Customer Reviews

The Dark Gate (Silhouette Nocturne)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Metropolitan Police Detective Jack Hallihan is trying to stop a serial rapist. In each case, multiple witnesses are present but no one can remember a thing about the attacks. Attorney Larsen Vale narrowly escapes death at the hands of the rapist when her visions of death return after being dormant since her childhood. She is terrified to tell Jack about her vision of the albino rapist, but Jack has his own secret as he fears he is succumbing to madness from the unintelligible voices in his head. Will Jack and Lauren learn to trust one another in time to stop evil from overtaking the world?

Do not start this book just before bedtime or you are guaranteed to miss out on sleep! I made this "mistake" and could not put THE DARK GATE down. I kept telling myself, "just one more chapter", as I turned page after page. Pamela Palmer's suspenseful paranormal tale is phenomenal!

THE DARK GATE truly epitomizes what the Silhouette Nocturne line is all about. The romance aspect is strong but the darker elements of this paranormal tale are where the writing talent of Pamela Palmer really shines! Her unusual twist to the story makes this a superb addition to any paranormal lover's keeper shelf. The story behind the albino man is quite fascinating, and the reactions of Larsen and Jack are very believable as they cope with each new revelation in this enthralling tale.

THE DARK GATE provides readers with a refreshingly unique paranormal tale chock full of suspense. Pamela Palmer is a new author to me but I can guarantee I will pick up her next book after reading this one! Easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I have read very few books that I could not put down--THE DARK GATE was one of them. I had to force myself to close the book at midnight and hated to. This is an exciting book with non-stop action and suspense that doesn't end.

The characters are amazing, complex with many levels and dimensions.

It's impossible to believe this is a debut novel. I don't usually read paranormals but look forward to many more by Ms. Palmer. The paranormal elements are seamlessly woven into the real world and completely believable. Considering how creative the elements are, this is a testimonial to the depth of talent possessed by this writer.

Metropolitan Police Detective Jack Hallihan is working on a case that has him totally stymied. On three occasions several victims were knocked out, but when they all awakened simultaneously; one girl was raped and no one remembered anything. Jack also fears he is going insane because he hears voices in his head. He meets lawyer Larsen Vale who keeps a secret from everyone. She feels she is evil because she can forecast death.

When Jack touches Larsen the voices stop making him need to get to know her in the hopes she has the power to rid him of his terror permanently. At a wedding she has a vision in which she sees an albino man enchanting people. No one else sees him but her. He wears the stone of Erzie, which is the key to another dimension. Jack arrest this male, but after locking him away and leaving, the culprit enslaves the entire police station occupants. When Jack and Larsen learn what the creature is they know they must prevent him from opening the portal that would allow magical malevolence to conquer the earth.

Pamela Palmer has written a delightful paranormal romance in which mortals must first believe in the unbelievable starting with a monster out of the myths that really exists and that magic works. This is an action oriented thriller with a supportive romantic subplot that enhances the escapades turning THE DARK GATE into a great romantic urban fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

In The Dark Gate, Pamela Palmer weaves together heart pounding plot with heart warming romance and enough magic to keep even hard core fantasy readers very, very happy. Larsen and Jack manage to fend off magical fiends, fall in love and save the world in a page turning read. This is a wonderfully romantic urban fantasy and I'm looking forward to the next installment of the Esri series!

The Dark Gate is, without a doubt, the best paranormal romance I have read in years. It's engaging, well written and delightfully creepy. The whole book is a joy from start to finish.

Pamela Palmer has penned a fantastic novel about secrets, magic and other worlds that never loses its realism, it's focus or it's frantic breakneck speed. The characters are well defined, likeable and incredibly real.

I am reading this book again for a second time and am enjoying it just as much as the first, if not more so. There's a sequel coming out in June and I am overjoyed.

I can't wait to see what Pamela has in store for us! If you haven't read The Dark Gate, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy. It will be a book you return to again and again.

I was surprised by this suspenseful paranormal romance. Larsen Vale and detective Jack Hallihan are both strong and reasonably developed and the plot was tense and imaginative. I believed in the chemistry between Larsen and Jack and liked that the development of that relationship seemed to follow a natural course instead of getting pushed into it too soon in the story. There was a real sense of danger here, too, that I enjoyed.

The Dark Gate isn't a flawless book by any means, and I tend to prefer a book with a bit more meat on it's bones, a story with more than one dimension. I think The Dark Gate is a very good Silhouette Nocturne - one of the best I've read - and while it is a little thin on depth, the single thread of the story is quite original and suspenseful. 3.5 Stars and I will be checking out the sequel, Dark Deceiver.

This book appealed to me based on the fantasy theme. I was not disappointed. This is overwhelmingly a first rate fantasy novel with humans fighting to survive the onslaught of faeries from the faery realm. They each have a gift that helps them in their battle to save humanity. I don't want to say much more as it might spoil the plot.

This book is about 3/4 fantasy - fantasy and science fiction readers would enjoy this book. It has 1/4 romance for the romance reader - it is a satifying romance that does not overwhelm the story. It has the perfect blend of both.

This is the first book authored by Pamela Parker. Her prose is so well written you might guess it was her tenth book. This book was so good that when I finished my library copy I immediately purchased a copy of my own. I highly recommend this book!

This was actually a pretty good read. I only bought it because I like Palmer's other novels. The intimate scenes weren't as hot and steamy as what I'm use too, but it didn't take away from the story. If your looking for something to read in your spare time (while waiting for other coming soon novels that are not out yet), this would be a very good choice.

Dark Deceiver (Silhouette Nocturne)

this book is simply the most amazing and refreshing book i have ever read,Autumn is a very determined and instinct driven lady she almost made me belive every thing was possible.
kaderil was the guy she fell in love with almost at first sight(the sopposedly evil Esri)but he was actually the sweetest guy in the world that only her could see.i dont want to tell you much because then you miss out on the thrill of it, you simply just have to read (THE DARK DECEIVER)BUT BEFORE THEN DON'T FORGET TO GO THROUGH THE DARK GATE.

I actually got Dark Deceiver (Silhouette Nocturne), the follow-up book to this first, but when I found there was a previous book to it, I decided to get it and read it first.

And I'm glad I did.

While on the trail of a bizarre serial rapist, Washington D.C. detective Jack Hallihan, a man who suffers from the constant "chatter" of voices in his mind, crosses paths with Larsen Vale, a lawyer with the D.A.'s office, who herself suffers from seeing terrible premonitions of suffering and death. Together, they must learn to trust each other and use their talents to stop the threat of an evil, dimension-jumping faerie-like being, bent on dominating the human realm.

As I said in the title to this review, this has to be one of the best-paced, best written of the Silhouette Nocturne line. The characters, even the minor ones, are life-like and believable. The world-building in this book is top-drawer, as good as and perhaps even better that of than some "mainstream" fantasy novels, and the romance never hi-jacks the story; the love scenes grow organically from the relationship of the hero and heroine, and you never get the "okay, time for some hot romantic action" feeling that sometimes derails the placement of a love scene. Considering the concept of inter-dimensional travel plays a role in this, I'd place this book as science fantasy. It's definately one of the top ten of the Nocturne line and not one to be missed if you like paranormal fiction!