Tag Archives: Paranormal Romance

Water Bound by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , , , ,

Overview

Water BoundTitle: Water Bound
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Sisters of the Heart #1, Sea Haven #8
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: The Coast, Elements, Family, Magic, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: She rubbed her itching palm down her thigh and then pressed her hand hard against her tummy.

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Synopsis

The last thing Lev Prakenskii remembered was being lost in the swirling currents of the ocean and getting sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy off the coastal town of Sea Haven. Just as quickly, just as miraculously, he was saved – pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger. But Lev has no memory of who he is – or why he seems to possess the violent instincts of a trained killer. All he knows is that he fears for his life, and for the life of his unexpected savior.

Her name is Rikki, a sea-urchin diver in Sea Haven. She has always felt an affinity for the ocean, and for the seductive pull of the tides. And now she feels drawn in the same way to the enigmatic man she rescued. But soon they will be bound by something even stronger, and their tantalizing secrets will engulf them both in a whirlpool of dizzying passion and inescapable danger.

Thoughts

This might have been one of my favourite paranormal romance books. Not because the romance was anything amazing. Not because the obstacle thrown in their way was momentously different from any of the other Feehan books (and other paranormal romance tales) that I have read. But, honestly, because the lead woman was autistic. I NEVER seem to find good books that deal with autistic people. Realistically delve into how differently the world is seen through autistic eyes, and, more than that, finding a way to make a great storyline and couple that doesn’t feature this aspect of the character, but has it there as part of who they are. Completely in love with this. There need to be more books out there about people who are not mainstream. About people being able to find love when they don’t fit into others’ ideals of the ‘norm’. I could honestly wax on and off about this all day…

Water Bound starts off a whole new sisterhood in the Sea Haven universe, and although the Drake Sisters are mentioned from the very beginning (it starts on the day of their wedding), they are not intimately involved in the storyline. Which I quite liked. Hidden Currents gave all of them a happy ending, and now it is time for a new batch of women to get theirs. The fact that I think these women are going to be a lot darker and more experienced with the horrors of the world actually makes me far more interested in this series than I thought. Rikki has a few horrors in her past, and although she manages to fall for a certified killer, he helps her to heal and move on.

Lev Prakenskii is the first of Ilya’s brothers to find his new home in Sea Haven, and although I felt like his story was mostly finished at the end of Water Bound, there are a few lingering doubts about their happily ever after that make me want to hurry up and read the rest of the story… so I suppose it’s time to crack the spine of Spirit Bound and find out what happens with the next brother to find his way to this amazingly picturesque town.

 <- Hidden Currents Review Spirit Bound Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Hidden CurrentsTitle: Hidden Currents
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Drake Sisters #7, Sea Haven #7
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: The Coast, Family, Magic, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: We made it faster than we expected, and the girls are waiting.

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Synopsis

From afar, Sheriff Jackson Deveau has always loved Elle Drake, the youngest telepath of seven sisters. After a long time away, she’s finally returning to the small coastal village of Sea Haven. But someone has other plants for Elle, someone who doesn’t want her to make it back.

When Elle fails to arrive home, her disappearance strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who loves her. Now it’s left to Jackson to uncover the mystery of Elle’s vanishing and rescue her from an unseen danger. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for anyone, and it will take the powers of all the Drake sisters and their men to survive the oncoming storm.

Thoughts

I picked this book up because I had had a panic attack, and the first six books in this series really helped to settle me. After all, they are filled with romance, family, love and all sorts of nice things. And while Hidden Currents is certainly like that – it was also the worst possible book to read when I wasn’t in a great headspace… Elle is in some serious trouble within the first three chapters. Trouble that was so bad I almost threw up, wanted to throw the book across the room, and was just generally feeling shocked and shattered. Feehan is such a brilliant writer that it wasn’t difficult at all to imagine all of the bad things that were happening. It’s the first time I’ve ever wished someone wasn’t that good at writing to be honest.

But it’s okay.

