It's Not Me -- It's You

Reflections from Jen

In any given year, I read somewhere between 350 and 400 books.  And every so often, I find a stand-alone that really rocks my world. But 9 times out of 10, the stories I love most are part of a series.  Over time, a series allows you to invest in characters. You learn their quirks and nuances.  You grow to love them, hate them, or lust after them... but whatever the emotion, they become yours.

I look forward to new installments in my favorite series like Star Trek fans count down the days to their conventions.  Like gadget-nerds camp out the night before an Apple product goes on sale.  Or like Harry Potter fans dress up for a movie premiere.  Hell, I reserved a vacation request months ago for the release of Lover At Last.

Unfortunately, every so often, one of my beloved series lets me down.   I'm not just talking about the random Phury book that stands out as an anomaly to an otherwise fabulous series.  I'm talking about multiple books that just make you ask yourself why the hell you just spent 10-bucks.  Books that make you decide once and for all to break up with a once beloved series.

I've got a few I've already said goodbye to, and others on a watch list.

Anita Blake.  This is kind of THE series that is almost everyone has asked at least once... what the hell happened here?  Granted, not everyone liked the series to start with and not everyone loathes it now, but no one can dispute that the Anita books of today are nothing like the first nine that came out.  It's my understanding that LKH thinks that people who complain about the change in her books are uptight about sex or something to that effect, but... um... I really like reading about sex in books. A lot.  So if that's not the issue, what is it?

It would be easy to say that my problem is that Anita has become a whore, but it's not that simple.  My problem is that the books have changed on a fundamental level.  They started as urban fantasy with no sex in them at all. Anita didn't believe in sex outside of marriage.  They then morphed into urban fantasy with a little sex, in the context of a love triangle. -- I was still down with that. Anita still struggled with her values and her real feelings for two very different men.  Whether you liked Richard (my favorite) or Jean Claude, most people could see the attraction on either side of the coin.

Then came Narcissus in Chains and the books became erotica.  Granted, they are erotica with paranormal elements, but you can't call a series "urban fantasy" when the main character has sex with 10 or more people in the book.  Orgies, BDSM, m/m, exhibitionism, you name it, Anita does it.   Or one of her harem does it.  And I kept reading for a long time, thinking "maybe it will change back." "Maybe Hamilton will fix what she did to Richard." "Maybe..." Hell, I don't know.  But then, Anita adopted a 17 year-old into her sex family. And there was a line in the book about how they'd have sex and he'd want to cuddle before doing his homework or something, and suddenly, I was done.  I haven't looked back.

Kitty Norville.  I really, really enjoyed the early books in this series.  If you're unfamiliar with the series, Kitty is a werewolf DJ, trying to find her way in the supernatural world.  For a time, every single book in the series wow'ed me. Carrie Vaughn gave me an unqualified oh-shit moment in every book. She killed people. She kidnapped people. She shocked me and excited me.  But what she also did was string me along with a love interest that never came to be.

From book one, we're introduced to Cormac, a werewolf killer who has a simmering mutual attraction with Kitty.  The author teases us with it for book after book.  Even after Kitty gets into a serious relationship with another man, we're reminded of what almost-was with Cormac. He's still around. There is still longing.  I've started wishing the other guy dead, even though I like him. Finally, after book nine, I realized, it's never gonna happen.  I feel seriously dicked around.  I'm done.

Chicagoland Vampires.  How I freaking loved this series in the beginning.  It was smart and funny and full of great action. I loved Merit and her friendship with Mallory. I loved her reluctance to be a vamp, how she finally came to love and defend Cadogen House.  And, of course, Ethan.  There was such a great push and pull with Ethan. The highs were so high and then the lows....  (**spoilers ahead**) When Ethan died, I was heartbroken. I cried and cried.  Then Ethan came back to life.. And while there was some WTF-ery there, I thought, "Finally! They will be together."  Only, the excuses continued.  They got more and more flimsy. Until I got to a point where I just didn't care anymore.  The new one came by mail and I gave it to my girlfriend to read for me.  She'll be guest reviewing it for the blog.

On the cusp:

Dark Hunter.  The early books in this series rocked my world. Sherrilyn Kenyon does tortured heroes like nobody's business.  Even when the catch phrases started to get a little predictable.. Even when all the heroines looked at their downtrodden heroes "like they mattered," I still swooned.  Probably all the way through Acheron's book.  (And Lord knows, that book put me through the wringer!)  Then, Kenyon started to go in a new direction. She introduced Thorn and the Hellchasers... she got into Jaden and Azura and Noir.  And I'll admit, I had a hard time following along. But I figured that was the next phase of the story... Then she started pulling in Native American mythology and sprinkling in some of the old characters and the Dream Hunters... with a pinch of the Hellchasers. And frankly, I'm not sure what the hell is going on anymore.

I liked Seth's book. It was kind of a throwback to the familiar favorites.  Plus, Styxx is coming, and it's taking us back into the Acheron world.  I will not miss that, folks.  But where will she go after that?  I'm a little concerned.  The series seems to have lost focus.  One more pantheon comes in, and I think I am out.

Carpathian/ Dark series.  Yes, I still read these. Don't judge me!! They are my guilty pleasure.  Though lately, the pleasure part is fading.  I love the over-the-top love scenes and super-alpha-alpha males.  I love all the interconnectedness of the Carpathians and the reunion books was fantabulous.  (Yes, spellcheck, that IS a word.)  But I started pulling away when we got into the de la Cruz men, none of whom I liked.  Once we got to Zacharias, though, it went to a bad place.  He was such a dick. He abused his heroine. It was too much.  And we've traveled so far away from the characters I love that I feel disconnected.  Feehan needs to get us back to the Carpathian mountains.  She needs to give us that Skylar and Dimitri story.  Or maybe I need to quit reading.

