Customer Reviews

Street Game (Ghostwalkers, No 8)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I am so sad. It seems as if Christine Feehan is playing with Laura Leigh in regards to plots. The hero and the heroine knew each other from before, they were lovers then for whatever reason (usually one wants more than the other) they don't see each other for years, then they meet again in the future and are given a second shot at their 'love.' Wow, sounds like the last three books in the Elite Ops series. Unlike Kaden's book (that I had been waiting forever to read and was thus disappointed) I had only a vague sense of recollection about Mack. I couldn't remember, had I heard of him? Had I heard of his team? I think so? Maybe? Anyway unlike Kaden's book there is a lot of flirty teasing , but the actual sex isn't for a while.

So to the plot. Jamie is really smart, in fact I kind of like her, except for her whining about loving Mack, being hurt by Mack, then can't understand why she's still so in love with him. I wanted her to stand up to him, I wanted her to actually win. Instead Mack barrels over her every move. "I won't share my bed" well they ending up sharing the bed. "I won't be involved" they ended up being involved. "Don't be mean to Joe" he ends up being very mean to Joe. "I don't have to explain why there's beer in the fridge" and yes, you guessed it, she explains why there's beer in the fridge. I just felt like the 'alpha' vibe that Feehan is usually so good at, went a little over board. Mack is a bully, yet a leader. Unlike the other Ghostwalker teams he knows everyone (except Paul) on his, in fact they all grew up on the streets together, including Jamie. When Jamie left him it was because he refused to give her a family and see Whitney and his experiments for what they really were. Remember how I told you Jamie was smart? Well she figured out from the get go that Whitney was manipulating and betraying them all on a daily basis. She's also been secretly collecting any information she can on Whitney. Obviously this leads to some people wanting her alive, some wanting her dead.

It was a good read if you don't want to think too much. A nice pleasant book with some violence, guns and cursing. However my only sadness is that it doesn't recapture that Ghostwalker spark that I got with the earlier ones. I miss Mind Game, and Shadow Game, heck Predatory Game had an awesome hero/heroine combo. After Kaden's book I had such high hopes, I can only say I will continue to hope and look forward to the next one.

Like many of the other posters, I've read most all Feehan's books and was looking forward to this one. 423 pages and I think you could have easily cut 300 page with no loss of plot. It covered the same emotional ground ad nauseum. Early in the story, it explain how Jaimie left Mack and how devastating that was on both sides. Okay, we get it. Really. The first 5 or 10 times it reviewed these facts was plenty. We get that Jaimie's smarter than Mack and a true computer genius. And I believe we suspect that Mack does indeed love her even though he can't verbalize the words.

Why do we have to repeat this same information endlessly? The formula seems to be: cover these three points with lots of angst thrown in, have Jaimie pretend she's going to stand up for herself and then not, throw in a bit of Ghostwalker intrigue, then start the cycle again. Actually, it was sort of like a song with a chorus, now that I think of it.

Another thing that disappoints me is that there was no real overlap with other Ghostwalker characters, other than a few brief mentions and one very short appearance of Violet in surveillance scenario. I like when there's some interaction with the old and new.

As far as introducing new characters, Feehan's definitely laying down a lot of potential leads for future books. Most don't really get developed except for Kane, so maybe he's next.

However, it is fun to read the next installment in a series. I wouldn't say to stay away from this book. It's not bad, just very repetitive and boring at times. It probably would have made a good short story if she had focused just on the key plot and important information. I guess anyone who writes so many books has to have some ups and downs. Not every book can be great. Some only get to 'average'. This one hit that middling mark for me. Not great, not terrible. So I give it a 3.

Originally posted at [...]

Street Game is a heart-pumping, page turning thrill ride of action, suspense and romance.

As I've come to expect from Ms. Feehan, this book not only had me reading nonstop, but engaged all my senses to a heightened level. It's part of the GhostWalker series but stands alone, with pride and strength.

