Everybody has a story and their own point of view, even the bad guys. In this fantastic anthology we get to hear from some bad guys that occupy the very best of the Urban Fantasy world. In these sixteen stories we struggle with the reality that good and evil are two sides of the same coin. These sixteen fabulous authors get to play on the dark side for a change. If you haven’t read these authors this anthology is a great way to get your toes wet as there isn’t a bad story in the lot.

I got to stop requesting short stories and samplers... hate reading them because they just get good and its over!

Loved the short stories. Another great way to introduce fans of the genres to other authors.

Who doesn't love a good villain? I mean come on, we all love to hate them and even sometimes, hate to love them. When I found out some of the top authors in the urban fantasy genre were going to be writing not only short stories set in some of the best series out there, but also in the point of view of their villains, I was so all over it. And even though some of these series I have yet to try, it didn't stop me from diving right in and seeing what their writing and bad guys were all about.

While all of these stories were good, like most anthologies, some stuck out to me more than others.

I loved Even Hand by Jim Butcher. In fact I liked it so much so that I plan on starting the Harry Dresden Files because of it. I mean who doesn't love witches and all things that go bump in the night?

Kelley Armstrong's Hounded from her Cainville Series was every bit as I expected it to be and I loved getting inside the Huntsman's head and seeing what makes him tick. It was a great bonus addition to the series and I'm so glad I read it.

Kiss by Saintcrow made me also want to start her series. Her villain was creepy and like the author has mentioned before, being inside his head makes you want to take a shower and scrub yourself clean afterward.

I already knew I liked the Iron Druid series by Kearne and seeing Loki and Lucifer featured in his short The Naughtiest Cherub, was just so much fun. It reminded me all over again, why I love his books. The humor is like no other and it's super hard to resist and UF series all set from the male POV.

Truly I could go on, all of these stories were great and while I liked some more than others, there weren't any that I hated, which was a nice change for me. Usually with these type of books you always get that odd ball story that doesn't seem to fit and you would rather have not wasted time on. Overall this was a fun filled, villainous read that I'm glad I took a chance on.

Urban Enemies
5 Stars for the book as a whole.

This is a collection of some of the most bad guys you will ever meet. I wasn't sure what to expect from this collection since it is about the bad guys of books we've read where we've rooted for the good guy. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading about them. I wrote several reviews on individual books but it looked to be getting too long of a review so I also want to say for to others and overall, this was a delight to read. Even if there's one or two you don't care for as much as the others, there's enough great ones to make it worth the purchase.

The Naughtiest Cherub by Kevin Hearne
5 Stars
I haven't read any of this author's work, but I do have him on my TBR list. After reading this story, I will be sure to bump him to the top. This is my favorite kind of book. I loved the part about the ice blade the Yetis made and I can't wait to read the story it referred to. Even though the character in this book is a villain, he was so very interesting!

Even Hand by Jim Butcher
5 Stars
This is another author I've heard so much about and I'm ashamed to say that I still haven't tried his work until now. I couldn't help but like John Marcone. He risked so much for saving a young lady and child. Even lost a lot. I got such a great taste for this world. I love how it has vampires, a Valkyrie, and my favorite the Fae. I really liked Gard and hope she is in all his books. This author is great at packing in such an intense world in a short story and still having great quality. I loved it!

Hounded by Kelly Armstrong
3 Stars
This story was ok. I liked the concept but I think I found the characters so annoying that I was just glad when it was over. I felt so sorry for the poor dog.

Nigsu Ga Tesgu by Jeff Somers
3 Stars
This wasn't really my cup of tea. I would probably like a full book that has this villain in it. The writing was beautiful and almost poetic. The villain was so bad and terrible. But very clever.

A great selection of fantasy authors. Something for everyone. Some I really enjoyed others were okay. I would just get into them and then it would be the end and of course just went it was getting good.

This Urban Fantasy anthology has an interesting twist as the protagonists of the stories are, shall we say, less than upright moral people or supernaturals as the case may be. These bad guys and gals get to have their say from sixteen very well know authors including Faith Hunter, Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire and Kelley Armstrong.

I am most familiar with Faith Hunter and her vampire Master of the City of New Orleans, Leo Pellissier whom we see with his heir, Katie. Fans of the series will enjoy being in his devious head in this story set before Jane Yellowrock comes on the scene. Leo has been quite an enigma throughout in the JY world where many readers often wonder about his behavior and motivations so here is a chance to get a glimpse of life in Leoworld.

