Review © JSuarez 2007-2009

Title: Animal Attraction 2

Editor: Vincent Diamond 
Editor’s Website: Musings from a Romantic Smutster 
Publisher: Torquere Press
Release Date: April 2009
ISBN: 9781603706629
Length: 76000 words 
Format: eBook & Print
Genre: Contemporary Anthology 

This Anthology, edited by Vincent Diamond, has contributions by Kiernan Kelly, Aaron Michaels, Jane Davitt, CB Potts, Julia Talbot and Sean Michaels. The one running theme throughout these stories are, you guessed it, animals -- all kinds of animals... and they become part of each and every love story told in this small Romance collection.

Elusive Blue by Kiernan Kelly Kiernan gives us the story of a small town sheriff whose life is that of a solitary, lonely man who has to live in a restricted environment while being different. It's summer and the carnival has come to town, where our sheriff meet the beautiful Big Cat handler. It's difficult to tell when this story was set. It has the feel of a story set in the 1950's, at least that's what I kept seeing in my mind's eye. A romantic story about both intolerance and acceptance.

The Case of the Missing Boa by Aaron Michaels, is a who done it with a sense of humor. A PI in Las Vegas dreams of finding the "perfect man" -- but who ever heard of finding him in Las Vegas. In walks "a possibility", this man is looking for help finding his missing Boa. It's been stolen -- he thinks -- and the caper begins. Michael uses the old voices from PI books and movies to keep us entertained... and in the process of detecting, our PI finds out that the "perfect man" can be found in the most unlikely of places and under the most unexpected of circumstances.

Driven by Destiny by Jane Davitt is set in Hollywood during the old movie star days, when "star" was spelled with a capital "S". Kerr is Destiny's manager and she is a Diva. Destiny's body guard, a silent and self-contained man, knows how to take care of her. The star of this piece is a black panther... and she'll be the one to bring our Manager and Bodyguard together in more ways than one. Davitt gives us a hot story with a touch of control and submission.

Slow and Steady by CB Potts is a beautifully written story set in the Brazilian amazon. A scientist, goes on assignment to this part of the amazon to shoot a nature documentary with his companions, a cameraman, the narrator and their guide. The area they are traveling through is scheduled to be flooded to make a damn. Our scientist has a most surprising and enjoyable meeting with the local guide, who is opposed to the flooding. The stars of this piece are the snails... yes, beautiful glowing snails. But more than the snails, the adventure and the passion we read here, this is really about one's man patience and how it pays off. Beautifully written, I swear I could smell the jungle and feel the humidity while I was reading this story.

Rodeo Mafia by Julia Talbot introduces us to a young animal rights activist. A photojournalist that decides to take on the Rodeo, and cattle ranchers by showing through his photographs how they are abused. While attending one of these Rodeos, he's almost run down by a runaway bull, and a cattle rancher saves his life. After a brief confrontation, they decide to prove each other wrong and our story begins. The give and take in this story was beautiful, it shows that no matter how difficult, if you try and really want to, you can always see the other person's point of view and appreciate them for who they are. No matter how different. A hot story.

Hiding in Snow by Sean Michael features a photographer and a scientist who go to the mountains in Uzbekistan to try to make a documentary film about snow leopards, who are almost extinct. These two have to make it up a mountain while there's a snow storm coming and get hit by an avalanche on their way there. A survival story, and not only for the snow leopards, this is a story of two men who get to know each other under dire circumstances, and forge a bond that neither expected but both ultimately desire. This story provides the perfect ending to this beautiful Romance collection.

Part of Vincent Diamond's editor's proceeds are being donated to animal charities. For this book the charities are Florida Draft Horse Rescue and Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, where they work hard to rescue, rehab, retire and hopefully adopt members of these breeds.

Review by JSuarez  You can read more of Hilcia's reviews at Musings of a Bibliophile. 

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