Tiger Eye (Dirk & Steele, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marjorie M. Liu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005

When a young psychic acquires a riddle box in Beijing, China, she learns she can free the shapeshifter imprisoned inside, and that he is the beginning of an adventure – and a love – of a lifetime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Liu's first-rate debut, psychically sensitive tourist Dela Reese browses for treasures at Beijing's Dirt Market, where an old woman sells her a riddle box for only one yuan. Surprisingly, when Dela opens the box back in her hotel room, a gorgeous seven-foot-tall warrior appears, bearing 2,000-year-old weapons. The warrior, Hari, has been cursed for two millennia to serve as a slave - bereft of his power to shape-shift into a tiger - to anyone who opens the box. Assassins follow Delilah and Hari from Beijing back home to the U.S., where Dela and Hari soon find themselves in the midst of a war between Chinese crime syndicates. The reappearance of Hari's age-old nemesis, the Magi, who has been searching for Hari since he was imprisoned in the box, jacks up the suspense. The romance between Delilah and Hari tantalizingly builds until it culminates in a sensual love scene. Repetitive references to Hari's great stature fortunately don't detract from the appeal of this striking paranormal romance.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Dela is in the antiques market of Beijing searching for a treasure to add to her collection, but when an old woman sells her a small puzzle box, she could never have guessed just how precious its contents are. When she unlocks the box, a man appears before her, a man drawn from one's wildest dreams and deepest fantasies. A man who wants Dela for his own. But someone else wants him and the box back, and will risk all those she holds dear to obtain them. Liu's debut novel, not unlike the puzzle box, holds a shiny new joy for readers of adventure and paranormal romance. Deeply sensual, a marriage of modern fantasy and ancient mysticism highlighted with a touch of humor, this is the next book fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon or Christine Feehan should read. Nina Davis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505526263
• ISBN-13: 978-0505526267
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marjorie M. Liu is an attorney who has lived and worked throughout Asia. She hails from both coasts, but currently resides in the Midwest, where she writes full-time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a frighteningly talented new author, February 23, 2005

By 

Julia (Walton, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tiger Eye (Dirk & Steele, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

To Della, what others call "supernatural" is commonplace, but she believes there is a scientific reason for the fantastic things her family and friends can do. Just because she might not understand the science, doesn't mean its magic. Through an interesting turn of events, Della finds herself the unwilling mistress of a two-thousand-year-old shape shifter, who is cursed with immortality as a slave without his animal form. Della is hard-pressed to rationalize the situation as anything other than magic. Hari is surprised and suspicious when Della informs him that she will not command him, and that she intends to help him break his curse. Della seems to see him as a man; he as trouble accepting this, because his previous masters have all treated him as a belonging or a weapon, or worse, a ready outlet for sadistic torture. He fears her ultimate betrayal, yet finds hope that she is genuine. Their task is complicated by return of the wicked magus who placed the curse on Hari. He wants Hari as his slave, and will stop at nothing to get him. Then, an assassin targets Della with a stolen blade, which she created for a special client, one with dubious underground connections, a client with powerful friends and merciless enemies. With threats on two separate fronts, Della and Hari call in her friends, all psi-wielding mercenaries, working for Della's family-run detective agency. They're all bad boys who are also good and honorable men. In the midst of the danger and chaos, Hari and Della, find trust and friendship in each other, and eventually love grows strong and unwavering between them.
I picked this book up because I'd never heard of the author before I learned that she has a book in the upcoming Crimson City series (about the series, Liz Maverick says, "think of it as (Underworld + Soldier) * Dungeons & Dragons"). I wanted to check her out, get a feel for her style. I was very pleased with her intelligent writing, and the intricate plotting of this supernatural action/romance. It feels like it was written by a seasoned storyteller, not a first-time author.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brillant debut book!, March 6, 2005

By 

Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tiger Eye (Dirk & Steele, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

An utterly brilliant debut book that will knock your socks off!! This novel has been gaining word of mouth through reviewers, and with good reason. This book is imaginative, powerful, and literally hard to believe it's a debut book. So grab it quick, read it and then you can turn all your friends onto this great new author from Dorchester Publishing. Dorchester is known for giving new talent that chance to spread it's wings, and some of the best writers in Romance today came through Dorchester Publishing's tutelage. Marjorie M. Liu, is simply an amazing writer and will be one Romance readers wait eagerly for until her next book. It won't be a long wait as A Taste of Crimson comes out in August 2005.

Dela Reese (Okies...I had a little stumble at the start because of the name is too similar to Della Reese the actress, but I quickly was able to get past that mental image because of the powerful writing) is a sculptor of metal. She uses this talent to create stunning weapons and statues. But she is not just a regular armourer, she is from a family of people with psi power. The "core family" uses their powers to combat forces of evil in the world. Dela is not so strongly gifted, so she pours her psi power into the creation of weapons. Having a deep love for swords and a collector of them myself, a character with the same passion really intrigued me.

Hari is a tiger (love the imagery). But like Dela he's more...much more. He is a shapechanger. Finally something besides werewolves...lol! An evil Magi bespelled him, and has kept him prisoner in a puzzle box. Dela is hunting antiques when she comes across the box. She releases Hari and now he is bound to her. Only her djinn from the bottle...hum box...is not a happy camper. He's been imprisoned for two thousand years, so he's had time to build a royal mad on, not mention the backlog of hormones!

Others covet the power and the box, are filling to kill to gain it. Add in one of Dela's magical swords was used to kill a child, and the Chinese Mafia wants a piece of the lass as payment. Only Hari is not willing to let Dela go. They must join forces to save the other from evils, both mortal and magical, in this goes to the wall, exciting story you won't soon forget.

Marjorie M. Liu has a strong voice, a deft feel for plotting and strong imagery that should catapult her to the top of romance in quick time. So don't wait until someone tells you, "you have to read this book"...be the one in-the-know telling your friends.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Debut!!!!!!!!!!, March 6, 2005

By 

Elaine C McTyer "avid reader" (Dawson, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tiger Eye (Dirk & Steele, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dela Reese is a metal sculptor. She has the ability to forge unusual weapons and statues. She is a member of a family with strange psi powers. They are members of a larger family of people with psi powers gathered from around the world. While most work togather to fight evil, her powers are not that strong and she uses them mostly in her work.

Hari is a shapechanger, a tiger, he has been imprisoned in a riddle box for 2 thousand years, by an evil Magi. When Dela buys the box and releases him he is bound to her until her death. After 2 thousand years he is full of hate. But somehow, his spirit has not been broken. Now Dela offers him the last thing he expects HOPE.

But others want the power and the box, they are willing to kill for it. Not only that, but one of the swords forged by Dela has been used to kill a child belonging to the Chinese Mafia. Now they want revenge and only Dela's death can answer.

This is a wonderful fantasy, drama, romance. I loved it. The story is handled in a wonderful way and the things I kept expecting to happen didn't. In other words it was a delight to read, and I hope for more from this talented new author.