So what about you guys? What series have you broken up with? What killed them for you?

Still in love with some of the series above?  What makes you keep reading?

Share your thoughts, then visit Rachel at Parajunkee and Jennifer at the Book Nympho to see their picks!

Review: Dark Storm

Reviewed by Jen
 

Alas, I may be coming to the end of my time with the Carpathian series.  For so long, it has been my guilty pleasure.  After all, you can't get all that white lightning, feminine sheaths or velvet over steel just anywhere.  In these books, you are guaranteed to find the most alpha of the alpha-males and the most flowery euphemisms for sex, along with a familiar and predictable tone that's like slipping on an old pair of shoes that you've had forever.

Unfortunately, I think these shoes are getting too old to remain comfortable.  The last book in the series was a tough read, because the hero was an enormous asshat to his heroine. He was downright mean to her at times --and who wants to read that?  Here, Feehan takes us in the complete opposite direction, with a hero who is simply too good to be true.  But I'll get to that in a minute.

Let me set up the story.  Riley is a descendant of a Carpathian woman named Arabejila. Every five years, Riley and her mother venture to a volcano in the Andes to perform a ritual began by Arabejila centuries ago.  Riley has grown up hearing stories about her ancestor locking a great evil inside.  Of course, she thinks it's all an old legend.  But the stories are true.  Arabejila trapped her lifemate Mitro because he has become vampire and she thought nothing else would hold him.

Mitro isn't inside the volcano alone.  An ancient hunter named Dax is in there with him. The two are so evenly matched that neither has managed to kill the other in all this time.  But Arabejila's bloodline has started growing weak and Mitro is about to break out.  Using his powerful influence, he lays trap after trap for Riley's mother before she can strengthen his bindings and eventually, both he and Dax are freed.

Riley gets a crash course on Carpathians and vampires as she learns her own power of an affinity with the earth. She and Dax are lifemates, so they must work together to vanquish Mitro before his great, evil plans are realized.

There's a dragon involved. A fertility flower. Gary Jansen. Jubal (remember Joie's brother from Dark Descent?) A De La Cruz and his lifemate... but no big ties to our core Carpathian families. Unless you count Mitro. He is a Daratrazanoff, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how he is related to Gregori, Lucan or Gabriel.  Which bothered me greatly.

Also bothering me greatly... it takes forever for the hero and the heroine to so much as lay eyes on each other. The first half of the book was painfully slow.  Frankly, the book was boring.  As angry as the last book made me at times, with this one, it was an effort to just keep turning the page.  The relationship had no conflict.  Dax is too perfect. Patient. Strong. Caring. Sensual. Blah, blah, blah.  And Riley loves him right away. No fear. No lies.  No hesitation.  No fire.

I kept waiting to care, but I never did.  The relationship was too easy.  The external conflict was exactly the same as in every other Carpathian book.  The only emotion I was left with was annoyance that I squandered $12.99 for the ebook.  If you're on the fence about this one, I advise you to pass... or if you absolutely must read it, rent it from the library.

Velvet count: 10

Rating: D+

Click to purchase: Amazon

Dark Storm

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Publisher: Berkley

5 for Friday - October 5

Happy Friday everyone! And a happy birthday shout-out to Jennifer at the Book Nympho. You're almost as old as I am now, chica!

I survived the mini-vacation to Atlanta and I even got to read a little bit in the car. But this weekend, I have big plans to sit down and really catch up on the TBR.  No. Really. Please?

5. I have never read a Jaci Burton book.  You guys know I'm not big on contemporary romance. But her covers are to-freaking-die-for.  Every cover in the Play-by-Play series is drool worthy and the new one is no exception.

It's because of this series I know who Jed Hill is.  (*sigh*) Thank you Jaci Burton (or the art department for your publisher.) You make my days a little brighter.  One Sweet Ride is out in June 2013.

4.  Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series may be over, but it's not over-over.  In her newsletter this week, Kelley announced a new Jaime novella. Amityville Horrible will release through Subterranean Press later this year.  The Clay & Elena novella, Forbidden, releases in December.

In other Otherworld news (*giggle*) --remember that Bitten tv show I told you about earlier?

I wondered if the upcoming Canadian TV project would/ could make its way across the border to the US. Well, Kelley says the producers are working with a company to seek international distribution. Hooray!!

3. I love Kristen Callihan's Darkest London books.  Love.  This week she announced tidbits on book 4 in the series.  It's called Shadowdance. She said on her Facebook page that it will feature shifter Jack Talent and Ghost in the Machine Mary Chase. I saw this and was ready to pee my pants.  I am still anxiously awaiting Winterblaze, people.

I need this book now. Someone tell the calendar to jump ahead to February 13th.

2. Another cover reveal for you... this one for book three in Amanda Bonilla's Shaede Assassin series.

Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya—a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries—stands in their way.

It doesn’t help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone—or something—is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya’s would-be assassin.

As she probes into Anya’s past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets—and a connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them.

It's gorgeous.  But Amanda Bonilla already knows there's gonna be trouble if she breaks up Darian and Tyler.  Big, big trouble.

Crave the Darkness, which I will henceforth refer to as The Book Where Tyler and Darian Reconcile, will be out March 5th. (Don't correct me if you know something I don't. Let me keep my dreams.)

1. And finally... Christine Feehan's Carpathian series is one of my great guilty pleasures. I can do no other but to keep reading them.  (Feehan fans will get that joke.)  Well, the book trailer came out for her new installment, Dark Storm.

This book released on Tuesday.  I must go buy.  (Anyone read it yet?)

