Kelley Armstrong, Jeaniene Frost, and Melissa Marr contribute novellas to this collection and, unlike some book sets which give old material new life, these are three all-new works. HEX ON THE BEACH will be great for fans of the three authors of modern fantasy.   

Time to confess that I enjoyed the first story, but not the other two, as I don’t like horror. Goddess of Summer Love by Kelley Armstrong introduced me to immortals from the Greek pantheon, still among us, still faintly amused by mere mortals. Vanessa, as Venus calls herself, is trying to live up to the name of Aphrodite. She has a complicated relationship with the other Olympians who aren’t far away during this story, among them Mars, her on-and-off lover. Vanessa provides backstory information, and as I had not read any earlier works in the ‘Cursed Luck’ series I was glad to understand the situation.

While celebrating a summer holiday, Vanessa participates in a tour of a haunted theatre and tries to solve the riddle of a ghost. She’s also finicking magic at some local people to start relationships or deepen friendships, although they are mainly interested in opening a new store.

Second is Daiquiris and Dagger by Melissa Marr. This introduced the Icelandic concept of a ghoul arisen because a body was buried in haste, known as a draugr.  Genevieve Crowe, Beatrice and Ellie, while making bargains with fairies and finding lovers, have to tackle the draugr, and manage to drink an unsettling amount of blood, in cocktails and otherwise, on aeroplanes and in homes. There’s some vampiric reason. I wasn’t keen to read too closely. This book is part of the ‘Faery Bargains’ world and those who are following the series will probably be happy with the tale.

Moving on to A Grave Girls Getaway by Jeaniene Frost, we shortly meet another vampire. This one has a complicated and not appealing – to me – lineage, so she is the only vampire who drinks the blood of vampires, not of humans. There are witches, there’s violent action and more in this ‘Night Huntress’ series instalment. Again, the darkness just wasn’t for me.

I got on well with the urban fantasy of the first tale, so there’s something for everyone in this trio of magic, mysticism and mayhem. HEX ON THE BEACH will appeal to adult readers of dark fantasy particularly.