Posts Tagged ‘psychics’

“Samurai Game,” Christine Feehan

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

Pros: Tense, action-filled adventure with plenty of twists and inventive assassinations; interesting new characters introduced into the series
Cons: Too much explaining; cartoonish villains; insufficient romantic chemistry
Rating: 3 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

The GhostWalkers seem to have an unknown ally on their side—several informants and pawns working for Whitney, their worst enemy, have died in mysterious “accidents”. A slip and fall; a car crash; a fatal anaphylactic reaction. The only thing these incidents have in common is Sheila, the go-between Whitney sends to pay off his informants, and the fact that each person’s payoff has disappeared from the scene within moments of the death. Sheila fears that one more slip-up and Whitney will blame her.

A new mission is about to be handed down to the GhostWalkers—one that will ultimately sacrifice one of their own, Sam Johnson, so that Whitney can get his hands on a rare component for a weapon he’s building. Only the presence of a traitor among those few who know about them could explain what’s going on.

The GhostWalkers want a spy satellite to help keep them informed and safe. There’s only one company that makes the best of the best in the satellite industry: Samurai Telecommunications. And the three people who run the company—two men, one woman, all adopted by the same man—insist on personally meeting anyone who buys their satellites. This means they’ll be entering the GhostWalkers’ sanctuary at a time when the GhostWalkers fear that Whitney would do anything to kidnap the several children within the compound.

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“The Departed”, Shiloh Walker

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Pros: Intense!
Cons: It helps to read The Missing first, but it isn’t necessary
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of the author and Penguin Group
Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

Desiree (”Dez”) Lincoln is a psychic who works for the FBI. Her ability? She talks to dead people, and they don’t let her rest until she helps them rest. Taylor Jones is Dez’s boss, a man whose talent lies in finding psychics and helping them to focus their talent. His driving goal above all others is to save lives—because he couldn’t save his little sister when she disappeared at age six.

Dez and Taylor feel the mutual heat of attraction between them, but Taylor is too cut off, too controlled, and too much Dez’s boss to allow a relationship—and in pushing Dez away after seeing her critically wounded, he pushes her too far. She leaves the FBI entirely and strikes out on her own.

Months later, a strong-willed spirit calls to Dez from Taylor’s old hometown; it needs her help to save a girl’s life. Dez and Taylor are thrown together again to resolve a situation that keeps escalating, and Dez may be able to help Taylor find out what happened to his sister all those years ago. Hopefully the craziness will bring Dez and Taylor finally together, rather than tearing them apart even further…

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“Play of Passion,” Nalini Singh

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Pros: Lovely characters; unusual world; interesting ongoing plot; stands alone well; sizzling-hot sex
Cons: Helps if you keep up with the series; Indigo’s stubbornness gets a tad frustrating, even if it is understandable
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

Drew Kincaid is the tracker for the SnowDancer pack, outside the traditional pack structure. Despite his charming and playful exterior, he’s the one wolf tough enough to track down changelings who have lost control to their animals, and kill them if necessary. He’s used to facing tough problems—but when he finds himself fighting for the love of one lieutenant Indigo Riviere, he has no idea where to even start. Somehow he keeps doing the wrong things, pushing her away instead of drawing her close.

Indigo is the highest-ranking female in the pack, a dominant alpha who needs an equal to challenge her. Unfortunately, Drew doesn’t exactly have a status that’s easy to pin down, and she’s seen what happens when someone like her ends up with a dominant male of slightly lower stature. There’s no way she’s going to let that happen, particularly if it would mean destroying the friendship she and Drew share. But no matter how hard she tries, she keeps being drawn to the sweet, handsome, fiery man.

Indigo and Drew won’t be given a nice, quiet time in which to figure things out, either. The Council is up to no good as usual, planning something that intrudes upon pack territory; it’s going to take the combined resources of the cats and the wolves to figure it out and hopefully keep everyone safe.

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“Cold Touch,” Leslie Parrish

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

Pros: Chilling, thrilling, and blood-stirring
Cons: Some genre standard elements, but they’re handled very well
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of the author
Expected release date: July 5, 2011

 

Olivia Wainwright, daughter of wealthy and influential parents, hasn’t had such a perfect life. A kidnapping-turned-violent when she was young left her with the unwanted ability to relive the last two minutes and ten seconds of a person’s life simply by touching their remains. She’s found she can use this ability to help catch murderers when no other means will do, but she never uses it unless she absolutely has to. Because each time she does, she dies a little more inside.

Savannah detective Gabe Cooper is working a cold case: a set of remains found in the wall of a burned-out building. Olivia can’t help but get involved, as she suspects the body may be linked to her own kidnapping. Convincing Gabe to let her help, however, will be another matter; like most people, he thinks her so-called psychic abilities are a crock. Still, despite his disbelief, he can’t get the strong-willed, gentle woman off of his mind. He just needs to decide whether he can let go of everything he’s ever believed in order to solve his case and have a chance at love.

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“Deadly Dreams,” Kylie Brant

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

Pros: Nice slow buildup of both the murder plot and the romance
Cons: Odd sudden appearance of psychic abilities in the series; somewhat predictable bad guy; too many haunted/”damaged” women in this series
Rating: 3 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

Risa Chandler was one of Adam Raiker’s brilliant forensic criminologists before the incident that shattered her faith in herself. Since then, she’s been hiding out at her mother’s home in Philadelphia. Now that her physical wounds have healed, Adam has oh-so-helpfully suggested to the police that they enlist her aid in finding a serial killer. She doesn’t want to help, but her dreams have returned: prescient dreams that show her the deaths whether she wants to be involved or not.

Detective Nate McGuire doesn’t understand why he’s been told to take Chandler along with him on this case, but she quickly impresses him with her usefulness, so he reins in his skepticism. Ever so slowly the two of them find themselves drawn to each other, but Risa knows Nate would never believe her if she told him about her dreams. And she might never get the chance, since the killer has her in his sights.

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“True Vision,” Joyce Lamb

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Pros: The romance works much better than in the last Joyce Lamb book I read
Cons: One character who seems like a deus ex machina and partial stereotype
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group.
Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

Charlie Trudeau is a newspaper reporter who longs for the good ol’ days when advertiser revenue didn’t dictate story content. She wants to expose some of the steamier goings-on in her small town, but her father, who runs the paper, won’t allow her to do so. Her life isn’t what she’d hoped—it’s dull, ordinary, and frustrating. Until, that is, she witnesses a fatal hit-and-run. Her ringside seat at the victim’s death sets off an unlikely series of events. It sparks an unusual ability in Charlie, who starts having visions after people touch her in which she relives their memories. It inspires her to take an action that she won’t be able to undo—and might regret for a long time to come. And it brings a detective named Noah, a friend of the victim, to her doorstep.

Noah just wants to find out who killed his friend, and why. But Charlie is his only lead—she doesn’t trust him, and he can’t help noticing that she’s acting strangely. The more they uncover, however, the closer they become, and the more danger they find themselves in. Other people’s lives are placed in danger. Charlie’s new ability takes its toll. And a murderer is closing in…

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“Branded by Fire,” Nalini Singh

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Pros: Delicious meeting of two hot-blooded characters; continues a delightful series
Cons: Not quite as out-freaking-standing as the previous book; definitely not a good place to start the series
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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“Hostage to Pleasure,” Nalini Singh

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Pros: WOW! And did I mention, WOW!
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“Ghost Moon,” Rebecca York

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Pros: Interesting world
Cons: Flat, stilted, wooden, and meandering
Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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