Fragile by Shiloh Walker

Last month I had a great reading month but I honestly had a terrible blogging month. I have been remiss on my reviews for the last few months and I will admit that November and December were due to work and the holidays but January gives me no excuses. So, I'm determined to put in at least 5 posts per month from this point forward. So let's start with a new release from one of my favorite authors.

Fragile arrived at a bookstore near you on the 3rd of February. I was fortunate to receive an ARC which let me read it in January. and before I go on... Don't you just love that cover!

Fragile tells the story of Devon Manning, a social worker who is struggling to keep her head above water. She carries a dark past which makes her push away those that wish to develop any type of relationship with her. Devon was orphaned at a young age and put in the care of her Aunt who was not much of a care giver. She was abused by her Aunt's boyfriend and eventually kicked out of the house. By the age of 13 she was an addict headed on the road to nowhere. She was 'saved' so to say by a social worker that cared enough to look past the façade that she had put up. This inspires Devon to follow in that work, to be that one person that stands between a battered child and a system with too many cracks. She spends a lot of her time in the hospital rescuing those children. And it is there that she meets Luke.

Luke is looking for something. He has not been able to put his finger on what is missing in his life but he knows that he needs to find it soon. His life was never one of distress but he surrounds himself by those that need rescuing, especially his twin brother, Quinn, who had the unfortunate luck to have been raised by their alcoholic mother. She stole him from the hospital after birth, leaving a weaker Luke in the care of his father. Luke has stayed close to Quinn since he came back into their lives at the age of 11, but after Luke gets injured in the armed forces they head their separate ways. Luke finds military life empty and seeks meaning to his life, so he studies medicine and becomes a doctor.

Luke falls hard for Devon and she allows him to creep into her life. They develop a fragile relationship where Luke gets to play the role of hero and Devon gets face some of the fears she has been holding onto for most of her adult life.

If you think that this is where the story lies you would be wrong. The meat of the story lies in the suspenseful thriller that takes front and center by the middle of the book. Devon's work leaves her open to many people that might carry a grudge. Not every one appreciates some one meddling in how you raise your child, especially those with the propensity for abuse. This is why no one really pays much attention when she develops the attention of a stalker. No one that is, except Luke, who has the feeling this is more than just a disgruntled parent looking for payback.

The suspense is strong and when you think you know who's done it… you need to guess again.

Walker brings her talent for angst to the pages of this book but I think there was too much misdirection to keep me from being blown away as I was with The Missing. The most flawed / damaged of all the characters was the one that attracted me the most. Luke was very much the man who wanted to solve everyone’s problem, his super hero attitude pulled me away from really caring for him. It could be that I felt he wanted to take over Devon’s life in the guise of protection.

Devon had much baggage but she was holding her own. Her background gives her the characteristics of a strong female and the beginning of the story gives us a glimpse of that person – when she opens up to Luke and lets him in, but as the story moves forward she becomes just an image of the woman she was. There is an explanation for her 180 at the end of the story but we don’t get the chance to justify her behavior and get our feelings in check before then. It made me lose my admiration for her character and the explanation at the end was not enough to pull me back to my original opinion of her.

I also thought that the villain really came out of no where. I know that it would have killed the suspense but I felt we were being pushed into one direction and then forced into another at the last minute. If you are driving a car and try a maneuver like that, you just might fall off of a cliff.

Regardless of these 'weaknesses' the book kept me glued to its pages, it made me really think about these characters and what I expected from each one. It made me question my judgment on each and every one. I was never sure if I really knew the character or if I was being led on a merry chase.

Walker recently announced (see her post here) that she would be writing romantic suspense for Ballantine Publishing. I think this is definitely right up her alley. She can definitely keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages to uncover the true villain of the tale.

If you haven’t already picked up Fragile, don’t miss out, it will have your heart pumping until the very end.

Grade: B-

Format: eBook

And the Winner is......

Thank you all for dropping by and participating in The Missing Giveaway.

Based on the Random Integer Generator at Random.org:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5 

Timestamp: 2008-11-03 04:16:28

Comment #5 takes the book - That would be Brenda who said:

me,me,me!Pick me!

# Posted by Brenda at 12:34 AM, November 02, 2008

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!!!

