Review: Red Velvet and Absinthe

Title: Red Velvet and Absinthe

Author: Various

Source: Received through editor/author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:


Red Velvet and Absinthe explores love and lust with otherworldly partners who, by their sheer fantastical nature, evoke passion and desire far beyond that which any normal human being can inspire. Although the greats such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Daphne du Maurier are long dead, these contemporary authors keep the Gothic spirit alive and well by interpreting it in new and exciting ways. Red Velvet and Absinthe offers readers a collection of unique and original stories that conjure up the atmospheric and romantic spirit of the Gothic masters (and mistresses) but take things a bit further by adding to the brew a generous dosage of eroticism. Lie back and listen to the wind howling outside your window as you read these stories in the flickering light of a candle, the absinthe you’re sipping warming your body like the caressing touch of a lover’s fingers . . .


Includes:

Snowlight Moonlight by Rose de Fer
Cover Him with Darkness by Janine Ashbless
A Rose in the Willow Garden by Elizabeth Daniels
The Blood Moon by Mitzi Szereto
Painted by Anna Meadows
Dolly by Charlotte Stein
La Belle Mort by Zander Vyne
The Persistence of Memory by Even Mora
Scratched by Ashley Lister
Bitter and Intoxicating by Sharon Bidwell
Tea for Two by Claire Buckingham
Milady's Bath by Giselle Renarde
The Way Home by Cary Williams
The Queen by Tahira Iqbal
Benediction by Bonnie Dee



Review:




Red Velvet and Absinthe is a collection of dark and erotic paranormal stories. All of these stories are well written and have a gothic feel to them, but yet they are so different from each other. My favorites were Cover Him With Darkness by Janine Ashbless and La Belle Mort by Zander Vyne. Since these are all short stories, I feel like I can't say a whole lot about them without giving anything away. Honestly, most of these left me feeling confused. In a lot of these, there was so much mystery involved that never got explained. Basically, I learned something new about myself – I just don't enjoy short stories all that much. I like time to get to know the characters and to understand what all is going on. Also, when it comes to sex, I like for the characters to get to know each other a little first. These are just some personal preferences of mine, and I'm sure that many will love this steamy anthology.

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