That's it for now. Hope you guys are enjoying the Favorites From My Favorites feature!

XOXO,
Jen

5 for Friday - July 20

Happy Friday!  Today's the day I go down in history as either the Best Mother in the World or the Worst.  For an early 7th birthday present, I bought my son tickets to go see WWE Raw.  I only bought two, so he can go with the hubs but they allegedly have some autograph signings or something for the kids first, so I am tagging along for that.  Some of these dudes are built like shit-brick-houses, so I'll let you know if I see anything worth reporting.

5. I am getting more and more excited about this upcoming Styxx book from Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Photo Source: Sherrilyn Kenyon's Facebook Page

2013 is so far away!!

4. Which brings me to that other book I am waiting for with baited breath... Lover At Last.  JR Ward posted the following on her Facebook page:

What does this MEAN?? Is he losing his heart? His sock? His cherry as a bottom?? (I could be down with that, by the way.)  Ward is trying to keeel me!

3. Speaking of hot m/m action, Jennifer at The Book Nympho tipped me off to this fabulous article on straight girls and gay porn. 

I know it doesn't wet everyone's whistle, but it's nice to see I'm in such good company!

2. We've all got our guilty pleasure reads, and mine are Christine Feehan's Carpathian books.  I can do no other than to keep reading them. (Only other Feehan readers will get that joke.)  Christine has posted the first chapter of Dark Storm on her website.  Here are the deets:

Return to the seductive world of Christine Feehan's New York Times bestselling Carpathian novels as roiling passions collide in a perfect storm of dangerous desire that only a precious few can hope to outrun . . .

Awakening after all this time in a world of absolute darkness and oppressive heat, Dax wonders in how many ways the world above must have changed. But it is how he has changed that fills him with dread and loathing. Buried alive for hundreds of years in a volcano in the Carpathian Mountains, Dax fears that he has become the full-fledged abomination that every Carpathian male fears, a victim of the insidious evil that has crept relentlessly into his mind and body over the centuries. But there are some things that never change.

His name is Mitro, the vampire Dax had hunted all these long centuries. Second in command to the prince of the Carpathian people he is the epitome of everything malevolent, and perpetrator of one of the most shocking killing sprees known to man - and beast. Even his friends and family weren't safe from Mitro's bloodlust. Neither was Mitro's lifemate, Arabejila, an extraordinary woman with extraordinary gifts. But now that Dax has re-emerged, so too has Mitro. The ultimate battle between good and evil has been re-engaged. Between Dax and Mitro, a violent game has begun - one that has marked Riley Parker, the last descendent of Arabejila, as the reward.

Who the hell are these people?  I want Skylar and Dmitri. (*whine font*) Feehan jumped ahead 50 years between the first two books. She can jump another 5 years for this one!!  Patience is not my greatest strength.

1. And finally, Penguin is giving away a copy of Fury's Kiss before you can buy it!  

   Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. But so far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing... 

   Dory is used to fighting hard and nasty. So when she wakes up in a strange scientific lab with astrange man standing over her, her first instinct is to take his head off. Luckily, the man is actually the master vampire Louis-Cesare, so he’s not an easy kill.

   It turns out that Dory had been working with a Vampire Senate task force on the smuggling of magical items and weaponry out of Faerie when she was captured and brought to the lab. But when Louis-Cesare rescues her, she has no memory of what happened to her.

   To find out what was done to her—and who is behind it—Dory will have to face off with fallen angels, the maddest of mad scientists, and a new breed of vampires that are far worse than undead…

Fury's Kiss is out October 2nd. The contest runs through August 3rd.

XOXO,
Jen

Review: Dark Predator

Reviewed by Jen
 

The Carpathian world has gotten a little more complicated lately.  What was once a series focused almost completely on an individual romance in each book, picked up broader, ongoing arcs in later installments.  Mages, jaguars, and dragons joined the mix.   Longtime mysteries were finally solved.  But Christine Feehan is taking a step back from all that in Dark Predator.

As the book begins, Zacharias de la Cruz is ready to end his own life. He is unable to fight the darkness within him any longer.  But he is undeniably drawn to one of his properties first.  There, he sees Marguarita, the young woman made mute and nearly killed by a vampire in the last book.  He considers her to be a fine choice for his last vision before death.   Marguarita isn't having that, though. She realizes what he is doing and despite his mental protests, she saves his life.  And that is the beginning of their journey to becoming lifemates.

The romance in this book was slow in coming.  One third of the way through and our couple hadn't even kissed... a bit unusual for a book in this series.  Even stranger, the word "velvet" didn't make an appearance until page 101 in my ebook. Unheard of.  But just because the "velvet" count was low -- Feehan kept up with her reputation for repetitive themes.  Zacharias is dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.  And "predator" was the word of hour, used in some form 54 times in the course of the book.  But I digress.

In what's become the standard for the series, Zacharias is the darkest Carpathian ever. (Aren't they all?)  But he is so close to the edge, that the whole lifemate business doesn't work quite right for him.  In fact, it takes some time before he even realizes that Marguarita is his fated mate.  He is violent, cruel at times, and ridiculously overbearing... giving the Daratrazanoff men a run for their money in the domineering department.  And Marguarita just takes it.  She feels guilty for ruining his chance to meet the sun, at first.  Later, of course, she experiences those lifemate ties.  But it's still alot to accept that she would essentially give up the reigns of her life to him so quickly.   I guess if you have a male lead who is that dominating, a relationship won't work without a female willing to be submissive.

So like I said in the beginning, the story is kind of a throwback in the sense that it is all about the relationship and conflict directly surrounding our couple.  All the side stories of recent books are essentially ignored.  I kind of missed them.  The love story was ok, but at times Zacharias and his angst were just too much.  It was also really slow in the beginning, with more drawn out descriptions than I cared to read.  On the plus side, I finally got the answer as to why a bunch of brothers from the Carpathian Mountains ended up with Hispanic names.  (It's been bugging me since this family has been introduced.)

