Customer Reviews

The Presence (Mira)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed reading The Presence, but it did have some problems that might bother other readers who aren't already fans of Ms. Graham's.

The story is a blend of historical romance, contemporary thriller, light humorous romance with a little ghost story tossed in too. Each of the elements is okay and the author blended them all in an interesting way, but the book would have been better if the author has perhaps used one or two less of them and concentrated more on the others. I was left with the impression that three short stories by different authors had been shuffled together.

The paranormal part was perhaps the weakest to me. The heroine is supposedly a very, very strong psychic and the opening chapter is pretty dark and violent. It leads you to believe the rest of the book will be similar, and there are parts that are, but mostly, the seriousness of the opening isn't carried through.

The main portion of the book is made up of the light, contemporary romance of the new Laird MacNiall and heroine Toni. Of course, both are the spitting images of the old Laird and Annalise, setting up the ghost story. The relationship between Toni and MacNiall is written well and is the best part of the book. Their dialogue is funny and the romance is steamy. MacNiall is a very old-fashioned hero most of the time and Toni is probably the epitome of a feisty American.

The worst parts: the big serial killer murder mystery is a huge dud. One victim isn't even a victim, the killer has the strangest motive, there are implausible red herrings and resolutions everywhere and the supporting characters are inconsistent (Gina, Ryan and Thayer, in particular). The promise of a dark paranormal psychic story is unfulfilled for the most part; the heavy and atmospheric quality of the psychic storyline is diluted very heavily by the other areas.

This was still a good book and was an easy read over the course of an afternoon. I liked the lead characters a lot, but felt overall the author muddied up their story in the interest of producing a paranormal story similar to Kay Hooper's writing. This appears to be the beginning of a series, also very much like Hooper's, with an older man heading up a group of psychic detectives.

Ms. Graham's "The Presence" offers a little something for everyone. This is a paranormal, historical, contemporary romance that will entertain readers with wonderful details and characters.

Toni Fraser and a few of her good friends have combined all that they have in order to rent a true Scottish castle. There plan...to entertain tourist with a tragic story regarding the castle and it's Laird. They have put a lot of work into their dream and just when they start doing well with their tour and then the impossible happens. The Laird returns. Toni's made up Laird is actually a flesh and blood man, and the history she has created is eerily real. But, when bodies of young women are found murdered and Toni's dreams seem to be just to lifelike to ignore questions start to be asked. Just who is this man and could he have anything to do with the murders?

This was a well paced read, and Ms. Graham combined a lot of different aspects into a well rounded read. They mystery surrounding the plot of the murdered women will keep the reader engaged, and if that's not enough, the chemistry between Bruce and Toni will. Her descriptive prose will transport you to Scotland both present day and past. This is one read that I recommend for fan's of both Paranormal and Suspense genres.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

I can't say I didn't like this book, but it was pretty predictable. The first chapter really draws you in, but then the rest of the story doesn't really match the first chapter. If you wan't some light reading that doesn't require too much thought, this is the book for you.

I am a huge fan of Heather Graham/Shannon Drake. I love her style of writing. After reading Haunted, I was a little dissappointed with The Presence. I had already guessed who the killer was and found the ending to be predictable and kind of abrupt. There were some misleading statements made by the other characters which were ignored and not explained by the ending of the book. It is still a good read but not as good as her other works.
I would recommend Haunted anyday over The Presence.

I love the paranomal. When I started this book and saw it was a romance book too, I was incline to put it down but then I got into the story and couldn't put it down! I'm not a romance novel reader but mixed with a good paranormal story it was better then I thought! I was shocked at the ending cause I thought I figured it out!

Toni Fraser and her friends have come to Scotland to rent a run-down castle and turn it into a tourist attraction by putting on medieval performances that combine fact and fiction. This will include local history, murder and an imaginary laird named Bruce MacNiall. But when the actual castle's owner comes charging in on his great black horse and claims to be Laird Bruce MacNiall, Toni is shocked because she had invented him. However, every part of him is eerily familiar. Soon the group is drawn into a real-life murder mystery involving a serial killer who is killing women and dumping them in the nearby forest. Toni begins having life-like dreams in which she sees through the eyes of the killer--dreams that suggest a connection to Laird MacNiall.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a number of elements to keep you interested throughout. The mystery of how Toni invented a living man; the mystery of who rented them the castle when Bruce did not give his approval; the mystery of who is killing the women and why. Not only does this keep you totally involved, but periodically throughout the book Graham skips back to medieval times with a storyline involving the original Bruce MacNiall. I would highly recommend this book.

Toni MacNally and her five friends (David, Kevin, Ryan, Gina, and Thayer) convert a dilapidated Scottish Castle into a tourist attraction using reenactments of stories of love and lore. As Toni and the others perform for a crowd of visitors, a big hunk in kilt shouts for the leader of this charade to face him. Laird Bruce MacNiall apparently has arrived.

Bruce informs the sextet that his castle was not for leasing and they were conned, but allows them to at least recoup their costs by continuing their performance for now. An ex-cop Bruce investigates a series of murders in which the culprit dumps the corpses on his land. Toni has weird dreams in which she sees through the eyes of the serial killer, but also feels a strange connection to Bruce. As she falls in love with the Laird of the castle, Toni wonders if he is the killer. Bruce shares her feelings of love and wants to keep Toni safe even at the risk of his life.

This is an exciting paranormal romantic suspense romance that stars two wonderful lead characters and several fine support players especially the troupe members. Readers will agree with Toni and Gina questioning why Bruce suddenly appears after their show begins to draw crowds (his travel excuse with modern communication seems lame). Still fans will enjoy this tense thriller as Toni struggles between visions that make her fear Bruce and a love for him that makes her fear herself. Heather Graham once again shows why she is a strong presence within the genre.

Harriet Klausner

I have read many books by this author some are wonderful, some are not. This was a light read for a weekend but I had to keep myself reading it. I was looking for a lot more suspense after that first chapter. One of the main reasons I had trouble staying with the story was the type. It goes from standard set to italic with no reason. So if you think (by the type) that a flashback or dream is about to happen; WRONG, just more of the previous conversation. It drove me NUTS!

I can't really recommend this book. I thought the overall story had the potential to be good, but it was never truly developed. A bit predictable and i found the initimate relationship between the two main characters to not be very interesting or believeable. My book had large sections that were printed in parenthesis which i have to believe is grammartical and editing error. Felt a bit sloppy. Was a bit disappointed as I have always kept this author in my 'must read' column. Really wished that the author would have taken her time and really developed the story. Was not a bad read, but not anywhere near what i would expect from this author.

Wanna spend the afternoon with a good mystery? If so, you gotta read THE PRESENCE. Toni Fraser and a group of friends have rented a Scottish Castle and are giving skitted tours, featuring the ancestral owner. Toni believes she has created the tale but when the descendant of her play arrives, she is made aware that her ghost story is factual on many levels.

This is my first experience with Heather Graham's writing and I loved her book. Her writing style is easy to follow, she paints the scene with a skilled hand, and her characters are fantastic. She also weaves subplots and red herrings throughout her story that will keep you guessing until the end.

Although it took me a while to keep all of the characters straight, I was drawn in immediately to the story and found it difficult to stop turning the pages. THE PRESENCE has made me a fan of Ms Graham's work, and I will look for more of her books.

CarolASpradling.com author