Customer Reviews

Drawn Into Darkness: A Soul Gatherer Novel

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

 

 

STORY BRIEF:
In 1603 Lachlan died after enemies killed his wife and children. Since then he has worked for Death as a soul gatherer. When someone dies, Lachlan touches him/her to collect their soul and holds it until an angel arrives to take it to heaven (or Satan's messenger arrives to take it to hell). At times Lachlan must fight demons with swords and other weapons as they try to steal souls destined for heaven. Death is a female demigod. In addition to his soul gathering duties, Death assigns Lachlan to watch over and protect Emily, a teenager. Drusus is a powerful demon who has become Emily's boyfriend. He is using the name Drew. He is handsome, in his 20's and rides a motorcycle. Emily is a surly and rebellious teenager with a goth look who sneaks out at night to be with Drew. Her mother Rachel is divorced, works a demanding job, loves Emily, but is having trouble being a parent and interacting with Emily. Lachlan is their neighbor and helps Rachel with Emily issues, for example following Emily when she sneaks out. The main mystery is why Death and Drusus both are interested in Emily. A second mystery concerns the Linen, a religious item in Lachlan's possession that Drusus wants.

REVIEWER'S OPINION (WITH MILD SPOILERS):
The main romance is between Rachel and Lachlan. She doesn't know about his world or his abilities. Several conflicts occur when Rachel sees or learns something and is angry at Lachlan or thinks he lied to her. For example, he was in a sword fight with deep cuts which she saw. The next day they are healed with no scars. When she asked him where the cuts went, he said "I heal very fast." He started to explain, but she was angry and didn't believe him. She said "no matter what it is you need to say, I'm not ready to hear it," and she walked away. In the beginning, Lachlan is attracted to her but refuses to have a relationship with her because "he knew he would end up hurting her" (which was not true). Later Drusus tells lies to Rachel which she believes and which cause more conflict with Lachlan. These conflicts were not interesting for me. I'd rather see conflicts based on circumstances, personality differences, plot development, etc. I also would have liked more interesting character development. For some reason, the romantic relationship didn't appeal to me, party because of items mentioned above. It might have been better if the personalities were more interesting.

Regarding the main mystery of why Death and Drusus wanted Emily, it was interesting. But I did not like one major plot point. Drusus is more powerful than Lachlan and could have killed him but let him live. Lachlan asks Death for help. Death tells Lachlan that he has a weapon that he can use to defeat Drusus, but she won't tell him what it is. This bothered me. Death assigned Lachlan to protect Emily, but she won't help him?

My favorite parts of the book were about Carlos. In fact I loved the ending concerning him.

Minor problem with the publisher (not the author's fault): Page 75 says Lachlan has "a sprinkle of crisp, dark hair" on his chest. The cover model has none.

DATA:
Story length:332 pages. Swearing language; strong. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 21. Setting: current day and 1603 California, Antarctica and Scotland. Copyright: 2009. Genre: fantasy mystery romance.

Drawn Into Darkness: A Soul Gatherer Novel by Annette McCleave
Paranormal Romance - Sept. 1st, 2009
3 1/2 stars

Annette McCleave has brought to life a unique and fascinating world in her debuting book Drawn Into Darkness. I was quickly absorbed by her imaginative novel where angels and demons fight for control and power over the dead.

Lachlan MacGregor is caught in the middle. He is a soul gatherer responsible for battling demons and preventing them from stealing the souls of the dead. Atoning for his past for 4 centuries, his newest assignment has him mystified. He has been ordered to travel across the world to America, where he is given little aid in his mission to protect a special girl named Emily. The only problem is he has been instructed to stay close to her family. And that means befriending Emily's single and gorgeous mother Rachel. Posing as a priest Lachlan tries to keep his intense attraction to Rachel on a tight leash because he knows any relationship is futile. Rachel deserves happiness and any life with him would be doomed from the start. But attempts on Emily's life bring the couple closer and desire that should remain hidden ignites...

Annette McCleave has definitely created a world worth exploring. The group of Soul Gatherers who seek atonement for their past reminded me of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. I found nearly all of the characters intriguing and enjoyed the sections between the 2 main characters. The only part of the story which I had difficulty enjoying were the areas that involved Emily. Emily was not endearing. Although she is a teenager and expected to be rebellious and bratty, I found her reckless and spiteful behavior kept me from liking her. Unfortunately, she did not show any remorse at the difficulties she gave her mother or Lachlan. Even though keeping Emily safe was the focus of the story, I just didn't think she was worth the trouble. Because of Emily's unsympathetic character, I could not rate this story higher although I found all the rest of characters extremely fascinating.

