Customer Reviews

Parallel Desire (Midnight Warriors, Book 4)

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

 

 

Jake Tierney is in a downward spiral, mourning the loss of his wife, Hope, and his life as Scott Dillon in an alternate time thread. As an Antousian shifter, he used his ability to take over a human's body and make it his own. Unfortunately, circumstances also dictated that he'd time travel back into the past and now he has to cope with knowing that Hope still lives in this time thread...and she is happily married to an alternate version of Scott Dillon, his former identity. Shelby Tyler is a Medic authorized to return Jake to their king, Jared Bennett. However, the war between the alien races is heating up and Shelby and Jake will have to face the demons of their pasts or risk losing it all. Can they find love in the midst of such chaos?

If you haven't read the first three Midnight Warriors books, stop right now and read those first. Deidre Knight's world is so vast and complex, particularly with the time travel and the theory about varying time lines, that a newcomer to the series will most likely be completely confused. The background for the Jake Tierny/Scott Dillon dilemma is fully revealed in PARALLEL SEDUCTION although Deidre Knight offers the reader a quick reminder at the beginning.

Jake Tierny is an intriguing character, a hero forced to reside in the body of his most hated enemy. His loathing at the horrific deeds committed by the human Jake Tierney in the alternate timeline have sent him on a disastrous path of drinking, fighting, and despair. Deidre Knight asks the reader to examine what exactly makes a man, his inner heart or the exterior shell? Can a true hero emerge from the body of a murderous monster? Shelby is the perfect contrast to Jake. She wears her heart on her sleeve. Her openness and empathy help Jake look deep within himself to see the heroic heart that he has hidden under his anger.

PARALLEL DESIRE is a fascinating story. My only fault with the story lies in that there are some threads left unresolved and this is billed as the last book in the series. Bravo, Ms. Knight for creating such a vast and captivating world!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

With her steamiest book yet, author Diedre Knight brings back all the major pairs from her previous `Parallel' books. Knight wraps all the loose relationship threads here with a nice little bow, but leaves the series with the battle kicked up a notch and no resolution. And if this is truly the final book, I found that a bit dissatisfying hence the 1/2 star drop in the rating.

Parallel Desire is science fiction romance with a paranormal feel set against a secret battle between two alien races, one out to enslave the earth and steal our bodies and another to protect us. The good guys have the power of time travel but there are no worries about paradox here, because time travel is to a parallel universe.

In the last book, Parallel Seduction (Midnight Warriors, Book 3), we met both of the leads, Jake and Shelby. Jake Tierney is a traveler from a parallel future, who travels back to kill the man who murdered his beloved wife/soulmate and unborn child, a loss which destroyed the man Jake used to be. If you've read the previous book you will know Jake's original identity, if not it sounds a bit confusing but he uses the hated power of his alien race to become Jake Tierney by taking the murderer's identity after stealing the murderer's body and out of self-loathing he discards his original name and assumes the murderer's. Jake is truly tortured and immersed in grief, and loosing this universe's version of his wife in the last book - this time not to death but to his younger self - has only deepened his pain. Now he lives on the verge of stalker-hood, calling her again and again just to hear her voice, envious of the happiness he once had. Happiness his younger self now enjoys. There is really nothing left to Jake but his crusade to find the Jake Tierney here in the past and kill him to save his 'wife' in this parallel time line.

The heroine Shelby, with her own heart scarred by loss, has her own triangle thing going on. She took care of Jake's original identity younger self and half way fell in love with him, but now finds herself deeply attracted to his anguished Jake incarnation. Jake and Shelby are both deeply sensual people and when Jake finds himself caught in a powerful attraction to Shelby, he sheds his celibacy with a vengeance. I expected their relationship to stay purely physical for longer in the book, but these two have shared pain and a soulmate connection -- Shelby quickly seeps into the cracks of Jake's broken heart and begins putting life back into his lifeless existence.

I really liked the relationship between the two leads, but there were a few things that didn't flow in the way the characters and their relationships were set up. A few more words from the author, Knight, could have smoothed out these rough spots. In addition to the body stealing ability, Jake's people are also shape shifters and their natural form sounds to be somewhat monstrous. Shelby had a very traumatic past experience with members of his race in shifted form and yet Knight has the two getting intimate while Jake is trapped in a shift. Shelby was alien too, so I didn't have a problem with them being intimate in that form, but my problem was that the chapter starts out in the middle of the scene with them already in bed and with how freaked out Shelby was with the other shifted aliens, and by her awful memories, I just couldn't see how Jake and Shelby would have ever gotten to that point of attempting intimacy in that situation.

My other issue with the book, is the that the overarching plot that carried through the books doesn't get resolved here. If this is truly the final book in the series, Knight could have used Shelby's very cool time-walking ability and her relationship with one of the major bad guys to have somehow turned the tide and left us knowing that the good guys would succeed and save the Earth. But I suppose, that by leaving the world in peril Knight has left the series open should she ever want to jump to the future a bit and pick up the story.

