Customer Reviews

Raintree: Inferno (Silhouette Nocturne)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

While reading the reviews for this book the word disappointed shows up so often I wish I knew how to say it in another language just to add some comic relief.

I'm sure you know by now that this book Raintree: Inferno is the first book in a trilogy about a clan of good wizards (the Raintree) and a clan of evil wizards (the Ansara). This book was used to set up the background history and information necessary to carry the story forward and to tell the tale. I have read all three books and I will tell you that this is by far the weakest link in the chain. I expected more, much more, from Linda Howard.

I am a very slow reader but it only took me four hours to read this book. That was not meant as a compliment! In the front of each book there is a note from the author for the reader. Linda Howard's note is even the shortest note. If it really took these three authors three years to bring this trilogy about, then I am shocked. Book two is really quite good and three is better than a lot of books I've read and they deserve to be reviewed elsewhere. This one just needs to be forgotten. I don't understand why the publishers didn't issue these three in a package deal. They actually could have been presented in one volume as a related anthology. It would probably have cost about the same as three individual books.

This is not a stand-alone book. It makes no sense unless you read the other two books because this one just ends.....with absolutely no resolution to anything. Dante Raintree tells Lorna Clay to "Stay here." and drives off into the sunset without telling her where he is going or when he will be back. He has only known her a week and they have been through all kinds of horrible disasters but she is supposed to just sit down in his house and await his return. She, of course, doesn't. What in the world was to stop him taking her with him on his private jet? That is the last we see of them until the ending of book three. I felt like Little Nell had been tied to the railroad tracks and the train was coming. Help! This book needs help!! The problem is, it's waaaay too late.

I have been a Linda Howard fan for a long time, but, with the way she has been writing lately, very dark and heavy story lines, I have settled for rereading some of her older works if I need a Linda Howard fix. I tried this book on a whim and have to tell you, to my dismay I found myself skimming through the book. I have never felt the need to skim a Linda Howard novel before. I have seen a trend in many former romance writers moving toward darker, action packed, death filled novels. I have to tell you if I want that I can watch the news. I read fiction to relax and escape the headlines for a few hours. I guess that some people must like these heavier story lines, because more and more authors are turning to them. I have to tell you I am running out of people who write stories I like to read. I might have to start making up my own. At least then I know I will like the story.

I thought this book was good, not great, but a solid 'B' for me. The mind control thing bothered me a bit but I could accept LH's explanations abt the reason behind it. I knew going in that this was part 1 of a trilogy, and that this was a short book. So I didn't expect this to be a 'complete' novel. Perhaps that's why I was able to enjoy this book a lot more than others who reviewed here. The excerpts for books 2 and 3 were very interesting too, and I'm definitely curious to read how the story ends.

The premise of the book is good, and I thought if it was like her other short novels it would be a good read. However, there is no depth to the characters, mainly because the book is printed in LARGE type that takes up space but cuts down on the words. It is more like a prologue to a novel, she sets up things but adds no depth. Maybe with all three books togather it will be a better read. My advice is to wait until you have all three to even try to read this one.

Dante Raintree is king of the raintree clan. A clan of wizards and sorceresses who have psychic power over the elements. He is a fire master. He runs a casino in Reno.

Lorna Clay is a psychic who uses her power to gamble. She is brought to him when she consistantly wins 5 to 10 thousand dollars every time she plays.

He is sure she is a member of the Ansara Clan, the enemy clan to the Raintree. A couple of hundred yrs ago they had destroyed most of the Ansara but they have rebuilt over the yrs. While he is interviewing her the Ansara attack and only with her help does he survive.

Lorna is untrained and doesn't know anything about others like her. The book only covers three days. The subsequent books will also cover the same three days and I guess the last one will conclude the story.

It felt very much like a prelude to a story and unfinished. Wait and hope the other two books are more informative. I wouldn't hurry out to get it yet.

This is the worst book I have ever read by Linda Howard. Linda usually writes red hot love scenes and believeable scenes for most of us. IE: Why the characters love or hate, etc. This book showed only the rebellious side of the female; suddenly the guy wanted her, etc..no build up from either side. I still cant figure out how the enemy stayed alive if they were all as colorless and clueless as the ones in this book. Not long ago, I read Heartbreaker by Linda; this was a romance book - the best I have ever read. What has happened to Ms. Howard's passionate side? I believe that Ms. Howard has a very clear view of the real human being but absolutely no hint about aliens (or however these characters would be classified), etc.. I go to Christine Feehan for vampires; and previously, to Linda Howard for human love. Hope Linda does better by her fans in the future. CC McGee

In her prime, no one wrote stronger, more passionate romance than Howard. In recent years, however, she has moved away from character development and romantic tension to violence and abusive force, and this book is the nadir of her trend. The main characters are lifeless, flat, irrational and uninteresting with no believable build up to their passion and sudden declaration of love. There are no sustained secondary characters, who might have fleshed out the story, and the only sections that are vibrant and cohesive are - surprise! - those that pertain to violence. In some ways I hope that this was ghost written, as it is sad to think that the same person who wrote "Sarah's Child", "Midnight Rainbow", the MacKensie stories and so many others is reduced to something as bad as "Raintree Inferno". Linda, what happened to you?

The general premise is that there are rival clans of wizards - the Raintrees and the Ansara. Dante Raintree is essentially the king of his clan. He looks and acts human, but has a few extra talents, such as the ability to control fire. One day, he notices that Lorna Clay has won thousands of dollars in a casino he owns. He's suspicious of her luck and has her brought to his office. Before he can finish questioning her, a fire breaks out, destroying the casino. As Dante tries to extinguish the fire, he realizes that Lorna has powers too.

