V Plates (Men of the Otherworld) by Kelley Armstrong

V PLATES (A Short Story) by Kelley Armstrong

V PLATES is a short story found in the anthology BLOODLITE III: Aftertaste (May 2012 release). A book with approximately 30 short stories by authors such as Kelley, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Jim Butcher, Bloodlite III: Aftertaste is a publication from the Horror Writers Association. And since we have been focusing on some of Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld novels, V Plates is a rather interesting look at Nick’s new -found attempt at fatherhood.

In the novel Frostbite, we are introduced to 3 new characters werewolves: Noah the 16year old son of a former pack mate: Reese, a 20 something import from Australia on the run from his past: and Morgan- a Canadian werewolf living with a real wolf pack in Alaska. V Plates is the story behind Noah’s first foray into manhood, and Reese’s attempts to find Noah an experienced woman.

Noah was tired of being teased about his virginity. At 18, he was small for his age, and the other guys at school made it a point to tease Noah about his lack of sexual experience. And to complicate matters, Noah dumped his girlfriend in order to hook up with the school bad girl. But Reese had another idea in mind. Heading into the city, Reese had booked a night of sexual pleasure at the local brothel, and Nick was not too pleased that Noah had gone to Reese with his sexual concerns and questions.

But all too soon, the local house of ill-repute was something from a horror movie. Reese’s senses went into overload when he recognized the stench of death. When an oversexed lady-of-the-night insisted on entertaining Reese, he made sure that Nick went along for the ride. And once in the room, it would become readily apparent why Nick was suddenly Reese’s wingman. How Nick missed the scent of death is questionable, but a fight with a houseful of demons and zombies, would ensure that Noah kept his virginity for another tale.

V PLATES is approximately ONE chapter in length. Kelley has promised to write a series of shorts so that her fans would not be disappointed, and V Plates is the first of many –we hope. A lighthearted look at Nick’s attempts to raise a teenage boy and young man with only his own experiences to draw from, V Plates is a great addition to the Men of the Otherworld series. FORBIDDEN (December 2012) will focus on Morgan.

reviewed by Sandy