Customer Reviews

Jacob (The Nightwalkers, Book 1)

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Jacob has spent seven hundred years hunting rogue demons that have given in to moon madness. He doesn't have time for romantic entanglements; especially with humans. His life changes in an instant when a beautiful woman falls out of her apartment window and lands in his arms.

Demon Jacob takes his role as Enforcer seriously. Charged with hunting down and punishing those demons that forget and cross the line to prey on humans, his job is never boring. Jacob is always on guard and ready to catch those demons who think they can give in to their basic needs. He doesn't realize how lonely he has become until a raven haired virago literally falls into his arms one night while he is hunting a demon that has been summoned by a necromancer practicing the black arts. His reaction to the woman stuns him and he is unsure of what is happening to him. Suddenly the woman in his arms stills and Jacob realizes that she can sense and smell the demon that he is in charge of finding.

Isabella is a librarian by day and moon watcher by night. Contemplating the moon after her sister returns from a date, Isabella leans out of her fifth floor window and sees a man watching her. When he speaks, Isabella doesn't think anything about the fact that the man is five floors below and she can hear him clearly. She does however find the fact that she has just fallen out of the window a bit disconcerting. Her terror is forgotten when she lands in the man's arms and is gently placed on the ground. After introductions are made, Isabella suddenly begins to experience grave discomfort. Hesitating only a moment, she leads Jacob to a warehouse and the demon he is hunting.

Isabella and Jacob go into the warehouse where they come face to face with the summoned demon. Jacob is attacked and Isabella finds herself fighting for her life. Picking up an iron bar, she thrusts it at the demon. The demon disintegrates in a burst of fire and sulfur and Isabella is swiftly carried outside. Jacob explains to Isabella what she just killed and places her in a deep sleep so he can carry her safely to his home. Explanations are needed and Jacob needs help from his fellow demons.

Much to Jacob's consternation, Isabella awakens. She also meets the other demons and is told their stories. The library of Noah, the demon ruler, is put at Isabella's disposal for research purposes. The demons do not understand how Isabella has the ability to kill one of their own as well as connect mentally with Jacob. Speaking of connecting, Isabella and Jacob find themselves more than once having a hard time keeping their hands off of each other. They must not give in to temptation because it is traitorous for a demon to cavort with a human. Isabella finds something in the king's vaults however, something that can change the course of human and demon destiny.

JACOB by Jacquelyn Frank is highly intense and extremely action packed. Thrown for a loop from page one, I could not put this book down until I finished. I love how the author incorporates demon folklore in the story, and yet still gives the demons a human touch. Especially Jacob. As an enforcer, he is accustomed to strictly following orders and rules. The introduction of Isabella into his life is golden. I found myself smiling at his disregard for the very rules he is in charge of enforcing. As far as female leads go, Isabella is beautifully written. Full of courage and grand ideas, Isabella is not only attractive, but also incredibly smart. More than once I found myself pleased at the pairing of Jacob and Isabella. To state why I was so thrilled would be giving away more spoilers than I already have.

JACOB: THE NIGHTWALKERS is Ms. Frank's first book and I could not be more pleased for her. Not only has she woven a wonderful tale, she has given the reader a glimpse of the second book in this new series. I, for one, am anxiously awaiting her next addition and applaud Ms. Frank for a story well told.

Jacob the Enforcer is a Demon whose responsibility is to protect humankind and Demons alike. It's only twice a year that Demons are vunerable to Moon Lust. It is during those times that Jacob has to punish his fellow Demons to protect his race as well as the human race. When Isabella literally falls into his arms, Jacob is stunned by his feelings for her, as he has never been tempted by Moon Lust.

Isabella is a librarian who lives a rather dull life. When Jacob saves her life, he brings her into a world that she had no idea exsisted, but is intrigued by nonetheless. Together they go on a journey that they soon learn has been pre-destined.

In many paranormal novels, vampires are either good or bad. I have never read any novel with a good Demon. Jacquelyn Frank brings the impossible idea of good Demons to the pages in JACOB and makes it believeable. The love story between Jacob and Bella is as intense as it is sweet. When Bella finds an ancient prophecy that has been buried for centuries, Jacob has to contend with the fact that he may have punished innocent Demons and humans alike. Overall, this is a great start to a series. I would definitely give it a try!

