4 Stars“Landslide” was Mary Calmes contribution to the Creature Feature anthology. It’s the story of a human named Frank Corrigan who works as a courier for a demon, Cael. I am such a sucker for demons! OMG! My ultimate fictional man would be a demon fireman in a kilt. But anyway, Frank is a courier, Cael is an incubus demon. Cael has been insisting Frank is his mate. Frank just doesn’t want to accept that at all. Cael is a gorgeous man whereas Frank is kind of heavy. And a little hairy. Sexy men don’t choose bears to bottom for them. At least not in Frank’s experience. That doesn’t stop Cael from traveling with Frank to his sister’s engagement party. Well, it’s not an engagement anymore ’cause she slept with a werewolf, got bitten, and witnessed a body being dumped in a lake. Marrying her fiancé, who is not the werewolf, won’t work now. Frank really has a lot of stuff to help his sister take care of, and Cael goes with him and helps with everything he can showing Frank just how much he means to him along the way.
Okay, so, Mary Calmes occasionally writes Mary Sue characters. Actually, in some ways it’s sort of the same Mary Sue characters with a different name and in a different setting each time. This doesn’t stop me from buying all her books and enjoying them immensely. If you fed me fried chicken coated in caramel sauce I’d love it. Yeah, I’d need a whole bottle of Tums after I ate it, but I’d gobble that chicken down anyway. Sometimes I love stuff despite the problems with it. It’s inexplicable. “Landslide” was charming. I liked the world building which was surprisingly deep considering the length of the story. I also liked Cael’s obvious devotion to Frank. Frank was just so adorably “his.” It was heartwarming. So yeah, Frank was the only guy who could do what needed to be done, the only one with the understanding of all the supernaturals and paranormals, no one else could possibly do what he did and know what he knew. I don’t care. Give me my caramel coated fried chicken and leave me alone. This story made me happy. And will you please pass the Tums.
For the rest of Faye's review, covering
“Diagnosis: Wolf” Poppy's story in the Anthology, see
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