Customer Reviews

Raintree: Haunted (Silhouette Nocturne)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Raintree: Haunted is a really cool and unusual detective romance story with ghosts and supernatural powers that provide the paranormal ambiance. The reader is immediately drawn into the characters and the search for justice. Gideon Raintree is a fun hero. He talks to ghosts, inhales lightning and sometimes glows in the dark. Talking to ghosts comes in handy since he is a policeman on the homicide beat. The trouble is that a partner might discover his paranormal powers. Hope Malory comes to Wilmington NC and is assigned to be his partner. He will do just about anything to get rid of her and work alone again including taking her to bed....but the real trouble may be all these ghosts begging him to avenge their deaths and catch the serial killer.

Secrets abound and heighten the suspense and paranormal attraction. Gideon must use his powers to track down the killer and fears his partner will expose him. Are the ghosts helping his investigation or leading him into the hands of the killer? Although he easily identifies the ghosts of homicide victims, one apparition remains mysterious. Who and where is Emma?

Both the hero and heroine are somewhat lost or wounded souls in the "normal" world and somehow, despite many chilling and humorous meanderings, find their way to a better place than the "normal" world. She is strong and dynamic. He is strong yet soulful with touches of gentleness despite the electrical power coursing through his body. A thoroughly wonderful read!

This is the 2nd installment of the trilogy from Sillouette Nocturne and it is great. Not only is the story complete it held my attention and made me care for the characters.

Gideon Raintree is a detective. He is also gifted and uses his powers to help him solve murders. He can talk to the ghosts of the victims and he honestly feels a need and desire to bring justice to them. His electrical energy has its ups and downs. He heals quickly but is devestating to electroic components.

Hope Malory is made his partner. She really wants to work with him and even as he tries to discourage her she is determined to stay his partner. Her mother runs a new age shop and because of her mother's beliefs she is firmly set against things that she can not see.

They are brought togather by the murder of his cousin's roommate. It quickly becomes evident that the murderer is not finished and is coming after Gideon. Hope must face her unbelief in order to connect to this man who touches her on many levels.

I loved it and unlike the previous book in the series this one really has a story and people you can care about, it also has a good stopping place. Linda Winstead Jones has written a remarkable story and I am looking forward to the conclusion by Beverly Barton.

Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones is the second book in the Raintree trilogy, begun by Linda Howard's Raintree: Inferno. I enjoyed this book much more than its predecessor. The plot as a whole is tighter and more complete -- no choppy, unfinished quality to the ending, as was the case for me with Raintree: Inferno. As expected, the ending is definitely a cliffhanger, as Gideon must speed west toward the Raintree Homeplace and whatever havoc is about to be unleashed there by their enemies, but there is real resolution to Gideon's story (as told in the 2nd book) and to his relationship with Hope Mallory.

Gideon is a Wilmington, NC homocide detective with an exemplary record. He's called in to investigate the murder of a young woman believed to be his (Raintree) cousin, Echo. Arriving on the scene is Hope Mallory, a detective newly transplanted from Raleigh and Gideon's new partner. Hope has read Gideon's file and finds it difficult to believe that he could possibly be as good as his record would suggest. There's got to be a catch, and when she sees his fancy-digs house on the beach, she assumes he must be dirty. Gideon tells her he has family money and even announces that he sees dead people -- a handy trick when it comes to investigating murder, as who can be a better witness than the victim? -- but although Hope is willing to buy the first explanation, she's not about to believe the second one. Still, almost despite herself, she's drawn to Gideon. As they race to stop the murderer, Gideon and Hope draw ever closer and Gideon discloses his personal secrets. Only at the end, however, does Gideon realize that the murderer was just a diversion and that the Homeplace is in grave jeopardy, and he must leave Hope and their newly won relationship and race to save his sister, his home, and his people.

This was my first introduction to this author, and she did a great job of creating likable characters and a tense, taut story. I would imagine that going second in the series freed the author up quite a bit, for Linda Howard had had the heavy job of laying the groundwork for the trilogy as a whole and establishing the Raintre mythology. But none of the things that bothered me in Raintree: Inferno, Dante and Lorna's story, is present here, and Winstead Jones tells a story that is fluid and complete and adds to the anticipation for the third and final book.

I must admit i got these 3 books because i liked the idea of 3 friends writing a serial, especially when one of them was Linda Howard. I liked Haunted. I liked the idea that the fermale lead knew what she wanted and was willing to push to get her man. And I was glad that the author did not have Hope agonizing over the fact that Gideon talked to dead people. She accepted him and his differences in a reasonable amount of time and fashion. None of that usual 100 pages of the heroine vacillating between true love and being repulsed by her lovers abilities,which gets on my nerves. One of the best lines in the book is written after Hope and Gideon make love for the first time, and Hope tells him "You give a whole new meaning to the word afterglow Gideon."----loved that line.A nice short read that continues the story line smoothly, with 2 people you can really care about. What else does a book need?

