Customer Reviews

Love Is the Bond (Rowan Gant Investigations)

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

 

 

*** No Spoiler Here!!!***

The story begins: After two quiet years, our hero Rowan and his wife, Felicity, are called upon again (in a round about way) to consult with their dear friend and St. Louis Homicide Detective Ben Storm, who has finally gotten past the wrath of his superior "Bible Barb". Ben has a dead judge, the FBI, his superiors and the press to deal with and it's not getting better. The bodies are beginning to pile up and this time it's kinky sex and death and clues that are plainly leading them all into the "Twilight Zone".

That, kids, is the teaser. I will not spoil it for anyone. The only warning I am going to give you is that this is "grown up" reading, and this is part one of two.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Rowan Gant series of detective novels, this is the sixth installment. Some of you may want to check out his other books and catch up before going on to this novel.

M. R. Sellars writing style is straight forward, reminiscent of the hardcore Detective Novels of the 30s and 40s. Hard biting cops, murders who leave no doubt of their guilt and do not look to the reader to forgive them because of "circumstances". These are serial killers and poor excuses for human beings. And we love the heroes and hate the bad guys. Witty dialogue, intense drama and suspense also mark this as typical of the genre.

Mix with this a touch of the macabre and add the element of magic; you get Rowan Gant. He is, for those of you who do not know, a witch, a Wiccan and has talents that are far beyond that of the normal Joe. He is the magical profiler extraordinaire, who has no training in police work but can tap the energy left behind by the perpetrator and give the police the leads they need to catch the killer before he has the chance to kill again.

He is also the consultant no one wants to admit to, because of his association with the magical circles. He is the key that the higher ups in the police force want to sweep under the carpet and hide from the public, though the press always has ways of finding out. He is not loved by those who call upon him for help, but they call on him just the same.

His wife, Felicity, is also gifted. She plays an important part in this new novel, and we explore her character a bit more closely this time. Well developed in this novel, she becomes the key this time, and through her we explore the darker, sexier side of the night life of St. Louis as well as looking into a form of magic and spirituality many of us may not be familiar with.

As I said before, M. R. Sellars does his homework. He has developed his characters well, giving them presence. He makes them look like they know their jobs by doing the research. Sellars has done excellent research on police procedures, medical practices, crime scene investigations, various life styles and spiritual beliefs that make each of these novels a treat for the reader who wants authenticity in their reading as well as something very different. His style of writing leaves no clue unturned, no matter how grizzly. And he works his clues in with the expertise of a brick layer building a foundation that will stand up to inspection and a bit of hard banging. There are no "lose ends" or "surprise elements" to throw off the reader here. The story is out in the open and expertly woven. Images carve deep into your imagination as you follow the story and unravel the details.

The book holds your interest, it peaks your curiosity, and perches you on the edge of your chair as you flip each page eating up the story, the characters and the plots. And you will have about a year (hopefully less) to muddle over the clues, wonder about how our heroes will work their way out of the messes they have gotten themselves into and to speculate on the murderer and what drives a person to that kind of sick, twisted - well, you get the idea. No spoiler here, you have to read it for yourself.

This is an excellent offering by M. R. Sellars and if you are not already a Rowan Gant fan, this book will happily drive you over to the darker side of town! boudica

A good novel keeps the reader's interest to the very last word. A great one, however manages something else: It grabs the reader's attention, feeds his hunger, and leaves him begging for more. Love Is The Bond not only satisfies this criteria, but is, without a doubt, Sellars best work yet. A truly *great* novel!

Love Is the Bond is another example of Sellars' ability to put before the reader a really well-crafted story, one that draws us away from our world and into his. His characters are eminently believable and I'd take almost any of them as neighbors. His attention to detail is exactly right. Personality quirks are administered with an eye toward what might be possible in reality. I read this book in one loooooooooooooong sitting, stopping only for sleep and to accomplish a few other daily necessities.

Now for my single criticism, and the reason this book is getting only four stars from me instead of the five I would have given the other RGI books had I reviewed them:

In his six previous books, this author has been evenhanded and sensitive in his treatment of all things Wiccan as a more-or-less 'normal' subset of human society. I was disappointed, then, to encounter in one of his books such prejudiced treatment of another societal subset: those who have willingly embraced a part of active BDSM subculture.

Sellars used the most lurid images he could conjure from society's collective fear of sexual-power-games-gone-awry to underscore horror and fear in this book. In doing so, he helped to further marginalize an already in-the-shadows group of widely diverse people who claim for themselves a part of the honor and integrity that bind most BDSM practitioners to their partners.

I've bought all of the books in this series as they came out and will most assuredly do the same for the next one, especially since I *have to* know how this story ends. While I recognize that this book is fiction and, at the end of things, written to amuse, I hope the author remembers the obligations that one societal subgroup has to another and revisits the caution to `do no harm'.

