Customer Reviews

Red (Dead World, Book 1)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When a grisly murder occurs in her jurisdiction, Gina "Red" Santiago is determined to ferret out the killer. Only one problem - the powers that be deemed it an attack by an animal and closed the case. If Gina wants justice for the victim, she must work outside the system.

The best place to do that? The fringe town where one hunky Morgan Hunter happens to be sheriff. The lawman does things to her long-dormant libido that she doesn't quite understand, but cannot deny. Good news? Morgan has equal difficulty resisting Gina...

Meanwhile, the killer strikes in Morgan's town under their noses. Worse, the villain makes it clear he has targeted Gina next.

I first discovered Jordan Summers' talent through eBook publisher Ellora's Cave. When the request to review her upcoming Tor Paranormal Romance book came to me, I jumped at the chance, having loved the stories I've previously read by this author.

I wasn't disappointed. RED is a fantastic paranormal romance that is all at once dark, hopeful, and sexy. Our kick-butt heroine has no trouble protecting herself, putting her on a more than equal footing with the hero. The result is a stimulating courtship in which Morgan finds himself constantly challenged by Gina, who easily keeps him on his toes.

Of course, Morgan is no slouch either. The reigning Alpha of the region, Morgan takes his role as leader of his pack of shape shifters very seriously. He is the epitome of a good Alpha shape shifter - sexy, tough, noble, and empathetic. He may not be perfect, but that just makes him more realistic. There is no doubt, however, that he is the perfect mate for Gina. Watching him convince her of that is only half the fun...

I mentioned earlier the story is dark, and I want to stress that there are indeed some very dark passages in the story. We are reading about a serial killer, after all. The parts of the story told from the murderer's perspective are written in first person point of view, putting you inside his head, showing the reader in no uncertain terms how demented the villain is. I also need to point out for the squeamish that these scenes do include some sexual contact while in shape shifted form while the killer is attacking his victims. There is NO intercourse in these scenes, however, simply some contact designed to demonstrate the twisted way this man views his victims. He believes they are in love, but ultimately his lust always turns into blood lust rather than the sexual kind, leaving a trail brutalized of bodies in his wake. These scenes will make the reader very appropriately uncomfortable, but they definitely add to the story. And really, should anyone BE comfortable while reading a murder scene?

In RED, Jordan Summers gives her readers an intense story with compelling characters who effortlessly endear themselves to the reader from page one. With a suspenseful plot as important to the story as the romance, the author has crafted a complex story that is easy to love.

**Courtesy of Wild on Books**

"Red" is the beginning of a mainstream, paranormal/urban fantasy series by Jordan Summers who has also written for Ellora's Cave and Harlequin Blaze so I knew to expect a pretty spicy read...and I got it! But paranormal fans should be warned that this series is a bit dark and broody and takes place in a future version of the United States.

Gina is a cop on the International Police Tactical Team (IPTT). She lives in a Northern America ravaged by wars and now divided into strictly controlled territories. Each 'citizen' must be tagged. No tag, no citizenship and no services. For years, rumors of Others have abounded--warriors created in government labs and then destroyed when they became more than their creators intended. Of course, these are just stories told to children and not reality. And even if they HAD existed, they don't anymore...right?

Morgan Hunter is the sheriff of a sleepy border town in the Arizona Territory. He's actually more like the big, bad wolf sheriff since most folks in his town belong to his pack. He prefers quiet without visitors and no single females can enter any pack territory unless they are 'claimed' within three days...too many fights among unmated males. So when Gina shows up to investigate a suspicious death with possible ties to his town, Morgan knows she'll make some noise in his quiet town. But it only takes a sniff for him to realize something Gina herself doesn't know. And now the two will need to work together to bring down a crazed murderer who truly 'hunts' his prey.

The beginning of the book really grabbed me as the story begins inside the head of the killer. His thought processes and enjoyment of his 'fun' is pretty darn creepy. Summers slowly builds her characters and their motivations through first person POV. Early on each chapter change results in a character change and these gradually come quicker and quicker as the plot and action build. The attraction between the main characters is pretty hot and Summers' experience writing erotic love scenes shines through.

