Lacey Alexander's The Pirate and the Pussycat takes us to an adult Halloween party. Last year, Leah met Patrick the Fireman who set her on fire, but then never called. She has decided that this year, she is not going to be disappointed, so she daringly dons a cat costume—minus her panties. She wants a man who will make her feel alive; if only for one night. Contemplating her choices, she dismisses a super hero, a clown and a so-so policeman. In walks the sexiest pirate she has ever seen. The attraction is instant and the heat between them bursts into flames. She doesn't know who is hiding behind the sexy little goatee and pirate voice, but in the shadows of the back porch, Leah and her pirate have the hottest sex of her life. Suddenly feeling guilty because she can't help but wish he was Patrick the Fireman, she tells her story to the sexy pirate. What she discovers may be the biggest treat of her life.

In Cathryn Fox's Panther's Pleasure, we take a trip to 3040. Sash is restless and in need of a little relaxation after her long journey across space. At the docking station, she heads to the lounge area looking for a drink and sexual relief with any willing man. Once inside, she is irrevocably drawn to a wild, gorgeous looking man with piercing green eyes. Her body reacts in a way it never has before, and his smoldering look fires her blood. Going outside for some air, the surrounding forest calls to her. As she makes her way through the darkness, she is stalked by a large animal—a panther. Coming face-to-face with the large cat, she is stunned when it changes into a man—the same man from the lounge. Kade tells her that she is his mate and a shifter. But in order for her to change into her true form, she must breed with him. Having hot and heavy sex with a magnificent specimen of a man like Kade is sure to bring out the animal in any hot-blooded woman.

Renee Luke's On Her Back tells the story of Simone Harris, a woman whose brother is killed in the war. His best friend, Elijah Russell, comes home injured and feeling guilty about the death of his friend. Simone has no one left but Elijah. She has loved him her whole life and now all they have is each other. She also fears that Elijah will never look at her as more than his friend's little sister. Can Simone convince Elijah that she does not blame him for her brother's death, and that what she feels for him is more than a young girl's crush? Can Elijah convince Simone that the only reason he came back home was for her?

In Charlene Teglia's I Was an Alien's Love Slave, a woman's beliefs are put to the test. Micki Sloane does not believe in aliens, even though she writes for the local tabloid paper, and her neighbor wears a metal helmet to ward off any invaders. She is woken from her sleep by a bright light and finds she can't move. Next, she is whisked away and finds herself in a strange place with odd-looking beings. All except for the god-like man, Keelan Os'tana, who announces that he came in answer to her call. Call? What call? Not only that, he tells her that she is now destined to be his love slave…if she so desires. Micki must make a choice: she can be Keelan's mated love slave, a sex slave for the alien population, or return home to her boring life. Decisions, decisions. Humdrum life…alien plaything…or sex slave to a delicious, passionate alien who curls her toes. Which would you choose?

N.J. Walter's Sunshine for a Vampire is a story about an unusual vampire, a woman who has blonde hair and blue eyes. Her name is Sunshine DeMarco, and she is called a freak among the vampires. Along comes Silvestru Rusnak, a vampire prince from Romania. They meet at a party being held in his honor; however, Sunshine does not know who he is when she sees him. Out on the balcony, they are drawn to each other. After one kiss, he gathers her into his arms, takes her to a hidden part of the gardens, and makes mad, passionate love to her. Silvestru returns to the party to wait for her, but she flees back to the safety of her home without telling him her name. The next day, Sunshine sits in her own garden remembering the handsome man who swept her away. Silvestru is not a man who gives up easily. When he finds her alone in her garden, he tells her that she is his mate for all time. Can a woman shunned by society find happiness in the arms of a real live prince?

In Kate Willoughby's A Man of Vision, Delphine Alexander sells herself as a mistress to a well-known artist, Cristoforo Valtieri. He works nonstop, but his sexual urges come upon him at all hours of the day and night, and he expects Delphine to be available 24/7. Determined to earn enough money to retire before she is forty, she requests the sum of thirty-five thousand euros, to which he agrees. While he sculpts his granite, she stays nearby—available to him at any time. As the days pass, Delphine discovers that Cristoforo is going blind, giving her an understanding of his drive to finish his statues. After he visits his doctor, he returns angry and dejected. His drive for his art and for Delphine has vanished. Delphine's determination to help him, places her in a vulnerable position. Can she take away his fear and return his zest for life without losing her heart?

Six hot stories that will turn up the heat. In all honesty, I have to say that I wanted each and every one of the stories to go on and on. The Pirate and the Pussycat by Lacey Alexander put me in the mood to search for a pirate of my own. Halloween parties…here I come. A trip into space doesn't seem too bad, especially if a little rest and relaxation includes a sexy, wild man like Kade in Cathryn Fox's Panther's Pleasure. In Renee Luke's On Her Back, I felt the sorrow and passion shared by the hero and heroine as they tried to come to terms with their feelings for each other. With consideration to choices, I would have had a hard time (in more ways than one) picking whose slave I wanted to be. Micki, in Charlene Teglia's I Was an Alien's Love Slave, definitely had many hot and sexy choices. In N.J. Walter's Sunshine for a Vampire, it was refreshing to find a female vampire that isn't tall, dark and beautiful. Sunshine was a perfect mix—sensitive, caring and sensual. Even those who are snubbed by others, gets the man that everyone else desired. I've often heard that artists are very sexual people. Cristoforo in Kate Willoughby's A Man of Vision laid to rest any doubts with regard to an artist's drive. Did I say laid and drive in the same sentence? Maybe there is a reason why people like to visit art museums. I'll have to check it out.

Reviewed by: Chris P.