I'm kind of curious who will be featured in the next book.  There is no obvious set-up that I can see.

3 stars.

Dark Predator

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: September 6, 2011

Publisher: Berkley

Review: Dark Guardian

Reviewed by Jen
 

The Carpathian men just keep getting older and more powerful.  Yes, I know I said that in my review of Dark Legend, but it's still true. To be fair, Lucian is actually Gabriel's twin, so they're actually the same age, but it's pretty clear that if push comes to shove, Lucian could kick his brother's ass into next week.

Lucian was finally ready to meet the dawn when Gabriel's lifemate told him that his fated female was out in the world, in need of him. Sure enough, he finds Jaxon has led a horrific life. As a child, her father's friend developed an unhealthy obsession with her. He killed her dad, then became her stepfather. A few years later, he murdered her mother and brother, no longer hiding his true nature. Ever since then, he has been killing off everyone Jax has ever loved... he never found anyone worthy of her. And as a result, she has never allowed herself to get close to anyone again.

As Lucian enters her life, Jax is a cop, wounded on the job. He saves her life and slowly brings her into his world. Despite the hallmark repetative vocabulary of the series, this book had a distinctly different flavor. This is due in large part to Jaxon's fortitude and growing need to protect Lucian. In almost all of these books, it's only about the male protecting his woman. And while that is still happening her, Jax needs to take care of Lucian every bit as much as he needs to take care of her. What's more, Lucian recognizes this in her and doesn't try to sublimate it.

Lucian is so powerful, there is never a sense that a vampire could ever best him. Yes, there are vamps, but the real villian of the story is a human one; and he is no bumbling, ineffective zealot. He is skilled; he is calculating; and he is every bit of a monster as the undead. One of the best in the series. 4 1/2 stars.

Velvet count: 38

Dark Guardian

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: May 2002 

Publisher: Leisure Books

Review: Dark Legend

Reviewed by Jen
 

Just when you think you've met the oldest and most powerful of Christine Feehan's Carpathian males, she produces one who's even older and more powerful. We've heard the stories about the legendary Daratrazanoff twins, Gabriel and Lucian. Gregori's older brothers were great fighters and protectors of the Carpathian people. Everyone has believed them dead for centuries, but they've really been locked beneath the earth all this time.

The brothers made a pact early on that should either one become a vampire, the remaining sibling would take his life. When Lucian began to show all the tell-tale signs that he had succumbed, Gabriel tried to keep his promise. The two clashed over and over again, with neither emerging the victor... until Gabriel tricked his brother and bound them together underground.

A disturbance awakens the twins in modern-day Paris. Shortly after rising to the surface, Gabriel meets Francesca, his lifemate. It turns out that she's lived hundreds of years without him... convinced he sacrificed their chance at happiness to be a guardian for his people. Now he must break through the walls she has built around herself and convince her that they are meant to live together as one.

Francesca isn't your average Carpathian heroine. For one, she's already Carpathian. Two, she herself is an ancient. She is powerful in her own ways, as well as resourceful and determined. She has suffered in Gabriel's absence all these years... but at the same time, so has Gabriel. He is, of course, a bossy, alpha, Carpathian male. But at least he values her mind and her gifts; he cares about her feelings; and feels real guilt for the way his actions have impacted her life.

I really enjoyed the twin dynamic between Gabriel and Lucien. Unlike Aidan and Julian, these two have a tangible connection. And the addition of young Skylar to the family, touches a real chord. Already, Feehan is laying the foundation for that one day love story between her and Dimitri... you know, the one I'll get to read before I collect Social Security... or maybe not.

As with all the books in this series, there's a bit of repetition. We get reminded of the same facts over and over. And Ms Feehan reminds us again that her favorite words are velvet, lightning and sheath. Still, one of better books in the series. A little over 4 stars.

Word count: Velvet - 18; Sheath - 9; Lightning - 24 (though to be fair, a few of those actually did refer to the weather phenomenon.)

Dark Legend

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: January 2002 

Publisher: Leisure Books

Review: Ruthless Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Christine Feehan continues her Ghostwalkers series with book 9, Ruthless Game. This story features Kane, a member of the 3rd Ghostwalker unit, introduced in Street Game. Ghostwalkers are soldiers, who volunteered for psychic enhancements. But they all got more than they bargained for when Dr Whitney (the mastermind behind the project) also altered their genes. To make matters more complicated, Whitney has started breeding programs, where he pairs his Ghostwalkers with enhanced women, in the hopes of creating super-babies.

Kane was a soldier at one of Whitney’s breeding facilities and it was there he met Rose. In Deadly Game, we learned that Kane had gotten Rose pregnant and helped her escape. In that book, the men involved with the breeding program were portrayed as nothing short of monstrous rapists, so I was curious to see how Kane would be redeemed. Well, it seems Rose chose him to be her partner. She had seen him at the compound and felt attracted to him; sensed his integrity, and asked for him. Because he didn’t want her to have to be with one of the other men, who were hardly a step above rutting beasts, Kane agreed. And they had one night together before she escaped.

Eight months later, our couple is brought together when Kane is on a rescue mission in Mexico.Rose has tipped off the government about the hostages and he senses her nearby when he gets on the scene. After the Ghostwalker team saves the hostages, Kane goes on the run with Rose and hides out with her until she has the baby. The hideout is under surveillance by Whitney’s men and they are quickly on the run again. It doesn’t take long before they are back in the fold with Kane’s team. But Kane was injured during their escape –and Rose saves his life with her secret healing ability.

