Hot Blooded by Christine Feehan, Maggie Shayne, Emma Holly and Angela Knight

A bound man with a voracious appetite...A werewolf with human desires...A shape-shifter with one basic need...An immortal lover with a passion for mortal women. These are the stories of Hot Blooded. 

I've read the Christine Feehan story in another anthology, but the rest were new to me. All were enjoyable.  I like all the authors.

Fugitive by Cheryl Brooks

Renowned wildlife artist Drusilla agrees to get away from Earth for awhile and travel to Barada Seven. The lure of a unique paradise filled with beautiful species of birds isn't something she's able to resist but she never imagined that within this primitive yet still progressive environment she'll become friends with some of the oddest creatures and one in particular whom she finds irresistible.

Manx is a Zetithian fugitive with a feline gene and sexual powers longed for all across the universe. His home planet has been destroyed and any survivors have bounties on their heads. Manx has been able to remain undetected on Barada Seven because of his self-sufficiency and the remoteness of the cabin which he's secretly borrowed until the beautiful Earth woman's arrival. Now he's torn between the need to remain hidden and a drive to claim this woman as his mate.

Drusilla is stunned to learn that Barada Seven is a peaceful planet - weapons of any sort aren't permitted. How would it even be possible to protect themselves against hostile invaders? Rather than dwell on how different this planet and its inhabitants are Drusilla chooses to get comfortable in her new surroundings and concentrate on her painting. What she doesn't know is her presence is a source of great frustration for Manx and unparalleled amusement for the eltran Zef. Zef is a large ugly amphibian who lives in the lake - and has the undesirable habit of stating exactly what he thinks. Before Drusilla and Manx even meet Zef informs her that she'll like the male very much - and he's right. Their first encounter sets the tone for their relationship - tumultuous, undeniable sexual attraction tempered with a fair amount of uncertainty. They may be on a peaceful planet but because of Manx's heritage, safety from the vicious Nedwuts schemes are not guaranteed.
 

A steamy, action filled read.  LOTS of sex, but unfortunately not well written sex.

When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy

It's been a hell of a day for Abby Barlow. In just a few hours, she's survived an explosion, watched her employer die, had a startling dream, and now she finds herself in a seedy Chicago hotel with the sexy, unearthly Dante, a man she both desires and fears. For 341 years, Dante has stood as guardian to The Chalice, a mortal woman chosen to hold back the darkness. A terrible twist of fate has now made Abby that woman. Three hours ago, Dante would have used all his charms to seduce her. Now she is his to protect. And he will do so until his very death. A terrifying plan has been set in motion, one that will plunge Dante and Abby into an epic battle between good and evil - and a desperate race to save their love...

Sizzling chemistry between Abby and Dante.  A good but not great read.  I'm not sure why it didn't quite make it into great...

Moonstruck by Susan Grant

Peace was for little girls, and Coalition starship admiral Brit Bandar was one tough woman. A mere intergalactic treaty could never get her to trust the Drakken Horde. There was too much bad blood between the Coalition and the Horde and, for intensely personal reasons, Brit wasn't sure that she was through spilling it. But now a peaceful accord had made Finn Rorkken, a notorious Drakken rogue, second in command on her starship, and - through some grand cosmic irony - front and centre in her thoughts... and her heart.

Warleader, pirate... either title sat easily on Finn's battle-hardened shoulders. Though second in command to "Stone-Heart" Bandar? That one would take some getting used to. Peace required as much sacrifice as war, so he'd comply even if his reaction to the gorgeous admiral fell decidedly outside protocol. But would he end up kissing or killing her if the galaxy's tentative truce turned into all-out war? 

A nice blend of sic-fi romance and space adventure. 

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Suzanna is Almost forty and not happy with her life or her marraige. She opens the Emporium in an attempt to fulfill her life.
Suzanna, the abandoned daughter of her fathers first wife feels responsible for her mothers death among other dissatifactions. Through the shop, she makes friends with Jesse and others who help her become herself.

The story is told through a number of different threads that gradually come together. It was a very enjoyable read.

The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian

 Young Alfred is a ten year old African-American boy from Burlington whose life to date has been a trial. Shuttled from foster family to group home, the boy is on the verge of being lost to the kind of despair that can envelop unwanted children. He cautiously enters the Sheldon family circle, barely willing to hope that he can find a permanent place for himself among these kind people, who are still distracted by grief following the disappearance of their twin daughters, drowned two years before in a flash flood. Across the street from the Sheldons live an older couple, who take Alfred under their wings as surrogate grandparents, and it is they who introduce him to the history of the buffalo soldiers, African-American cavalry troopers whose reputation for bravery and honour inspires the child. Just as life seems to be settling into some sort of normal patterns, Terry who has never been unfaithful to Laura finds himself deeply attracted to the solace offered by another woman's arms. Their encounter, brief as it is, finds the woman pregnant with his baby, a child Terry suddenly realizes he urgently wants.

 Loved the parallel story told through the historical snippets at the beginning of each chapter.

Another wonderful, captivating story fromChris Bohjalian.

Dead Girls are Easy by Terri Garey

There's something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx—she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.

Before you can say boo, Atlanta's ghosts are knocking at Nicki's door. Now her days consist of reluctantly cleaning up messes left by the dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light . . . and one-on-one anatomy lessons with Dr. Joe Bascombe, the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the deceased is a real drag, especially for a girl who'd rather be playing hanky-panky with her hunky new boyfriend . . . who's beginning to think she's totally nuts.

But things get even more complicated when a friend foolishly sells her soul to the devil, and Nicki's new gift lands her in some deep voodoo.

As it turns out for Nicki Styx, death was just the beginning. 

A mix of ghosts and voodoo. It was almost like the author changed direction halfway through the book. I liked the way it started, but not so much where it ended up.