Customer Reviews

Lover Beware

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Magic in the Wind (Christine Feehan)...Damon Wilder had always been a recluse. Never forming lasting attachments, all Damon lived for was his work. That all changed when his partner died and he was tortured for answers on the project he was working on for the government. Drawn to a sleepy town on the coast, Damon was enjoying his retirement as much as he was able. Then he started hearing the whispers. 'Sarah's home' seemed to call to him and he was irrestibely drawn to the house that was on the cliff above his. Sarah Drake was the first of seven daughters. Descended from a legacy of magic, Sarah put her special skills to use protecting innocent people. She was happy to take the job that would take her back to her home, but she was unprepared for the feelings that Damon Wilder unleashed in her. Magic in the Wind is a great story by Christine Feehan that has me looking foward to the six remaining stories.

Hot August Moon (Katherine Sutcliffe)...Anna Travelli was a special profiler of the FBI. Moved into the depths of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI, no one understood why Anna had to be at the scene of the crime to profile the killer. Anna knew though, she knew that she would see through the eyes of the killer and sometimes even the victim. Her current case brings her back to New Orleans and the lover and love of her life that she left behind. Jerry Costos never forgot Anna, not even in the years they spent apart. Now they are working together to solve the murder of the family of a good friend of them both. In the midst of it all, Anna knows that it could never work out. This is a prequel to Bad Moon Rising, which I already read and loved. If you haven't read Bad Moon Rising, you will not like how this book ends and you will be very dissapointed.

After Midnight (Fiona Brand)...Jane O'Reilly went from city girl to country wife when she married her husband, Patrick. When Patrick died of cancer, leaving Jane behind, she was determined to go on and keep the farm running. She hadn't seen her volitale neighbor, Michael Rider, in nearly seven years since the day his startling confession ruined any chance she would have at happiness with her husband. After standing by Patrick, Jane is now determined to find out if what she felt for Michael all those years ago was real. The day that Michael met Jane, it ruined his marriage and almost his life. Determined to give her time, he left for seven years. Now he's back, and adament on claiming her. But there is evil lurking in the shadows, and all Michael and Jane have are each other. I really enjoyed this book. It was short and sweet and held everything you would be looking for in a romance.

Only Human (Eileen Wilks)...Lily Wu was promoted to a detective in the homicide division of the San Diego Police Department because of her determination to find justice. When horrible murders start taking place, she is forced to work with Rule Turner, who may be the only one who could help find the murderer. Descended from a species that was not quite human, Rule's clan didn't believe in fidelity or faithfulness. Lily didn't think that would be a problem early on, afterall he was only a means to an end. Rule knew exactly who Lily was, all he had to do was get her to see it. Together they embark on a journey of discovery, from finding a murderer as well as a traitor, to discovering what it is like to find your soulmate. A definetly different book, I nevertheless really enjoyed it.

DON'T MISS IT!

My least favorite form of reading is anthologies! I will buy them because my favorite author has 1/4, and hope that the other 3/4 is at least enjoyable. This time, 2 of the 4 met my expectations, at least in part.

Christine Feehan's "Magic in the Wind" is really toooooo much of a setup for a new series. She crams too much information about the 7 sisters into this one short novelella. Readers can definitely see a new series of books coming - and it appears to be like the series Norah Roberts did recently. She could have possibly made it more interesting by having Sarah handle the situation only with Damon's assistance. Then he could be amazed by the fact that there are 7, yes 7 of them and that one of the 7 will have seven daughters. Will it be Sarah and Damon? No suspense there, we've already been told which sister will have the 7 daughters. Yes, it is enjoyable but not up to her 5 star standards. I would give it 4 stars; but 4 stars from Feehan is still better than a lot of 5 stars from others. Give me Carpathians! I love those Carpathians!

Katharine Sutcliffe's "Hot August Moon" pullls an FBI profiler back to her hometown to work on a case with an old lover. We learn the details of the killings, we know all about the old lover but NOTHING is solved in the book. It is a complete setup for another novel. Yeah, FBI profiler books are big right now but.... I would give it 2 stars for being a complete tease.