After reading book one in this trilogy (Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard) and giving it a 2 star rating, I was very hesitant about even starting this book. To add to my problem, I have never read any other book by Linda Winstead Jones. I am so glad I went ahead and opened this book up. It is very, very good.

This book concernes Gideon Raintree, the brother of Dante Raintree from book one. Whereas Dante had the gift of using fire, Gideon uses electricity and he can see and talk to ghosts. This comes in extremely handy for him in his chosen profession as a police homicide investigator. He uses his conversations with the ghost of the murder victim to find out who killed them and then sets out to gather the evidence to gain a conviction. All is going very well for him until he is assigned a new partner, Hope Malory. She is all business and really doesn't understand why Gideon seems to talk to himself so often. These two were simply wonderful together. Ms Jones gave each character a very distinct personality and let them stay within that character until there was a compelling reason for them to change. He and she were both completely believable as real people and the way they handled their investigations sounded very professional and realistic.

This book could actually be a stand-alone. You might wonder what all the talk was about Dante, Mercy and Sanctuary but I imagine it would be entirely satisfactory on its own. I read it as part of the trilogy and feel that it was, by far, the one I enjoyed most. I am going to check out the other books written by Ms Jones and hope to find more I want to buy.

I wasn't even sure if I should bother buying this one, since I felt the first book by Linda Howard was terrible, yet I am so glad I did. I flew through this one. Haunted follows a much faster pace and the characters are so much more likable. Gideon, the brother of Dante, is a homicide detective--the ONLY homicide detective, and he likes it that way. As it is, the other cops on the force thinks he's strange because he keeps talking to himself on the scene. Little do they know he's really speaking to the ghost of the victims. Gideon's powers allow him to handle and manipulate electricity. Because the human body is full of electrodes and energy is never lost, he can see and speak to ghost.

Hope Mallory is Gideons new and unwanted partner, who happens to find it strange that a man on his salary can afford his nice beach side house and expensive late model cars (3 of them). Even on off hours she sets out to investigate him to find out if he's dirty--only she ends up tripping into more than she expects.

The story has many levels, which makes it so much more interesting to read. There is Emma, the ghost child, that calls Gideon "Daddy." There is the Raintree legacy and the fight between two warring groups (Gideon actually doesn't even realize this until the very end). There is the crazy serial killer that Gideon and Hope are trying to stop. Lastly, there is this budding relationship between Hope and Gideon. Heck, I can even throw in smaller problems like Hope trying to come to terms with her family and how they are different from her.

I would definitely recommend this book. You really don't need to read the first Raintree book to enjoy it, but if you feel it necessary to follow the sub-plot, go ahead, but don't let it discourage you.

As part of the royal family, Gideon Raintree possesses powers second only to his older brother. Electricity is his element and nothing makes him more alive than feeling the jolt of power that storm and lightning provide him. But Gideon has another power that makes him a very effective homicide detective: the ability to communicate with ghosts. And this is how we first meet him, talking to a little girl who calls him Daddy. Emma appears one morning with a warning. Little does Gideon know that he will face the most sinister evil he has ever encountered, and that along the way he will also meet his destiny.

Detective Hope Mallory knows cookie when she sees it. After all, her mother and sister couldn't possibly get any weirder. And so when she meets her partner for the first time, she thought fate has conspired against her. But bizarre or not, no one could make her change her mind about her new position. Not even if the handsome detective who speaks to himself does his darned best to scare her off. But it appears that there really is more to Gideon than meets the eye.

Now regardless of how they initially feel about one another, Gideon and Hope are in for a hell of a ride as they hunt down a vicious killer on the loose whose killing spree seems aimed at Gideon. For Gideon, he would soon unravel the truth about the murders and how deeply involved he and the Raintree clan is.

RAINTREE: HAUNTED is a certainly a huge improvement from the first book. What the first book failed to deliver, I definitely got from this novel. Gideon and Hope are as real as those detectives you see on TV - except that Gideon sees dead people. The way they investigate the murders are cleverly narrated that the reader is instantly drawn into the story, the menace and mayhem. This is a much darker story; however, there are also some lighthearted moments like some of Gideon's conversations with the ghosts, but the real fun part is Emma, his wannabe daughter. If you have read Inferno, you would be familiar with Gideon's dread about possibly becoming the next Dranir, hence the fertility charms that he regularly sends to his brother to ensure the succession to the throne.