Jim Butcher’s contribution from the world of Harry Dresden is another standout. His story focusing on John Marcone shows that bad guys are not all one dimensionally evil even though their behavior at times might suggest otherwise.

I imagine it was quite a challenge for the authors to so fully inhabit the heads of their baddies as well as making the stories interesting to readers who may be a bit skeptical of wanting to see inside some really dark folks. The best part of anthologies besides getting extra insight into characters from favorite series is meeting new authors and finding more works to enjoy. These stories are very well done so now I have a whole new list of series to add to my TBR pile.

I did like this book, although I feel that I missed a lot of the nuances in most of the stories. I am familiar with Butcher's, Hearne;s, Armstrong's, McGuire's, and Vaughn's worlds, so enjoyed their stories more. All of the stories are well-written, but without a knowledge of the world that they inhabit, again, a lot (if not all) of the nuance is lost.

That said, this is still well worth a read. It is interesting to have stories from the villain's perspective and doing so opens up a different view to some well-loved universes.

What I really like about these books is because I get a taste of some authors who I might never have read.

The stories like with all anthologies have weak and strong points

Collections of short stories by multiple authors are similar to a box of chocolates, you do not know what you will get until your start reading. Theme anthologies are even more problematic, but Urban Enemies has an interesting premise, provide a short story that stars one of the villains in an author's series. For example, the book opens with Jim Butcher's John Marcone facing off with a fae foe. Kevin Herne has Loki trying for a deal with the Devil. And Seanan McGuire almost makes you feel sorry for a cuckoo cryptids. Plus there are stories set in many series that I have not explored before, but tweak interest for future reading. And that is the fun of anthologies, a taste of the familiar and of the unknown!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I got a free copy of this from NetGalley. I was mostly excited for a new Dresden Files short story, and after all, they do put Butcher's name first and biggest on the cover. Except as I read it, it seemed awfully familiar. Guess what, it's a reprint of a several-years-old short story from a different anthology.

Guys, you can't have your headliner story be a reprint that most fans who'd be drawn by it have already read. Especially when none of the blurbs/promo material make clear it's a reprint of a story we've already read, and when those don't have a list of the titles of the story so we can check for ourselves. This struck me as intentionally misleading.

Also, since this is called "Urban Enemies", I hoped it would be a follow-up to "Urban Allies", which was where well-known urban fantasy authors got together and wrote new stories as collaborations between two authors, so you got fun team-ups of UF characters. This wasn't that at all, so I was further disappointed.

Overall, I feel that this book misrepresents what it is in order to sell itself to unwitting readers who are being led to expect something much cooler than what it is.

As a whole, I quite enjoyed this anthology. I liked more of the stories in it than I disliked, and I read a few that I REALLY loved and am going to have to find the original series from which they originated so that I can read more of them in the future. All in all, I was pleased with it.

Jim Butcher story - 4.5. Love Gentleman Johnny Marcone in all the Dresden Files novels, and reading a story told from his point of view was quite satisfying. The action was great and fast-paced, and the ending was superb. No complaints at all.

"Hounded" - 4.0 - Very good indeed. At first, I forgot I was reading from the villain's POV, and I was very sympathetic to the character. Then, as the story progressed, I couldn't help but think, "WTH??? Is this guy serious?!" Then I remembered BAD GUY and it all fell into place for me. I might one day check out this author's books for myself.

The funky named Usgardi or something story - 1.0 stars. I didn't understand it. I didn't like it. And I almost didn't finish it. Meh. Definitely not my cup of tea.

"Sixty six Seconds" - 3 stars. It was alright. it felt a little rushed and sometimes I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the source material.

"The Kiss" - 0 stars. I could not get into this story AT ALL. I tried 3 times to start it.over and re-read it to try to get something out of it. All to no avail. I finally gave up and didn't bother finishing it.

"The Naughtiest Cherub" - 5 stars. I have never read these books before, but I am going to have to now. I am a sucker for all things Loki anyway, and this one was actually well-written. I can't wait to get these books and read them.

"The Resurrectionist" - 3.0 stars. This was okay. It felt a little rushed in places, but the plot held together and the characters were interesting.

"Down Where the Darkness Dwells" - 3.0 stars. The beginning was a little slow, but the ending was awesome.

"Romanum" story - 2.5 stars. A neat little story. It is possible I would like to read more in the future.

