Contains Wonderment in Death by J. D. Robb ( )

I'm not sure I've read any of the authors in this book but since it was Alice in Wonderland retellings, I knew I had to read it and it was worth it! ( )

I enjoyed every story in this collection. Even though each story had a similar fantasy theme, they were each unique and kept my interest. I would read this book again. ( )

I look forward to these books as a fun peek at my favorite In Death characters and the other stories tend to feel like a bonus. It's interesting to see how each author incorporates the theme of the compilation. Being a complete sucker for all things Wonderland-esque, I was looking forward to this read.

It was a good brain-cleaner book after a rather exhausting day but I do think it ranks as my least favorite compilation so far; at least on the part of J.D. Robb. The punch of the story was lacking for me. Robb has gone paranormal much more successfully in compilation pieces prior to this one, such as in Possession and Haunted . I just wasn't as hooked by the blend of Mad Hatter madness and paranormal elements as I hoped to be. It seemed more call-in than something Robb put any real effort into fleshing out.

I'd rank Alice and the Earl in Wonderland by Mary Blayney the highest in this collection. Romance novels/authors aren't really my wheelhouse so I'm not sure if the ranking would translate for someone who loves romance. For me, however, Blayney showed some interesting style in her contribution.


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I picked this up for the "In Death" novella, and wasn't disappointed--it's one of the better novellas, though as usual, it's not as strong as the full-length novels. But it's an interesting case, and doesn't tax the suspension of disbelief as some of the others have. While Robb's was probably the best of the anthology, Elaine Fox's "iLove" and Mary Kay McComas's "A True Heart" were pretty enjoyable. "iLove" suffered a little for trying to hammer in an "Alice in Wonderland" theme, and I think it would have been stronger if it could have been a stand-alone story. But it surprised me--I was braced for a heavy-handed Technology Is Bad story based on the opening, and the depth given to all of the characters actually took me aback. Similarly, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed the heroine of "A True Heart" and found myself sympathizing with her. While I didn't completely buy the explanation given for the story at the end, I did think it did a good--possibly the best--job of naturally incorporating "Alice" elements.

On the flip side is Mary Blayney and RC Ryan. Blayney's time-travel stories have never worked for me--I never feel anything but indifferent to her characters, so the outcome of their stories has little interest for me. Sadly, this wasn't an exception. That's not to say that this is a bad story--if her writing works for you, I imagine you'll enjoy it--just very forgettable. Ryan's "Fallen", on the other hand, had a promising beginning and then took a sudden nosedive. If I'd liked it a little more, I probably would have felt cheated--instead, I was just relieved that it was over. The heroine constantly seemed on the verge of growing a brain, so I'd hang in there and hope things were about to live up to the promise of the beginning...and then she'd take another stupid pill. Between that and the cardboard cutout hero...needless to say, I didn't buy a second of the love story. ( )