Surprisingly, you don't even need to have read the first book to get an idea on the evil Ansara clan, although the ending is another cliffhanger that you won't be able to resist reading the third instalment. Jones has made up for the disappointment of the first book by creating this engrossing story of paranormal, crime and romance.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Gideon Raintree is a homicide detective who never fails to get his guy. This is because as a member of the magical Raintree clan, he has a few extra talents up his sleeve. He can speak to the ghosts of the victims to find out what really happened. He also has the ability to harness electricity and use its energy as he chooses. Now as the equinox approaches and danger looms from the enemy Ansara clan, his powers go haywire and the last thing he needs is a new partner.

Hope Malory is all about practicality and new to Homicide and eager to prove she has what it takes to be a detective. While she does not even remotely understand her new partner's odd idiosyncrasies, she is eager to work with this star detective on the Force. When their investigation into a serial killer starts to reveal some very unusual clues, everything Hope believes is put to the test, and she finds herself drawn deeper into the magical mystical world of Gideon. Now the greatest danger may in fact be to her heart.

Gideon is my favorite of the Raintree clan. Even from his short introduction in Inferno, I knew I liked him... Strong, seductive, stubborn, with a wicked sense of humor, and a fierce dedication to his duty. Oh yeah, and we can't forget his ability to harness and manipulate electricity coupled with a talent for communicating with ghosts. What's not to love? His drive to find the answers and his penchant for talking to ghosts, make him a very formidable homicide detective who always gets his man (with a little help from the Other Side).

Hope grew up with a loveable but loopy flower-child mother and as a result scorns all things mystical and magical, believing only in what can be proven with science and logic. When she meets her new partner Gideon, he sparks all kinds of warnings for her. His secretive ways and his bad habit of talking to thin air make her wonder about the enigmatic man, but she can't help but be wildly attracted to him. As she spends more time with him, she comes to understand and even accept his ways, and can't help but admire how fiercely he upholds everything the police force stands for.

The story in Haunted is very dark. After all what is to be expected when you have a vicious serial killer with a sadistic streak and a detective to converses regularly with the victims, discussing the details of what happened? Yet there are enough funny and light moments to counteract the sinister feel, toning it down enough to keep it from going too far. Most of these lighter moments, if not all, center around the familial relationships. One especially tender touch was the ghostly Emma, who appears almost immediately, declaring herself Gideon's future daughter and bringing him a riddle about how she will come into being. (No, this is not a spoiler...) My favorite moment in the entire book comes when Gideon figures out the answer to the riddle. His reaction to this discovery is absolutely delightful and made me laugh out loud.

While the evil Ansara clan has a much stronger and more tangible presence in Haunted, the details of the rivalry are just glossed over, having been explained thoroughly in the preceding title, Inferno. However, don't let that fool you. Haunted is completely stand alone, providing us with a fully developed story in the middle of the bigger arc encompassing all three books in the trilogy. Additionally, Haunted ends with a bang, making readers more than a little bit eager to read the final installment in the Raintree saga.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2007. All rights reserved.

Homicide detective Gideon Raintree takes murder personally. After all, he talks to the ghosts of the victims and assures them that their murderers will be caught. Gideon doesn't want a new partner but finds himself saddled with Hope Malory. Gideon is used to controlling electrical energy, as it's his gift as a Raintree, but the attraction sparking with Hope is a different matter entirely. Meanwhile, Gideon and Hope have a murderer to catch....

HAUNTED is the sequel to INFERNO. It is not necessary to read INFERNO to enjoy HAUNTED, as the book is a stand alone, albeit with some questions left hanging for the third book. However, the conflict between the Raintrees and the Ansaras is explained more fully in the first book. The events in HAUNTED and INFERNO are occurring simultaneously and it is my hope that the third book will tie all of the threads together. One caution for readers who prefer a book to truly end on the last page: Linda Winstead Jones definitely has a rather unusual ending for a romance novel that leaves the reader wanting the next book instantly.

Linda Winstead Jones brings a breath of fresh air into the Raintree trilogy. While Gideon is hard-headed like Dante, he is more of a tortured hero and not apt to abuse the powers bestowed upon him. Gideon hasn't been able to share the knowledge of his gifts with anyone as he would be viewed as a freak or would be sought after by those trying to abuse his talents. Hope, despite being logical to the core, has enough love in her heart to see Gideon for the man he is. The touch with Emma is sweet and adds an extra punch to the story. Linda Winstead Jones does a beautiful job with their romance as she creates a sensual and intensely emotional tale.

HAUNTED is the perfect blend of paranormal romance and mystery. Linda Winstead Jones teases the reader with tidbits about the conflict between the Raintrees and the Ansaras. HAUNTED revived this series for me, and I now eagerly await the conclusion of this trilogy.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This book was very good. It had great pacing and was quite good at holding my interest (which is not always easy). Although it is not the first in the series, it makes you want to get the trilogy.