"Altar Boy" - 4.0 stars. This one I really, really, REALLY liked. It was very enjoyable. I love the trope of the villain -- or former villain -- who knows he is damned, but he is still trying desperately to do the right thing and be a better person, despite, as I have already said, knowing that nothing he can do will ever make up for the awful deeds that he has performed in his past. I also really liked the ending. The plot and action were well-written. Overall, it was a very good read.

"Make it Snappy" - 3.0 stars. A decent read. It held my interest, and the ending was a nice touch. It did not, however, inspire me to read the original series.

"Chase the Fire" - 3.5 stars. Not bad at all. I enjoyed the strong, badass woman taking charge. The plot and action were both satisfactory. The length was good. Not bad at all.

"Unexpected Choices (Decisions?)" - 3.5 stars. A nice read. Well developed story and characters. It had a little more detail than was needed, I felt, which lengthened a bit more than necessary, but all in all, I enjoyed it.

"Reel Life" - 1 star. I just couldn't get into this one. It seemed like one of those short stories you really have to know the backstory on before you read it. You can't just jump into it like the others and enjoy it still.

"Deceit and Delusion"- 3.0 stars. Not bad at all. The plot wasn't as developed as I would have liked, but the action was super intense and made up for it. A good, quick read.

"Balance" - 5.0 stars. This one was very, very good. I love the idea of the cuckoo... a humanoid monster who slips into humans' lives and makes them love and care for them. The story was short, a very quick read, but it was definitely one of the best in the book.

The last one about the "Long Man" - 1.0 star. It took me ages to read through this one. I just could not get through it. Well, that is not true; I DID finally get through it, but I did not enjoy it. It was something about the style in which it was written. I just could not get into it.

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"He stank of formaldehyde and bad decisions."
- Craig Schaefer, Sixty-Six Seconds
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What a GREAT collection this was!! It is an exceedingly rare occurrence to have almost every story in an anthology be written by a well-known, established author... Add that to a great premise - tales from the point of view of established series' villains - and you have a definite recipe for success. I will admit, I couldn't read all of them - I wasn't familiar with a few of the series, so it was difficult to understand why the villains were so villainous, or what their relationship was to the other characters/events in the stories. BUT, the upside of that, is that I gathered a handful of new series onto my To Be Read list, and that's always a good thing!

My particular favorites:
- Even Hand, Jim Butcher (I've been jonesing for my Dresden Files fix, and even though Harry didn't make an appearance, the focus on Gentleman John Marcone should tide me over handily...)
- Sixty-Six Seconds, Craig Schaefer
- The Naughtiest Cherub, Kevin Hearne
- Down Where the Darkness Dwells, Joseph Nassise
- Altar Boy, Jonathan Maberry
- Unexpected Choices, Diana Pharaoh Francis

I like when series shift their perspective to give you a glimpse of a well-known world from an alternative point of view. I think it gives depth to the series, and its universe, and helps round out the stories and characters by making them multi-dimensional. In the stories that covered series that I know extremely well (e.g., Dresden Files, Harmony Black/Daniel Faust world), I found myself wanting to reread the novels with the added knowledge about the characters and their individual stories (back and otherwise). It's a great concept, and I will definitely be returning to this collection after I've had a chance to dig into a few of the series that were new(er) to me!

The stories in this are pretty fun and interesting, but I wish they'd stop re publishing stuff. It would be better if these were all new stories as I'd read quite a few before in different anthologies.

Stories are what I expected from these authors. Rich characters, good story lines and very well written prose. I recommend this for those who are waiting for their favorite authors to publish anything new and up and coming. I also say, if you haven't heard of these authors, then pick it up and give them a read. I'm sure there is something new for anyone out there looking for a new author to read.

This is a great anthology that centers on fantasy bad guys from well known series. 16 tales from well know paranormal authors that are mostly familiar names. Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry are a few of the writers who contributed to to this fine collection. This would be a great introduction to these authors if you're looking for some new fantasy authors.

I enjoyed this anthology. I especially liked the ones by Kevin Hearne, Faith Hunter, and Jim Butcher. A couple of the stories are by authors I have never read. I will have to check them out!

I received an e-ARC of this anthology through NetGalley and Gallery Books, Threshold Pocket Books. Thank you.

