Customer Reviews

The Keepers (Harlequin Nocturne)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

(from Murphy's Library -[...])

First of it all I need to say that I loved this idea of a trilogy written by three different writers and I'm crazy to see how it will work out in the next book. That being said, I need to say that I really like The Keepers. More from the middle till the end, as the beggining was a little slow in my opinion.

The three sisters--and The Keepers of New Orleans--are amazing, and I can't wait to read more about the other two, since the spotlighted this time was Fiona. I truly liked how they were written and how they seem to grow in the course of this book. The story line is rich and the narrative, once the book hook you up, flew easily page by page. It took me some time to read this entire book because I started it in a really busy week, and maybe that is why I thought the first half was slower and the rest was so good.

I loved the dynamics between the characters in this book, it made me want to see how Heather Graham worked with others characters in others books! It is a chance I will willing took as soon as I can!

This book would truly be three point eight books in the rating, in my opinion, but it is more towards 4 than 3 and a half, so...

Heather Graham quickly became my favorite author with this novel. The characters are well-developed and the plot is fascinating. I couldnt put this one down!

As one of the three sisters tasked with keeping the balance between the most populous groups of supernatural beings in New Orleans, Fiona MacDonald's duty as Keeper for the vampires is both a birthright and an honor. Though she's human, the mark of the Keeper imbues her with the power of a vampire and the ability to alter her form as one. Her parents' sacrifice to end a war between the races imbued her with a deep sense of responsibility for her calling and left her to raise her two younger sisters, one the Keeper of shapeshifters, the other, the Keeper for werewolves.

When a young woman's body is found drained of blood, an apparent victim of a vampire, the murder sparks unrest among the supernatural races, and along with NOPD homicide detective and vampire Jagger DeFarge, Fiona takes responsibility for finding and stopping a killer whose actions could spark another war and make humans aware of the magical creatures that share their world.

The body count rises, and Fiona and Jagger are drawn closer together as they race to find the monster slaughtering young, beautiful blonds... Young, beautiful blonds like Fiona and her sisters, actually...

While I've enjoyed many books by Heather Graham, I'm sad to say this isn't one of them. The premise is solid and the concept is pretty interesting: a trilogy about three special sisters written by three separate authors. The prologue was nicely done. It set up the world, framing the history and mythology in lyrical prose and starting the book off on strong footing.

Unfortunately, that was the beginning of the end for me. There were too many things that either weren't explained, were explained poorly, or just didn't work. The narrative, while at times lyrical of prose, was repetitive of content, and the dialogue was both repetitive and florid, often lacking a natural conversational cadence.

The suspense plot thread was weak and ripe with cliche, the romance between the lead characters lacked both foundation and development, and the murder investigation aspects were ghastly, seeming to mostly consist of Jagger walking the streets of New Orleans praying a clue would fall at his feet, holding a press conference for the media, or addressing the paranormal community. During the press conference and meeting with the races, the same questions were asked and the same answers given. Every time. It took three deaths before Jagger even thought to tell the crime scene technician that the three similar nightgowns in which the dead girls were found were a clue and should be tested and traced, for pity's sake! That the tech had to be told that at all is disturbing enough, but three murders in it made the "investigation" seem a bit ludicrous.

After the framework provided by the prologue, there was very little fleshed out about the nature of vampires. Several references were made to Fiona to "change" to vampire, but beyond a few times of going to mist, little was explained or described about that change. Jagger is a vampire, but I have no idea how old he is, and his ability to walk around during the day with sunscreen and shades was never explained.

As lead characters they were very two dimensional, and while I liked Jagger well enough despite it, Fiona was just a pain. Inexperienced I could understand, as she's young, but I have a hard time with stupidity, and her naivety and gauche persistence really bothered me as she wormed her way into the investigation with sleuthing skills...and common sense...that left so much to be desired. It also felt like about eighty percent of her dialogue consisted solely of her proclaiming ad nauseum to everyone remotely connected to the supernatural community and the investigation that she was the Keeper. Apparently it's that thirty billionth time that's the charm.

Secondary characters didn't fare much better, and at least one of Fiona's sisters was darn near unlikable with her oft repeated vampire prejudice...and her oft repeated reason for it. Repetition was definitely a theme throughout the book in every facet. I can't tell you how many times it was stated that it had to be a vampire that was killing the women. It must have been. It had to be! It was a vampire (or possibly a shapeshifter, but most likely not). It was a vampire! Uh...yeah.

Perhaps one of the largest of the larger problems, though, is that Graham spent way too much time telling readers facts that were unsupported by the story. Fiona was as strong as a vampire and able to do her duty, but all evidence pointed to the contrary. Jagger was the best man for the investigation and is a very good cop, despite all evidence to the contrary. There was way too much evidence to the contrary in this book about a myriad of things. And what ever happened to the plot thread of the customer who has danger in her future? That was developed, then dropped, but maybe it'll be developed in one of the other two books.

Too many things went wrong in this book for me, to the point that finishing it was far more a chore than it should have been. It was an unpleasant surprise, really, given my previous experiences with Heather Graham's books. Even knowing that two other authors complete the trilogy started here, I'm leery of continuing this series. Neither of the remaining two sisters struck me as any better than Fiona as they were introduced by Graham. That's a shame, because I did like the premise and the concept very much.

