Ordinarily, I do not read anthologies. What drew me to this collection of stories, entitled Nibbles ‘n’ Bits, was one of the authors: Judy Mays. Although I had not yet read anything by the other authors of this anthology, I have read Judy Mays’ Heat series, which I love (and am eagerly awaiting future releases!). I enjoy romantic vampire tales, and in this anthology, I got three! What a bargain! For these reasons, I was eager to try out this Ellora’s Cave e-book – and I am ecstatic that I did.

"Rednecks ‘n’ Roses" by Judy Mays is a delightful tale of a young woman, Amber Blake, who is down on her luck. She has been downsized from her job and is soon to be evicted from her apartment. Not expecting anything from her Aunt Ernestine’s will, she is surprised to inherit a house including over one hundred acres. Deciding to focus on her erotic writing (she’s a fledgling author) she moves into the house with her cat, Midnight. Upon arriving, she is shocked to discover a man in her bath – who appears to be dead. Only he’s just sleeping the deep sleep of a vampire during the day. Yep, that’s right. Rusty sleeps in a bathtub instead of the traditional coffin. Having only been a vampire for about six weeks, he doesn’t conform to the typical vampire stereotype. Amber vows to help him out and make him the perfect hero for her next book. He’s a little resistant but he’ll be thankful in the end – or will he?

In "Fangs ‘n’ Foxes" by Mardi Ballou, Darnell D. DeLouis is the chief of the Black Guard, the main vampire group in Trenton. When he wakes up with the granddaddy of all toothaches in his left fang days before his huge fight with a rival vampire group leader, there’s only one dentist his head advisor, Wanda, can call – LaLilia Guitry. LaLilia wants to use her time with Darnell to convince him to make peace, not war. Unbeknownst to Darnell, she is a tooth fairy, a vampire and a strong advocate for peace. The meeting doesn’t exactly turn out the way she plans. Instead of being able to convince him to make peace rather than war, they have bone-melting sex on the dentist’s chair. Oh well, the best-laid plans and all that. Will Darnell fight his rival? Or will a peaceful negotiation come to pass?

"Frannie ‘n’ the Private Dick" by Delilah Devlin is Francesca Valentine’s story. She is a woman who has always been dependant on a man – first her father, now her fiancé, Vinnie. Catching Vinnie with his pants down, literally, sends Fransesca running from the office where her fiancé is doing the dirty, with Vinnie in hot pursuit pleading his innocence even as he tucks his shirt into his pants. Almost run over by a taxi, Francesca persuades the driver, Niall Keegan, to get her away from her cheating fiancé. The night ends in Francesca’s accidental death. Awakening in the funeral parlor several days later, she is understandably very confused – until she comes to understand that she is now not only a vampire, but Niall’s mate. Will these two vampires come to love one another after meeting in such an awkward, embarrassing way?

This anthology is simply fabulous. All three of these stand-alone stories contain steamy sex scenes and liberal dashes of humor. Having previously read works by Judy Mays, I was expecting a brilliant steamy tale. I was not disappointed – not that I was expecting to be. Neither am I disappointed in the other tales even though I have not previously read anything by these authors. I was not sure of what to expect or what their writing style is like. Having now read these great tales, I will definitely be reading more from these authors. Anyone have any suggestions?

If you enjoy erotic paranormal romance or these authors then Nibbles ‘n’ Bits is definitely a book for you – and your keeper shelf (or, should I say, e-book library). Heck, even if you’ve not read this genre or these authors before, give it a go. Anyone who likes steamy love scenes, interlaced with humor and an excellent writing style will love this anthology. Go on, give it a go; you know you want to. You won’t regret it.

Reviewed By Elizabeth
© July 2005