Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Into the Mystic, Volume Three 
SERIES: Into the Mystic #3
AUTHOR: Bru Baker, Michelle Frost, L.J. Hamlin, M. Hollis, Ava Kelly, K. Parr, Artemis Savory, Ziggy Schutz, and Lis Valentine
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 197 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2018
BLURB: Nine lesbian/bisexual paranormal short stories…
“It Started Before Noon” – All stories must begin somewhere.
“Heart’s Thaw” – A frozen heart is no match for ignited passions.
“Fire and Brine” – Of all the bars in all the world, Alice had to wander into Cassandra’s. Are either of them ready for what comes next?
“Dance with Me” – Can a werewolf and a vampire put aside their differences to catch a thief in the Windy City?
“My Cup of O Pos” – Not every visit to the ER has to be stressful.
“Home” – A stray, an alpha, and a question: Where does she belong?
“Swoon” – Falling in love is tough when you’re a cursed pirate.
“The Hunt” – A first bite is never easy for a teenage vampire.
“By Candlelight” – A girl and her ghost await a funeral.
REVIEW:
I’m so happy to review a NineStar Press anthology dedicated solely to female characters and bisexual/lesbian romances. This anthology is definitely a case of “something for everyone.” It gets spicy, sweet, dreamy, and even a little creepy. Here are my separate story reviews.
“It Started Before Noon” by Ava Kelly
I’ve never read a story premise like this one before! I enjoy stories that take a meta approach to writing and storytelling and that have characters who create stories themselves. Having dreams/ideas/inspirations as living entities makes for a unique fantasy story with some steampunk elements.
The characters themselves are alright—their romance is sweet, light, and full of humor, but the two women as individuals were painted a little broadly, and the instant rivalry between creatives and scientists was a little too basic. But all in all, it is a fresh and original start to the anthology.
Story Rating: 
“Heart’s Thaw” by Bru Baker
I wasn’t expecting such a scorching erotic story, and so early in the anthology! It definitely set my high expectations for the rest! Though it is a straightforward premise with an easily-solved conflict, the story follows a satisfying arc and reaches a delicious climax, pun intended.
Since this story involves the meddling of an incubus, sex as means to an end and “sex pollen” are featured pretty heavily. They are more common themes/tropes in M/M fiction, and as an F/F lover, I’ve always wanted it to be more popular in F/F works. Baker does it perfectly in this story. The characters work together beautifully in a fantastic mix of servant/master tension, historical romance, and fantasy drama. A lovely story.
Story Rating: 
“Fire and Brine” by Lis Valentine
Though this story does have a dusty, down-home feel akin to Wynonna Earp, it failed to leave a hugely lasting impression on me. The paranormal aspect of the story relies on a “plot twist” that doesn’t really mean much for either character. It could’ve held together just fine as a non-paranormal story with completely human characters.
It’s mainly erotica, and reading it as that, the sex scenes are pretty decent. I liked the inclusion of a scorching face-sitting scene, because it’s a sex act often overlooked in erotica, which is unfortunate.
Story Rating: 
“Dance with Me” by Michelle Frost
This story feels like a condensed version of a really awesome urban fantasy romance, and it totally works. It has a pretty classic structure—a sleek vampire and a rugged werewolf have to work together to solve a mystery, finding friendship and eventually romance along the way. It’s an accessible, readable story, and I was drawn to the characters right away.
There’s nothing new here, but if you’re an urban fantasy/paranormal fan, it will feel like coming home!
Story Rating:
“My Cup of O Pos” by L.J. Hamlin
I really like the inclusion of a paranormal character (vampire, in this case) with a very human disability. The author and the character have the same disability (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or EDS), so right away, I trust Hamlin’s expertise in writing a good character with a not-commonly-known disability. I also enjoyed the elements of consent and healthy relationship building between the vampire and human doctor.
My issue with this one was the pacing and plot arc. It just ended up on the boring side for me. I thought it would’ve flowed perfectly naturally if it ended after their meet-cute…then after their date…then after their late-night phone call…then after their sex scene. The story wanted to extend into something more, but the plot potential just wasn’t there, so it fizzled out a bit. The characters were great, but the story itself never found balanced footing.
Story Rating: 
“Home” by K. Parr
A lot of my very favorite werewolf stories follow in the same vein as this one—a character entering the werewolf life alone and confused before finding their true family. This young wolf has so much chemistry with her older alpha that I was rooting for them right away. There’s a lot of classic urban fantasy stuff in this story, and it all works very well.
I do think the ending was a little rushed on this one, but it’s tricky with such a short story. Really, I just wanted more!
Story Rating:
“Swoon” by Artemis Savory
Out of all the stories in this collection, this one is the most unique. It took me a while to get my bearings within the mythology and the characters’ strange afflictions. The female pirates aboard the ship have more in common with sirens than with the swashbuckling men we know better from movies and TV, making them intriguing characters who go against all our fantasy expectations.
I was less enamored with the romance. The repercussions of an illicit tryst between a young cursed pirate and a prickly stowaway seemed too risky, but when they eventually consummated their relationship, the stakes were lowered quickly. I enjoyed the backstory and mythology more than the romance itself in this one.
Story Rating: 
“The Hunt” by M. Hollis
This story is on the sweeter side of the anthology, and it edges a little bit into young adult. The parallels between a first kiss and a first vampire “bite” are a little corny, but they made me smile.
The problem I had with this story is that I was way more interested in the teen vampire’s two mother vampires than I was in her! I wanted to know more about their backstory and how they raised their vampire “child.” I guess that shows my age a little bit.
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“By Candlelight” by Ziggy Schutz
Out of all the stories in this anthology, this is the one that veers more towards literary work, and more towards the psychological than the romantic. It feels hazy and dream-like, dealing the aspects of the paranormal world that are a bit more somber.
Though this was a lovely and well-written story, it felt the most out of place in the anthology. It’s more serious and introspective. I think it will attract a lot of fans, but some readers might get bored with it.
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