Customer Reviews

Black Magic Lover (Harlequin Nocturne)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Searching for clues about the mother who abandoned her, Laura returns to her old home- and danger and voodoo lurk in the swamp.

When Laura goes home she meets Drew an attractive man who was part of the childhood she can't recall. They both feel an attraction and a connection and I liked that Drew is very sympathetic to Laura's plight.

What I liked less was his very repetitious thoughts that he can't get attached to Laura or act on his attraction because she is somehow marked for death (what he senses or how isn't really explained) and they have the same conversation over and over again in which, hoping to keep Laura out of danger, Drew tries to convince her to leave town and Laura repeats the same thought process of just having to find the answers to her mother's disappearance so that she can get past her abandonment issues.

It got really tiresome and put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm for the romance - when half time Drew is trying to push Laura away instead of developing an increasing sense of connection and building some intimacy between the pair.

I probably could have gotten past this if there had been bit of an epilog at the end, because the story ended abruptly when the main conflict was resolved and I still had some questions I'd have liked answered when all was said and done.

Welcome to Lionsheart, Louisiana, a small town steeped in old time Southern tradition... and something more. Returning to her childhood home after twenty years, Laura Larame is intrigued by the phone call that brought her here. Not to mention the man that had been her constant companion in those days. However, what they're about to discover about this sleepy little town schocked and surprised more than just them - I was rather speechless myself!

Laura Larame has been away from Louisiana for a long, long time. Her return is spurred by a mysterious phone call promising information about her long-missing mother. As strange and frightening as the caller sounds, she is anxious to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and get on with her life. Laura herself is full of surprises. She has a huge gap in her memory from her time in Lionsheart, however she's not afraid to face it now that she's returned. In addition to that, she's determined, independent and rather fearless as well. She's the perfect feisty heroine without many of the annoying characteristics that they usually possess.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like Drew Michel much when I first met him. He was a bit standoffish and every time Laura looked at him, she described his cold eyes and hard smile. I was worried he was going to be one of those arrogant heroes, the kind that the heroine really just needs to take down, but I was happy to see I was very, very wrong with him. While a little off-putting at first, his cool demeanor makes more sense as you get to know Drew and understand just why he's so unhappy to see Laura again. Less than a third of the way through the novel, you come to love and understand Drew and all is forgiven. In the end, he is the man you hoped Laura would find - strong, handsome, and dedicated to her and her alone.

Black Magic Lover is a wonderful novel filled full of twists and unexpected surprises around every corner. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, something else is tossed in your way to lead you off the trail. The tension between the characters is believable and the romance is intense and steamy. It's hard to find a good, believable story when you're dealing with voodoo, but Ms. Cooke certainly delivers with gusto! You will not be disappointed if you pick this one up - I can say for a fact that I had a tough time putting it down once I started!

Originally posted at: [...].

This voodoo drenched love story set in the sultry swamps of Louisiana is definitely a page turner if you love an edgy mysterious read. I highly recommend this book, and you will find it's hard to put it down!

The phone call stuns Laura Larame who had believed her mom was dead. She considers someone pulled a sick joke on her, but must know the truth as to whether her mother Delilah, whom she had not heard from in two decades lives in the Louisiana bayou.

Laura Larame returns home where she meets her childhood friend Drew Michel, who saved her life on the night her mom vanished and was assumed drowned. Drew and Laura are attracted to one another and he wants more than them just being friends; while she determinedly remains fixated on her mom. Drew who sees ghosts, fears his beloved is going to be sacrificed by his mother, a voodoo priestess, who plans to use her death to bring her God back using her son's body as the deity's container.

This Bayou romantic suspense is an exhilarating tale that grips the reader with a need to know what happened to Laura's mother. The story line provides an in depth look at voodoo without slowing down the plot. Although the ending seems abrupt, Black magic Lover is a fast-paced horror thriller as Cynthia Cooke shows her Mojo.

Harriet Klausner