Customer Reviews

Tiger Eye (Dirk & Steele, Book 1)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Since I am slightly skittish about new authors, this author immediately caught my attention. I'm a hugh fan of Feehan's, Kenyon's and Hamilton's, so when I skimmed the first few chapters I was enchanted.
Dela Reese is an extraordinary woman with even more extraordinary gifts. She has an unusual power to be able to 'read' metal on a very elemental level and she can telekineticly weild the metal into any shape she chooses. In a trip to Beijing, a magic box with ancient writing a curious old lady sells to her ends up giving Dele more trouble than is truly possible. Before Dela can say 'BOO!', out comes Hari, a very virle, angry and sexy male with glittering gold catlike eyes and a body that would make a nun blush.
It turns out that Hari once use to be a shapeshifter that could change into the form of a tiger. Thousands of years ago, an evil Magi stole Hari's tiger skin and bound him to the box for eternity. Now the evil Magi is back and wanting both Hari and his box.
In this book, you're introduced to many other characters like Roland Dirk, Eddie, Autur, Dean and Blue, whom each have their own special psychic powers and their own unique charm to make a woman smile. There is one character that intrigued me however. I can't get him out of my mind. His name was Koni, a shapeshifting raven. A bit on the wild side, kind of like a cowboy with a bad boy attitude. Not to spoil the ending, but he helps save Dela and Hari's life towards the end.
But aside from that, I must say the love scenes between Dela and Hari are highly sensual, breathtaking and erotic. The foreplay between these to characters was playful and steamy enough to make any woman feel a bit kittenish. I LOVED the scene where Dela helped Hari get his skin back and he was able to turn back into a tiger after all that time. It was kind of kinky really, but also sweet. But if you think about it, sex and fur in the right kind of mix.... just the idea is enough to make a woman purr in all the right spots. I felt this book was beautifully written and I can't wait for the next book in this series. It'll be a nice refresher to the tastebuds from all the werewolf and vampire novels I like to devour.
If you liked this book, check out her novel, 'A Taste of Crimson', the second book in the Crimson City Series. This series has been an interesting ride so far. I hope Marjorie keeps up with the good work. I await breathlessly for her next work of art.

...and I read A LOT. Liu's writing is fluid and natural, her characters are likeable, complex, and believable (and that's saying something in the paranormal romance genre), and her dialogue and imagery are excellent. More than that, she tells a darn good story, and the idea of Dirk & Steele has me so intrigued that I can't wait for her next book to come out, especially because it's Artur's story!
Dirk & Steele is like a hipper, paranormal version of Elizabeth Lowell's "Risk Limited", but Liu's stories are better than Lowell's at this point, IMHO. Moreover, her characters are fascinating, layered and deep, but still people that you would like to know personally. I highly recommend this book for lovers of both the paranormal AND paranormal romance genres. Five stars!

This is paranormal/supernatural at its best! I love Marjorie M. Liu's work, and this book is exactly why. Like Christine Feehan's stuff, it is unusual and unique and hot, while it escapes the mistake made in Feehan's earlier works--repetative language and imagery, too-similar characters and situations, and meladrama. While I love Feehan, and all her Dark books, the first half of the series was definately rough and
a little raw.

Tiger Eye marks the beginning of a new series, full of extraordinary suprenatual situations, hot men, and memorable women. The story is hot, even with only a few real sex scenes, and the male lead, Hari, is human (well, sort of), real, tough, and vulnerable--not to mention, seven feet tall, blonde, and bearing an impressive sword (and spear!).

Anyone who loves paranormal romance and is seeking
excellent plots and well-written stories must give Liu a try. Fans of Kay Hooper, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Maggie Shayne, Christine Feehan, and Amanda Ashley should especially enjoy Liu.

Those who like 'realistic' paranormal? Liu's supernatural aspects are mostly believable, with a touch of 'magical', less-explainable aspects. Psychic abilities are explained and have science-based supposition--it enough to make you gi around trying to start fires with your brain because it could be real!

This is a great start to a new series, continued in Shadow Touch and beyond. I can't wait to get Red Heart of Jade to see what happens next!

Dela Reese belongs to an unusual family of psychics. She is, however, a loner, satisfied with using her unusual abilities with metal to design unique weapons of intricate design that are exclusively sold at very high prices.

When Dela goes to China on vacation, she meets an old woman in a market who sells her a riddle box. Dela immediately recognizes the box as a priceless antique. When she opens it in her hotel room, out pops a seven-foot tall warrior, named Hari, ready to do battle for her.

After two thousand years of enslavement, Hari is very distrustful of his latest mistress, but he gradually lets his guard down as Dela consistently convinces him of her wish to set him free. Meanwhile, Dela and Hari find themselves on the run from unseen enemies who are trying to murder Dela. She doesn't know who they are or why they're after her, but knows their best move would be to leave China and fly back to the US.

Once they arrive in San Francisco, Hari meets some of Dela's "family" who are part of the Dirk & Steele Agency, a clandestine company of powerful psychics who perform good deeds around the world. They race to unravel the mystery behind the attempts on Dela's life before it's too late. But just when Dela and her bodyguards think the worst is over, Hari's nemesis, a powerful magi who imprisoned him in the riddle box, kidnaps Dela.

Marjorie Liu weaves a mesmerizing tale that is tantalizing and pulsing with sensuality. The characters are memorable and lively, brimming with humor, intensity and a fierce dedication to their mission, which is to protect Dela. The storyline, too, is well written, with plenty of mystery and twisty plot lines to keep you riveted.

This is the first book I've read written by Marjorie Liu and I look forward to more of them.

I absolutely loved this book !! I am a huge fan of Christine Feehan so when I saw her reccomendation on the cover I gave this new author a chance. I am so happy I did.

Dela and Hari were both so well written, you were able to embrace the story and what they were going/had gone through. Dela has a great "family" and I truly enjoyed them being such a part of this book.

Ms Liu has a terrific writing style.

At first, I was skeptical about reading this, but as I read on, I became involved with the characters. When we first meet Dela, she seems very fragile to me, but I empathised with her feelings and her sorrow. When she 'aquires' Hari, who is a tiger that has been cursed into a box without his skin, she takes on another persona, not strong by any means, but she becomes self assured. Hari, a changling who has lost his skin, has mixed emotions about Dela, especially when he realized that she is probably the one person who can free him. The chemistry between them is strong from the beginning, and the way they slowly come together is alluring. The characters are actual people and not two dimensional figures. The sex scenes are steamy and left me imaging for several days. The story draws you in and makes you want to read more. I can't wait until Marjorie M. Liu expands on some of her supporting characters, for it would be a shame if she didn't. Applause and praise for Ms. Liu!!!

After the Silhouette line stars of the 80's - Linda Howard, Stephanie James (Jayne Ann Krentz), Kay Hooper and Nora Roberts, I wondered if the days of the truly great romance writers were over. Thank heavens for Marjorie M. Liu. I finished her debut novel, Tiger Eye, in 5-1/2 hours. I literally couldn't have quit reading if the house was on fire. From the first sentence to the last, Ms. Liu, captured my attention, and ran me through a gamut of emotions that I haven't felt for a book in a long, long time. The characters were powerful - not only well developed and with depth, but no wimps. The plot was great and everything tied in neatly at the end. The story was unique, refreshing and original, despite being about a "genii in a bottle" type of hero. I'm quite sure we will be reading many more wonderful stories about the men/women of Dirk & Steele. After all Dorchester Publishing isn't exactly stupid - and it would be grossly stupid not to make a multi-book deal with this extremely talented lady.