Customer Reviews

Dark Horse, The

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

 

 

Claire Coulter's brother is dying. To Claire's astonishment, her boss offers to pay for the risky operation that might save him. The catch? Claire must accompany Tobias Benton on a search for the Fountain of Youth.

My mom bought this book for me because it had two of my favorite things - tarot and horses - and so of course, I must read this story. I found Claire and Jack to be vivid, well-drawn characters who drew the reader into their emotional tale. In fact, if you ignored the tarot deck, the fact that Set now walks the Earth, her sleazy boss' attempts to get her in bed, a brother who is dying of kidney failure, and all the other sub-plots that detract from the true story of Claire and Jack's discovery of their love, then this is an awesome read.

I loved these characters, though at times they are placed in unbelievable circumstances, and read through the book to see how they would turn out. It seemed to me that there were too many subplots and too much happening, and the paranormal elements are not grounded with firm explanations, which leaves the book reading kind of like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

To me, the paranormal elements felt superfluous. Had Tobias been going to visit Jack's ranch to buy a race horse and asked Claire to accompany him, then the story could have just as well worked as a steamy contemporary, and would have read all the better for having the paranormal elements removed. As someone who is a tarot lover, a horse lover, and very knowledgeable about both, I found all the extra elements (including a horse that's supposed to win the Kentucky Derby, though the horse read more as a 5 or 6 year old, which meant he was too old to run in the Derby), really pulled me out of the story.

If you read this book - do it for the characters, because Jack and Claire need to have their story told. It's just too bad that this venue didn't work for them.

To gain her employer, Tobias Benton's, help in legalizing herself and her brother as well as having the dying young man's exhorbitant medical bills paid, Claire Coulter agrees to help Tobias find the Fountain of Youth. Her ability to decipher the codes that could lead them there is invaluable, and Tobias also has a few less noble designs on Claire that will ultimately put her in peril. From the outset, the quest lies under a cloud of doom; Claire is in possession of a cursed Tarot deck that has already killed someone dear to her. Between that and Tobias being insane, Claire is walking headlong into danger, but someone walks beside her, keeping her safe. Jack is a troubled man with a tormented past and who has a horse spirit living inside him that gives him unusual abilities. His gifts and Claire's may not be enough to stop Tobias and his evil mentor from using Claire to pay a blood price for their treasure. Yet, they do have love on their side.

Much goes on in this book. Some threads are picked up and alluded to that remain undeveloped, and if they had been explored further would have made this an even better read. The paranormal element is utilized in an almost Indiana Jones fashion, simply tacked onto a basic adventure story. I also would have enjoyed going further into the idea of Egyptians living in ancient North America, but that is only background material. On the plus side, Tobias is a deplorable villain, one who is very easy to loathe, and Claire manages to be a damsel in distress who is capable, but simply needs a bit of help against overwhelming odds. Furthermore, if you have missed the first book in the Forbidden Tarot series, you don't need to have read it to follow this one.

Amanda Killgore

Take one hunky race horse breeder with a paranormal secret, a hot Latina with life and death issues of her own, throw them together with a sleazy billionaire and an ancient evil that's walking about on two feet and you have one killer book! Plus, I just love the hero. There's something about a boy who could be bad, but won't . . .

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Tobias Benton, head of CommOptima, and one of his associates is searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth. Tobias believes he finally has its location. It is in an archeological site in the Sierra Nevada, deep within a cave. The place is booby-trapped. Written upon the door leading to the Fountain is an ancient Nimian code. Tobias needs a translator, but no one in the world has broken the code. However, he knows the one who could do it.

Claire Coulter has worked for Tobias a couple of years now. She works on the Nimian Project and has spent the last two years working on cracking its code. Claire never met Tobias before he called her into his office and offers her a deal. She would accompany Tobias to the site and translate the door for him. It would take about three days of horseback riding to reach it. Once done, Tobias would not only get her a Green Card, but would pay for her brother to get the kidney transplant he so desperately needs.

Jack Hughes owns Dark Horse Ranch. The place is in dire need of funds, so he agrees to take Tobias and Claire where they need to go. But that did not mean he would like it. Jack had a magical experience at that site when he was thirteen-years-old. It was not something he cared to repeat, so he had never returned. He has no doubt that this little expedition is a bad idea.

Humans are not the only ones in need of the Fountain. Set, one of the Ancients, needs it as well. The humans are simply a tool to reach it...and so expendable.

**** Even though this is a "stand alone" book, references to a previous novel are made. Often Claire would call a lady that must have been a main character of the previous book. These scenes did not strike me as necessary, however, they did seem to lend a dark essence to the story. Each chapter begins with a paragraph that reads like a journal entry by Set. VERY nice touch! Not only did this give me more insight into Set, but it also made the possibility of Set being real more believable to me. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

CommOptima CEO Tobias Benton believes he has located the legendary Fountain of Youth inside a cave in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. On the outside "door" is letters written in ancient Nimian. Tobias knows the person capable of breaking the code to allow entry; he assumes forced access will prove dangerous as he expects booby traps everywhere.

Tobias sends for employee Claire Coulter offering her a deal she cannot refuse. She will go to the site and translate the Nimian runes for him in exchange for her brother obtaining the kidney transplant he desperately needs to live.

Needing money to keep his ranch Dark Horse Ranch owner Jack Hughes reluctantly agrees to escort Tobias and Claire to the cave, a three day ride by horseback though he hates going near there, having suffered a paranormal experience there as a teen. At the same time Set, an Ancient One, seeks the healing powers of the Fountain too and plans to use the human pawns to help him attain his objective; afterward he will dispatch these worthless creatures.

This terrific paranormal romantic suspense thriller has some tenuous ties to the previous Forbidden Tarot tale, THE DARK LORD, but clearly can be perused without reading the first tale. Claire is a wonderful protagonist willing to sacrifice everything including ethics and love to save her sibling's life; she adds a deep moral dilemma/fiber to the tale. Jack is also interesting as he denies love while Tobias is fixated on finding the Fountain of Youth. However, the most fascinating character remains Set, whose appearances are somewhat limited yet tells quite a back tale involving the Golden Ones and much more.

Harriet Klausner