The first person POV didn't give me any problems at first, but as the story continued and the action built I began to feel 'distanced' from each character. I'm not sure if it was the quick changes in scene and character or something else, but it became a struggle to feel any connection to the hero or heroine. The hero is very much the Alpha wolf whose character became harder as the story progressed. And the heroine made some pretty stupid moves for an experienced cop. Then Summers began to weave the 'bad, power-hungry politician' part in and it felt a bit jarring to me. Finally, the identity of the bad guy was almost written in neon fairly early on (at least for me). That made the mystery portion of the story rather a bust. I'll still probably read Jordan Summers next book in the series, "Scarlet", to see where this is going, but "Red" isn't one for my keeper shelf.

Plot Summary: Approximately 150 years into the future, we see an Earth that has been battered and destroyed by man. The ozone is fried, radiation levels are high, and the dead are recycled into fertilizer for plant food. Red is an agent with the International Police Tactical Team, basically the last body on earth with enough fire-power to maintain the peace. When Red finds a woman's body, horribly eaten and savaged, her search for the killer leads to a small border town where Morgan Hunter presides as Sheriff. The small town is surprisingly friendly, and soon Red realizes that everyone but her is in on some kind of conspiracy.

I found this to be highly engaging despite a few minor flaws. First, I loved the post-apocalyptic world that Summers has built here, and the story is set just far enough into the future to make it believable. Wars and waste have decimated Earth's atmosphere, so that formerly verdant areas are now desolate deserts. The technologies that keep humans alive are inventive and realistic, and I gobbled up these details like potato chips.

The killer is particularly creepy, and the reader is privy to his thoughts as the story progresses, which gave me ring-side seats to his gory murders. As a plot device, it works very well, and the story feels mature and gritty as a result. Unfortunately, it becomes abundantly obvious who the bad guy is before we're barely halfway through, and I wish Summers could have kept me in the dark a little longer.

Red definitely fits the loner, outcast, more-than-she-seems heroine mold, but Summers needs to give her an even bigger pair of balls. I could stand to see a lot more attitude from someone whose nickname comes from all the blood she's spilled. I liked Morgan's character a lot, and he was rugged, tough, and alpha without crossing that line that makes me cringe. The sex was spicy and the interactions between the hero and heroine were charged with tension. Fortunately, we get to see these characters again, because the next book, "Scarlet," (June 09) is going to pick right up where "Red" left off. It's a good thing too, because I was scratching my head over a few unresolved loose ends.

Red is a paranormal romance, but it is also a science fiction thriller, an action/adventure and a mystery. The story is told from the first person and third person point of view. And, get this; the first person voice is that of a male serial killer. So, Ms. Summers combined approximately four genres and told the story from two different points of view! How clever is that?

We are immediately taken inside the mind of sociopathic serial killer who has stalked, befriended and is giving his latest prey a ride home. The killer does go through a physical metamorphosis and there is a violent death involved. There is however no rape. I thought it was brilliant the way Ms. Summers told the story from inside the killer's mind and we were able to visualize the scene through his warped perspective. The first person chapters with the scenes where the killer is scheming and immersed in his psychotic ramblings are short, they do not overtake the overall storyline.

The setting for this story is in the not too distant future in a world that has been ravaged by war. Society is divided into "Republics" taking up 70% of the land mass and the rest of the world is a no mans land. There is an electromagnetic barbed boundary fence around the southern half of the North American continent to keep out `unknowns'. The world's population is divided into `pureblood knowns' that are tagged with a computer chip indicating which Republic they belong too and the `unknowns', who are essentially considered hostiles. There is also a group called the `Others', who are purported to posess special abilities, however their existence is not confirmed. The International Police Tactical Team (IPTT) was formed after the war for the purpose of patrolling the borders of the Republics for unknowns and keeping peace. Murder has been all but eliminated.

We meet Gina "Red" Santiago a highly trained veteran of the elite IPTT in the middle of a firefight near an abandoned building in the desert. Her second has fallen in battle and she has called in for back up but they haven't arrived. Through a series skilled and cunning battle maneuvers Red manages to dispatch the hostiles despite being seriously outnumbered. When help does arrive it becomes evident that she is considered an `outsider' as far as the IPTT members are concerned. Her feeling of alienation has been a factor for her entire life experience.