They all make it back to San Francisco, but Whitney’s men and members of a Mexican cartel are still on the hunt for Rose. Kane needs to ensure her safety and help her learn to trust the team that is essentially his family.

I liked this book. But it was different from the previous ones in the series. Primarily because our couple didn’t have sex until about 200 pages into the book. And their love scenes just didn’t have the same spark that the other books had. (My guess is that the pregnancy/post-delivery issues are to blame here. I could live without hearing about Rose’s breast milk when they’re getting hot and heavy.) That aside, the actual love story was nice. Kane’s love and devotion to Rose and the baby are tangible. And it is nice to see her finally have someone in her life she can trust.

I missed our old Ghostwalker friends, especially the SEAL team, but I’m starting to like our new unit better. (The last book left me kind of cold toward them.) I hope we can find away to bring them into the fold with our old familiar friends. 4 stars.

Ruthless Game

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: December 28, 2010

Publisher: Jove

Review: Street Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

As a rule, I’m not good with change. But when Christine Feehan jumped from her original group of Ghostwalkers to focus on the SEAL team, I was surprisingly pleased with the new direction of the series.  I’m not nearly so jazzed now that we are moving on to Ghostwalker team 3.

Our male lead is Mack, the leader of the crew, who specializes in Urban Warfare.  The men and women of the team grew up together on the streets of Chicago. And they all went on to join the military and sign up for psychic enhancement. It turned out there was more to being a Ghostwalker than they expected. They were also physically enhanced and many were paired with Ghostwalkers of the opposite sex with the hopes they would one day create superbabies.

As we begin our story, Mack is leading a mission to take down some gun runners. But instead of catching the bad guys, Mack and the team find themselves in a warehouse owned by Jaimie. She was once part of their team and the love of Mack’s life. Unfortunately, she wasn’t cut out for the violence of the military. And beyond that, when she pushed Mack about their future years ago, he blew her off. So she left to make a new life for herself. But when face to face with Mack, all their feelings come rushing back.

Since she has been away, Jaimie has used her amazing computer skills to research Dr Whitney, the evil mastermind behind the Ghostwalker program. But she is getting too close and now she is a target. So Mack and the rest of the team band together to protect her.

Even though the team is new to us, there are a couple of familiar names. Kane was mentioned in Deadly Game as the Ghostwalker who got a woman pregnant at one of Whitney’s breeding facilities and helped her escape. And we met Brian in Predatory Game –he worked with Saber at the radio station. But those slightly familiar threads weren’t quite enough to enthrall me with the team.

As for the love story…. It’s not hard to see why Jaime left Mack. He keeps repeating to himself how preposterous it was that she left him, but frankly, who wouldn’t have left him? He was a self-centered domineering jerk who took her for granted. Obviously, he learns to see the error of his ways. And like all Christine Feehan books, there is great sexual tension and steamy love scenes.

Hopefully, I’ll grow more invested in these guys as we get to know them better in later books. 3 1/2 stars.

Street Game

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: December 29, 2009

Publisher: Jove

Review: Murder Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Christine Feehan is going back to her Ghostwalker roots in her 7th book in the series, Murder Game. Our hero is Kadan Montague (or Kaden Bishop, as he introduced himself in Mind Game. Now, he says Bishop is just a nickname. And we need to ignore the fact that the spelling of his first name has changed over time. But I digress.) Kadan is Special Forces soldier who has been psychically and physically enhanced by evil genius scientist Dr Whitney. He is part of the first team of these soldiers, who call themselves Ghostwalkers that were featured in the first three books.

He has been tasked to find solve a string of murders, which appear to have been committed by fellow Ghostwalkers. So he seeks out a former serial killer profiler, Tansy. He realizes immediately that –1– she is one of the female Ghostwalkers enhanced by Whitney in her childhood; and –2– Whitney has chemically altered the two of them to be undeniably attracted to each other. Think turbo-pheromones.

Anyway, Tansy doesn’t want to help. The way her talent works is that she touches an object and can see into the souls of those who handled it before her. But handling that energy takes a serious toll, especially if the soul she encounters his evil or violent. The voices of the victims linger in her mind; at one point she even had a breakdown –and that’s why she quit helping the authorities. And why she doesn’t want to help Kadan. She is in no hurry to get away from him, though. He is an anchor, which helps calm the constant barrage of energy that is always flittering around her. She can even touch him without discomfort. And touch him she does.

Kadan doesn’t realize the real impact that tracking killers has on Tansy. Until he tricks her into touching an object from one of the murder scenes. Once he sees the toll it takes, he tries to release her from the case, but she decides the killers need to be stopped. Turns out, there is a game going on that pits two teams of Ghostwalkers against each other. They committing murders with specific targets to gain points for their team in a macabre competition. As the story progresses, Tansy works to uncover the members of the teams, and the elusive “puppet master” organizing the games.

The chemistry between Kadan and Tansy is great. But like many of Feehan’s alpha males, Kadan is a bit too much. He insists on taking charge of every situation and making all the decisions. And it irks me that he insists Tansy allow him to touch her whenever and however he wants. Despite that, their scenes are sexy and he clearly needs her like he’s never needed anyone.

I liked Kadan’s story better than the other stories featuring his group. But I prefered the SEAL stories. This one didn’t touch the intensity of the Norton books, despite a solid and interesting plot. 4 stars.

Murder Game

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: December 30, 2008

Publisher: Jove

Review: Predatory Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Predatory Game is book 6 in Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker series. And here we continue with our trend of Ghostwalker SEALs with Jesse Calhoun. You may remember Jesse as Dahlia’s NCIS handler in Mind Game. He was beaten within an inch of his life trying to protect his team-mate and his legs were destroyed below the knee. Since we saw him last, it’s been mentioned that he is back to working with his old team, but is doing so from a wheelchair. 

