Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Real Page Turner!!, May 5, 2005
This review is from: The Companion (The Companion Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
Ms. Squires' latest book was a page turner in many ways. Readers should be prepared for the slow build up in the romance section of this read. Although this is billed as a "romance" I must say that I felt that this was more of a paranormal read with romantic overtones. Still Ms. Squire has taken the "vampire myth" and worked it in such a way that this story was fresh, fast-paced, and very dramatic. Ian and Beth our lead characters are strong, but sympathetic and as a result the relationship that develops between them is not only believable but this reader quickly turned the pages hoping that these two very different but deserving people found love.
Ian was taken as a slave by the Barbary pirates sailing along the coast of Africa. Soon he is sold to a master that is cruel, and his servitude is marked by harsh punishment and a grueling trek through the desert in search of something that is beyond him. When they finally come to their destination amidst the sandy landscape of the North African desert he realizes that evil is not just his master Asharti a woman that is a creature of the night and that this place is the home of evil beyond his wildest nightmare. Just when he thinks his suffering is at an end one simple but crucial mistake changes Ian for the rest of his life. Now he has become that which he has despised and fought against. On his way back home to England he is about to meet his match. Where he only sees darkness a nature and sweet light has formed. But will Ian realize that even he deserves the one thing he never thought to have which is love and acceptance?
Beth has lived her life in the desert. One quirk of fate changes all that. Her father has been killed in a tragic accident and now she finds that she must return to England and assume the ways of the genteel. She is a scholar, a blue stocking and this is the last thing that she wants. One board the ship that will take her to her destiny she meets a very unusual but handsome man that seems to be different. His explanations all seem possible but...it's not until she follows him one night in Spain that her questions are finally answered. Or at least a few are answered...more take their place, and she finds that no matter how hard she tries to be afraid of Ian...she still finds herself drawn to him. Do they even have half a chance at being happy?
Ian and Beth were such complex characters and as a result they took control of the story and told their own tale. We are told of Ian's past through flashbacks, and this was a very effective way of "catching" the reader up with what had gone on before without slowing down the pace of the story. Ms. Squires has penned a very sensual read that will take readers from Dark Africa to Spain, England, and than back to Africa again for the amazing finish. I highly recommend this read if you are a fan of the paranormal genre or if the sensual vampire is your choice of danger.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling Vampire tale, June 29, 2005
This review is from: The Companion (The Companion Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is my first book by Susan Squires and I enjoyed it very much. But I have to say that, though it is catagorized as a "romance", I think the little red sticker on the cover of my copy is more accurate and it reads "A Regency Vampire Novel". Yes there is a romance in the book but this is first and foremost a vampire novel, so those looking primarily for romance may be disappointed.
Ian Rufford was traveling to North Africa to take up his new diplomatic post when the ship he was traveling on was attacked by pirates. He was sold into slavery and has spent the last two years in a living hell. He escaped his captors and has determined never again to be enslaved that way and to return to England. But something happened to Ian in the desert that he does not fully understand. His eyes and skin are extremely sensitive to sunlight and he, most shamefully, craves human blood. He hopes an English doctor will be able to cure him and help him return to a normal life. While sailing home he encounters a very unconventional young woman whose curiosity and intelligence attracts him. But he cannot let her close to him for fear that she will discover his true nature - and be sickened by it.
Elizabeth Rochewell is, unfortunately, returning to England upon the death of her father. She dreads returning as she has never fit in there. She inherited her long dead Egyptian mother's coloring and, after ten years spent with her father on archeological expeditions, she's nowhere near refined. All she wants is to remain in her beloved Africa to continue her father's work - epecially his search for the lost city of Kivala. On the journey home she meets Ian a gentleman who seems to be full of pain and secrets. She is determined to understand her "mystery" and engages him in conversation and nightly games of chess. As their acquaintance deepens she discovers his secret. That he is a vampire and, most intriguingly that he knows something of Kivala that he refuses to share with her. What happened to him in the desert to leave such deep scars - both physical and emotional?
