Customer Reviews

Season Of Strangers

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

 

 

I almost never give but one or 2 stars.

But...this was the worst Kat Martin book I've ever read. Far below her usual standards, and it all has to do with her subject matter.

Her writing is fine, as always, but the story and characters are just awful and without a solid story to hang a plot on, or decent characters to develop, the book fails.

This was an attempt to meld Romance and Science Fiction.

It's been tried before (starting in the 1970's) with fairly dismal and surprisingly similar results each time. Science fiction--if it's going to work for the reader--requires story and plot to rest squarely on "future science" or speculation. When the story instead rests on romance, the science fiction elements just don't ring true. They become cartoonish and "space opera". Adding an element of psychological mystery/thriller to the story in this case was unable to rescue the book.

So, I would like the Aliens to please bring back the old Kat Martin and let her write her usual excellent romances.

Julie and Laura Ferris are sisters who have no one left but themselves. Julie is a Realtor in Beverly Hills, working for a family-owned business that is being slowly run into the ground by Patrick, the playboy son of the owner. Patrick has always wanted Julie, but she has refused him for eight years, unwilling to be just another one of his women.

One day, the two sisters are enjoying the beach, and the next, things are different. Laura begins acting strange and Julie gets debilitating headaches. Shortly thereafter, Patrick suffers a heart attack, but recovers more quickly than can be imagined.

As Patrick seems to be renouncing his old ways, Julie finds herself drawn to this new, better man. But her sister needs her now more than ever, as she insists she was abducted by aliens that day on the beach.

I admit, I was not expecting the aliens. But Ms. Martin wove in quite a bit of knowledge about space travel with commonly accepted alien lore (Area 51, Roswell, etc.). But the stellar part of Season of Strangers was Patrick. Patrick's changes come about as a result of an alien named Val merging with the spirit of the old Patrick. Watching Val learn about becoming human, while integrating the best parts of Patrick's life, was fascinating and well-done. Best of all was watching him fall in love, a concept that didn't exist on his planet. While the concept of alien abduction was different, the story of personal growth and love was exceptional.

Niki Lee

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I bought this book based on Kat Martin's other novels and boy am I sorry I didn't look at reviews first. It was too boring and hokey to finish, it's really hard to believe she actually wrote it. I read a great deal and sometimes want something light and easy, but I feel taken to the cleaners with this one.

I thought this book was between poor and below average. Just was not the typical Kat Martin Book. I wouldn't waste my time or money.

I hardly ever write reviews but this book was so bad that I had to say something to prevent some other loyal fan from wasting money on it. I have to say that I usually enjoy Kat Martin novels but this was so bizarre, even for her. The constant switching between the use of "Patrick" and "Val" for the same person prevents you from connecting with the lead character. The whole alien plot was too much for me. Now I'm one willing to suspend belief when I read novels (that's the point, right?) but this was far-out---pun intended! I forced myself to finish it because I felt I had spent good money on it, but quite frankly, it was boring. My instinct was to take it back to the store and return it after the first couple of chapters, but my kids had handled the book and it no longer looked un-read. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even bothered to finish it. So, bottom line--don't waste your time or money.

I have read all of Kat Martin's books and loved them! I was very disappointed in this book. I could not even finish it. The writing was excellant but the entire story line was boring!

I love the way Kat Matin writes and I really didn't mind the alien thing, but the story was just boring. The only thing I kept guessing was what was going to happend to Patrick/alien which we find out at the end (ofcourse), but there are no twist & turns that keep you hooked on the story

Not the same quality of her other books.

I gave this book 4 stars because you wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. It was pretty fast paced as most of her books are, lot's of action and drama, intense emotions. But some of the concepts were far fetched and hard to grasp.

There were just a few things that kept me from giving it 5 stars:

I just couldn't get over a male alien inhabiting Patrick's body. Because the aliens look like what we all have seen in pictures - big eyes, huge head, skinny long arms and legs - quite strange and ugly. And that was Val. Who is now in Patrick's body. Whom Julie loves. Yuck. I couldn't get over that. I guess it's his soul or spirit or something that's in Patrick's body. But what happens to Val's alien body while he's in Patrick? It just stays aboard the spaceship? The book didn't answer that.