Even with my minor issues, I really did enjoy this book and the series. If you haven't been fortunate enough to discover the little connected short, Parallel Fire (Anna and Nevin's story), available here on Amazon, I recommend that you do -- it's a great opportunity for one last steamy foray into this wonderful parallel world.

The other books in this series not mentioned above are:
Parallel Attraction (Midnight Warriors, Book 1)(Jared &Kelsey)
Parallel Heat (Midnight Warriors, Book 2)(Marco & Thea)

I just finished Paralled Desire and overall it was a very well written book. I was happy to finally figure out what happens to Scott (Jake). The MAJOR issue I have is that this is the last book. The main plot point was never resolved. The whole point of this story was the evolving issue of overcoming the Antousian grasp on the government and the planet Refaria. I just don't understand how the author can just shut down a promising series like this. In my opinion it needs at least two more books to sucessfully finish the series. Here are some items that were left hanging.

*What happened to the Vice President
*What happened to the Antousian Spy
*Do they ever win the war
*Is the biovirus ever released into the human world
*Does Kelsey actually become the beloved of Refaria
*Does Kelsey ever go to Refaria
*How powerful is their daughter Erica
*Is the newest Antousian General ever defeated
*It was never clearly spelled out why the real Jake Tierney killed Hope

These are just some of the issues that were never resolved...If the author reads this PLEASE leave this series open to new books...it is actually painful for me to follow a series this far and have it shut down without everything being concluded.

Trapped in the past wearing the body of the man who killed his wife and his unborn daughter in a future timeline, Scott Dillon is a tortured soul filled with self loathing. Disgusted by the fact that he occupies the body of the man who will one day kill his wife and child, Scott now insists on being called by the future murderer's name--Jake Tierney.

Parallel Desire finds Scott Dillon a man truly at war with himself--a younger version of himself. Realizing that Hope Harper, the love of his life is truly happy with the man he once was, Scott/Jake realizes he must find a new reason to go on living, in spite of the fact that he is still deeply in love with Hope.

He finds that quest with his goal to track down his wife's future killer--the real Jake Tierney. Scott hopes to use the fact that he now wears Jake's future body to infiltrate Jake's current life and somehow redirect the future so that Hope and her unborn child will be spared the horrific deaths they will suffer in the future.

Scott is overcome by grief and self hatred until medic Shelby Tyler steps in, refusing to let him wallow in his misery. As Scott and Shelby work to discover the mysteries surrounding the original Jake Tierney, they uncover grave dangers facing both Earth and the Rafarians. In the process of discovering the real Jake Tierney, Scott finds self forgiveness and new love with Shelby.

The fourth and final entry into the Midnight Warrior series, Deidre's emotional writing and captivating story lines keep the reader glued to the page. Her characters are masterfully flawed, and as they struggle against those flaws to find love in a world standing on the brink of Armageddon, the things that truly matter in life are once again reaffirmed.

Love will always find a way.

Scott Dillon is a man on a quest of vengeance. He is searching for the warrior who killed his wife and unborn child. Scott loses himself in his grief till Shelby Tyler arrives in his life to rescue from his despair and self-destroying ways. With her love she helps him to discover apart of himself that he thought long lost. Plus she plays a huge role in discovering the truths behind the deaths of his family.

Finally Ms. Knight tells us Scott's story. PARALLEL DESIRE is a wonderful and emotional story that is a very worthy end of the Midnight Warriors series.

Since the first book PARALLEL ATTRACTION, Scott was one of the most fascinating characters and he gets with Shelby a great heroine who makes him whole again.

The book is not only something for sci-fi or paranormal fans but also for all fans of good stories. Ms. Knight has very special voice that absolutely draws her readers into the story and you want be able to stop reading once you have started reading.

PARALLEL DESIRES is the fourth book of the series and this reader highly recommends that you have read the other books prior reading this one. Otherwise you would be missing too much background information.

This reviewer is really looking forward to see with what Ms. Knight comes up next. Her Midnight Warrior series is one of the most unique series in this genre and each book is a real keeper, which you don't want to miss.

Courtesy of Loveromances and More

In Parallel Desire by Deidre Knight, we find time traveller Scott Dillon, has come to the past on a mission-find the man who killed his wife and child.
His heart is filled with grief and revenge and the one thing he doesn't expect is is attraction to Refarian medic, Shelby Tyler.

Shelby has demons of her own. Can she break through her past and accept there is more than a case of lust between her and Scott?

Can each of these wounded souls find peace and love, or are they too battle scarred?

Deidre Knight has penned an action packed, sensual story that will keep you turning the pages. The surprising plot and well crafted characters make this book a keeper for this reader's shelf.
A great ending for the Midnight Warrior series.

Tambra Kendall

Diedre Knight's PARALLEL DESIRE, the fourth book of the Midnight Warriors Series, takes the war and the characters to the brink of Armageddon. Both within the outer political world and the internal world of love, the dangers are great, the passions intense, and betrayal lurking. PARALLEL DESIRE follows the third book, PARALLEL SEDUCTION, and should be read within the context of that book and the whole series for its maximum reading pleasure.