Jesse is living in Wyoming. Though he still consults with the Ghostwalkers (physically and psychically enhanced soldiers), he is now also a songwriter and owns a radio station. Living in his home, is the mysterious Saber Wynter. Saber works as a DJ at Jesse’s radio station. And since she began renting a room in his home, they have become very close friends.  Actually, both have feelings beyond friendship, but they have never acted on those feelings. Each is trying to hide the fact that s/he is enhanced. Saber was also part of the Ghostwalker project; only she had been taken as a young child by mad-scientist Peter Whitney and trained as an assassin. She made her first kill at age 9. But she escaped last year and is now in hiding.

But now Saber is being stalked. The man works for Whitney but has gone off the deep-end. He’s obsessed with Saber and wants her for his own.  Jesse and Saber continue to grow closer and eventually reveal themselves to each other. They realize that Dr Whitney wants them to get together, to create a super-baby who has powers from both parents.  While their relationship develops and they fight the growing danger to Saber, they must also contend with Jesse’s disability and bionics he is trying to master, so that he can walk again.

I really enjoyed this one. (I have a soft spot for the SEAL guys, it seems.) It’s different in that our couple actually had a chance to get to know each other and develop believable feelings –as opposed to previous books where the couples were “in love” in a matter of days. Saber is undoubtably the most lethal Ghostwalker yet, but she is understandably vulnerable after all she has endured.  Meanwhile, Jesse is strong emotionally, while he struggles with the limitations his body is dealing with.  The love scenes are solid, though not quite as super-hot as in the last two books. 

A solid contribution to the series. 4 stars.

Predatory Game

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: Februrary 26, 2008

Publisher: Jove

Review: Deadly Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Deadly Game is book 5 in Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker series. And it’s one of my favorites. Our hero is Ken Norton, Navy SEAL. He, like his twin Jack, is a Ghostwalker, a soldier who volunteered to be physically and psychically enhanced. Ken has endured a great deal. He was kidnapped and tortured at the hands of an evil general in the Congo. He is terribly scarred all over his body and he thinks he is dead inside. He only cares for Jack and his sister-in-law Briony.

He is on a mission to protect the very senator who he had been sent to rescue in the Congo, when a second Ghostwalker team approaches. Ken thinks they are trying to kill the senator, so he opens fire on their sniper.  Fortunately, she was wearing a bullet proof vest. When he gets to her, he realizes she is Mari, Briony’s long-lost twin sister.  Ken figures out instantly that mad-scientist and super-genius Dr Whitney had used some pheromone mojo to make him and Mari attracted to each other.  So much so, that while Ken’s team holds Mari in captivity, they succumb to their desires. This is a really big deal for Ken, because during his torture, his man parts had been cut up –and he wasn’t even sure he could have a sexual relationship again. Turns out he can, but “normal” sex is out –due to the scarring, he needs any coupling to be rough.  I mention this because it’s a huge issue for Ken and one he struggles with throughout the book. He thinks himself a monster on so many levels and believe Mari deserves better.

She has spent her whole life in training to be one of Whitney’s supersoldiers. She has never known a home –or love. She has only the camaraderie she shares with the other women in her program. Woman, like her, who are now being forced to have sex with men they don’t want –in order to have babies with two enhanced parents. Mari has been raped countless times and she will not leave her sisters abandoned at the lab. So she goes back, with Ken right behind her, planning to break them all out.

This is a dark book all around. But in my opinion, it’s one of Feehan’s best. Ken is so starkly broken in just about every way. But he has held on to his humanity despite everything he has endured.  The same is true for Mari.  I wanted them both to be happy and finally have someone love them the way each has yearned for.  Ken’s sex issues were a big deal for him, but I thought the love scenes were very steamy despite that (or even perhaps because of it.)   5 stars.

Review: Conspiracy Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Conspiracy Game is the book that, for me, changed the Ghostwalker series from an occasional library rental, to a must-own set of books.  In this fourth installment, we shift gears away from our original Ghostwalker unit, to focus on one of the SEAL Ghostwalkers, Jack Norton.  We met him very briefly in Night Game, but here his story is fleshed out.

The book opens with Jack held prisoner in the Congo. He was taken captive during a rescue mission for his twin brother Ken. Jack has been tortured but manages to escape.  Enter our heroine, Briony. She is in the area doing a circus/highwire show with her brothers.  She is one of the orphan girls that Dr Whitney did psychic experiments on –and she was adopted out around age 5.  Anyway, she stumbles across Jack and realizes they are both “enhanced.” She longs to learn more about what/who she is and because Jack is a psychic “anchor,” he mutes the loud blasting energy that always surrounds her. She gets him back to her room and nurses him back to health.

Despite his serious injuries, Jack and Briony’s attraction for each other cannot be denied and they sleep together.  Before his extraction, Jack breaks things off with her. He is harsh, believing she deserves better than him and he should sever all ties.  The thing is, he got her pregnant.  And once her doctor (who is also Whitney’s spy) finds out, she has to go on the run. She goes to Jack for protection.

In the course of the book, we confirm that Whitney has manipulated the Ghostwalker soldiers to match up with his former-orphan girls. Even worse, he has started breeding programs, where he didn’t bother to manipulate the women to feel the same attraction the men feel.

This book puts the first three in the series to shame. This one and the next one, Deadly Game are my very favorites. The Norton brothers are just the right blend of strength and tortured vulnerability.  The story is interesting. And the relationship building is masterful.  The sex scenes are way hot too. 

I loved it. 5 stars.

