Customer Reviews

Out of Mind (Court of Angels Novels)

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

 

 

I tried to make it all the way through the second book of this series, but gave up 3/4 of the way through. It was easy enough to figure out who were the bad guys, so that continued non-mystery got boring fast. The heroin, Willow, was an annoying and easily manipulated character. There was nothing that made me think Ben and Willow cared each other, especially since she had so little faith in him. The other characters refused to talk about anything with each other, making me wonder how they could be so close. If you haven't read the first book, this one will make little sense to you. Also, Cameron has a way of writing that seems to be leading to something, but then goes no where. I'm not even interested in the third book, partly due to the introduction of the unlikeable heroin.

Second book in a romantic paranormal suspense trilogy involving the psychic Millet family (there are a few strong psychic families in New Orleans) fighting the Embran, an underworld race that is dying out and has a grudge against the Millets and wants/needs to take over the world.

Willow Millet has denied her abilities all her life, wanting to be the normal one in the family. But when the Embran seem to be targeting her through her customers, and the bond and telepathy she shares with Ben Fortune from another psychic family becomes too apparent, she finally relents and opens up to her abilities. Willow's customers are dying of heart attacks after being attacked by something unseen and either Willow or her employees are the last to see them alive. Other people are disappearing, and the upper echelon of the police is clueless about paranormals, leaving Ben and the Millets (with one detective and his partner) to figure things out and fight their foe.

I received this book to review for Library Thing and had not read the first book, which is a huge mistake. What took place in Out of Body is important to this book and without it this story lacked the impact it might have otherwise had for me. I liked the premise of the situation, but that's the best I can say about my experience in reading this book. I got lost in some of the paranormal sequences and had to go back at times to figure out what was taking place.

It was too easy for me to put down and I never felt any empathy for the characters, which makes it difficult for the romance aspect to work for me. A reveal of some bad guys did take me by surprise at the end, but it wasn't enough for me to want to pick up either the first or last book to see if I'd enjoy it more.

I would have given this only 1 star but am giving the benefit of the doubt that it could have been more enjoyable if I'd read Out of Body before Out of Mind.

Willow Millet strives for a normal life although her family possesses paranormal skills that very few outside of them do. She has the talent but rejects it though she loves her family. Thus she owns and runs the Mean 'nGreen Concierge while her kin manage J. Clive Antiques though some are in London rather than the hometown New Orleans. She met one man of interest to her; Club owner Benedict Fortune who is one of the few outsiders with psychic abilities, but her denial of their talents drove them apart.

Recently, someone or something is killing her customers. NOPD sees one connection, Willow. At the same time Ben wants his Willow to acknowledge their love and their skills. She continues to reject him and their talent, but this time he refuses to go away especially when he believes a malevolent essence stalks his beloved though he is unsure why but has a reasonable guess.

The second Court of Angels urban romantic fantasy (see Out of Body) is tense thriller that grips readers early on due mostly to the French Quarter atmosphere accentuated by the heroine feeling something shadows her. Humor at the right moments enhances the anticipation that something bad will happen to Willow as the evil lurks in her background killing clients and associates of hers. With vividly described degenerate social galas vividly described that add to the sense of doom, fans will appreciate this fine second chance at love with Ben understanding his first mission is to keep his soul mate safe from whoever covets her from the shadows of death.

Harriet Klausner

Wow. It's been a while since I've read a Stella Cameron novel and now I'm asking myself why I waited. I've read any number of her romantic suspense titles and she's a good, solid writer. But when it comes to paranormal romance, her name never popped into my mind because I'd associated her with contemporary romance or romantic suspense. Out of Body had changed that notion forever!

With a setting of New Orleans, a very common city used by paranormal authors, by Cameron breathes new life into this over-used setting. With her deft use of description while incorporating all five senses, even I, a former Southern Louisiana resident who is intimately familiar with the city, was impressed.

Her characterizations were spot on, each evolving and changing as the plot thickened and the hero and heroine are forced together through adversity. Willow is a woman at odds with her heritage while Ben embraces his paranormal roots thus creating tension between the two major characters from page one.

Out of Body is a cross between paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Cameron is a talented and skilled author who has created a paranormal romance with more twists and turns than than a box of elbow macaroni. If you enjoy romantic suspense or paranormal romances, add this book to your TBR pile. ~ Renee, [...]