What happened to Ian is told through flashback and is not for the faint of heart. He was used most cruelly by a very strong female vampire named Asharti. Ian is ashamed of what she did to him, what she made him do and, perhaps most of all, ashamed of his lingering fear of her. His emotional turmoil is strong and deeply touching. Beth shocks him with her acceptance of what he is and her longing to help him but he keeps her at arm's length, reluctant to taint her with his ugliness. But when Asharti begins to cause both vampires and humans real concern with her violent actions, Ian must enlist Beth's help to try and put this evil to rest for good. You'll hope that they succeed!
This is most definitely a dark read with passages that some may find disturbing - again I say, not for the faint of heart. If you cannot bear to have the hero having (rather graphic) sex with someone other than the heroine, even in flashbacks, this is likely not for you. This is also a quite violent book as well. Her spin on the vampire legend is also quite fascinating in more than one aspect. I found the pace a little on the slow side, especially as the flashback passages grew longer. And as previously stated, while there is definitely affection, friendship and fascination for one another, the romance was quite understated. This book is primarily Ian's story with Beth a bit more of a supporting player in my view. Still, all in all, this is a very good read if you like vampire tales. And it looks as though we may not have seen the last of Asharti as there will be a follow-up book about fellow vampire Beatrix Lisse, The Hunger, coming in October 2005.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Blood is life, December 30, 2005
This review is from: The Companion (The Companion Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
Finding love in England during the 1800s was not an easy task when marriages were arranged based on status, money and bloodlines. However, for Elizabeth Rochewell and Ian Rufford, this task was doubly hard because the blood that flowed through their bodies made them outcasts in their society. In Susan Squires' THE COMPANION, this couple defies the odds and finds an everlasting love that neither time nor death could destroy.
Elizabeth is a young woman whose mother was Egyptian and her father an Englishman. The combination of the two made Elizabeth a striking beauty with brown skin and golden green eyes. It is this physical difference, along with her strong personality and her father's intellect, that sets her apart from her female counterparts. So it is no wonder she follows her father on his archeological expeditions in Africa. While on an expedition, her father dies unexpectedly, and Elizabeth is forced to return to England. While on the long merchant ship voyage, she befriends the mysterious Ian Rufford. What she discovers about her new friend should have sent her screaming to the hills; instead, it enables her to understand the brooding man and recognize his pain and the reason behind his dark moods. Even when they return to England and go their separate ways, she cannot keep her mind off the strong man whose secret she keeps, and her heart cannot deny her strong feelings for him.
Ian Rufford feels he has contracted a disease that has made him sensitive to sunlight, stronger than the average man and makes him crave human blood. He knows when and how he contracted this so called "disease" and wishes beyond all reason he could forget, but he cannot. He travels to England to find a cure, only to discover he is a vampire. For Ian, it is a curse that he must live with for eternity. The only bright light for Ian is Elizabeth with her beauty and intellect. However, he must convince himself that she would desire a vampire. When the evil vampire who made him creates havoc in a quest to control the world, Ian must trust in Elizabeth and her skills to help him decipher the code that will stop this vampire and save the free world.
Vampires, blood and sensuality are an unusual combination for a romance. In this paranormal romance, a man has been turned into a vampire against his will, and he falls in love with a young, spirited and exotic English female. However, the strength of both characters shines through as they sacrifice their lives for a love that will be everlasting. The author brought the characters to life by giving sensory descriptions that allowed readers to fully visualize them. The period depictions also allowed readers into English life during the 1800s and the hot sands of the African desert. The use of flashbacks gave depth to Ian's character so readers could understand his struggle and why his soul was so tortured. The chemistry of the characters kept the sensuality on a heightened level as well. What really kept this story moving was the build up to the confrontation with Ian and the vampire who created him. Even though romance was involved, the paranormal suspense enhanced this wonderful read.
Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
