Game Over [Mass Market Paperback]

Taylor Keating (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2010

Video game designer River Weston is ready to sell her soul to smooth out the glitches in her latest project. When she unwittingly taps into a parallel dimension via cutting-edge technology, a Dark Lord is quick to take her up on her inadvertent offer. Trapped in the world she thought she’d created for her game, River finds herself in a very real alternate dimension that she must escape from before her soul can be used to unleash evil--upon this dimension and many others.

River’s only ally is the sexy and mysterious Chase Hawkins.  A prisoner of the Dark Lord, Hawk is a man adrift—literally. His body safe at home under the watchful care of the Guardians’ scientists, his astral-traveling spirit has been enslaved by his people’s worst enemy, the Dark Lord. Clinging desperately to his sense of self, Hawk is determined to turn the tables on his captor before the connection to his body is lost.  When the beautiful, achingly familiar River enters the picture, he vows he will do everything he can to save her from her bleak fate.

Drawn together with an inescapable force, Hawk and River must wrest her soul from the Dark Lord’s grasp before it’s too late.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Game designer River Weston is obsessed with fixing the bugs in her virtual reality game, a masterpiece she has poured her heart and soul into. Little does she know, however, that she has done her job too well and tapped into a dimension that imprisons the Dark Lord, humanity’s greatest threat. There she meets Chase Hawkins, an astral-traveling scientist who must convince a skeptical River that though their bodies lie elsewhere, this world is very real, very dangerous, and the only thing keeping the Dark Lord at bay. Forget the geek-boy stereotype. Women are gamers, too, and Keating’s debut crosses over to the romance reader who still rolls a mean Dungeons & Dragons D20 die or escapes on her lunch break to the World of Warcraft, yet is easily accessible to anyone who dreams of a true adventure. The somewhat abrupt ending hints that the game and series have just begun, while this well-drawn, dark futuristic world with a dash of magic will appeal to those who like Linnea Sinclair. --Nina C. Davis

Review

Praise for Taylor Keating writing as Cathryn Fox:

"Sizzling, Irresistible, Wonderful."— Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author

"Cathryn Fox is the next Queen of Steamy Romance."—Julianne MacLean, USA Today bestselling author 

"A Cathryn Fox book is a must-read great escape!"—S.J. Day, author of Eve of Destruction 

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance; 1 edition (November 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765365472
• ISBN-13: 978-0765365477
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Canadian > Short Stories
  • #88 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Computers & Internet > Games & Strategy Guides

More About the Author

Taylor Keating is the pseudonym of writing team Catherine Verge and Paula M. Fox.

Catherine Verge
A multi published author in the romance genre under another pen name, Catherine is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Catherine can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

A maritime native and former financial officer, Catherine has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.

Paula M. Fox
The other half of Taylor Keating, Paula grew up in rural Nova Scotia knowing that at some point in her life she was going to be a fiction writer. Swapping Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey books with her father guaranteed she wasn't going to be the next Jane Austen, much to the dismay of her English teacher mother.

University followed. A degree in Social Anthropology from the University of King's College and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, again meant writing was the logical (meaning only) career path for her, although it did confirm her belief that learning is a life-long experience. She's taken business courses, writing courses, and physiology of aquatic animals courses, all at the university level and all for fun.

She now works in the Aerospace industry, which surprises everyone who knows her. Happily married, with two terrific sons, she continues to live in rural Nova Scotia but makes a point of traveling as much as she can. New York and Brussels are tied for her favorite cities of all time.

She reads in all genres, which isn't surprising considering her life is all over the board, but fantasy and paranormal romance are her writing loves. Sorry Dad, Louis L'Amour's job was already taken.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Superb, December 8, 2010

By 

Avid Reading in NV - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Game Over (Mass Market Paperback)

The Story

Technically advanced video game creator River Weston is stumped. The video game that simulates actual user movements and needs has a glitch. The Soul Man is the evil mastermind at the end she must defeat, only every time she tries she fails. River, in a moment of weakness, claims she'd sell her soul to fix the game. The Dark Lord-who is locked in a fae and guardian prison-prays on people, stealing their souls. He suspects there is something unique to river, and if she is fae she can break his prison. Fae are magic, guardians are technologically superior and protector of the fae. The Dark Lord also has a guardian, but his body is still alive Chase Hawkins must be dead to fully control. He decides to kill two birds with one weapon. The Dark Lord traps Hawk and River in the game together sending creature after creature to try and kill them. River must accept her new reality and they must trust each other to keep their souls.

Thoughts

OMG! I don't know how to explain how absolutely outstanding this new paranormal romance is! Superb!! This may have well known fae, but everything else in this book is like nothing I've ever read. Ingenious really, how long have video games been out? I'm so attached to the characters! I fell in love instantly with Hawk and River. They are so fresh, brilliant and vivid characters- I dare you not to love this book! The pace is perfect, the plots complex and cunning. I couldn't put this down, the wait for the next in Apr 04 will be rough! There are people on different worlds both after River, she knows not who to trust. It was great reading the characters realizing their potential and the possibilities! I can't wait to read more of this series and the works of the two authors that makes Taylor Keating.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful debut!, November 2, 2010

By 

DebH (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Over (Mass Market Paperback)

Faust meets The Matrix in Taylor Keating's GAME OVER, a compulsively readable blend of fantasy and science fiction with a soul-stirring love story at its core! I especially enjoyed Keating's voice -- its sharp, dry wit gives even the villain of this amazing story a kind of twisted appeal. I highly recommend this book but caution readers that cracking the first page is like launching off a water slide -- there's just no stopping until you arrive thrilled and breathless at the end. The very best thing about GAME OVER is that there will be two more books in the series. The worst thing is that they aren't available RIGHT NOW

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I don't consider myself a gamer, May 12, 2011

By 

Urban Fantasy Investigations (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Game Over (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't really have any expectations when I got GAME OVER in the mail to review, I don't consider myself a gamer so that aspect of the description didn't stick out for me but it seemed like it would be something different to read and I said what the heck and picked it up. GAME OVER ended up being very enjoyable. It was fast paced and filled with a fantastically imaginative world. There was tons of action with many twists and turns. River the female heroine is strong, can take care of herself and knows how to kick ass. The descriptions of the world that River has created inside her video game are nothing short of amazing. The attraction between Chase and River is apparent in every way and there are some great steamy scenes between them. They fight together extremely well and make it through situations that they probably wouldn't if they they were alone. The technical and paranormal elements really did a good job together. GAME OVER ended up being a fun, unique, adventure filled read that I cant wait to continue.