Moonlight Madness and Magic

Three skillful romance novelists team up in these interconnected novellas, creating a beguiling mix of passion and the occult. Before accused witch Rachael Dobbs is burned at the stake in 1690, she hurls a malevolent curse at her lover, Jonathan Nightingale, who betrayed her. Each of his offspring shall be ``as the living dead'' until redeemed by the sacrifice of a virtuous woman. The consequences of the curse are first seen in Forster's ( Child Bride ) novella, Moonlight , set in 1785, when werewolf Michael Nightingale meets virginal healer Kit Downing, whose sacrifice to free the first of the demon/lovers is minutely detailed, complete with sighs and shudders. In Madness, Hughes ( Too Many Husbands ) follows the luckless Nightingales into the late 19th century when Dr. Heath Nightingale's creeping vampirism requires another virgin--this time blind Annabelle Rawlings-- to be ravished. Rupprecht ( Bad Boy of New Orleans ) closes the cycle in Magic , set in the present, when would-be senator Peyton Nightingale needs the unique skills of contemporary witch Rusty Padget to heal his mysteriously ailing son. Nicely blending witchcraft, time travel and exorcism, the authors flesh out the conventions of the genre to produce an engaging read. (May)