Servant: The Awakening (Mass Market Paperback)

by L.L. Foster (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Foster writes smart, sexy, engaging characters."

Product Description
Urban paranormal fantasy featuring Gabrielle Cody:Servant. Slayer. Seducer.

Gabrielle Cody has the ability to see the demons among us as they really are-and the responsibility to destroy them. She can't allow anyone to get in her way, even the magnetic Detective Luther Cross. Sensing a malevolent presence watching and stalking her, Gaby is drawn again and again to an abandoned hospital surrounded by an aura of sickness and suffering-and unimaginable evil.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425218740
• ISBN-13: 978-0425218747
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Servant Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable but....., October 13, 2007

By	Lorelei (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Let me begin by saying that I enjoyed the book, but... I do agree that Gaby seemed at times to be less of a paladin and more of a psychopath. There is a fine line between "tortured" protagonist with whom we can empathize and lunatic with whom we cannot. It will be interesting to see how Luther rationalizes his romantic interest in a sometimes psychopath. As to the romance- there is not much to be found. This book really should not be shelved in the romance section. What little romance is present is reasonably well woven into the story. (Unlike some romance authors who, in an attempt to write less romance and more general fiction, toss in disjointed romance scenes and try to build relationships in the span of a page.) I do not feel there was enough depth to justify breaking the story into multiple volumes. (But then, this may have been the publisher's call.) That being said, I do plan to read the next installment. But, I sincerely hope to see the tortured heroine replace the psycho, more time spent developing the romance, and a little more to the plot than gore and standard bait-and-switch. [FYI: I only gave this 3 stars, but the site insists that I gave it 4.]

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great New Series, October 5, 2007

By	Carolyn "A Reading Fool" (Louisville, Ky United States) - See all my reviews

I just finished the first book by L L Foster, better known as Lori Foster. This book is in totally different world than anything written by her before. This book is an urban fantasy at its best. It is a paranormal, but differs from the common paranormal books out there. Gaby Cody is a young woman with a calling to hunt evil and to destroy it. She can see dark auras of pure evil. Her mother died in childbirth. She never had a family, but just an old priest who helped guide her gift. But now he is dead. And she is alone. Luther Cross is a police detective who notices the lone waif living in a bad neighborhood. And when dismembered bodies start showing up is Gaby's wake. Luther is force to look into Gaby's life. Then evil take a notice of Gaby and Luther is faced with deciding to protect or arrest the woman he is fascinated with. I love this new series and now impatiently waiting for more,

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Yet Gory Read About Gabby, the Servant Against Evil (B Grade), October 3, 2007

By	C. Garrabrant "Katiebabs" (Bloomfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

LL Foster, otherwise known as romance author Lori Foster has stretched her talents with this new gritty horror story. This is the first book in this series about twenty-one year old Gabby who has major issues. She is a loner, really from the moment she was born. She hates to be touched, has never been kissed and no parents or friends. She also curses up a storm, much like a truck driver. She rather not feel but she does, in the form of immense pain because she believes she is a servant from God to get rid of evil. She has a special ability that she can see auras around people and knows who is good and who is pure evil, in the form of demons. She must kill them or she will be in mind numbing pain until she does.
But Gabby's world falls off her axis when she comes in contact with Detective Luther Cross. There is something special about him that may come out in future books, but for the moment he is the only one that has gotten through Gabby's hard shell. He is attracted to this strange girl and is very much a trademark Foster hero. He wants to date Gabby and show her affection and intimacies that go on between me and women. (Well he is a man after all and he is very attracted to Gabby) Gabby has no clue about sex, but when Luther comes along, she begins to find interest which is the one lighthearted moment in this story.
There is a lot of violence, gore and helplessness that begins Gabby's tale. I found it to be an enjoyable fast read, but there are some small things about Gabby and her world that may irk some readers. But given time and with a little more skill on Foster's part, she may have a winner on her hands.
But if you are looking for a happy go lucky read, look else where because this promises to be harsh and unrelenting.
I am definitely intrigued about the character of Gabby and her journey to fight evil and perhaps find some happiness with Luther.

Katiebabs