Fiona Brand's "After Midnight" is really about two old want-to-be-lovers who were star-crossed because they had been married to others. We are told there has been a murder/rape and that Michael is a suspect. We learn that Jane is being stalked by the bad guy, who interestingly enough picks the night Michael is in bed with Jane to come after her. Dumb, huh? I would give it 2 stars only because of the steamy sex.

Eileen Wilks "Only Human" gets four stars from me. Investigating a series of murders, a beautiful detective of Chinese ancestry meets the "prince" of the local werewolf clan. Their different backgrounds and their possible conflict of interest in the case complicate matters. Ms. Wilks offers an interesting difference to the usual werewolf offerings. If it had been longer and more fleshed out, I would have given it 5 stars. If this is a "tease" for a book, I'll definitely buy that book. In fact, I am looking forward to seeing it in the stores.

Feehan's Magic in the Winds is well written, with great character development. The only drawback is that due to the constraints of anthologies, the story was not quite as good as it could have been. Feehan's Magic really needed to be novel in length in order to explore all of the possibilites in this plot. Its obvious this is a setup for another series from Feehan - I'm looking forward to more; in particular the story between Hannah and Jonas.

Katherine Sutcliffe's Hot August Moon was a bit of a let down. I haven't read anything from this author before, and I won't go out of my way to find more of her work. It's very possible that my attitude stems from the ending of this story - it was not resolved and I'm a person who needs closure :) However, with more work, this plot could be intriguing. Perhaps the conclusion will be more intriguing.

Fiona Brand's After Midnight is part of the reason I bought this series (other than the fact that I'm a rabid Feehan fan). I have enjoyed all of Brand's other works; and yes, I have them all :) The only drawback again was that due to the constraints inherent in anthologies, this story wasn't quite what it could be. That said, if you are a fan of alpha males and hot sex scenes, you may enjoy this story. I'm impatiently waiting for future releases of Brand's work.

Eileen Wilk's Only Human was a huge surprise. I love paranormals, and werewolf stories in particular. As a huge fan of LKH's work, I really enjoy the novelty of stories in which myths/legends such as vampires and werewolves are part of the everday world. I found the hero, Rule to be sexy and fascinating; the heroine, Lily, to be plucky and competent. One thing in particular that I really enjoyed was the comparison of familial and social interactions between the two characters. "The respect for tradition, the importance of family, work and honor, the duty owed to one's elders - that's all very chinese, you know."(Wilks, 336) All of these are aspects that other paranormal authors have associated with the mythical werewolf clans as well, having based them on the wolf pack in nature. I found it fascinating the similarities the author drew between two otherwise *completely* different cultures.

If not for Sutcliffe's Hot August Moon this would have been a five star anthology.

Fans of Christine Feehan are in for a double treat as this anthology features a haunting story by her at the beginning and a preview of her upcoming novel. Though this is not a Carpathian story, like that series, two lovers are brought together by destiny and magic, but opposition from the outside world threatens both their love and their lives.

Katherine Sutcliffe gives us a fast paced story of an FBI profiler with a useful gift that borders on being a curse. With the help of a seductive detective, she strives to stop a killer targeting prostitutes. However, even his protection may not be enough to keep her alive. This is one that I hope is only the beginning of a longer novel, the cliffhanger ending is chilling.

Fiona Brand carries readers to an exotic and unique setting as two people find themselves suddenly free to pursue a forbidden love. Passion flares from every page as a reserved widow and a sexy bad boy find love despite small town politics and the threat of home invasion.

Rounding out the collection, Eileen Wilks gives us a snappy, fast moving werewolf story. Werewolves appear to be behind a series of murders, and a beautiful detective is forced to work with one to solve the case. Her prejuidice against his kind quickly melts under their mutual attraction, but conflict of interest and the mix of their races might be more than their love can overcome.