Mack is a battled hardened warrior who wants to save the world. That's one of the reasons he joined the military's GhostWalker program but he ended up getting more than he bargained for. No one could imagine the lengths a mad scientist would go to in the quest for the perfect soldier. Now he lives with that nightmare day in and day out. Mack is a tortured hero, not so much from the experiments but from the realization that his own arrogance, assertiveness and patriotic beliefs may have cost him something much more valuable that any physical enhancement he'd received. He faces the loss of the love of his life, Jaimie. I liked Mack's character. Strong yet vulnerable. He is so smart in some ways and so blinded in others. I really enjoyed reading about how he felt about Jaimie. The words Ms. Feehan had him saying were so romantic and perfect for the rough and tumble kind of guy that he is. His inner turmoil was tragic but at the same time so frustratingly like an alpha guy - stubborn. And yet a reader gets to see into his heart and can't help but want him to be happy.

Jaimie is the heroine who has her own inner demons to fight. In the beginning, she didn't have that much faith in herself, or trust. Both had been compromised in the past and the book sets a reader down at a time when a major shift occurs in the powerbase. She is thrust into a situation that forces her to take stalk of what she thought she knew and what ends up being the real truth. Of all the characters, I think her character grew the most. She initially came across as being the weak one but as the story progresses I watched her feel more comfortable with herself and her role in Mack's life. And like real life, relationships need back and forth communication and the sharing of feelings. It's not easy and this story makes that crystal clear. Although we regular people don't have quite the issues these two have.

The secondary characters are made up of their Ghostwalker family, team three. They all play a role where a reader gets to know them and realize that each has their own story to eventually tell. The interplay between characters is rich, varied, personal, witty and realistic. A reader gets the impression that they all know and respect each other and that they'd do anything needed to protect their family. It's a very unifying and touching element in the story. By the end of the book, I'm cheering for all of them to find their other half, the one that makes them whole. Kane has to be next because I get a sense he is running out of time. Javier is a hoot - love his affinity with skateboards and computers. The one they dubbed "Superman" is intriguing too. I'd love to find out where he's from. Great idea bringing him on board.

There was a bit of head hopping in the beginning. I sort of got the impression that so much was going on that Ms. Feehan wanted to quickly get a reader up to speed with all of her characters. It smoothed out pretty quick so it was not a turn off for me.

The villain remains the often referenced but absent Dr. Whitney, the genius mad scientist. His cronies have the spot light in this one as well as a very nasty group of terrorists. The backdrop of racing against time and all odds kept the suspense level on maximum throughout most of the book. The sensual build up between Mack and Jaimie heightens to almost explosive proportions before the volcanic explosion occurs. They dance around each other verbally, emotionally and physically. Eventually a reader gets the promised happily ever after in a most satisfying way. But with men like Mack, they take the long and winding road which makes for some interesting reading.

For readers of the GhostWalker series or for readers of romantic suspense in general, Street Game packs a powerful punch with detail, intrigue, great settings and diabolical villains that would make Ian Fleming proud. The anticipation of the rescue scene and how it unfolded caused me to bite my nails to the quick - it was that engrossing and had me at the edge of my seat. There is no doubt this book is going on my keeper shelf, just like every book in the series so far. Hands down, it's a winner.

This is really a three and a half star book.

I can see why some readers had trouble with this one. Apart from anything else, it is less of a romance than readers expect from Christine Feehan. There were times when the information dumps - information dumps all about technological things I'm not sure we needed to know - were tedious, and I simply skimmed over them and found I didn't lose anything from the story.

However, there was something about this book I really enjoyed; I really got what Feehan was going for, and I can't bring myself to hate it as much as some.

The entire Ghostwalker concept is fascinating to me; enhanced soldiers and orphaned girls whose genetic makeup was changed against their will. All of them banding together to get away from the power that be who want to continue to experiment on them, to have them raped to produce a new generation, to keep them like animals to be experimented on.

What I really loved about this one was the camaraderie. The entire team grew up together, with Mack as their undisputed leader. Jaimie was the baby of the gang, and not only is she the woman Mack loves - and feels extremely protective of - but she is everyone's baby sister. There was something really special about the friendships here, and that's what made me like this book so much. It also allowed me to forgive some of the problems others had.

