Three from Harriet

Devilishly Wicked
Kathy Love
Kensington Brava, $9.95
ISBN: 9780758265890

Demon of lust Tristan McIntyre becomes editor-in-chief of fashion magazine Hot! replacing Finola White the devilishly Diva of the damned. Tristan exiles his predecessor to the mailroom; ordering her to identify undercover demon slayers allegedly working inside the organization.

Tristan is upset with himself because he is attracted to his artless human assistant Georgia Sullivan instead of focusing on the fashion magazine and sending souls to Hell. He flirts outrageous with Georgia; but though she is attracted to her Devilishly Wicked boss, she knows her overly ample curves look too abundantly fat next to the perfect size two models Tristan can have whenever he lusts for it.

The latest Devilishly heated romantic urban fantasy (see Devilishly Hot and Devilishly Sexy) is a fun lighthearted tale due to the pairing of opposites, a sophisticated sexy demon and an ultra-naive human. Although Tristan’s transformation from wicked soul dispatcher to born again human lover never feels right as he ignored his hellish mission, readers will appreciate this amusing tale. Harriet Klausner

Elementary: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters
Edited by Mercedes Lackey
DAW, Dec 3 2013, $7.99
ISBN 9780756409593

The second “All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters” collection (see Elemental Magic) contains nineteen very short stories; with most occurring outside of Victorian England. Tanya Huff returns to Nova Scotia (see Elemental Magic’s "Tha Thu Ann") in “Arms of the Sea” as Marie struggles with what happened to her and her dad. The “Fire’s Daughter” by Elisabeth Waters focuses on “to thine own self be true” (Shakespeare). Diane Paxton leaves "A Song of the Sea" (from the previous compilation) to a “Fire Song”. Readers return to Jody Lynn Nye's La Parfumier Rupier (see Elemental Magic’s "Air of Mystery") in “Air of Deception”. Mercedes Lackey ends the collection with a strong trek “Into The Woods”. With a sense of newness caused by the most contributions set outside Victorian England and includes few weak entries, readers will appreciate the latest entertaining Elemental Masters expansive historical fantasy anthology as many of the same writers from the opening act provide fans with a return engagement. Harriet Klausner

The Doctor And The Dinosaurs
Mike Resnick
Pyr, Dec 10 2013, $18.00
ISBN: 9781616148614

In 1885 as John L. Sullivan comes from the east, emaciated dentist Doc Holliday cannot enjoy the boxing festivities since his entire focus in on his next breathe while dying from Consumption at the Leadville Sanitarium. The once deadly shooter’s companion Kate Elder has begun auctioning off his dental equipment as he has less than a week left.

While Doc wheezes, Theodore Roosevelt and Apache medicine man Geronimo sign a treaty that allows whites to enter the previously forbidden West. However the ink is not dry on their pact when two bitter rivals Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh arrive in search of dinosaur bones. Neither adversarial paleontologist cares about the fact that where they dig might upset the local population as long as they achieve greater finds than the other. When both desecrate holy burial grounds, irate Comanche medicine men angrily inform Geronimo they will reanimate dinosaurs to dine on these despicable miscreants. Fearing the medicine men may lose control of the dinosaurs leading to unintended consequences of the beasts feasting on their respective tribes, Geronimo offers Holliday a deal he cannot refuse. In return for one year of good health, Doc, using any means necessary, rids the west of these two odious desiccators.

The latest Weird West fantasy (see The Buntline Special) is an enjoyable thriller even with a thin storyline based on the real “Bone Wars” feud between Cope and Marsh. The cast is strong; especially Doc with his graveyard humor adding fun to an engaging clash between the American worship of the manifest destiny of science and the tribes’ belief in the cultural heritage of their magic; with dinosaurs uninterested in either human tenet. Harriet Klausner