***** Each of these stories is a gem, well worth the readers' time. The only fault with this anthology is each story deserves to be a full length book. *****

Lover, Beware has a very good set of intriguing stories. The first one by Christine Feehan is my absolute favorite Magic in the Wind about a group of seven sisters and their adventures. This one is out Sarah the oldest and her relationship with Damon her soon to be lover. The second Hot August Moon by Katherine Sutcliff was to me the hardest one to get into. I think of the four this one was the weakest for me, I also think that because it was pre-equal to her book Bad Moon Rising I may have just not connected with it. The third was by Fiona Brand After was also to me a very interesting read. The final story by Eileen Wilks Only Human is my second favorite. Lily reminds me of a very naive Anita Blake and Rule who is a very hunky and good looking werewolf has a real interest in Lily who is a detective looking into several murders. A very likable and interesting story. I hope that these four get together again and do another anthology. Maybe a continuation of these stories. Please Christine write more of 7 sisters stories,and Eileen a continuation of Lily and Rule. Please.....................

"Magic in the Wind" by Christine Feehan. Military defense systems expert Damon hides from the threats to his life. In his new town, he hears strange whispers about his neighbor Sarah, her "sisters" and their otherworldly powers. Damon and Sarah instantly fall in love with one another. When his adversaries find him, Damon and Sarah try to keep each other safe. This strong story needs novels starring Sarah's siblings.

"Hot August Moon" by Katherine Sutcliffe. FBI profiler Anna uses her psychic skills to locate killers. She investigates the mutilation murders of a friend and her two children under the direction of district attorney Jerry, who once broke her heart. This gory tale is for those who enjoy explicit mutilation scenes with unanswered questions.

"After Midnight" by Fiona Brand. In New Zealand, the rape murder has left everyone frightened especially recently widowed Jane since her farm is isolated. She avoids her nearest neighbor Michael because she feels guilty that she desired him while her spouse was dying. Michael wants her too, but first must deal with being the prime suspect. This is a strong romantic investigative tale tat showcases the talent of this fine author.

"Only Human" by Eileen Wilks. Chinese-American detective Lily investigates a murder that appears to be the work of a werewolf. To infiltrate the clans, Lily enlists the help of werewolf Rule though she detests the species. Soon they fall in love, but first they must weed out the rogue killer.

The novellas are well written and because the stories are so different this anthology will appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

Harriet Klausner

Just a warning: I only read Christine Feehan's story in this book. This is the only thing I am reviewing.

This story was obviously rushed by Ms. Feehan and the publishers. Ms. Feehan's preferred genre is the novel, not the short story and it shows. This story was choppy and not well organized. It is clear that a lot was missing from the story and it could have been told better in a novel on its own. I'm a visual person and as I read, the story unfolds like a movie. With this story, I felt like I was trying to view it through a lot of snow and horizontal lines on my TV. Ms. Feehan's publisher should provide a good editor with a stong background in short stories to assist Ms. Feehan on her next story. I have no doubt that an author with Ms. Feehan's talents can conquer the short story, if given the proper tools.

That said, what saved this story for me was Ms. Feehan's ability in character development. It is clear in all of her books, that Ms. Feehan has a true gift of capturing her characters so the reader is instantly enthralled. We care about these characters; they become one of the family. I will continue to read Christine Feehan. I just wish the publisher would accommodate her strengths and help her get over her weaknesses.

In Christine Feehan's MAGIC IN THE WIND, death stalks a former government brainchild. After an attempted kidnapping leaves him maimed and his research assistant dead, Damon Wilder moves to a sleepy coastal community to hide from his enemies. Damon is just going through the motions until the day he hears of the return of Sarah Drake, the town's favorite daughter. Intrigued by the fantastical tales of Sarah's feats, Damon sets off to meet this paragon and finds his fate. A life filled with magic has prepared security expert Sarah Drake to meet every challenge, but she never counted on her new assignment setting in motion an old family prophecy. Can Sarah save Damon from his enemies and fulfill their destiny?

A murderer is loose in Katherine Sucliffe's HOT AUGUST MOON. Now, however, he has not only killed several prostitutes, but also the wife and two young children of assistant district attorney J.D. Damascus. J.D.'s best friend and colleague, Jerry Costos, is under heavy pressure to find the killer, so he asks the FBI to send a profiler to help with the case. Never does he expect the profiler assigned to be Anna Travelli, his former lover. For Anna, it's bad enough to put up with the testosterone-laden attitudes of the detectives who aren't happy to have her butting in on their case, but she's also got a secret she must keep hidden from Jerry. It's going to be a long, hot summer in New Orleans.