This was one of those books where I got what I had been wishing for and then wondered if I really appreciated what I got. For me the unremitting villainous focus was harder to enjoy than I had expected (so probably a 3 star rating would express that better), but the writing for each story is excellent so I'm going with the 4 star rating to reflect that aspect. I found that I needed to take breaks from the stories because it was hard for me to start with the first story and read straight through the collection. I've discovered I like my villains better when there is a comparison of actions with the good guys. A few of the stories feature both the good and bad character from a series - and those were my favorite stories - but there aren't many of those. There were quite a few authors included here who were unfamiliar to me. I have been given a great tool to help decide if reading more by specific authors will be in my future.

This collection is edited by Joseph Nassise and he has a story included. There are seventeen short stories and all the stories have the 2017 copyright date but I'm not sure that means none of the stories have been published before. I'm going to list the author, the series title(s), the short story title and the villain(s).

Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files: "Even Hand", Gentleman John Marcone.
Kelley Armstrong, The Cainsville Series: "Hounded", the Huntsman.
Jeff Somers, The Ustari Cycle: "Nigsu Ga Tesgu", Mika Renar.
Craig Schaefer, The Harmony Black Series and The Daniel Faust Series: "Sixty-Six Seconds", Fontaine (Harmony Black Series) confronts The Redemption Choir (Daniel Faust Series).
Lilith Saintcrow, The Jill Kismet Series: "Kiss", Perry.
Kevin Hearne, The Iron Druid Chronicles: "The Naughtiest Cherub", Loki narrates.
Caitlin Kittredge, The Hellhound Chronicles: "The Resurrectionist", Lee Grey.
Joseph Nassise, The Templar Chronicles: "Down Where the Darkness Dwells", Simon Logan and Ashereal.
Carrie Vaughn, The Kitty Norville Series: "Bellum Romanum", Roman (aka Gaius Albinus).
Jonathan Maberry, The Joe Ledger Series: "Altar Boy", Toys.
Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock Series: "Make it Snappy", backstory of Leo.
Jon F. Merz, The Lawson Vampire Series: "Chase the Fire", Shiraz Aziz.
Diana Pharaoh Francis, The Horngate Witches Series: "Unexpected Choices", Giselle works with Shoftiel.
Steven Savile, Glass Town: "Reel Life", Seth Lockwood.
Domino Finn, Black Magic Outlaw Series: "The Difference Between Deceit and Delusion", backstory for Tunji Malu.
Seanan McGuire, The inCryptid Series: "Balance", a cuckoo - telepathic ambush predator.
Sam Witt, The Pitchfork County Series: "Everywhere", Joe Hark against the Long Man.

The more famous author's stories are absolutely on point. I loved the additional insights into the worlds of Butcher, Hearne, McGuire, Mayberry, Vaughn and Schaefer. I liked a few others but I skipped a few of the lesser known authors.

I really enjoyed this anthology. It was a very fun read and it gave me a chance to check out many authors I had not heard of or read previously. I'm excited to be able to check out some of the full length novels! Plus, there's something refreshing about reading the stories of villains instead of heroes.

Even Hand - Jim Butcher - From the world of Harry Dresden, we follow John Marcone. This was an interesting read. I know that Marcone was supposed to be a villain, but in this short story he played, to a small extent, a hero. I loved the variety of magical and mystical creatures introduced, and I thought Gard's character was fantastic (she's a Norse valkyrie). If she ever gets a spinoff, count me in! Marcone had an awesome variety of weapons at his disposal and that made this one of my favorite short stories in the book. 5 stars

Hounded - Kelley Armstrong - The Cainsville Series - The main character of this story, is Cwn Annwn. He is perhaps, one of the most evil characters in the whole book. Cwn is a member of the Wild Hunt who has been cast out because he's lost his mind. Now he needs another hound. The way he goes about acquiring one... well. It made for an excellent and harrowing story. 4 stars

Nigsu Ga Tesgu - Jeff Somers - An Ustari Cycle Story - This one told the back story of Mika Renar. The world building seemed rather complicated and was difficult to follow at times, but I enjoyed it overall. I give the story itself 3 stars, because it was a little slow, but I give Mika 5 stars because she was pretty awesome.