On a side note, why did Feehan name one character Mack and another Marc? I couldn't figure out who I was reading about!

This is not the best of the series, but it is a worthwhile addition. Christine Feehan can be an uneven writer, but I always find her books worth the effort.

True to her style, Christine has completely done wonders with this high pack action series. She completely gets you to enter her world and the ghostwalkers are truly awesome.

I picked this book up because it looked interesting, I ended up reading it in one night, the next day I went to B&N and bought the all of the prior books. I started from the begininng, I fell in love with all of the characters, I LOVE Gator and the Norton twins, as well as Ian and Tucker. After reading the books in order I wanted to reread Street Game to see if I picked up on clues better since I had the whole history. I have to say, if I would have read the books in order the first time, I wouldn't have cared as much for Street Game, because it is a whole new team and I REALLY want to know about Tucker, Ian and the rest of the missing girls. I feel like I fastforwarded and somehow missed Tucker, Ian and the girls. And where is Thorn? I do think I can fall for the characters in Street Game more once another book with their characters come out. Maybe one of the new team's guys, will fall for one of the girls.

I can't say I don't like Street Game because I do and I am glad I read it because it made me want to buy the whole series. I strongly suggest reading the Ghostwalker series in order, but keeping an open mind when it comes to Street Game and it's team.

I'm a compulsive series buyer. It was obvious that I was going to get Street Game even if I didnt like Kaden's story in the last book. I actually liked this new addition. Was it too long? Yes.LOL. did I want Jaime to quit whining about her long lost love? Yes. But it didnt detract from the story. I was more into the ghostwalker plot than the romance true but thats what saved the story for me. I'm glad I had more information about the teams. I had no idea where all these groups were popping up from but Feehan explains that there are four teams out there. One team that has been completely silent and undercover so I'm sure that will make for an interesting read down the road. This book was also different in the sense that I feel like we are giving more details about the team members and their love for one another instead of learning about them when they each get their own story. several teasers from previous game books also came together in this. the ghostwalker that helped in the last rescue, the possible father of the 'flower' orphan that Whitney experimented on all get more information and detail in Street Game. I was also pleased that she didnt focus so much on the pairing. That was getting old quick and smelled to much like the mate factor to me. Jaime and Mack already had a relationship so this is more like a getting back together romance. I have noticed that in all of Feehans novels there is a darker tone to the relationships and less of the romantic love. Especially with the leopard series. I'm ok with that as long as she still makes the stories well written and interesting. this was worth 3.5 stars in my opinion

This is another amazing story in the ghostwalkers series. Although the book stands alone, if you are into this series more questions are answered.

Although Street Game was not as engrossing as some of the previous Ghost Walker books, I still had a hard time putting the book down. I liked the new team, the hero/heroine, the action, and the loving. The "you left me" was a little over done but I look forward to reading this team members' stories as much as any of the other teams memebers' that have to be written yet.

Ok I have to say this book isnt in the same place as many of her other books but I was able to read it thru so it was good. Usually if I dont like I book I save it for when times like this when there are few new books are out. This book didnt feel like a forced read. I enjoyed it. Not as much as some of her other books but every book cant be a perfect 10.

The story did not really give a good history of the characters past relationships. It also added some side characters without really given details about them such as Joe who kind of just disappers near the end. So I would of liked more detail but in saying this the book is pretty thick so I am going to lean towards Christine's defense and say maybe the publishers had her trim it down some. It also doesnt give a lot of details about the other teams but I can kind of see that this is leading to a future book where all the ghost teams get together.

Other then those few negatives I really enjoyed it. I can understand Jaime given in. As a woman many of us are strong but would much rather have someone handle some of the details for us. So that doesnt take away from the story for me. I would of just liked a little more meat. As I said its definite good buy especially since there arent any new books out right now and I read almost as often as I eat (3x a day, 3 different meals I mean books) in addition to work. For a minute I was worried that is was going to get kinky with them all sharing a room. I also would of liked more info about Kean(sp?). The romance was good not great, the action scences ok although not as seat gripping as some others.

All in all its a definite on my keeper dont trade at the used bookstore list.