I agree with other reviewers that this series has potential. Jacob was a compelling hero and the writer introduces us to other males who will likely have their own book later in the series. I also like the Nightwalker/Demon premise. There are so many paranormal books anymore, true originality is hard to find. This book is not grippingly original, but the ideas are sound and the writer does a nice job explaining the details of the Nightwalker world without sounding like an expository essay on the subject.
My biggest complaint with the book is the heroine and her (supposedly) humorous comments. When the plot got compelling and the characters faced a tremendous problem (just when I am looking for that darkness that I find in, say, JR Ward's writing) the heroine would say something that sent her into giggles or that had the Demons suddenly laughing. This broke the mood for me and never allowed the men in this book to be as truly strong and sensual as they could have been.
Still, I enjoyed the book and will read others in the series.

Hi, I just finished reviewing another book with the same flaw as this one, and I decided to pop in and review this book as well.

Bottom line: I do not get how the whole "I'm widdle and cute and adowable but commanding and dangerous too" female got started, or how it got past professional editorial departments (my respect for publishers has gone vastly downhill over the years). This type of character doesn't work. Period. It's too stupidly gratuitous to even grant respect.

Pick a character and stick with it. If someone is commanding and dangerous, have the guts to write that person as commanding and dangerous. If a character is widdle and cute and adowable, then write that character that way. Ms. Frank's heroine doesn't work for me at all because of this reason.

Having said this, she does have some good sensuality she gets going, and I did read her second book, which was much better on the "widdle and cute" thing--her characters were a bit more believable. Perhaps Ms. Frank will continue to improve as she goes; I hope so.

Jacob is the demon enforcer for his people. He keeps the human population safe from those of his people that would do them harm. He knows his duty and does it well. But, when it comes time for him to face his weakness in the form of human named Isabella all bets are off. His heart awakens for the first time in centuries and only when he holds Isabella does he feel completed. But, how can that be? It's not until he brings her back to his demon world that they learn the truth of Isabella's existence and its importance to Jacob as well as his people. But, will Isabella accept the love he has to offer or will a mutual enemy destroy all?

This is the first title in Ms. Frank's "The Nightwalker" series and I must say she is off to a brilliant start. I can't wait for the next title that will be releasing in May! The make-believe world she has created is fresh and new and something fan's of the paranormal genre will highly enjoy. Jacob and Isabella's romance is by turns sensual and edge of your seat reading. There has been a great deal of ground work set for the upcoming titles. For those that are getting tired of the same vampire paranormal this will be a welcome change. The reader will laugh, cry and sigh with pleasure. Ms. Frank is an author I highly recommend we keep our eye on!

Overall, I thought this one was an excellent read! Yes, it has some of the exact same elements as most other "Immortal" themed books: Immortal guy who's race is in danger of turning to the "dark side" meets mortal woman who is his "true mate / life mate / destined mate" and the key to saving his race from destruction. It's a plot that's been used to death. However, I think Jacquelyn Frank has made this book just different enough to rise above that "tired old immortal plot" stigma for me, and those differences made this book interesting to read.

I do have to agree with a previous reviewer that while I like Isabella's spunk, I did kind of get tired of her eye-rolling rudeness after awhile. I've never quite been able to accept how authors will take a character who's supposed to be this virginal wallflower and within a few days make them cocky, tough-talking warriors. Frank attempts to explain this by talking about how Isabella's core DNA started to change as soon as she met Jacob, but I'm just not sure that her whole personality would change so quick.

Also...and this is a very minor critique...I'm not sure if the author realized this, but by the middle of the book, whenever Isabella would talk she would say Jacob's name every time, and sometimes more than once. Even if she was talking directly to him, it was Jacob, Jacob, Jacob over and over and over. It started to get distracting after awhile. Jacob didn't seem to say Isabella's name every time he spoke, so I'm not sure why Isabella had to say Jacob this and Jacob that every time she spoke.

But again, that was a minor irritant in an otherwise very well written book that rises above many other paranormal books I have read. I will definitely be buying the next in the series.

I don't like to leave a book unfinished, but sometimes they are just too painful to plod through.

The description and plot line of "Jacob" sounded great. This book had potential. Unfortunately, the writing is awful. It's trite with string after string of corny metaphors. I stopped reading when just after the book explains that demons are night creatures who can't be in the sun without falling asleep, the author refers to Jacob's (the demon) tan. The dialogue is affected and just not believable. When I start to feel like I'm reading with half my mind on how I would edit a scene (and I'm not an editor), I know it's time to move on. If you haven't checked them out, try Katie MacAlister, J.R. Ward, Kreseley Cole, Sabrina Jeffries, or Gena Showalter for good paranormal romance.