It gets better from there. In the fourth chapter the bad things stop, and it becomes about the love story and the two leads again. You just have to get over that initial HOLY CRAP, WHAT IS HAPPENING feeling. Then it is completely amazing, like the rest of the Drake Sisters stories and it becomes incredibly easy to immerse yourself in. The fact that I wanted to see the bad guy get his comeuppance also meant that I didn’t stop reading this book, even carrying it around the house and kitchen while I was cooking tea (very interesting to do one handed if you’re curious).

Although there is another series (Sisters of the Heart) that continues the Sea Haven world, Hidden Currents beautifully completes the overarching tale of the Drake Sisters. It is primarily about Elle and Jackson, but it pulls in the rest of the seven couples beautifully, giving a great insight into the ways in which they have all lived their lives since the completion of their own stories. A fantastic (albeit a little distressing) ending to one of my favourite series…

 <- Turbulent Sea Review Water Bound Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

Fade to Black by Sherri Erwin

Book Review, , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Vampire RomanceTitle: Fade to Black
Author: Sherri Erwin
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Wait, how was I watching?

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Synopsis

Kelly has a boring, mediocre life and Connor Black wants to help her change her stars. But now that she’s agreed, she finds herself in a complex web of history, jealousy and a confusing future.

Thoughts

I feel like there needs to be more to this story. It is short, sweet and multilayered in its world construction. The fact that vampirism is treated as a virus and there is an ancient rivalry between the two male leads creates an engaging world. Yet, it ends so quickly when she hasn’t actually quite chosen which male she wants to try for. Mostly the lead makes a decision about herself, and kind of rides off into the sunset. With a lot of questions unanswered. This is generally why I didn’t give this tale as large a rating as I normally would have. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and the world construction, but it just felt… open.

I like the fact that although this is a vampire romance story (in a vampire romance collection, who’da’thunk’it?), it’s a slightly different take on the idea. There is still the same slightly raunchy feel. There is still the same idea that the male is the aggressor and turns (rescues in this case?) tale. But it treats vampirism differently and in a way that I found to be incredibly unique. A fantastic start to a new anthology, I can’t wait to see where it’s going to go.

 <- The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance Review Ode to Edvard Munch Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Burning Wild by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Burning Wild

Title: Burning Wild
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: The Leopard People #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Candles.

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Synopsis

Bred by capricious parents for his innate leopard-shifitng abilities, billionaire Jack Bannaconni has spent his life in an emotional vacuum – especially after a tragic twist of fate left him to raise his infant son alone. But when his path crosses that of an enigmatic young woman, Jake’s life takes a detour he never fathomed.

There is something irresistible about Emma Reynolds – something Jake can’t live without. Hiring her as his son’s nanny will keep her close. And warm. And under watch. She’s the first human to stir something in Jake, something he’s never felt before. But Emma may not be at all what she seems. And what’s raging between them is pure animal instinct – out of control, burning wild and as hot as the lick of a flame.

Thoughts

Jake is kind of an idiot. And an ass. And it took me longer to read this novel than any of the other Feehan stories so far because he was kind of painful. But I absolutely adored and loved Emma. She was sweet and caring. Soft and nurturing. Yet she didn’t let Jake push her around and found her own ways to work with his little peeves.

I enjoy the paranormal romance genre, although sometimes it does hit my feminist bone. And this one certainly set it off. Which probably has a lot to do with the fact that Jake was a possessive, obsessive douche. At the end of the story, I certainly softened to him. And at the beginning I felt sorry for him. But during the middle? It was hard to like him. It felt a little too overbearing, and I know that if I was placed in a position with such a man, I wouldn’t be okay with it. But, as always, Feehan was able to write in such a way that I became engaged in and enthralled with the relationship anyway.

This is the first of all the stories that incorporates motherhood and children into the tale. And it made a much softer counterpoint to Jake’s tale and childhood. The two children and Emma are so incredibly beautiful. And reading about their lives together and the joys of day to day living is just… nice. It makes all the darkness that this story carries somehow less. And in doing so, let me completely sink into the storyline and be swept away by the passion and love that drives the tale.

