Forever Crossed [Paperback]

A. Leigh Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2004

Welcome to the Triangle, where wereleopards romp, the dead talk back, and blood-thirsty predators stalk through the city's darkest hours.

But when the doors open at Forever Crossed, the only funeral home in the Carolinas with an anti-rising guarantee, Olivia Peters is ready for anything the night may bring. At least she thinks she is. Between dating the wereleopard's Ra'Jahn and working for the city's Undead Ruler, her world is a whole lot more dangerous than it used to be.

And to top it all off, the wereleopards believe that she’s the Shaman of their prophesies, a being who is neither human nor wereleopard but something else, something entirely new. Olivia denies this connection, but she can’t deny the claim their leader is making on her heart...

Editorial Reviews

Review

A paranormal page-turner.... Filled with humor, thrills, and chills, FOREVER CROSSED is not to be missed. -- Kathy Samuels, Romance Reviews Today

Olivia is a wonderful wisecracking heroine in the tradition of Anita Blake, but blessedly lacking Anita's hang-ups... -- Gillian Fitzgerald, Sensual Romance Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: ImaJinn Books; First Edition edition (June 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893896242
• ISBN-13: 978-1893896246
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,872,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put this book down!!!!, August 9, 2004

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever Crossed (Paperback)

Olivia Peters is a Bereavement Counselor, she works for a funeral home named Forever Crossed. Briefly, a bereavement counselor sees the the circumstances of a person's death and comforts the survivors (or helps the homicide investigation). She is also the only known survivor of a wereleopard attack to not either die or become a shapeshifter herself. Her boss assigns her to work with the ruler of the Vampires, Antonio. He is trying to find a rogue Vamp who is killing vamps and humans in his territory of the Triangle. Coincidently, she is also retained by the local police to investigate the same case. The shaman of the local wereleopards was the latest victim, so their Ra Jahn is also involved and a mutual attraction is formed.

The book is filled with action and very vivid characters. The author has created a very believable alternate reality. The world that the vampires and weres live in is very well drawn and you can easily picture it. The love scenes were very well done, and there are others that are as interesting as Luka. This book is a definite must for fans of Anita Blake, but Olivia is a much less dark and more likable character. She is better adjusted and not a dark personality. I definitely recommend this one and can't wait until the next.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining fantasy, similar to the Anita Blake series..., August 2, 2005

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Forever Crossed (Paperback)

Olivia Peters isn't a witch or a necromancer. She is something far more unique than that. She is a bereavement specialist -- someone who is able to communicate with spirits and help them find closure and rest in peace just after they die and before they pass on to another dimension. Olivia has kept those spirits from turning into zombies or vampires. Her job at Forever Cross, the most popular funeral home in the Carolinas, has kept her busy. But then she has to investigate a crime committed by a rogue vampire and help Antonio Vesci, the city's Undead Ruler, find and execute said vampire and his minions. To make matters worse, she has developed feelings for Lurka, the wereleopards' Ra'Jahn, who is under the impression that she is the wereleopards' Shaman due to the fact that she had been bitten by a wereleopard when she was a child. She has never gone furry, but that doesn't mean that she isn't a part of the wereleopard community. There are various twists throughout the novel.

This is a cool and fast-paced novel with plenty of fantasy and supernatural elements to make you want to read it until its final page. Forever Crossed and its heroine are very similar to the Anita Blake series. I'm almost certain that A. Leigh Jones got her inspiration from the aforementioned series. Olivia Peters is a tough cookie who carries a gun, is indispensable at her job, is addicted to coffee and is attracted to the alpha wereleopard. But Olivia, unlike Anita, is more likeable and far less discriminating and self-absorbed. This novel (is this the begin of a series?) is a great alternative for those who are disappointed with the unfortunate direction the Anita Blake series has taken. You will enjoy this book very much. Is Forever Crossed an original story? No. Is it fun and entertaining? You betcha. Give it a whirl if you're as big a fan of paranormal stories as I am.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Straddles Multiple Genres to Create an Exciting Tale, March 5, 2005

By 

F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever Crossed (Paperback)

In Forever Crossed A. Leigh Jones adeptly straddles multiple genres to create an exciting tale. She crosses a romance novel with detective fiction and with an alternative reality setting that includes witches, vampires, and wereleopards. The author's greatest achievement is in creating a vibrant lead character, Olivia Peters, who captures the mystery of believability and raises the work above the cliches of genre.

The author reimagines the sleepy southern city of Raleigh North Carolina as a place where vampires are regular citizens. However, a vampire turf battle leads to a series of murders that upsets the community.

The romance is between Peters, a victim of a wereleopard attack as a child, and Luka, the leader of the local wereleopard clan. Can the erotic feelings he stirs up in her overcome her childhood fear? Her interactions with his pack of wereleopards in human form are delightfully portrayed. Their mixture of human emotions and animalistic senses as she is attracted to their leader and how she relates to each of them is very well done.

It is the detective who comes out as the strongest part of Peters' character. She is called in to solve the murders, but the struggle for control of the vampire community hints at a more complex story. Yet ultimately, this is set aside (for a sequel?) and the romance novel gains the upper hand.