#6 Rowan Gant Investigation, in which the dominatrix Mistress Miranda makes her first appearance. In this book, it's Rowan's wife Felicity who is vulnerable to negative energies/spirits as she begins channeling the spirit of Miranda, with her personality and even her soft Irish lilt changing to Miranda's southern accent. Rowan is troubled, wondering whether the body of his wife in possession of Miranda is the one who brutally murdered her sex slaves or if she is just soaking up those energies enough to change her from the loving wife he knows to a prickly, domineering sex kitten that he doesn't.

It's always a pleasure to read books that treat the Pagan/Wiccan paths as real and valid and not necessarily 'paranormal' although I have to say in these most recent books, it does seem a bit over the top--which the author admits himself. There's little charm of the first few books with the details of Pagan beliefs & celebrations, assisting friends from their coven, etc. This is mostly just running from one problem to the next, Rowan with his headaches and Felicity getting weirder as Miranda takes over her personality.

I'm going to keep reading, as I have the next three books in the series here, but this has ceased to become one of my favorites. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but I prefer a book/series with a little more substance and a little less gratuitous sax & violins. :) I've also come to dislike books that end on a cliffhanger where you have to read on to the next book to know what happens. Progression in a series is fine, but each book should have a story that wraps up at the end too.

About a year and a half ago, I picked up "Harm None," the first novel in the Rowan Gant Investigations series, and I was instantly hooked. Within a couple months, I had purchased the rest of the series and read them all. In particular, Love Is the Bond: A Rowan Gant Investigation (The Rowan Gant Investigations)is a must-read book. M. R. Sellars weaves a rich tapestry full of vivid characters, a plot that is loaded with suspense, and on-the-edge-of-your-seat action. I couldn't put this book down, and was relieved that I had the rest of the trilogy to read as soon as I finished this part of the tale. The characters in this series are so real that they've become old friends, and I can't wait to get the next book the minute it's published!

Okay, it seems as if serial killers in St. Louis are becoming almost a dime a dozen. So, I wasn't sure where M. R. Sellars could really take the RGI (Rowan Gant Investigations) series from the last installment Crone's Moon, as it was utterly gripping. I really thought that the series would start to become repetitive at some point, but M. R. Sellars is a prolific and talented writer and has kept the series from being anything but boring.

Two years have gone by since the events of the last book without any incidents, and have lulled Rowan into some semblance of normalcy. But a niggling little fear that is blossoming into one of Rowan's infamous "headaches" has resurfaced, and he is bound and determined to keep her safe. In the beginning of Love Is the Bond we find Rowan doing a binding spell to keep his wife Felicity safe from all of his ethereal trails and tribulations. Needless to say, that didn't work out too well for either of them at all.

Women as serial killers are fairly rare, but a female killer as a sexual predator is even more so. So, when kinky bondage like murders start up around the city of St. Louis, we find Rowan and Felicity even more ingrained into the mix of the investigation. It appears as if a dangerous psycho has somehow attached itself to Felicity and is controlling her every move. Rowan has no clue how to stop her and his attempts to do so fail miserably.

What kind of secrets are Rowan and Felicity hiding from one another? Will it cause their world as they know it to crumble? Suffice to say, that I am very eager to get into All Acts of Pleasure the next book in the series. Love Is the Bond is the first book in the Miranda Trilogy. You will definitely want to read all of the books in this series in order to have the complete back history. If you like crime thrillers with a pagan paranormal twist, you will be so glad you picked up this series.

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Rachel

I started reading M. R. Sellars work about a year ago and have read all of his Rowan Gant series. I enjoy his books and find myself reading long after I told myself I should quit reading and do other things!!!! He has a faithful reader in me and I will continue to buy his new novels as he writes them.

Other reviewers have done such a good job of describing the story I will skip that. What I will say is that I have read all of the Rowan Gant books and enjoyed them. I was a little surprised at the level of bondage in this book. For those readers who are uncomfortable around explicit bondage scenes this may not be for you. However, the reason I gave this book a 3 rather than a 4 or 5 as I normally give the Gantt books is that he ends the book on a cliff hanger. The book is unresolved in a way that is guaranteed to drive you crazy trying to wait another year for the 2nd half. I would recommend waiting for the 2nd half to come out and read them together. I can't think what Mr. Sellars and his publisher were thinking to split this into 2 books.

This is the latest Rowan Gant novel by Sellars--and is it good!!!! He's got a good balance of psychic phenomena and mundane sleuthing this time, and it was a really well-paced work.

There are a couple of new elements; the killer in this book misuses elements of Voodoo (don't worry--the misuse is made quite distinct from proper use). In addition, there's a flavoring of BDSM to the story; it's not as bad as some squicked-out reviewers have made it, and leads me to wonder where this series is going to go.

The ending is a hell of a cliffhanger, more maddeningthan any other. When the next book "All Acts of Pleasure" comes out, which should be soon, I'm picking it up ASAP!

Overall, I really enjoyed this series, and I'm glad there'll be more to it! Highly recommended for esoteric mystery fiction, and a good, quick read to rest your brain from research adn other such things.

I've read all of the other Rowan Gant series of books and enjoyed them. The subject of this book is bondage; I found the book a fairly unpleasant read. It's a well-written book, but I ended up just recycling it. I will be more cautious with future titles by this author.