Customer Reviews

Island Heat

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

 

 

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.

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!

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

Two years Jamar waited for this moment that will end the rebellion. He fires the missile at the other vessel in which his enemy his brother Cade and some special cargo ride. However, to his rage, though the missile destroys the ship, Cade escapes with his cargo just prior to contact.

On the isolated Pacific island that she bought and retreated to five years ago, Shara Weston hears the sonic explosion that reminds her of her Hollywood days when she and late husband Bruce Langston snorted and drank every night. Shara sees a man fall into the water and saves his life. Cade Archer tells her nothing claiming top secret security. As he heals, Cade and Shara are attracted to one another. Still she has doubts as her last loving relationship proved destructive to her and her late spouse; he has even greater concerns as he has a mission to send needed resources through a portal he must create on her island so that his people will be able to free themselves. The portal means threatening the life of his beloved because Jamar will be aware of its opening and arrive to kill him, his witness, destroy the door to his home planet, and perhaps the entire planet if need be.

ISLAND HEAT is a fantastic science fiction romance starring two likable protagonists falling in love at a time that it is an expendable emotion. Cade knows his people's freedom must come before his personal needs, but also fears his efforts to help his planet could destroy the orb of his beloved. Shara also believes that earth must come before her desire for this strong alien, which might mean stopping him from opening the portal. Though one must wonder why Jamar went solo at the beginning even if macho ego is implied, Susan Kearney writes a terrific thriller that grips readers from start to finish wondering whether the third planet from the sun will be Mars.

Harriet Klausner

For me, this is not one of her best. It is readable and enjoyable but not a keeper.

Not as good as 'The Challenge' but the premise is interesting and the content was very sexy as always.