Almost from page 1 I had to force myself to keep reading, hoping at some point that the story got better. I even skipped a few chapters thinking maybe towards the end? While it didn't get worse, it didn't get better.
The heroine, Isabelle was immature and obnoxious. There were many scenes where she reminded me of a spoiled child. For example, in one scene she throws an attitude at Gideon, doubting everything this "ancient" says, but then when Jacob shows up she turns into little girl lost, curling up in his lap, laying her head on his shoulder so he could pull a blanket around her. I don't know if Ms. Frank was trying to create an intimate moment here, but I kept waiting for Isabelle to pop her thumb in her mouth.
Many authors confuse strength of character with obnoxious. Just because a woman is stubborn, says whatever is on her mind, and can throw a punch does not make her strong. Just obnoxious. A better example of a strong woman can be found in JR Ward's Lover Awakened. That Bella, is an excellent example of strong woman.
As for Jacob; over and over again we see Bella "rescuing" him. This man who is supposed to be so powerful he can cause earthquakes. Again, she missed the mark on this character. There are more ways to demonstrate a man's vunerability than by having his head bashed in. Twice.

The Nightwalkers Series:

Jacob

Gideon

Elijah

Damien

Noah


Too Much: Information overload, sarcasm and corny dialogue, fluctuation in character personalities

Not Enough: Mystery, tension, maturity, smoothness in the flow of events that occur

I was really hopeful when I started this book. I always love to find a new series that can keep me enthralled. "Jacob" turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The author put plenty of thought into creating her species of demons, but she informs the reader about them in a way that feels more like a school lesson than a story. Too much info is fed to the reader in confusing chunks, rather than letting the details flow into the story as it occurs.

Much that we learn about the species was supposed to have been a complete mystery to the demons themselves until the events occurring in the story dumped the facts into their laps. These demons have existed for centuries, but they have no clue where their strengths or weaknesses lie? It's a bit hard to believe.


I had a definite problem with the dialogue that the author wrote for the heroine, Bella. It was not just immature, it was ridiculous.
Example:
In the beginning of the book, Bella has no idea that demons exist. She is just an everyday human. A simple and quiet librarian. A raging mad demon, with hideous features, attacks her in a warehouse. Does she run away, screaming for help? Is she stunned speechless and unable to move? No... When the demon, drooling with hunger, stalks her and calls her "pretty meat", she answers with "You know, I hear Vegan is really the way to go." I almost quit the book right there, but decided to keep trying. Unfortunately, that sort of dialogue continues throughout.


I'm having trouble deciding if I want to finish this book. At about 250 pages in, I'm starting to snore. The series idea was a great one, but the telling of the story and the dialogue have really killed my interest.


If you love paranormal romance, I recommend the following series: (I've listed the first book in each series here.)

Immortals After Dark:
A Hunger Like No Other (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 1) (One of my favorite pnr novels ever!)

Psy/Changeling:
Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1)

Black Dagger Brotherhood:
Dark Lover: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood

Immortal Warriors (A new series of pnr/medieval romance):
Immortal Warrior (Berkley Sensation)

The Immortals:
The Calling (Immortals, Book 1)

I was excited to read this book after the 4 1/2 stars it got. After about 100 pages or so, I could not go any futher. Frank's writing is absolutely absured! The story is about a heroine who is a small, petite, innocent librarian who crosses paths with a demon enforcer. The way they first meet is ridiculous, she accidently throws herself out of a window and he catches her. Then a little after, she kills a transformed demon, which is suppose to be "hard" for even demons to kill. She makes contradictions out of her characters and it is honestly very irritating!! When the heroine is told for the first time what and who this mysterious man is, the scene is suppose to be serious but the author throws in corny dialogue which is completely uncalled for! Frank has no sense of how to produce a good paranormal romance. Any author who uses "duh" in her dialogue where it is inappropriate should go back and really consider what the hell she was thinking. I cannot understand for the life of me how people gave this book 5 and 4 star ratings. I feel like I completely wasted 7 dollars on this book. I will never read anything from this author again.

If you want to read some amazing paranormal romances, check out J.R. Ward'd the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Now there is an author who knows what she's doing!! If you read that series already, try Kresley Cole's the Immortals After Dark series or her Maccarrick brothers trilogy. They are awesome. Larissa Ione's demonica series is pretty good as well. Whatever you decide to read, don't let it be this!