This being said, if you love paranormal romance and are looking for new characters and a fresh world that will intrigue you, Drawn Into Darkness will attract you. This new series is definitely one to watch out for!

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Disguised as a priest, Soul Gatherer Lachlan MacGregor battles demons to deliver souls of the recently deceased to Heaven or Hell. He's also assigned to protect Emily, a teen who's unknowingly the center of an ancient prophecy. Sparks fly between Lachlan and Emily's mother, Rachel, and although he has a century left of his soul gathering assignment, he yearns to be human again.

When Emily's life is threatened and he receives a sign that the next soul he's to gather is hers, Lachlan must team up with Rachel to find the girl and keep her safe, even at his own expense and that of his budding romance.

DRAWN INTO DARKNESS is a fabulously entertaining tale of demons, angels and beings in between. The world building is unique and detailed, drawing the reader into an age-old battle between good and evil. The next installment will be eagerly anticipated.

Review by Jen

It look a little while for me to really get where the book was going. It starts out introducing the reader to our hero, Lachlan, by dropping us right into the middle of one of his "assignments" as a Soul Gatherer. However, it's not really explained what he's doing at this point and that left me quite confused. And let me tell you, it's not a good thing to have me confused within the first 10 pages of a 300 page novel. But I stuck with it.

Then we meet Rachel, our love interest, and her daughter Emily, an angst ridden teen. Their strained relationship sends Rachel to Lachlan for advice and support. But, of course, Rachel doesn't know about this paranormal world Lachlan lives in, but it drawn into it anyway.

So, this book reminded me a lot of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters. You have a "god" (Death vs Artemis) who collects souls of people, which lands them working for the god pretty much unwillingly as a way of redeeming themselves. And then there is the hoard of demons (daimons) who are the nemesis of the "good guys".

After the slow start, I really got into this book and ended up reading the second half non-stop. I enjoyed it, but found it to be lacking if you compare it to the Dark-Hunters. However, it is the first in a series, so a lot of setting up of the world and introducing the major players is necessary and therefore all that extra narrative can be forgiven.

All that said, I will likely hunt down a copy of the sequel, Bound by Darkness, to see where Annette McCleave is going to take this series.

Centuries old and counting, Father Lachlan MacGregor gathers souls to deliver to heaven before the demons can suck them dry, for Lachlan this means penance as he is the Soul Gatherer. At the same time he insures his downstairs neighbors, artist Rachel and her fourteen years old daughter Emily are safe; he is especially keeping a wary eye on the teen.

Rachel is taken aback by her attraction to the handsome hunk upstairs as he is forbidden fruit being a priest. Lachlan reciprocates her desire, but he has some supernatural wars to contend with. As they fall in love, they team up to keep Emily safe from an especially evil essence who wants the teen to fulfill an ancient prophecy while also using the child as a pawn to get at Lachlan. What the Soul Gatherer hides from his beloved mortal is her child is his next transfer to the beyond.

This fast-paced urban romantic fantasy will grip readers with the first sword duel and never slows down until the final confrontation as everyone from beyond want to know the way to San Jose. The story line is fast-paced but driven by the relationships as the hero falls in love with the mother of his next delivery and the rebellious daughter is enticed by a charming demon. Annette McCleave provides a terrific thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The story itself doesn't seem all that new, but McCleave offers her own twist on the relationship between Death, God and Satan that makes the novel stand out on its own. First off, I have to say that I love the fact that Death is a girl. I mean, we all know that Death is a bitch, but who knew it was a characteristic. :)

Okay, seriously tho, I like the idea of the Soul Gatherers. The fact that they are men who were doomed to purgatory but were given a second chance is kind of fascinating. They are men who were not necessarily good in their mortal life, but still had some redeeming qualities about them and were given a second chance at life. I like the idea that not everything is black and white and there is a chance at redemption even after death.

Each time I opened the novel, I was launched right back into the story and did enjoy the ride. The events blended beautifully and we were introduced to some great side characters that I can't wait to meet later on. A Soul Gatherer is all about redeeming himself and McCleave keeps to that mentality even at the end.

Overall, this is a great start to a new paranormal romance series and Annette McCleave is going to have a smashing hit on her hands.

For my full review, check out Literary Escapism.

This book was unique and a breath of fresh air, so many Paranormals out there this one stuck out for me, fast pace and very interesting!!
Buy it, you will love it!