It's a case of long overdue passion in Fiona Brand's AFTER MIDNIGHT. Jane O'Reilly and Michael Rider never meant to fall in love, but they did. It was sudden, it was passionate and it was wrong, for each were married to other people. Tacitly agreeing to part, they went their separate ways seven years ago. Now Jane is a widow and Michael has returned, determined to finally claim his woman. There's just one hitch to his plans. There's a rapist and murderer loose in their town, and he's just become the main suspect. But even as Michael fights to clear his name, danger is stalking Jane.

Eileen Wilks' ONLY HUMAN takes us to San Diego in an altogether different reality. In this San Diego, magic is real and paranormal creatures exist, along with human prejudices. Homicide detective Lily Yu has her hands full. Not only does she have to deal with the disapproval of her large family over her career, said career is on the line if she doesn't solve the series of grisly murders terrorizing the city. When evidence suggests the murderer is a werewolf, Lily is told to work with Rule Turner, prince of the Clan Nokolai, the area's largest lupine community. It's instant attraction between the two, but can they overcome the cultural differences between their species (and families) to make it work?

Madness, mayhem and murder abound in varying degrees in the LOVER BEWARE anthology. Christine Feehan delights with her whimsical tale of seven bewitching sisters (one can easily predict that the Drake siblings will be a fun series), while Eileen Wilks' lupine world will leave readers begging for more. Although Katherine Sutcliffe does a stellar job of delving into the dark abyss of a murderer's mind, this story is too closely tied with her single title, BAD MOON RISING, to be able to stand as a separate story. Surprisingly, Fiona Brand proves to be the weakest link in this anthology. While Ms. Brand's characters are compelling and the story has promise, as a whole her tale appears rushed and lacks true substance. Nevertheless, LOVER BEWARE should provide fans of these authors with a delicious shiver...or two.

TheSchemer

Magic in the Wind by Christine Feehan
The first few chapters of MItW started off well enough, the author captured the coastal town atmosphere perfectly, however, after that it got a little, okay at times a lot, cheesy and eye-roll-inducing. Romances don't have to be that sticky-sweet. What was different and interesting is that the narration was mainly told through the male lead instead of the female; there's not too much of that in romances. The only downfall to the story being told this way was Damon waxing poetic about Sarah the Mysterious, Sarah the Magical, Sarah the Magnificent, Sarah, She Who Walks on Water - seriously, what a Mary-Sue. I'm surprised people didn't address her as Saint Sarah. Everyone in town follows her "advice" (basically she tells them what to do in a roundabout way and they listen), seeks her out to magically fix all their problems, act like she's a goddess, combined, this all made it ten times worse. They just follow her like brainless zombies and never get upset at her poking her nose in their business (not that they all don't do the same in everybody else's). Even though all of that was nauseating, she wasn't the worst Mary-Sue I've run across (Why o' why are there so many of them? Is there a writer's manual on how to write a paragon so that everything they touch, everywhere they go, everyone they meet, they're held up as a supreme being? I wish I was perfect too. :P) and she had magic, so that's cool. Although, who is Sarah besides the saint of this small coastal town? I have no clue, she was never made real, I actually envisioned a golden aura around her like she's some sort of angelic being or something, which is at total odds with her tough defender super hero side. Some girls have all the luck. She has magic, she's as kind as can be, she's perfect in every way (except she's not conventionally beautiful or something, the description was kind of unclear), so of course everyone loves her, she's peaceful and she gets to kick a** like she's Buffy? No freaking way. Where can I sign up?

