamed feeling again or experience it for the first time, check out Animal Attraction, an exciting anthology penned by Jazz Raven, Brit Blaise, and Sandy Lynn.

In Night of the Cat, Dr. Laura Santiago is the new kid at Northwestern Hospital. After braving the wilds of the jungle, she is determined to show a few conceited doctors that she is extremely competent. The curvaceous doctor has a few minor issues—a tendency to black out and wake up naked in the strangest places. Add to that she is stronger than she’s ever been and she hasn’t been working out. Sexy Detective Jared Dalton arrives to unravel the mystery of her midnight jaunts, after Laura wakes up in the tiger enclosure at the local zoo. Despite his handsome exterior, Laura knows there is more to Detective Dalton than a pretty face. The question is can she find out before she wakes up somewhere even more dangerous?

In Monkey Around, Tonia might be able to stomach a broken engagement, but she isn't handing over her engagement ring to the other woman. Her mind is consumed with the fact that her slimy fiancé sent his present bimbo to retrieve the ring. Then Payton James--not your traditional Maytag repairman by a long shot--arrives to fix her dishwasher. She takes in his long muscular frame, night black hair, and Colgate–white smile and wonders why she isn't devastated by the end of her five-year engagement. There is something about Payton that she can’t put her finger on, although she would like to try using all ten fingers. Perhaps this sexier-than-sin repairman could help her forget her lower-than-a-snake fiancé. Little does Tonia know that she is in the middle of a set-up courtesy of Payton’s tealeaf-reading mother and her monkey.

In Sandy Lynn’s mesmerizing story, Faith and Love, the main character Faith finds herself in a police interview room. She’s watched enough television to know there is someone behind the large mirror. She can bet it’s the fault of her former boyfriend Donnie, the wanna-be gangster. What does she have to do to get Donnie and all the bad memories associated with him to go away? Her answer comes in the debonair form of Detective Daniel Peters. It involves her pretending to date the handsome Detective Peters to flush out Donnie. Faith decides she might like the assignment. It’s past time that she quits dating losers and criminals. Pretend dating just might be the first step. The fact that she has to let scrumptious Daniel handle her the way a man handles a woman he’s in a relationship with is a hardship, especially when she wants it to be more than pretend.

The three stories are short, sassy and full-bodied. Night of the Cat tantalizes with mystery and the power of an alpha male. Monkey Around sizzles with definite animal magnetism and no-holds-barred sex. It is easy to fall in love with the heroine, Faith in Faith and Love. I found myself rooting for her to meet a decent guy—finally. All three stories are tightly written and deliver on the promise of animal attraction.

Animal Attraction is a great anthology. The stories are short enough to be read in one setting and best of all they make you want to roar with satisfaction. Reading a short story anthology like this is a great way to discover three promising writers. Animal Attraction is a definite recommend especially for the upcoming winter nights.
Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© October 2006