Island Heat (Mass Market Paperback)

by Susan Kearney (Author) "It wasn't every day that Shara Weston saw a man fall out of an otherwise empty sky..." (more)
Key Phrases: portal piece, locator device, building the portal, Shara Weston, Teresa Alverez, Dead Sea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Kearney is a master storyteller.”—Virginia Henley, New York Times bestselling author

"Looking for something different? A futuristic romance: Susan Kearney’s The Challenge gave me a new perspective … love and sex in the future!"--Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of the Chandler Brothers series

"Out of this world love scenes, pulse pounding action, and characters who come right off the page."--Suzanne Forster, USA Today bestselling author on The Dare

"A desperate gamble leads to high voltage action and sensuality in Ms. Kearney's newest page turner. One of Ms. Kearney's strengths is her deft use of characterization which instantly vests readers in the perilous quest."--Romantic Times BookClub on The Dare

“From the first page, Kearney captures the reader.”—Affaire de Coeur

"Susan Kearney is a gifted storyteller with carefully woven plots and refreshing characterization. Her style is crisp, and keeps her readers hungrily turning the pages."--Tampa Tribune

From the Back Cover
HIS POWERS OF SEDUCTION CAME FROM ANOTHER WORLD

Former screen siren Shara Weston lives on an exotic and priate South Pacific island, a recluse--until masculine and captivating Cade Archer falls out of the sky and into her life. Cade gives Shara no choice but to fillow him down a sensual path that fulfills her every desire.

Cade's on a mission to open a portal between his world and Earth. If his plan works, it will be the first step to ending slavery on his world--but not everyone wants him to succeed. A powerful enemy has followed him and is willing to destroy Earth to prevent Cade from completing his mission.

Captivated by his dominating sensuality and his passion--both for her and for his mission--Shara wants to help Cade on his noble quest. Can two people save every man, woman and child on two worlds?

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076535666X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765356666
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #669,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New direction for Susan Kearney, August 11, 2007

By	Sarah N. "Sarah da booklover" (Navasota) - See all my reviews

As has been noted, this is a new-ish direction for Susan Kearney. Many people are familiar with her other sci-fi series (The Challenge, The Dare, The Ultimatum and The Quest). This book is a little different, in that is set here on Earth, and the aliens come are the minority.

Cade is from a planet where any children that are no the first-born sons are essentially slaves. When his first-born brother shoots him out of the sky and he lands near Shara's private island, things change. Cade is here to open a portal to his planet and make some kind of trade agreement between our world and his. Shara is on the island to escape from her movie star past that ended with a scandal.

One of the things I like best about Ms. Kearney's books is that she gives real reasons behind why people do the things they do. Motives are real, actions ring true. I like that Cade and Shara behave in the ways you might expect them to (assuming we can guess how an alien and a movie star would act).

The story is different and the world-building is done well.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The connection isn't there..., February 11, 2007

By	Romance, Romance, & nothing but Romance! (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This semi-new direction in Kearney's writing had potential but this book was disappointing. However, if you're a die-hard fan of her work you'll probably enjoy it.

To me there was something missing - and I think it had to do with the characters but I cannot quite put my finger on the problem. Maybe it's because Cade's acceptance of his newly awakening power takes too long and is too awkward. Or maybe it's because there is a lot of build up but the resolution and subsequent "mutual forgiveness" between the H/h was too quick. The ending really wasn't good in my opinion.

I'm not sure but this book is NOT a "keeper" on my bookshelf!

3.0 out of 5 stars Aliens, volcanoes and film stars, June 12, 2007

By	Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Shara Weston is a retired film star who lives alone on her island in the South Pacific, recovering from the tragic death of her lover four years before. However she is somewhat surprised to see a man fall from the sky into the water and she goes to help him, discovering that he is rather unusual. Not only unusual because he dropped from the sky but other things happen that seem a bit off, for example he recovers very quickly, his clothes seem to change magically, and he has an obsession with salt. Fairly soon Cade Archer tells Shara that he is an alien and needs the volcano on her island to create a portal to his home world to transfer salt, something that is lacking on his world and an unjust hierarchy is in place which rations salt only to special people, 'The Firsts'. Cade's own brother Jamal is a First and is trying to prevent Cade's mission which is to find three special machines which are needed to make the portal and have been scattered around the planet. However, Shara's friend Jules has visions which usually come true and one of her visions predicted just this, and that Cade's actions would destroy the world. Shara decides to appear to help him and then, when convenient, to scupper his plans.

The action moves from Shara's island of Haven to Hawaii and then mainland USA. Various other people are involved in the plot including Jules, a security expert, a reporter and a vulcanologist. Shara and Cade face dangers all around including escaping a burning building, an aeroplane crash, being stranded in the desert, being held at gunpoint and being controlled by the mind of Jamal. However they seem to shrug all this off with remarkable aplomb and this especially goes for Teresa Alverez, the security expert, who seems to recover almost overnight from being tortured by Jamal and left for dead. Although obviously parts of this story have to be beyond belief (being about aliens) it was actually harder to swallow the actions of the humans in this story.

The romance aspect is less important to the story than the earth-destroying plot and in some ways it's a romance born of nearness and mutual appreciation rather than anything else. Cade is worried as he starts to gain powers that previously were reserved only for the Firsts, including mind control, and he uses this on Shara occasionally. She seems remarkably phlegmatic about it and apparently glosses over any future problems and they are also both amazingly forgiving of some of the dodgy and untrustworthy things they do to each other. And that's my main criticism with the book; the action is OK, the plot is OK but the alien aspect just doesn't work. There's no world-building as one would expect, the aliens aren't human and yet seem to have no problems having sex with humans and even making babies with them. There seems to be minimal adjustment needed by Cade to this alternative world and although we learn that his culture sees relationships with women very differently than on Earth, he is able to commit to an Earth-type relationship within a week. It's OK to suspend disbelief when reading this genre of novel but there's a little too much of that in this story.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, [...]. © Helen Hancox 2007