Red has heightened senses that have enhanced not only her abilities as a warrior but also as a tracker. Following the firefight she leads a skeptical team to a woman's dismembered body. The team leader, an arrogant, rude `chauvinist' type of character concludes that it was an animal attack and dismisses her death. However, Red senses this is not the case and is bent on finding out the truth for the young woman and her family's sake. So, on her own time and without back-up she sets out to the town of Nuria, a border town that is policed by Sheriff Morgan Hunter.

Hunter is an Alpha male, rugged, handsome and a battle-honed soldier. Unknown to anyone outside of the people of the town who are members of his pack, he is a werewolf. Morgan is the respected Alpha who protects his people in the tight knit town where Red, unexpectedly finds greetings of welcome when she anticipates hostility and suspicion because of being with IPTT. The attraction between Red and Morgan is instantaneous, and animalistic but the sexual tension between these two strong characters builds throughout the book. Red doesn't understand her attraction to Morgan all she knows is that the draw comes from something deep inside that she doesn't understand. This isn't a story where the heroine and hero have sex up front, however when they finally do it is a cataclysmic coupling. There is a theme of significant deception written into the romantic plot causing major conflict in the development of their complex relationship.

While the romance between Red and Morgan arcs through this story, there is a mystery subplot with respect to the insane killer that is full of surprising twists and turns. The other plot device, I found wonderful was the way Jordan wove the "Little Red Riding Hood", fable into the story and if you decide to read this book I think you will too.

Nuria is an unusual town full of people with dark secrets and power. I will say that one of the secondary characters `Raphael Vega', plays a pivotal role in what proves to be a harrowing climax. This guy is mysterious and charismatic with `special' abilities. I hope we see more of Raphael in the subsequent stories of what is to be a three book series. The other secondary characters are equally strong including a corrupt politician with insane ideas as to how the world should be `ruled'.

While yes `Red' is fiction, it touched me deeply as Ms. Summers gives us a look at a post apocalyptic world. IMHO it is a thrilling, unique page-turner that I would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a cross genre read. Sadly I have to wait until June 2009 to see what will happen to Gina Santiago and Morgan Hunter next!

After seeing this eye-catching book on the shelves and then reading recommends in the forums, I thought I'd give it a whirl. The first chapter in the eyes and mind of a serial killer truly did spook & set the stage for a dark thriller. The characters in Ms Summers world were intriguing and easy to read. The protagonist, Gina Santiago aka Red, the only female on a special ops force gets thumbs up for strong heroine lovers. And her male counterpart Morgan Hunter is as yummy as his alpha wolf/sheriff is described. Their chemistry is steamy, undeniable & page-turning. Other characters include his sexy cousin, a mysterious vampire, a sleezy politician and comic relief AI diagnostic of Red's named Rita. There are some dips in the plot's storyline that leave me questioning, but all in all a job well done for a first-time paranormal. I'll be looking forward to Red and Morgan's continued adventures in this series.

I was fooled by the super long reviews that raved about how great this book was, this book was terrible! I'm use to reading much better paranormal books than this. Badly written villians, poor world building, the main characters did not have much in the way of super powers (wow, they have a real good sense of smell!). You would think someone nicknamed "Red" because of how much blood she spilled, would actually be a real kick ass type that spills alot of blood in the book, but no. Everyone in the book seemed to be not very bright, intellegence wise.

But hey, the book had a nice cover & the red trim on the edges of the pages were a nice touch, tied in with the title real well.

Red starts out a little bit gruesomely--the first chapter is told from the killer's POV as he stalks and ultimately rips a woman apart in a deluded belief that she is his 'One', his 'mate'. The fact that she tears apart so easily and dies fazes him only slightly, he just figures there is someone better out there after all.

The book alternates like that--we have a mostly third person POV (either from Morgan or Gina's perspective), but occasional chapters are from the killer's first person POV, especially as we get closer to learning the truth of who he is exactly. I liked that--it gave us a sense of who, or rather what, we were dealing with and later when its revealed who it is, helps to round out the character development so as not to seem like it came out of left field.

