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80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An atypical heroine and a fierce alpha hero, July 27, 2010
This review is from: Water Bound (A Sea Haven Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)
Water Bound (A Sea Haven Novel) by Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance- July 27, 2010
5 stars
Water Bound is a spellbinding romance that will sweep you away and never let you go! I was mesmerized by the beauty and moving romance in this new paranormal series set in the same world as the Drake sisters' series.
Rikki has a talent for water. It soothes and comforts her and she is able to manipulate it. But Rikki is troubled. Her parents were murdered and disaster after disaster has followed her since their death. She has finally found a small place where she can find peace with a band of adopted sisters who have their own special brand of magic. When she decides to go out to a dangerous part of the ocean to hunt for the precious sea urchins that support her living a freak disaster causes the water to nearly kill her. But in the water she finds another human set adrift, a man who draws her. She saves him and instantly regrets it. Although he is handsome and magnetic she realizes he carries secrets and they will disrupt the hard earned serenity she has finally found. But for some reason she is unable to abandon him.
Lev Prakenskii is a man without a past or an identity. He has killed, lied and seduced for his country. A country that feels he is expendable. But since he was violently taken from his family and indoctrinated by the Soviet government he has no other purpose. That is until he meets the courageous and eccentric Rikki. She draws him and only with her does he feel human. Lev knows Rikki is his only chance at humanity and he wants to stay and love her. But his government is set to exterminate him and an evil from Rikki's past threatens to tear them apart.
This was a highly emotional and poignant story. This book was unusual in that while Rikki was attracted to Lev she really did want to get rid of him since his presence disrupted her own mental health. He is a complication she doesn't need or want. But Lev immediately realizes a good thing when he sees it and although Rikki has many quirks only he sees the true woman who can accept him when he cannot. Rikki is his salvation. Reading how such a fierce alpha male is determined to be gentle and strong enough to fight for their relationship was very moving. As Christine Feehan explores their love I really felt I knew each of these individuals and I became so invested in each of them that I craved for them to be together. These characters were intensely 3 dimensional. I really got the feeling that they were the only ones who could truly understand each other.
In addition, the author seamlessly adds touches of her Drake series by introducing beloved characters which adds a feeling of coming home that devoted readers will be sure to embrace.
This is a book to cherish. I loved this story and only regret I read it so fast that I didn't get to savor it more! I only hope her future books will have more mesmerizing Prakenskii brothers featured!
Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
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24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strong, Emotion-Packed Start to Feehan's New Series, July 28, 2010
This review is from: Water Bound (A Sea Haven Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)
Rikki has felt isolated from the rest of humanity since she was young. Bound to the element of water, she has unique gifts that allow her to control it in whatever form it takes. But in Rikki's case, having fantastic, mystical abilities doesn't translate well towards being a "normal" member of society. At a loss to really fit in except with her family of adopted "sisters", she turns to her best source of comfort: the sea, where she makes a living diving for urchins. Then one day, she rescues a man from drowning in the ocean, and nothing can be the same again.
Lev is a damaged hero with emotional pain to rival Rikki's. His memories are broken, but he knows that he is an assassin. His mission and how he ended up being cared for by the element-tied woman remain a mystery to him, but he does know that he has never before experienced a connection like he has with Rikki; able to read her thoughts and communicate with her telepathically, he is perhaps the only man truly able to understand her as she needs to be understood.
These are both very unique characters; I know the idea of characters having special, element-associated abilities has been played with before, and an assassin-hero is nothing new, but Feehan has given a lot of depth to the concepts. Rikki is far from perfect, but so is Lev, in a different way - together they complement and strengthen one another, understanding and reassuring each other in spite of their own failings.
Though a little slow to start moving, plot-wise, the book takes a lot of time to introduce the characters and the dynamics between them, and it really helps to develop the romantic aspects of the story. This is bolstered by excellent descriptions, especially of the settings, which really color this book and give it life; it's easy to get caught up in her world and picture it, which adds so much to the story.
Set alongside Feehan's "Drake Sisters" books but still standalone, "Water Bound" should be picked up by anyone looking for a romance well-based in emotion and interaction between the characters -- this isn't just for paranormal fans. I really like this start to her new series and I look forward to seeing more of these books.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Ms. Freeman needs to join adjective anonymous, October 10, 2011
This review is from: Water Bound (A Sea Haven Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)
Rikki Sitmore is not your average female. She has strange reactions to things people may consider normal. She only likes to eat peanut butter and broccoli and likes everything to be pristine and untouched. She might also be a sociopath because her parents, foster families, and fiancé's houses all burned down and many of them died. But being a possible serial arsonist is not even the oddest thing about her. The winner is that she has the ability to control water (think water-bending in "Avatar: The Last Airbender" style). Rikki is therefore surprised that she didn't sense the giant tidal wave until it was literally crashing down upon her. The tidal wave doesn't just bring water, however, but also the most dangerous-looking and handsome man Rikki has ever seen. Against her better instinct, she decides to save him. During the rescue, she shares a moment with this dangerous man that is sure to shake her world. Lev Prakenskii is a very dangerous, deadly, and handsome man. This is the one thing he knows as he finds himself slammed against the rocks after falling into the ocean. The next thing he knows, he is saved by a beautiful woman whom he can't help thinking must be a mermaid. She pulls Lev out of the ocean and the dizziness and uncertainly causes him to react in a way that would have King Triton stabbing him with his triton. Rather than throwing him back into the ocean, the strange woman responds angrily to his actions. This rather sobers Lev up to the fact that Ariel did not save him, since she is yelling and not singing to him. Despite his dangerous behavior, the woman takes him home. Lev soon realizes he can't remember anything except that he has killed a lot of people. The one thing he does know is that he wants to spend his life with this mermaid-like woman. I'm the first to admit that I'm no literary expert, but my biggest problem with this book was what I found to be poor writing. The author overuses adjectives and has the tendency to be repetitive and redundant. I did not need to be reminded on every page that Rikki is a strange woman. I also got the point after the first fifty times that Lev is a deadly and dangerous man who has killed a lot of people. I was tempted to start a drinking game every time I came across the words strange, deadly, dangerous, handsome, and a quite a few others. Needless to say, I would have been very drunk by the time I came to page two hundred, and the book is near five hundred pages long. Also, do we need a twenty page sex scene? A paragraph about walking into a grocery store? This book really could have benefitted from a strong editorial hand. The weak editing really ruined the story for me. I could not concentrate or care about the story because I kept trying to edit it in my mind. Setting aside the editing issue, the story was rather weak as well. I really felt no connection to either Lev or Rikki. None. I've never read a book where I've never even felt a small connection. Because I felt no connection to either of the characters, I could not care less about what happened to them. There were exciting scenes here and there, but they are quickly overridden with the overuse of repeating themes and thoughts. I really thought when Lev's past was revealed, the story would take an interesting turn. It didn't. The major plot points are who is starting the fires and trying to kill Rikki and whether Lev can escape from his dangerous and deadly past. Both are resolved in the most lackluster way possible. Oh yeah, Rikki and Lev got together at the end and I was relieved that the book was over. Those who don't mind a lot of adjectives and repetitiveness will probably like this book better than I did. As it is, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
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