 <- Wild Rain ReviewWild Fire Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

Wild Rain by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Wild RainTitle: Wild Rain
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: The Leopard People #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: Why would someone be so intent on killing you?

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Synopsis

What has she done? With a new identity, a staged death, and a chance to flee the treachery that stalks her, Rachael has escaped from a faceless assassin. Now, thousands of miles from home, under the lush canopy of the rain forest, she’s found sanctuary.

Where can she hide? In this world teeming with unusual creatures walks the most exotic of them all. His name is Rio. A native of the forest imbued with a fierce prowess, he is something to be desired. Possessed of secrets of his own, he is something to be feared.

Whom can she trust? But as Rachael’s past looms as oppressively as the heat of the forest, and as Rio unleashes the secret animal instincts that course through his blood, Rachael fears that her isolated haven has become an inescapable hell…

Thoughts

I guessed that Rachael was somehow involved in gangs or something illegal through her family from the very first chapter. But that didn’t take away from the fact that her fleeing for her life was incredibly intense and even a little scary. I was even completely drawn in, wondering how badly her enemies wanted her. There were moments that I wondered if it was all in her head, and others where I was a little convinced that the assassins would win. So I loved this extra stakes that Rachael’s storyline added to Wild Rain.

I read Christine Feehan for a bit of a romance / a lot of a lust kick. The addition of the paranormal aspects and her amazing talent just help to make these stories impossible to put down. And I honestly found it a little more difficult to get into The Awakening, even though I liked the general premise of the storyline. So I was really hoping that the relationship in this one would be a little more two-sided, both characters would have a little more give and take than Maggie and Brandt. And it provided!

Rio is an incredibly masculine character – but I like how gentle he is with Rachael and the love that shines through their actions. I also love the fact that she is able to stand up to him and throw him off balance. It was this dynamic of constantly making each other a little ill at ease that really made me fall in love with this story. The idea of everything taking place in a rainforest and with leopard shapeshifters just made everything all the more engaging and interesting.

 <- The Awakening Review Burning Wild Review ->
Image source: Kobo

The Awakening by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The AwakeningTitle: The Awakening
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: The Leopard People #1
In: Fantasy (Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: And he wanted.

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Synopsis

Under the blazing heat of the Borneo sun, a beautiful naturalist’s dream comes true–to live among the feral jungle creatures. But an untamed, irresistible beast of another sort forces her to explore her own wild side.

Thoughts

This is the beginning of my second Christine Feehan series. And I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I loved that this was a lot edgier and a little harsher than the Drake Sisters series. And the people in this are a lot more isolated. But it was a great introduction to a whole new world and set of characters. I loved the setting amongst the Borneo rainforest and the sense of eerie mystery that surrounded Maggie and Brandt’s courtship.

Although I liked this story, I really didn’t love it. Brandt was incredibly possessive and a little creepy from the get go. And although Maggie continuously felt prepared to rile against him, she didn’t quite make it. She always succumbed to him at the last moment and let him get away with his high-handedness. In the end, it worked out to be quite a sweet tale, but that was only because they found their equilibrium. The end was great, but the middle made me want to smack him for being a possessive a-hole.

I love the idea of leopard shapeshifters and can’t wait to see how these people all manage to find their mates. Plus, the setting is the most fun and engaging one I’ve read in a long time.

 <- Leopard’s Run Review Wild Rain Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Human Nature by Eileen Wilks

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Human Nature

Title: Human Nature
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #5.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “Of course.”

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Synopsis

When the magically tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town, FBI Agent Lily Yu is drawn into the case. Trouble is, the victim wasn’t human – and the killer isn’t finished in USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wilks’s “Human Nature”.

Thoughts

This is story number 5.5 in the World of the Lupi series, but it takes place before the actions of novel 5 (Mortal Sins). That kind of threw me. I’m not sure why this is, but it didn’t take away from any of my enjoyment in the story. So it was still a thoroughly enjoyable way to procrastinate for the night.