The mind control that others have mentioned is Dante's ability to ensure that Lorna remains in his house or near him. He sends out a mental order that acts as an invisible fence confining her to a certain area. He doesn't force anything upon her or put her in a zombie-like trance - in fact, she is so aware that she switches the sugar for his morning coffee with salt as a minor act of revenge.

The ending is very abrupt and clearly a setup for the other books in the trilogy - Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones and Raintree: Sanctuary by Beverly Barton, which come out in June and July respectively.

Overall, this book was odd. It's decent if you're able to keep an open mind, but don't read it if you're looking for a typical Linda Howard novel or can't get past the wizard aspect. I give it three stars - not great, but not bad.

I went into this book knowing that all 3 books were simultaneously written (each story taking place in the course of a single week) and that book 3 would complete the ending of the first two, so I wasn't startled by the abrupt ending. However, I'm huge on romance and that's an area where this book didn't get my last star. It started out great! But my only complaint is that I wish it'd been longer so there'd be more room for a great love story. I think I've been spoiled by the depth of characterization that's possible in the other books Howard writes, but due to the compactness of this story I wasn't able to get quite as involved with the characters as I usually do.

I did, however, enjoy this book because of Lorna (the female lead). Howard doesn't go into depth about her appearance: We only know her as having fiery red hair, hazel eyes and not at all high maintenance. But her verbal responses and reactions to Dante (the male lead) are HILARIOUS! You can't help but laugh out loud at her imagination and wit. She's everything a female lead should be: strong yet loveable. She's tough but vulnerable, capable of projecting a hardened exterior but nursing deep wounds & some ingrained fears; a loner and a drifter who had a terrible childhood. Dante enters and interrupts all of that and like every other male lead created by Howard, Dante is truly the alpha male. And why shouldn't he be? He's the King of the Raintree clan after all. He's extremely wealthy and powerful, a confident man who's capable of manipulating fire with his mind and although he feels a strong attraction (lust) towards Lorna, due to his initial mistrust of her, he abuses and misuses her mentally and physically. As so put by Lorna, "You manhandled me, dragged me into a fire, tore open my head and smashed my brain flat, tore off my clothes and kept me a prisoner!" It's not hard for the reader's sympathies to sway in Lorna's direction after that.

Howard tries to redeem him later on but Lorna doesn't forgive him easily. And that's when it gets memorable. I was rooting for her in one particular scene and broke out into applause and couldn't stop laughing in another. Nonetheless, we learn later that his actions are not altogether unforgivable. I did, however, feel that their romance was rushed in the end; the turning point in their relationship really lacked emotion and left much to be desired. Their rapport wasn't convincing enough and the reader was rather forced to accept it. Dante's one-eighty from being controlling, arrogant and overpowering to caring, attentive and loving happened much too quickly for me to find the time to adjust to. The suspense plot and series-format shouldn't have hindered the love story, so there could have been more development in this area.

The synopsis will give you a small background on the war between the Ansara and Raintree clans. We see the Ansaras plotting throughout the book and how much of a threat they are now and in the near future. Spoiler: The final battle, during the summer solstice, will be at Santuary, the Raintree's homplace -- Hence, the title of the last book! There are questions in this book that leads me to anticipate answers in Book 3: Lorna is termed a "stray" but where did her powers come from...it's evident it's not from her mother...so will we know later? What are all her powers and will she receive enough 'training' before the big battle?

This book marks Linda's return to series-romance and isn't ranked as Howard's best, but it's still a good read. All in all, I would recommend trying your local library and checking this book out for yourself. There's enough action and intrigue that caused me to look forward to the finale. If you don't find that you're interested to know what happens next, don't bother and just assume that everything will turn out ok. The next book is on Gideon, Dante's brother, who's mentioned throughout this book and I'm curious to read about him.

Almost all of the reviewers realized going in that this was a series, yet the main complaint by all was that the story left you hanging. According to an interview done with LH, each story (book) doesn't pick up a week or a month after the one preceding it, but they are happening simultaneously with the first book. That's why it was written how it was, and all three stories, and the main storyline will be wrapped up in the last book.

Casino owner, Dante Raintree is immediately suspicious when a woman in his casino continually wins seemingly without cheating. As head of the Raintree clan, Dante can't ignore the fact that she may be the enemy. When she is brought to his office, Dante's reaction is immediate and very unlike him. While he'd like to believe she is an innocent with no idea of her paranormal skills, the skeptic in him won't believe it. After a fire breaks out in the casino, Dante learns the depth of her power which he suspects even she doesn't know she has.

Lorna Clay has made it a habit to stay under the radar. While not winning huge amounts, Lorna has made a living winning small amounts at various casinos in Reno. While she knows she's not cheating, she's finding it hard to convince Dante Raintree that she's just lucky. Her whole life, Lorna has denied being any different and suddenly Dante is forcing her to face the fact that she most definitely is.

While this is not a "typical" Howard, fans of her work should enjoy this first installment in a new series. While there was a cliffhanger, the next two books (different authors) will be released in the next few months. The only real issue I had with this book is Dante's mind compulsion over Lorna. It was very hard to stomach, but it passes rather quickly and is understandable to some degree. I do have to advise that if you pick up this book looking for a story that is wrapped up nicely by the end, you won't get it. This is very different than any of Howard's other work, though she has an alpha hero and a lovable heroine that fans will enjoy.