Overall I had few problems with the book--it did get a little redundant with both Morgan and Gina constantly thinking about how much they wanted to have sex with the other and the list of reasons why they shouldn't or should wait. It didn't help that Gina was largely clueless about herself and her true nature while Morgan (and the entire rest of the town) was not. While Gina was being Gina, Morgan (and the other Others, or paranormals, in town) saw the subtle meaning behind certain gestures she made. Baring her neck to him, backing down in a fight, fierce protectiveness. It made for some interesting reading.

Guessing who the killer is should either be really simple and a 'I knew I was right' moment or a confusing 'really? but I thought...?' moment. I had a little of both. I guessed correctly, but was left confused as to the killer's ability to remain so...not crazed. Reading the killer's POV chapters should make you think this guy was off his rocker and should be caught sooner rather then later, but not so much. Gina is the catalyst in so many ways and for so many plans and people.

My one true gripe with the book is near the end when Gina goes to talk to her grandfather about a sensitive matter. I didn't recognize her at all. The strong, independent, fierce and capable chick was suddenly replaced with a juvenile trying to deny that she had been caught cheating on a test. If I could have slapped her, I would have. Hard. Then run far far away when she pulled a gun or knife on me. I realize that her world was shattering in a matter of moments, but it seemed too overdone to me.

Scarlet, the Dead World Book 2, is due out June 2, 2009 (why yes I will be getting it). Crimson, Dead World Book 3 (the end of the trilogy boohoo!) is due out in November 2009. Expect reviews for both.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to Jordan Summers. This book had me hooked at the very first page when it described from a first person perspective a werewolf changing and chasing its prey (including its thoughts and feelings of lust and excitement). Wow! I felt like I was experiencing it first hand. It is some intense writing and the most exciting and most elucidating writing I have had the great pleasure of reading in a long while. However, the whole book is not written from a first person perspective -- only a few passages. This series is sci-fi and gritty. It is so refreshing! I was becoming bored to tears with soft, comforting and nurturing women in the romance/paranormal genre. This character is the equivalent to the tough alpha werewolf and equally as good a shot. I highly recommend this book and others by Jordan Summers. I eagerly look forward to reading the other books in this series.

I actually bought this book several months ago to read on vacation and forgot it in my suitcase. I didn't remember what the story was about or why I chose to buy it at the time--I just started reading it. So I didn't know about the "Ridinghood" reference in the story until it came out in the story. For those of you out there that cannot stand books that follow, copy, or twist up common fairy tale stories you don't have to worry about that in this book. It really doesn't copy the fairy tale. As a matter of fact, the "Little Red Ridinghood" reference doesn't even come out until the very end of the book.

The setting for the book is 150 years in the future in a world that has been almost destroyed by a very thin ozone layer. I thought Summers did an excellent job describing this burnt world and the adaptations that humans and world governments had to go through to survive. Both the hero and heroine in the story work for a different form of police. When a strange dead female body is found by Red it looks like an animal attack, but her gut instincts tell her it's something else. After taking personal leave, she decides to find out what.

The world building in the book was excellent. I liked the main characters, Gina and Hunter, also. My only complaint in the book was the so very obvious bad guy. Summers tried to hide his identity throughout the book, when she devoted chapters to him written in first-person describing his bloody murders. Unfortunately, she did not have a large enough cast of characters for the readers to wonder who it could have been. It was extrememly simple to know who the bad guy was.

I bought this book before it came out from only reading the description that was posted on here. It sounded new, thrilling with a futuristic kick and that's everything it was and more.
Gina works for the International Police Tactical Team aka IPTT, they are the future cops in the year 2160. Gina was given the nickname RED for always spilling blood when she's on a mission. Her last mission has been the worst she's seen and will do anything to revenge the women that have been what she thinks ..Murdered.
She finds a lead that takes her to the closets region of Nuria in Arizona where the very attractive sheriff and towns people are keeping their mouths shut. Her attraction to the sheriff named Morgan Hunter goes beyond her control and things around her start to feel a little too familiar for her comfort. She has to fight her urges so she can solve the crime but when she becomes a target too Morgan will do anything to stay by her side.
The beginning of this book was very intense and gory, but it brought me to understand the situation Red has to deal with. The whole book kept me on my toes and was very enjoyable.