Also, the fact that Brian still to the end never believed that Laura was taken aboard the space ship and experimented on. If he loved her, wouldn't he trust her? I thought eventually he would believe her and find some proof himself, but he doesn't.

Also, Julie never finds out that she was taken onboard twice. Don't you think Val/Patrick would have mentioned that??? I thought for sure she would undergo hypnosis like Laura did and everyone would find out, and it would collaborate with Laura's story. But, nope, didn't happen. If it did, it would have rounded out the story nicely. And the reader wanted it to happen and thought that it would.

It got a little tiresome with Val/Patrick constantly negating and putting on the act of disbelieving in UFOs during Julie's research, when the reader knows he's an alien. Got a little old. Too much dialogue of all his dumb reasoning/explanations when they don't account for anything anyway.

Other than that, it was a good...interesting read.

Realtor Julie Ferris and her sister Laura are enjoying their day relaxing in a private cove on Malibu Beach owned by friend and client Owen Mallory when both discuss hearing and not hearing an odd buzzing sound that seems everywhere and nowhere. They fail to complete their chart as each has an urge to take a nap.

Not long afterward, the siblings feel plagued by that lost day that neither can fully recall. Since their day at the beach Julie, who rarely had a headache, suffers from crippling migraines and remembers only falling asleep; while Laura suffers from nightmares of an alien abduction.

Meanwhile at the real estate office, realtor Patrick Donovan recovers from a cocaine heart attack that changes him from a drug using philander into a considerate person who wants Julie as his lover. Julie is stunned by the makeover and her attraction to the newly improved Patrick, but rationalizes that the near fatal heart attack warned Patrick that he can no longer abuse his body. However, she soon realizes that extraterrestrial Val Zarkazian has taken possession of Patrick's body; he has fallen in love with the earthling, but must leave and when he does Patrick's body will die just like the man's soul has already did.

SEASONS OF STRANGERS is a well written but odd paranormal romance as readers will need to adapt to a male lead body snatcher. The fast-paced story line hooks the audience from that eerie opening scene on Malibu Beach and never slows down as Julie begins to ponder the impossible by connecting the dots. Sub-genre fans will enjoy Kat Martin's third "Earth Girls Are Easy" when they fall in love with non-traditional males (see SCENT OF ROSES and THE SUMMIT).

Harriet Klausner

Upscale residential realtor has doubts about how permanent the sudden & drastic character changes in alcohol- & drug-abusing & notorious playboy Hero are. She finds it even harder to believe that carefree Hero whom she's worked with for 8 years is now doggedly pursuing her for a serious & monogamous commitment. These changes in Hero are occurring at the same time that her younger sister is troubled by strange memories & happenings. The truth is Hero is really an alien scientist from another planet who's sent to earth to investigate why heroine responded differently to their probing compared to her sister & other humans they've researched on. Hero invaded the body of the man heroine works with right after he died of a heart attack & fused his being with the memories & sensations of that man. His human form allows him to experience what it's like to be a human being complete with human emotions & needs. So his fascination with heroine translated itself into physical desire & a mix of emotions foreign to him. Soon Hero begins to understand how emotions play a key role in humans as he falls in love with heroine & experience regret & pain. How will heroine react when she finds out Hero's real identity?

I'm not a fan of science-fiction or paranormal romance but Martin made this book interesting. It was romance-focused & the sci-fi stuff was easy to follow. I had doubts about how Martin was going to pull of a romance with an alien & heroine but she made it work. I liked how Hero was made to experience humanity & make choices based on that. He basically became the good that the man whose body he invaded could've become if he chose a better path than drugs/alcohol/& casual sex. I liked how heroine deciphered who it was she was actually in love with & stuck with it once she figured it out. Good emotional involvement. There were a few poignant moments especially when Hero's time to leave earth was approaching. The secondary characters & their concern about alien abduction was interesting but I'm glad it was peripheral. Sexual chemistry & sex scenes were sensual & touching.

Recommended.