I have a thing about tattoos. The fact that in Human Nature, one is used in the killing of one of the lupi was kind of sad, but still made it enjoyable. All throughout the World of the Lupi series to date, stereotypes and prejudice against others. This really came to the fore in this novella – although Lily has a murder to solve, the bigger issue she continuously comes across is the prejudice of the locals. Especially the local law enforcement. Actually, my biggest complaint about this story is that the poetic justice that I was hoping to see meted out didn’t occur. Maybe in one of the future novels in this series?

At the very end of this tale, a great point is made – Rule and his people may be different from humans. But they are still human, with all that that entails. And, ultimately, the murder is just another one driven by human nature and all the horrors that that entails.

<- Mortal SinsBlood Magic ->

Image source: Kobo

Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Mortal SIns

Title: Mortal Sins
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: But Georgetown University Hospital had a couple of rooms that were circled and heavily warded.

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Synopsis

Welcome to the “strange magic [and] fantastic realms” of Eileen Wilks’s world of the lupi, where some sins are so dark and unlikely, no one thought to forbid them…

FBI agent Lily Yu is in North Carolina with her lover and mate, Rule Turner, Lu Nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan. He is there to take custody of his son from the boy’s grandmother. It’s a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave. They carry the stench of death magic, which makes the murders a federal crime. Lily takes charge of the investgiation and soon realizes that nothing adds up – not the motives or the main suspect, who is behind bars when death strikes again.

But murder, however bizarre, is an everyday affair for Lily, who was a homicide cop before being recruited into the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division. A more personal shock arrives in the form of Rule’s son’s mother. Why would she now challenge Rule’s plan to bring his son to live among the Nokolai? But family matters must take a backseat when the violence escalates, and there’s no rhyme or reason for the next strike – by a killer who may not even be of this world…

Thoughts

This is one of those series that I pick up and put down, but I’m slowly working through. This week I decided that it was time to pick up Mortal Sins, the book I am currently up to. Now I’m wondering why I ever put the series aside in the first place (I’m just easily distracted I suppose). I love Lily and Rule’s pretty damn good too. The storyline always captivates my attention and takes me on a great journey that I don’t in slightest bit expect.

There were two main threads to this storyline. Firstly there is Lily’s race to save the people of Halo and figure what’s causing so many deaths. For me, this takes up the majority of the story. After all, you follow Lily around and that’s the main focus of her actions throughout. Homicides and crime stories are captivating enough, but tie in the use of death magic and superstition against lupi, and the storyline gets a lot more intense. The entire time I was reading this, I was holding my breath, waiting for he next person to go crazy…

The other storyline is that of Rule and his son. A simple issue of changing his custody turns into something a lot more intense when his son’s mother gets involved again. I was actually quite blown away by this twist and sat there a little overwhelmed when I first read it. Although it isn’t the primary storyline, it is definitely the more emotional and powerful one. Something that helped me to get completely wrapped up in and swept away by the storyline.

 <- Cyncerely YoursHuman Nature ->

Image source: Dear Author

Ocean Light by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Ocean Light

Title: Ocean Light
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity #2, Psy-Changeling #17
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: They are the enemy of peace, of unity, or Trinity.

Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR NALINI SINGH DIVES BENEATH THE SURFACE OF HER PSY-CHANGELING WORLD INTO A STORY OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION AND SELFLESS LOVE…

Security specialist Bowen Knight has come back from the dead. But there’s a ticking time bomb in his head: a chip implanted to block telepathic interference that could fail at any moment – taking his brain along with it. With no time to waste, he should be back on land helping the Human Alliance. Instead, he’s at the bottom of the ocean, consumed with an enigmatic changeling…

Kaia Luna may have traded in science for being a chef, but she won’t hide the facts of Bo’s condition from him or herself. She’s suffered too much loss in her life to fall prey to the dangerous charm of a human who is a dead man walking. And she carries a devastating secret that Bo could never imagine…

But when Kaia is taken by those who mean her deadly harm, all bets are off. Bo will do anything to get her back – even if it means striking a devil’s bargain and giving up his mind to the enemy.