Another annoyance was "painfully shy" Hannah, one of Sarah's six sisters. Hannah is apparently a model who travels the world, is on magazines, goes on talk shows, etc., even though she is painfully shy. Hey, I can believe someone famous has trouble like that, my problem comes from her "condition" being described as "painfully shy" all the time. It is mentioned in that exact same way, it's never really shy, very shy, extremely shy, or even just plain old shy, no it has to be "painfully shy." In truth, it was only said three times (that I noticed), but in a story that is only around ninety pages, it really sticks out, especially since it was awkwardly brought into the plot. I have a hard time believing this is only shyness, try social phobia or at the very least, some anxiety disorder. Why hasn't she had psychological care? The only remedies mentioned are magical spells and whatnot. While I'm on the subject of Hannah, of whom I know more about personality-wise than Sarah, I might as well mention the jeering and taunting between Jona, the town sheriff, and herself. These interactions are so over-the-top and obvious; we all know where this is going to lead in a future book. And not one of the sisters or Damon notices what is right in front of them. How can they be so imperceptive? What are they, seven? Although I have to admit I'd hate to be called "Baby" or "Barbie" doll too, but then again, I don't look like a Victoria's Secret model, Hannah does.

As for the plot, it was barely there, more time was spent on introducing the sisters, their legacy, characters that went nowhere, and having Sarah sit on a pedestal. Damon would have been more interesting if this had been made into a full-length book - I like the idea of a scientist being confronted with magic - but there just wasn't enough there for a cohesive story. I usually don't write much about short stories but had a lot to say about this one. Obviously. I'm interested in the sisters' stories, I try not to judge authors solely based on a short story, so I will check them out, especially Hannah's. As someone who's been "painfully shy" (couldn't resist) her whole life, my interest has been piqued to see how the author develops Hannah and her shyness in that installment of the series.

I was thinking of giving this an average rating but after writing my review and thinking back on the story, it's just not that good.
2/5 stars

**********

Hot August Moon by Katherine Sutcliffe

The plot was awesome! I love the serial killer angle (I would ;P) and really liked how the author wrote, so I am definitely going to check out Bad Moon Rising to read more about the French Quarter Killer. On the other hand, the romance, if you can even call it that, got in the way and annoyed me whenever it interfered with the rest of the story; it was like a bug flying around your face. I know this is a romance anthology but this plot was too good to include a romance that wasn't, not to mention I hated Jerry; Anna was generally fine but he irritated me. I quite liked the ending of this story because of its nature and where it goes, or doesn't go as the case may be. This isn't your typical romance, which made its inclusion in this book rather odd, but I think it's necessary to shake things up every so often.
3.5/5

**********

After Midnight by Fiona Brand
More of a lust story than a love story, it was well-written except for the suspense angle, which was weak and felt like it was added in as an afterthought. I didn't really like the two leads that well, they were just okay, but they made me sympathize more with Jane's dead husband, Patrick, than with either of them. In the end I didn't buy their love, I only saw attraction between the two. The sex scene (or repeated sexual acts, which I'm not even sure is possible, but whatever.) had a few phrases that struck me as odd, which might not bother anyone else but felt I should mention them anyway. The New Zealand setting was a nice change of pace but it really didn't feature much in the story. So overall, it's not bad but it's not great either.
3/5

**********

Only Human by Eileen Wilks

Starting this story, I felt a sense of deja vu, so that made me wonder if this was the basis of the first book of the World of the Lupi series. By the end of the second chapter, I knew it was, but since it's been a while since I read it, thought I'd give it a go anyway. When I read the first book in the series, I never really connected with it so never picked up the sequel; this time around I did connect with the world more and most likely will give the series another try. According to Eileen Wilks' website, the full-length book "covers very different territory" than the short story, so I'm wondering what the differences are.

I was more interested in the first part of story and the introduction of this paranormal world was very well-done and believable. The characters are well-drawn and they're interesting; I like the fact that they have imperfections, characters need those to be relatable. The plot was good and well-paced, but would have been better had the romance not been so forced. And Worf, how can you not like a mongrel of a dog who's afraid of cats and doesn't like stairs? How adorable. All in all, a fairly enjoyable story.
3.5/5 stars

Bought for Christine Feehan's 'Magic in the Wind' it was actually Eileen Wilkes 'Only Human' that stole the show for me. Along with Fiona Brands 'After Midnight'!

Highly recommend you purchase.