1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spell-binding book! A real page-turner!, January 17, 2010
This review is from: Snow Shadows (Perfect Paperback)
One of my greatest delights is discovering new talent; that's why I enjoy reading, writing and interviewing various people in the arts. When I discovered author Caitlyn Hunter through the Dames of Dialogue website and purchased her debut novel,
Snow Shadows, I was soon singing her praises...as I am in this Amazon review.
Hunter is a fine writer and an amazing storyteller in the truest sense of the word. Read on and you will see why I'm so enamored with her writing.
She hooked me from the first page of this book--in the exciting prologue that tells of early American Cherokee cousins, Matt, Marc, Luke and Jon, who are cursed by the shamans for defying clan rules. In a surprising twist that sets the pace for this unforgettable love story/adventure, the young warriors are confined to the area around Eternity Mountain and commanded to protect their environment and the animals they have been given the ability to morph into.
Yes--shape-shifters!
If the brave, adventurous, handsome young heroes in this book weren't enough to hook me, Hunter did it with that aspect of her plot: I have always been intrigued by metamorphosis. (I even find werewolves something to howl about... lol)
I find it further intriguing that the prologue ends with the curse, in the form of a poetic chant...a puzzling verse that holds a clue to what might reverse the curse IF the men can figure it out.
Although Matt, Marc and Luke remain on Eternity Mountain, Jon lives in Asheville where he is a veterinarian. While each has special abilities that are essential to the plot and their characters, Jon is the healer.
Chapter one starts in the present day with Jon giving his divorced assistant, Ellen, time off work to get away from the stress caused by harassment from her ex-husband, a really bad character. Jon loans her his cabin on the mountain and she meets Matt when she becomes lost and injured in a snowstorm. He has to use his special abilities to get her back to the cabin and she inadvertently glimpses a split-second of his shape-shifting into a bear. She thinks she's hallucinating and that's when the plot thickens.
While Matt is tending Ellen back in the cabin, he is instantly attracted to her with a passion he senses will last forever. Due to his animal nature, his sensuality is so overpowering he wants to make love to her right away. She is alarmed when, uncharacteristically, she responds, but is frightened when she gets glimpses of him turning into a bear. He knows he must explain to her about the curse, his psychic powers and his immortal shape-shifting, but when he does, she sends him away.
The love scenes between them are some of the most powerful I've ever read. It is not erotica, which I don't like, but very stimulating in intensity, nonetheless. Hunter writes in such a descriptive, yet realistic way that I adapted my mind to accept shape-shifting as a normal everyday occurrence...
The four cousins have strong spiritual and mental connections, so Marc, Luke and Jon immediately sense that Matt is in trouble and use their powers to try to reach him. The plot gets more complicated when Marc discovers dangerous, outlaw-type characters taking shelter from the storm in a cave. He overhears parts of their conversation; enough to alert him that the animals they have vowed to protect also need their help.
What are these men, armed with guns, doing on the mountain in this weather? Why is Ellen's ex-husband with them and why is he a menace to them all? Is he also a threat to Ellen? What will he do if he finds her with Matt? What are the special powers the cousins have? And what animals do the others morph into?
To learn the answers to the above "teaser" questions and whether our unusual heroes arrive in time to help them, you will have to read this exciting love story/adventure for yourself.
I think
Snow Shadows has enough adventure and Native American folklore to appeal to men, also, but women will go nuts over these four cousins. They are a woman's dream: in addition to being caring, giving and gentle with great senses of humor, they are gorgeous. Another awesome aspect of this book is the bond between the four men and the unique methods they use to help each other.
I highly recommend this intriguing book and am quick to predict that this talented author will become a force to be reckoned with in the literary world.
Endnote: I am delighted to learn that this is only Book One in the Eternal Shadows series by Caitlyn Hunter, with each of our fascinating heroes having a book written about him. I can't wait to see who captures the hearts of Marc, Luke and Jon. Bring `em on, Ms. Hunter. (Although this is the author's first printed novel, she wrote a Kindle e-book that I hear is wonderful too.
Unwilling Angel is about an apprentice angel who comes to earth to help a woman and ends up wreaking all kinds of havoc...not only for the woman, but also for himself. I don't own a Kindle, but am almost tempted to get one just to read Hunter's first offering from 2008. NO...as a die-hard, book-in-my-hand lover, I'm not quite ready to go there yet!)
Reviewed by Betty Dravis, January 17, 2010
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed for Midwest Book Review, August 18, 2008
This review is from: Snow Shadows (Perfect Paperback)
In early-day America, Mathias, Marc, Luke, and Jon are Cherokee cousins who have been blood brothers since the age of eight. As young warriors, they defy their clan's rules, which results in the shamans placing a curse on the four, confining them to the area around Eternity Mountain and commanding they protect the animals they each have been given the ability to morph into, as well as care for the environment. Matt, Marc and Luke choose to remain on Eternity Mountain, but Jon lives in Asheville, where he is a veterinarian. All men have telepathic and psychic abilities, and Jon is a healer.
In present day, Jon's divorced assistant Ellen continues to be harassed by her ex-husband. Noting Ellen's stress, Jon sends her to his cabin on Eternity Mountain, hoping this respite will help her to relax. Jon telepathically requests his three brothers keep watch over Ellen during her stay there. Matt saves Ellen, who is lost and injured, during a snowstorm, and their mutual attraction cannot be denied. The two quickly fall into a heated romance, the likes of which neither has experienced before. Matt is shocked to realize he loves Ellen and wants her for his wife, but the fact that he will outlive her keeps him from speaking these thoughts. Ellen, on the other hand, thinks of herself as unattractive and something of a nut case. She feels she does not deserve a man such as Matt and, although she knows she is in love with him, resigns herself to the fact that their relationship is, at most, temporary.
Unbeknownst to both, danger and death lie in their path, but the fates intervene with a gift that can bring Ellen and Matt together and end his curse. However, a fatal pact stands in the way.
This sensual paranormal, the first in the Eternal Shadows series, will have fans clamoring for more. Matt, Marc, Luke and Jon are intriguing characters, and Hunter excels at developing a fascinating story wrapped around Cherokee history and legend. With superb visualizations, sizzling romance, gut-wrenching suspense, along with outstanding characterization, narrative and dialogue, this is one book that will attract many readers across all genres. Count this one a must-have, must-read. Highly recommended.
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