Sixty Six Seconds - Craig Schaefer - Harmony Black - Sixty Six Seconds follows Fontaine on a demonic bounty hunt. This was another story where the villain might have been mistaken for a hero. I think fans of the Harmony Black series would get more enjoyment from this story than I did. The world building again, seemed complicated and some things were hard to follow. I wasn't sure why the people who were being hunted were being hunted, other than Princes of Hell wanted them. 3 stars

Kiss - Lilith Saintcrow - Jill Kismet series - This is another backstory to what I understand to be the series main villain, Perry. He's undoubtedly evil, but the story fell a little flat for me. I would however, be interested in reading more about Jill Kismet. 3 series

The Naughtiest Cherub - Kevin Hearne - The Iron Druid Chronicles - The Naughtiest Cherub was my favorite story of the book. I'm all for anything Viking or Norse mythology. This story sees Loki going into hell trying to make a deal with the devil (The Naughtiest Cherub) to help him assist or stop him from interfering with Ragnorak (the end of the world). Loki was represented well and I loved the idea that Lucifer only does things that amuse him, and all of his evil stems from his want of amusement. I will definitely be checking out The Iron Druid Chronicles! 5 stars

The Resurrectionist - Caitlin Kittredge - The Hellhound Chronicles - This was another bounty hunter type story. I loved the slow burn of Lee Grey from morally neutral guy with a bad past back into full on villain. 4 stars

Down Where the Darkness Dwells - Joseph Nassise - The Templar Chronicles - This was my second favorite story in the book and it tells the beginning of villain Simon Logan. It had a very Indiana Jones feel to it, with a bunch of wizards (warlocks?) and their apprentices descending into the forgotten temple of a Mayan death god in pursuit of a relic with awesome power. This is another series that I definitely want to check out in the future! 5 stars

Bellum Romanum - Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Norville series - This story followed Gaius Albinus, a vampire who was once a Roman Centurion whose crimes are far worse than sucking the blood of unwilling victims. A solid vampire story- 4 stars.

Altar Boy - Jonathan Maberry - Joe Ledger series - This story was interesting because the main character (Toys) was a villain with no illusions about his past. He seems to be attempting to find redemption and the story delivers a decent twist. It also takes a small glance at the science vs. religion debate and gives you something to think about. 4 stars

Make it Snappy - Faith Hunter - Jane Yellowrock - Loved the characters in this one (vampire master Leo and his heir Katherine), and I love the description given of the main character from the series (a Cherokee skin walker). It seemed very reminiscent of Jean Claude and the Anita Blake series. Another story that got me interested in the original series. 4 stars

Chase the Fire - Jon F. Merz - Lawson Vampires - I think this was the most forgettable story of the book. I didn't feel like it brought anything new to the vampire table. Please take this with a grain of salt because I've never read any of the novels before and maybe just didn't understand the world building at play. Ava was a delight though. 2 stars

Unexpected Choices - Diana Pharaoh Francis - The Horngate Witches - So this story isn't my typical flavor of paranormal. For some reason I don't find witches and angels as exciting as vampires and werewolves. However, this story follows a witch named Giselle and an angel named Shoftiel after a magical apocalypse, which sounded pretty awesome and definitely left me wanting more. For a short story I also thought Max and Giselle had a lot of chemistry together. 4 stars

Reel Life - Steven Savile - Glass Town - This story follows Seth Lockwood, whom I think, is just a human. He's locked in an alternate world (his own request) by a magician who has now disappeared. Time moves differently in his alternate reality and he and his captive do not age. This story was seriously disturbing and had a huge dose of horror alongside the paranormal. I'm giving it 4 stars for it's effectiveness (it's horrifying). The story itself wasn't my style.

The Difference Between Deceit and Delusion - Domino Finn - Black Magic Outlaw -This story undoubtedly had the coolest villain. A vampire of sorts with metal fangs and hooked blades (for arms? I think?). There is also a djinn (which I rarely see), and the story is interwoven with African and Caribbean folklore, which I enjoyed. The plot itself wasn't incredibly interesting but I'd check out the book for the characters and world building anyway. 4 stars

Balance - Seanan McGuire - InCryptid Universe - Follows an alien creature called a cuckoo, who can alter the minds of humans. I thought it was a unique premise and story. I loved the ending. 4 stars

Everywhere - Sam Witt - Pitchfork County Series - This follows a villain called the Longman. Again, I didn't understand much of the world building which made it tough to follow, but it had an excellent conclusion. 3 stars

Overall the writing was great. Each author brought something new to the table. I'd recommend this book to existing fans of these series, as well as anyone looking for some new Urban Fantasy series to read. They are excellent previews to the world building, writing, and types of magic or characters at play. None of the stories felt too long or dragged on unnecessarily. i will probably check it out again from time to time as I'm looking for new reading material.