While I have loved every other Stella Cameron book I've read, this series just stinks. Too many characters, too many bad guys, too many secondary characters, too many people, too many plot themes. It's a mess. I can't say as I cared about the characters either, I'm halfway through 2nd book in the series and just wish it were over. I love Willow's character (she was my favorite from the first book) but I just don't get anything in this book to care about. There are too many good books (lots by Cameron) to waste time on this complicated mess that apparently isn't going to get rectified in this book (since there is a book 3 in the series). All over the place and the place isn't well defined. Bleck.

Stella Cameron is one of my go-to authors for pure storytelling fun, and I love this series. OUT OF MIND is terrific and Stella's descriptions of New Orleans make me want to go. The characters, the plot, the writing -- all 5 stars!

Willow Millet and Ben Fortune are members of prominent paranormal families in New Orleans, but Willow just wants to be "normal." When the supernatural monsters that threatened her sister, Marley, seem to be coming after Willow, she has to begin to accept her "powers" and join forces with Ben to fight them.
It's an interesting premise, and the chemistry between the characters is extremely genuine and compelling. However, the execution is a little confusing. I wasn't always sure what was happening and I didn't get a good picture of the "Embran" in my head. I'm sure the author has a clear view in her mind, but I didn't feel like it translated to the page. There were also several times during the steamy parts when what she was describing between the characters didn't seem humanly, physically possible, which was distracting. The worst was the climactic fight scene. I had to read it several times because the first time it didn't make any sense at all. The second time, I kinda got what was happening, but had to revise my idea of spatial relations, in particular the size of the "birdcage", as it seems it's big enough for a full sized human person to fight a monster in. The third time, I think it got it, but it was almost too much happening at one time for a person to wrap their mind around.
Unfortunately, these things really spoiled my enjoyment of the story. I was left feeling like it could have been so much better in the hands of a more skilled author. I've felt this way before about Cameron's work; largely solid plot threads; good, dynamic, genuine characters with great chemistry; but the execution, the writing itself, is off.

Willow Millet has long ignored and turned her back on the `gifts' her family says they have. Willow wants nothing more then to be a normal business owner, and her business is going great until murders begin to happen around her clients and employees. Now Willow will have to open up the door she long ago closed in order to save not only herself, but also the people she cares about.

Benedict (Ben) Fortune left New Orleans at Willow's request. After getting a phone call telling him about the murders, Ben is back to stay and to hopefully discover why Willow turned away from their bonding. Ben is also from one of the old psychic families and knows that Willow is hiding from herself. Ben knows his gifts are strong and just hopes they are strong enough.

Willow had the strength to turn away from her bonding with Ben once but knows she won't be able to again. Ben and Willow follow the clues to find out what is happening, and why, only to discover the Embran again. Willow's business has taken a serious hit which makes her only more determined to discover why she seems to be the center of the activity. The passion between Ben and Willow is as strong as ever and this time neither can turn away from it. Just when Willow thinks she will have to do something serious to save her business a silver lining might have shown up but the circumstances don't make Ben all that happy. Can Ben and Willow discover the truth about what the Embran have planned and put a stop to it?

A love thought lost is flaming again with danger as a background. Out of Mind brings Willow and Ben back together in the Court of Angels. Willow never wanted to accept she was anything other than normal. Ben always accepted his gifts and wanted nothing more than to have Willow as his bond mate. I wondered what would finally make Willow accept her heritage and should have known it would be love and loyalty to her friends and the people who trusted her. This time the Embran were much more personal in their fighting and I can't help but wonder what will be next for them. What Ben and Willow were going through made me want to hug them, but I knew that their had to be a happy ending for them and I wasn't wrong. I also fell for Mario, the cute little dog that found Willow. Out of Mind proves that you can never turn your back on a passion that was meant to be. The danger caused by the Embran and the discovery of more about not only the Millets, but also the other New Orleans psychic families, only intrigued me more for the next book.

You could read the Court of Angels series as stand alone books, but I think you will get much more out of the intertwining plot if you read them in order.

Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This book did not disappoint - it was every bit as good as the 1st one in the series. I am a great reader of paranormal romances and this ranks right up with Christine Feehan & Lora Leigh books!!

horrible. i actually looked forward to the stupid female lead character being dragged to the underworld. good riddance to bad trash. could she have been more stupid... bad bad book. stupid senseless character.