Review: Night Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Dr. Peter Whitney is a bad, bad man. We already knew he was an evil genius when the series began. After all, he was the mastermind behind the Ghostwalker project.  He devised the experiment where select military men volunteered for psychic enhancement. Even worse, he experimented on young orphan girls with a predisposition for psychic gifts.  But we could see him through the color of love his daughter Lily had for him.  Plus, he seemed to have paid for his sins with his death.  Only, his sins were worse than we knew. And he’s not really dead.

Flame was one of the young orphans Whitney experimented on. But in addition to psychic manipulation, he made her genetically advanced. And gave her cancer. Then cured it; and repeated the process.  She didn’t escape him until she was 19. Now Lily is trying to find all the women who were part of that experiment as children. She gets a lead on Flame and sends a Ghostwalker named Gator to find her.

Flame is hiding out in the Louisiana bayous, Gator’s home turf.  He was going home anyway to investigate the disappearance of a local girl, Joy.  It takes about a month for him to track down Flame.  It turns out, they have the same powers: they can influence animals and manipulate sound.  Of course, there is a major attraction.  But Flame doesn’t trust Gator and his easy charm. In fact, she trusts no one.  Flame is very smart. She is the only person who realizes A) Whitney is still alive and B) He somehow genetically manipulated the men of the Ghostwalker program to match up with the women from his older experiments. Each half would compliment the other and let’s not get started on the uber-babies they could make.

Most of the book, beyond the big Whitney revelations, focuses on the search for Joy; the questions about who can be trusted; and the developing relationship between Gator and Flame.  It takes them longer to hook up than we have to wait in most Feehan books.  And for me, they weren’t quite as hot as some of the others.  It felt like Whitney being alive is revisionist history; It seems the two sides of the man Lily could see in the beginning of the series didn’t even exist. He was just a monster.

This wasn’t my favorite book in the series, but the ongoing story developments make it one you shouldn’t skip. 3 1/2 stars.

Review: Mind Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Nicolas Trevane is an ice-cold sniper for the military. And he is part of a group of soldiers who took part in an experiment to enhance their psychic abilities. Many years ago, the man who conducted the experiment, Dr. Peter Whitney, did the same thing with a group of young orphan girls. But there were major complications and he found homes for all the girls except one. That girl, Lily, he adopted himself.

Since Whitney’s (supposed) death, Lily has been searching for the other women who were part of that long ago experiment. She found out that one, Dahlia, is living in the bayous of Louisiana. She has been working as some kind of agent. But she is isolated, due to her “abilities.” Nicolas volunteers to go find her and help bring her back to reconnect with Lily.

When Nicolas gets to her home, it’s under attack. He is unable to save the two nurses who lived there and helped raise Dahlia. And her military handler, Jesse, has been tortured and is dragged away. Fortunately, Dahlia had not been home when her home was targeted –and Nicolas intercepts her as she approaches, saving her from the danger.

Dahlia has series problems associated with her abilities. Energy surrounds her like a magnet. And when emotions, violence, or something similar, surrounds her, she becomes violently ill; she has seizures; and when it’s really bad, she starts fires. Fortunately, Nico is an “anchor.” He can help calm the minds of other psychics. And he becomes the first man, really the first person, Dahlia is able to spend any significant amount of time with. Their attraction is fast and fierce. But she fears it, because she has never known any person she could ever trust to stay in her life. She does care about Jesse, though, and she works with Nico to find and rescue him.

As the book progresses, we learn that our original band of soldiers from Shadow Game aren’t the only Ghostwalkers that Whitney made from military recruits. Jesse is also one –and there are several others we are introduced to (like the Norton twins) –some of which will later have their own books.

There’s a-whole-lot of sex in this book. And it is very steamy. I like Nicolas as a male lead. He’s the strong, silent type. But beneath still waters, something runs deep in him. Not the least of which is a molten heat that sets pages on fire.

There’s also some intrigue. Something about military plans for a stealth something or other. But to me, all that is just backdrop for the character development and love (ok, lust) story. 3 1/2 stars.

Review: Shadow Game

Reviewed by Jen
 

Shadow Game is book 1 in Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker series.  Here’s the premise: an elite group of military men have signed up to be human guinea pigs for an experiment designed to expand their psychic powers. Some have telepathy; others can communicate with animals; some have telekinesis; and the list goes on. Unfortunately for our team (who have dubbed themselves Ghostwalkers), problems develop: seizures, brain bleeds, even death.  So the men in charge of the project put them on lock down. Separate them. Study them.  For the past year, they’ve been like rats in cages.

The leader of the Ghostwalkers is Captain Ryland Miller. At the beginning of the story, he is squaring off with Dr Peter Whitney (the scientific mastermind behind the experiment) and Col Higgins (high ranking military dude who hates Ryland’s guts.) In walks Whitney’s daughter, Lily. She is also a brilliant scientist and her father has called her in to consult on the project. She is telepathic too and has an instant connection with Ryland.

As the story progresses, Peter Whitney is murdered. (*Spoilers*) Although in later books we discover he faked his own death.  He reaches out to Lily telepathically at the last moment telling her to help the Ghostwalkers and to right the wrongs of his experiments.  Lily finds her father’s secret lab and discovers she is not really his daughter after all. She, too, had been an experiment… one of several young girls with psychic abilities, studied and manipulated by Whitney.  When that experiment failed, he adopted out all the other girls and kept Lily for himself to raise.

Lily helps the Ghostwalkers break out and hides them in her uber-mansion. She helps them learn to control their powers. And she continues developing a scorching hot relationship with Ryland. She works with the Ghostwalkers to figure out who is behind her father’s death and who was trying to manipulate the Ghostwalker program for their own gain.