Thoughts

I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for this to come out…. And once it finally arrived, well, I read it in less than 24 hours. It was just like every other book in this series, amazing, sweet and impossible to put down.

Kaia is so damaged, and yet caring and tender. I love that as her past unfolds, you can understand why she’s quite standoffish. But it’s her ability to care and love that truly shines through. There’s a reason why whenever things are going to hell in a handbasket in my own life, I pursue stories such as this – with Singh’s Psy-Changeling world there is always a happy ending. And a character like Kaia who is able to overcome everything in her past and be purely good. The fact that she is a dominant maternal, unlike any of the other changelings in the entire series just made the cockles of my heart warm all the more.

Silver Silence ended with Bo being shot. And although he’s had some kind of shady moments throughout the series, I was completely taken away and a little horrified. He’s an incredibly key character to the large overarching tale that ties all of the many Psy-Changeling stories together and I just couldn’t imagine how the trinity would work without him. Luckily, Singh obviously created him to be like this, because he didn’t die, he was just put into a top secret medical facility. Although in past books Bo has just been an amazing ally (and in some cases potential enemy), he didn’t seem like much more to me before Ocean Light. Then I fell just as madly in love with him as every other character that has had their tale told.

Other than the amazing love story and tale of conspiracy created by the resistance to the Trinity, Ocean Light also introduces the world of BlackSea. An underwater realm full of swimming changelings and mystery. Now I want another tale of the changelings of BlackSea to come out… it looks like I’ll just have to wait a little while until it does.

 <- Silver SilenceWolf Rain ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Turbulent Sea by Christine Feehan

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Turbulent SeaTitle: Turbulent Sea
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Drake Sisters #6, Sea Haven #6
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: The Coast, Family, Magic, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: That man was with the Reverend’s demented flock, and he had a can of spray paint in his hand to mark you as the devil’s harlot.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

The star: Joley Drake was born with a legacy of unexpected magical gifts, but it was the gift of singing that made her an overnight sensation – a rock-and-roll goddess trapped by fame, fortune and ambition. Heated by the flush of success, Joley can have any man she wants. And there’s only one man who can give her what she really needs.

The bodyguard: Ilya Prakenskii, cool, inscrutable, dangerously sexy and working in the shadow of his infamous reputation – that of a secret Russian hit man on the payroll of a notorious mobster. He’s the last man Joley should get close to, yet when her life is threatened on tour, she has nowhere left to turn. But in the seductive safety of Ilya’s embrace, is Joley really as secure as she imagines?

Thoughts

As soon as I read the blurb for this story, I had the theme song from Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard stuck in my head. I had it stuck in my head for the four hours that it took me to read this from cover to cover. There are quite a few similarities. Although I was so incredibly hopeful that Turbulent Sea wouldn’t end in the same way as the movie. It didn’t. We’re good (I would have flung the book across the room if it ended that sadly).

Joley is wonderfully independent, incredibly fierce and completely able to stand up for herself. But, as the book unfolds, its also obvious that she’s very lonely, vulnerable and cares a lot about everyone around her. Not necessarily a bad thing, but placed in the world of a Rockstar, it does lead to her burn out. As someone who is currently experiencing a bit of an emotional burn out myself, it was nice to read about someone else who is experiencing this. It was also great that she finds someone who can recognise that and support her.

Oceans of Fire first introduced issues with the Russian mob to the Drake Sisters world. It also introduced Ilya Prakenskii, a scary and somewhat sexy SOB. The stakes were raised further in Safe Harbor and the dangers are just increased in Turbulent Sea. Their presence and the interconnectedness of the sisters with law enforcement and the Russians keeps on raising the stakes and creating a fast paced, intense tale. It made it completely impossible to put down Turbulent Sea and I have now banned myself from picking up Hidden Currents until I get a little more productive work done…

 <- Safe Harbor Review Hidden Currents Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan