Customer Reviews

Game Over

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

Game Over is an amazing read! It's fun, suspenseful and HAWT!

This was unlike anything I'd read before, but I couldn't put it down. River and Hawk are interesting, well developed characters, thrown together in a paranormal, sci fi world, and fighting against time to save each other and beat the super villain. They were strong and sassy. I was especially pleased that River wasn't a typical damsel in distress. She was brainy and tough, unafraid to kick ass. She can take care of herself as well as save the tough guy if necessary. The main characters are witty and sarcastic, and overall fun to read.

The setting was creative and very unique. I'd love to see this done on screen. All of the fantastic places they go in the game would be so great to see created in film.

We get a hint of the back story of the world,where these two came from and what they deal with. I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!

Chase Hawkins "Hawk" is a Guardian. It is a Guardian's duty to protect the Fae at all costs. A Fae soul is the most valuable thing in the universe, because without the Fae, there would be no life. Hawk is tasked to find out why Fae soul numbers were dwindling. He allowed his mind and soul to be separated from his body in order to search for the lost souls. The Guardians' scientists can care for his body safely for a year. However, Hawk's mind/soul was trapped by the Dark Lord. For several months Hawk has been a captive.

Long, long ago the Dark Lord had been incarcerated in a virtual world by the Guardians and the Fae. When a young software engineer on Earth somehow taps into his prison with her fully immersive virtual reality game, the Dark Lord takes interest. The Dark Lord offers Hawk his freedom. All Hawk must do is enter a virtual world, watch a certain girl, and probably bring her back to the Dark Lord. But after being with the Dark Lord for so long, Hawk knows that something is not right about it all. Hawk agrees and enters the virtual world, but fully expects the girl to simply be another trick to torture him further.

River Weston is ready to sell her soul to smooth out the glitches in her latest virtual reality project. Then she finds herself trapped in the world she thought she had created for her game. Sever, the NPC (non-player character), is the character River designed to help Player One (the person playing the game) fight his or her way through the game for a chance to defeat the final boss named the Soul Man. Even with her almost superhuman stamina and reflexes, River has yet to win the game. However, this time Sever is no longer acting as she programmed him to. Sever claims his name is Hawk. It soon becomes obvious that someone had altered her game. HER game! And now he was making it personal. River has no intention of being beaten at her own game. But should River lose the battle against the Soul Man this time, the Dark Lord would claim her soul for real.

Hawk slowly comes to realize that River is no ordinary human. She is half Guardian and half Fae. River's Fae magic is tied to her soul. If the Dark Lord wins River's soul, he would be able to use her magic as well and escape his prison.

**** FOUR STARS! The plot of being trapped in a virtual video game has been done too many times to count. Still, Taylor Keating adds a unique twist with the Fae and the Guardians. With just enough realism to make it believable and enough fantasy to give it spice, this series has the potential to become something truly fantastic. I especially liked WHY the heroine made the fully immersive virtual reality game. (People with physical handicaps, such as missing or paralyzed limbs, would be able to feel whole or normal because they would have full use of all their limbs.) For me, this made River a compassionate human yet still tied in to her dual Fae/Guardian persona. This author is one to keep an eye on. ****


Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Taylor Keating is the pseudonym of Catherine Verge and Paula Fox and Game Over is the first in their new Paranormal Guardian Series, but it's so much more that that and you will be cheating yourself if you don't try it.
River Weston game designer and geek extraordinaire is in the final stage of creating her newest interactive game only she can't defeat the evil Soul Man and win. Against her teams wishes she goes back to the lab to tweak it alone only she's far from alone. In his prison provided by the Guardians The Dark Lord watches River and dangles just the right carrot to entice her farther into his trap and if his theory is right she's just what he needs to escape. Guardian Chase Hawkins has volunteered for his soul to be separated from his body for an experiment only to find himself too close to the Dark Lord's prison and being snared into it with him. River and Chase have only themselves to rely on to get them out, but can they both get out and if not who will sacrifice who.
In this era of new and exciting genres we have many readers who are genre jumpers, me included. I love dipping my toes in all the proverbial genres, but where have you seen an author who successfully jumps genres in one novel, well look no further because it's right here in Game Over. You get the interplanetary techno action of Sci-Fi, the characters of fantasy and paranormal the heat of a romantic suspense and the downright great storyline of all of the above in one read. The author(s) give us a heart pounding, blood pressure rising, action packed plot with Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Paranormal thriller written all over it. They will delight their reading audience with animated and provocative dialogue as they take us through the levels of the game describing scenes and creatures, and they're not afraid to throw out a few expletives when needed. The characters are all way above average and every one of them has their own essential place in the read. The hero Chase and heroine River are exceptional examples of thinking outside the box when it comes to dreaming up protagonists as these two are complex and confounding characters who are constantly challenged and still always rise above. The romance is heartbreakingly poignant while not being cheesy or one-dimensional. The love scenes are few as the author(s) obviously want to focus on more than sex, but the few there are, are sensual, earthy, visceral and edgy.
Believe me when I tell you that you cannot go wrong with this novel, it has all the bells and whistles that any fans of Science Fiction, Fantasy or Paranormal would want in one neat little package. And yet the best thing about this read is that it's the first in a series, a series that will be first on my wish list. I can't wait to find out what perils Chase and River will face in their next adventure. To the authors Ms. Verge and Ms. Fox you two have hit the nail on the head. Kudos to you for your exciting new series.

This is the TOR debut for the writing duo of Taylor Keating. I can honestly say that it is different from anything I have ever read before - blending the paranormal elements of Fae and Guardians with a post-apocalyptic world and the setting of INSIDE a video game.

River is a wonderful heroine - strong and kickass but with a feminine side too - is that the Fae element coming out? She's the game's designer, and goes inside the game to test/develop it. She has a sidekick while inside, but this time the sidekick is Hawk, placed in the game by the Dark Lord/Soul Man - who is after River and is holding Hawk's soul captive. To complicate matters, there's a whole military/conspiracy element on the OUTSIDE. The Soul Man/Dark Lord has to be defeated - or else he claims River and Hawk's souls forever and uses River's magic to get himself out of the prison he's in - and if he does that, look out world. The stakes are far higher than a simple game.

If you're reading this and thinking this isn't for you, think again. Add me to the list of people who have said this is not their usual reading fare but came out loving it. It's a fantastic story, complicated and sexy and funny by turns, and with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming at all. It's also the first in a series by this writing team - I can't wait to see what trouble they throw River and Hawk into next.

This book is awesome - very unique and original, in my opinion. From page one I was hooked and didn't want to put it down. It's unlike anything else I've read - and I'm so glad I read it! It's like a romantic sci/fi-fantasy/techno-thriller. My husband and son are big gamers, so it was pretty cool to read something that almost let me relate to them LOL
The author does a wonderful job of keeping you guessing throughout - who can be trusted, what's around the next corner, will certain characters turn out to be "good guys" or "bad guys"? The pacing is right on, once the story starts it keeps moving along without missing a beat. The characters are all well-developed and believable (in their settings). Some great sexual tension. I felt everything from excitement, horror, and suspicion, to anger, nervousness, and fear.
Game Over is a book that can appeal to a wide range of readers, in my opinion. I'm VERY excited for the next one, coming out next June I think? Oh I hate to wait!!! But Taylor Keating definitely has another new fan!!

River Weston is working on the software for a new game she is programming with her team. Everything in it seems to be going like it should, that is until she gets to the last level and faces the Soul Man himself. For some reason her code just doesn't work like it should. River has a dream of helping people with her game and she isn't going to let a snag stop her and is willing to do anything to find the answer - even if it means giving her soul. Working every possible minute to find the problem, she is unaware that there is more involved here than a simple video game and conquering the last battle. That is until she gets pulled into the game herself.

Chase Hawkins is a guardian and a prisoner of the Dark Lord. His spirit was captured by a Dark Lord's prison that the guardians had totally forgotten about. Over the years of his capture and torture, Chase has never once wavered in his conviction that he would get out of there and back to his body. He knows that if he can't find a way to escape before that self-conviction ends, then his soul and spirit will become the Dark Lord's. Chase has survived every hurt and temptation placed before him until he finds himself in a game with River.

Chase quickly figures out why the Dark Lord wants River and her soul. However, Chase is a guardian and his job is to protect and that is exactly what he will do. River and Chase have to wend their way through the game and face the Soul Man in the final battle that will allow both of them to be released and to defeat the Dark Lord. With souls at risk, Chase and River discover answers to not only each level of the game, but also to their attraction and why danger seems to be reaching for River from several different places at once. It's going to take absolute trust and belief in each other for them to survive and see the term - Game Over.

A woman who should not be and a man separated from his body discover love in the strangest place possible - inside a video game. Game Over is a race for strength and truth to overcome the depraved and cruel. River just wants to finish her game without errors. Chase waits for the minute he can escape his prison and go home to his body. I could not believe just how fast I became lost in River and Chase's race for survival. With each page, I found clues and red herrings trying to figure out who was good or bad and just what was going on between River and the Dark Lord and why. I really loved watching as Chase tried to resist River, knowing the entire time that they would become a couple that just might save a dying and destroyed Earth. Suspense was the background with a perfect trifecta of danger, magic and romance making Game Over a true page-turner and an instant favorite. Joyfully Recommending it is the least I can do while I wait for the next book and the next part of the journey for Chase and River.

Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

River Weston created a game that enables people to experience adventure, but has some snafus. The brilliant game designer is also unaware that she has drilled into a parallel universe where the Dark Lord resides. He manages to fool with the levels. Soon River finds herself trapped inside her game that is not a game; a place that is constantly changing. In this virtual realm, River meets a Dark Lord prisoner Hawk.

In her real world, River fears her friend Nick is hiding some dark secret from her. At the same time Kaye investigates River hoping to learn her secrets to use initially against her and then others. In Hawk's real world his body remains dormant under the alert of the Guardians, but like River's spirit, his remains trapped by his people's enemy the Dark Lord.

Readers will enjoy this exciting science fiction-fantasy romantic thriller due to the strong cast. River and Hawk prove that the sum is greater than the parts as the skillful duet from this different universes team up against a very formidable opponent. Fast-paced from the moment River and the Dark Lord "meet", readers will wonder who will be left standing where once Game over occurs. Obviously the plot pays homage to Tron as a loosely sort of daughter of the movie, however be aware the Legacy of the son is soon to be released on film.

Harriet Klausner