Scott Dillon, reeling from his actions at the end of the third book, now finds himself in a parallel world of the past, not with his wife but with Refarian medic Shelby Tyler. Living in Jacob Tierny's body yet hunting down the real Jacob Tierny in this past world, Scott Dillon is a stranger living in the wrong body, the wrong time and the wrong dimension. With a happy ending to his romance blown to pieces, he still has memories of his other life. How can he hope for love when grief and a passion for vengeance overwhelm his very soul? Obsessed with the desire to hunt down the man who killed his wife, Scott risks breaking the rules of the parallel dimension design to achieve his goal --- even if it means destroying the very fabric of the universe. Can Shelby's body and comfort heal his very soul? She cannot deny the passion that draws her to this tortured Antousian, but can she accept his past ---- and indeed her own ---- so that love can transform them both?

While Shelby and Scott wrestle for the very survival of their souls, the war between the Antousians and the Refarians rages at its most deadly. The Antousians infiltrate the very power echelons of American government in a bid for their survival. As Kelsey prepares for the birth of her child and Jared's heir, her own physical safety is at risk, not only from the Antousians but also in the very nature of her child, a dual being fetus in her human body.

In PARALLEL DESIRE, Deidre Knight reaches into the very heart of her universe and of love itself. In this dimension, the true nature of the characters emerges as they wage war to protect civilization from forces attempting to co-opt it for nefarious purposes. Even more, the characters battle passionately for love as their true natures are revealed in the most elemental forms --- both raw physicality and pure energy.

Deidre Knight's PARALLEL DESIRE examines the theme of identity. What makes up a person's identity? Is it the different body that makes the Refarians and Antousians alien? Is it a name that defines a person? What happens when another's body is infiltrated by another human being? What happens to Kelsey when her body nurtures another not completely human being within? Do the mitres change her identity? Does blood line or duty define a person? Do the special powers define a being? When a dual nature creature is forced into a mono-nature, does it destroy the very soul? When a man is forced to live within the body of a villain, can he lose his soul? When the very souls of characters are stolen, what happens to their identity? Is a lost soul retrievable?

In the last book of the Midnight Warrior paranormal romance series, Deidre Knight is absolutely brilliant. She takes the reader into a microcosm within an Armageddon, focusing on the specific internal battles and hot passion within two characters. At the same time, Deidre Knight takes the reader out to the larger universe and larger questions of identity, giving us a prism with which to view the entire series in a new light, yet one carefully built in the previous three books. A magnificent book and series!

I am Trying to figure out these 5 star reviews.....It was OK BUT....not as good as previous books and toooo much jumping between the characters' stories- if you can't keep up with multiple stories within a story this is Not for you, and if you have not read books 1-3 do NOT start with this one!!.....I Quit reading it after 3 chapters, only finished it today as I had nothing else to read....it was Irritating and boderline Boring....Last book?? Then WHAT Happened with the war???? and everything else??? DUMB!

In the future, during Armageddon, Scott Dillon desperately races to his battlefield tent to keep his beloved Hope and their future child Leisa safe. He is too late as the human stranger has killed his beloved wife and their unborn daughter. Outraged Scott uses his Antousian skills to take over the murderer's body. He tells his comrade Kelsey that Scott is dead and his new name is Jakob Tierney, a cold blooded killer with a past to erase.

In the present half-Antousian Scott Dillon is married to his beloved Hope. Jake has come to Scott's present where he must make a life for himself. Meanwhile Refarian medic Shelby Tyler knows that Jake is Scott and that Scott also exists. She wants to help Jake, but he is on a quest to destroy the stranger whose body he took over in the future before that evil human can kill his wife and unborn. However, if he succeeds the future time line will be altered and who knows what the butterfly effect of chaos will be. On top of that a deadly Antousian plot has been deployed that if successful could lead to Armageddon with Jake and Shelby as the prime players trying to prevent the disaster.

The latest Midnight Warriors Parallel tale is incredible as the superb plot twists and sensational time paradoxes keep on coming. The Scott-Jake saga will hook readers who wonder what will happen next to the one man with two bodies (the ultimate in twins). Fans of this delightfully complex series (see PARALLEL ATTRACTION, PARALLEL HEAT and PARALLEL SEDUCTION) will relish PARALLEL DESIRE; as we wonder whether Jake will suicide or learn the delights of Kama Sutra 411 with Shelby. That is if they survive the mission; either way he chooses by going back he has already chaotically altered the future.

Harriet Klausner

I am sorry to say that this book just didn't "go anywhere" for me. Half the time I was left wondering " what is going on" and the book didn't effectively explain what was going on. The other half said, "Why am I reading this book? The ending didn't help with all the unanswered questions! But, read it if you want! Maybe she should have gone back and reread the book and helped the readers out with some neccesary answers or hints to some of my unanswered questions. Or, maybe she didn't get the chance to write another book but, come on, no one likes books that end with threads hanging!!!