I didn’t love this book the first time I read it. But I find, I liked it a little better on my second read.  One of my initial problems with it was the lightning fast relationship between Ryland and Lily. We find out in later books that Whitney’s experiments created matches between his young girls and military men. So that explains it in hindsight.  Another problem: there are ALOT of characters to keep straight. You’ve got several Ghostwalkers to remember, plus all the men involved on the experiment who may or may not be bad guys. I found myself flipping back in the book for reminders of who was who… even as I got close to the end.

I can promise hot and frequent love scenes.  And I’m happy to say that the language is less flowery and metaphoric than Feehan uses in her Carpathian books.

If this book doesn’t float your boat, don’t give up on the series. In my opinion it really hits its stride with Conspiracy Game. The books featuring the Ghostwalker SEALs are my favorites.

3 1/2 stars.

Series Reading Order: Ghostwalkers

This is the reading order for the Ghostwalkers series by Christine Feehan:

• Shadow Game  (Ryland & Lily)
• Mind Game  (Nico & Dahlia)
• Night Game  (Gator & Flame)
• Conspiracy Game  (Jack & Briony)
• Deadly Game  (Ken & Mari)
• Predatory Game  (Jesse & Saber)
• Murder Game  (Kadan & Tansy)
• Street Game  (Mack &Jaimie)
• Ruthless Game  (Kane & Rose)

Review: Dark Dream

Reviewed by Jen
 

"Dark Dream" is one of a handful of novellas in Christine Feehan's Carpathian series.  And this is one that fans shouldn't miss. This one short story sets up several arcs for future books.

As the story begins, we learn that long ago, Mikail's father sent out several warriors of the Carpathian race to journey around the world and fight the vampire threat. No one knew about these men or their mission. Falcon was one of those warriors. He's been alive for more than a millenium and never thought he would find a lifemate, so far from his people. He feels like he is unable to fight the growing darkness within him for much longer, so he decides to return to the Carpathian Mountains one last time to see his homeland before he takes his life.

Just before that happens, he meets Sara. And suddenly, his world is in color again. Sara is on the run from the vampire who killed her family 15 years ago. She has the psychic ability to touch objects and see their history. So when she found a journal Falcon wrote hundreds of years ago, she saw his face, his struggle and his loneliness. And she knew he was destined to be her love.  She's carried him in her heart for more than a decade, as she's worked to elude the vampire stalking her.  Once she comes face to face with Falcon, there is no doubt for either of them that their destinies are entwined.

In addition to learning about the ancient Carpathians like Falcon, we learn more about lycanthropes and the jaguar people. (Females of both species eventually come into play as potential lifemates.) And for the first time we hear about the wizards and the existence of an ancient book hidden in the caves. This is a huge story arc in later books... and it all started here.

I like Falcon more than most Carpathian males. He is much less overbearing and pushy than a lot of the other heroes in this series.  The words "dark dream" give "velvet" a run for its money, with both appearing six times in the 70 pages. (Christine Feehan finds a phrase she likes and sticks with it.) One of the better stories in the series. 4 stars.

Dark Dream

by Christine Feehan

First Published in After Twilight Anthology

Release Date: September 2001

Publisher: Love Spell

Review: Dark Fire

Reviewed by Jen
 

I am a longtime fan of Christine Feehan. I’ve read almost everything she has ever written and I’ve always loved the Carpathian series.  But I found myself frequently annoyed throughout the course of this book. I don’t remember if I felt this way the first time I read it. But this time around, the book made me very frustrated.

Darius is a Carpathian male who grew up apart from his homeland. When he was only six years old, he lead a group of children away from a massacre in their village and he raised them on his own. Now, hundreds of years later, they are traveling the United States as part of a band.  He lives without color or emotion, and he feels himself nearing the point where he must either face the sun or turn into a vampire. (If you’re not up on the Carpathian mythology, check out my review on Dark Prince.)  But everything changes when his sister hires Tempest as the band’s mechanic.

Tempest has led a hard life. She grew up in foster care and on the streets. She has been abused and now lives as a loner.  She can communicate psychically with animals.  And she has no idea that Carpathians or vampires exist until she meets Darius.  Of course, he knows she is his lifemate right away, which makes it kind of creepy when he keeps talking about how young she looks and how child-like she appears.  But what is so irritating about the book is the way he completely takes over her life. 

Yeah, yeah, that’s the Carpathian way. The men always think they know best and have to protect the women. But Darius is like a turbo-Alpha.  Over and over and over, he dismisses her feelings; he overrides her decisions; he forces her to his will.  And then she is mad for a nano-second and forgives him.  He thinks it’s all ok because he knows best.  And frankly, it pisses me off.  It’s not sexy. It’s not romantic.  One time in particular, he brings her into a volcano (don’t ask) to stay the night. She is scared and uncomfortable and tells him clearly and unequivocably that she wants to leave.  So he renders her unconscious and takes away her choices.  Then wakes her up in the morning, or I guess I should say evening, with a stiffy.  And then after their tumble, she realizes what he did, gets mad and then instantly gets over it. 

I know it’s not all that different from some of the other installments, but it’s really sticking in my craw. Add to that, the flowery language that’s the hallmark of the series.  Feehan uses the word ”velvet” 49 times in this book and not once is she referring to fabric.  In fact, from now on, I think I’ll end every Carpathian review with a “velvet” word count… and if I’m feeling extra creative, I’ll break it down to include the subcategories of “velvet sheath,” “velvet tip,” and “velvet over iron.”

All this complaining may sound like I hated the book, but perversely, I didn’t.  I actually like the series. I enjoy the world-building, the destined soul-mates and most of the characters.  Clearly it holds some attraction because I keep coming back for more.  4 stars.

Dark Fire

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: October 2001

Publisher: Love Spell