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Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

I'm a fan of Heather Graham so I'm a little biased when reviewing her work. However, this book did it for me and while I'm not that big on series in general, I loved the characters in this book and the "who done it" kept me wondering right into the end of the book. Bravo!

Bestselling author Heather Graham launches the delightful world of the MacDonald sisters with the introduction of "The Keepers". Born with an extraordinary link to a concealed global community--hidden in plain sight within the folds of humankind's ignorance--it's an inheritance and lifeblood that ties them to the destiny of the world.
In the heart of New Orleans are shape-shifters, vampires, werewolves and the like, living discreet lives, many with lofty hopes of keeping the hard won, yet tenuous peaceful balance recently found. Fiona MacDonald, the oldest of the three exceptional sisters--the keepers of this group of living myths and legends--has a very specific job. She is to keep the calm in a place where a single vampire's bite could easily start an all out war. When vampire, detective and acting human, Jagger DeFarge is called in to find a murderer with a very distinct calling card, both he and Fiona are compelled to join forces.
Jagger isn't about to let anything stop him from finding the murderer who is sucking every last drop of blood from innocent humans--including working with the sexy and wary Fiona. As more drop dead, it's obvious this isn't the work of a run-of-the- mill vampire. Everyone is at risk. When the killer's focus turns to Fiona, will Jagger chance annihilating his own kind or the reputation he's worked so hard to build in order to safeguard the woman he so fervently desires?
Graham's expertise is in weaving a tale where the unbelievable seems believable. She blends deeply developed characters with her clear love of New Orleans and does so flawlessly. A fan for many years, I come back to her work again and again, because her work carries a mystique that most authors strive for and fail. With a fresh and innovative outlook, Graham gives her all to everything she writes. Bravo!

Reviewed by Shannon Raab for Suspense Magazine

"New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham introduces the thrilling world of the MacDonald sisters. Born into legacy, they balance the fate of the world and the passion that might force them to risk it all..."

At the core of New Orleans lie the otherworldly vampires and shape-shifters that hide in plain sight among mankind. As one of the Keepers, an elite group possessing superior skill and strength, Fiona MacDonald's duty is to maintain peace in a place where one vampire's bite could ignite war. When Detective Jagger DeFarge, a vampire, is called in at the discovery of a body drained of blood, both the detective and Fiona must join uneasy forces.

Jagger will stop at nothing to find the murderer--including working with the sensual and suspicious Fiona. As more die, it becomes clear that this isn't the work of an ordinary vampire. No one is safe. So when the killer's attention turns to Fiona, will Jagger risk destroying his own species to protect the woman he so passionately desires?

The Keepers: Three extraordinary sisters, balancing the duties of their birthrights and the yearnings of their hearts...

This is a story of three sisters all charged with "Keeping" different types of preternatural beings. This first story deals with the Keeper of the Vampires. The lead character were real and easy to identify with. One could easily put themselves in there place and feel the fear and confusion they felt. Not wanting to see something right in front of you when you know it's impossible is something we have all done. I liked the sisters, their different personalities and the ways they find to deal with each other and their responsibilities. The feel of New Orleans is real (yes, I grew up there) and easy to catch from the writing and characters. The spiritualism of the city, the eclectic mix of religions and cultures was evident throughout and gave the book a special flavor. I loved the variety of character types and personalities. They speak of living in the city for centuries and making it their own, because New Orleand is such a mix of cultures and has a live and let live philosophy. This book is a must for fans of the Preternatural Fantasy.

I've read many of Heather Graham's books, and this one made me go look for the next in the series.

I liked this book and this author. But I have read 7 of her books now and they are basically all the same. So I'm gonna give it a rest with this author for a while.

In New Orleans, tension between the paranormal species is at its breaking point. There's a serial killer draining blood from human girls, but is the killer a vampire? Detective Jagger DeFarge, a vampire, is head of the investigation. The other species are worried he won't be impartial. It's up to Fiona MacDonald, a Keeper, to instill peace.

As the two work to find the killer, their attraction for each other lands them--together. The scenes were meant to be full of explosive passion, but I just wasn't feeling it. It could be the fact that I just didn't like Fiona or maybe it was Heather Graham's way of weaving this tale. I found myself skimming, only stopping on interesting bits.

So what did I like about this book? The better question would be what did I like about this series? This appears to be a trilogy about three sisters called the Keepers. Their sole purpose is to keep peace among the paranormal species. Their parents died in the great war doing just that, now it's up to these three to maintain balance.

After reading some of the background, I wished there had been a book written about the vampire Cato Leone who fell deeply in love with a shapeshifter Susan Chaisse. Old World prejudice over mingling species sparked the savage war. The Romeo and Juliet style saga would have been an enjoyable to read.

Getting back to the series at hand, each book is written by a different author. Heather Graham, of course, wrote this one. The next is THE SHIFTERS by Alexandra Sokoloff, followed by THE WOLVEN by Deborah LeBlanc. It will be interesting to see how this trilogy turns out.