Those that did not win the copy I was giving away, don't forget that Shiloh has a give away going at her site for those that pre-order or purchase the book during this week (READ ALL ABOUT IT). I hope you don't miss out on this one.


Oh! And don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!!

The Missing by Shiloh Walker & Give-away

I recently had the pleasure of reading Shiloh Walker’s newest book The Missing and my first impression was Wow! I enjoyed the book to the extent that I am eager to share it with you all. Since I cannot give away my own copy I’m going to purchase a copy to share, so make sure you read on to get details.

Now to the Review:

Taige Branch has had to live her life in isolation because she is 'gifted' with psychic abilities. She has the ability to 'see' things. As an orphaned teenager living in Gulf Shore, Ala with her religious zealot of an uncle, her prospects are low, as is her patience for the summer boys that come to vacation at the beach front town. Until one of those boys proves to be more than just a pretty face with deep pockets.

Cullen Morgan is not from old money and he lives in a loving family so he knows how a girl should be treated. Regardless of her social standing, they deserve respect, so when he encounters two boys trying to rape a local girl he is compelled to step in and help. That the girl is the one that recently saved the life of a drowning boy bowls him over. He discovers that there is more to the girl than the mysterious air around her and over the summer, he falls in love. He returns to her every summer and every summer their love deepens. 4 years after they first meet, tragedy strikes at the heart of Cullen's family and with his heart torn he lashes out at Taige, destroying her faith in him.

At this point the book jumps forward 12 years, where Cullen has become a successful writer. He is a single parent of a 9 year daughter who appears to have some 'gifts' of her own. Taige also has achieved success but in a whole different area. She went on to college and after graduation became a consultant for the FBI on a special task force that helps the missing. She uses her abilities to find the lost but at a great emotional price. She has learned to master her gift but every time she uses it to save a child or to find one that is already lost, the toll weighs heavy on her.

Over the years she never has forgotten her only love and although she believes she loved more than she was loved, she dreams about him often. Vivid dreams that haunt her. They are more disturbing to her than the monsters she saves kids from. Unbeknownst to her, Cullen has been dreaming about her too. Dreams that wake him in the middle of the night, that make him yearn for the girl he chased away, that make him relive the loss.

When Jillian, Cullen's daughter gets abducted, he remembers those dreams and knows that Taige is the only person that can help him. When he shows up at her door she knows what he is looking for but seeing him again doesn't make it easier to accept. She would never say no to a missing child but knowing that the child is Cullen's makes the case more compelling. But there is more to the kidnapping than we are first lead to believe, there have been others that have gone missing, and the children share a commonality, something that has made them a target and if Taige cannot stop the madman, there will be even more lost.

The story is not just about lost love that is found again. This is a thriller that has you on the edge of your seat. The desperation that Cullen feels when he loses Jillian is palpable; the distress that Taige goes through every time she taps into her gift has you tensing. The villain is well hidden and you don’t suspect who it is (or I didn’t) until a little before it’s actually revealed in the story. But when his deeds are unveiled you feel him. The feeling was like when I saw Silence of the Lambs and Clarese was talking about the lambs being slaughtered. The same hushed disturbing visual, the same screams giving me the chills.

The relationship between Taige and Cullen is VERY believable. They have never really been apart, although they never realized it, because they have been linked through their dreams. So when he demands a place in Taige's life it doesn't come off as arrogant or presumptive. Cullen knows he messed up but he also knows that the love they had is still there. Taige's reluctance in accepting Cullen's feelings could have been annoying but Ms. Walker did not dwell upon that and made the reader know that Taige knew in her heart the truth but her mind rebelled against it. The internal conflict she felt for Cullen just made the story more grittier.

The book was reminiscent to works by authors like Sandra Brown. It was all about the romantic suspense. The darkness in Taige's visions, the evil the villain committed and the pursuit to find that person had you keeping your eyes glued to the page and refusing to put the book down.

I can't imagine the effort it took to write this, because I was exhausted by the end of the book. Like when you tense yourself for so long your body is tired when you finally relax. One of the best Romantic Suspense books I’ve read this year.

Grade: A+
Format: eBook

Now to the Giveaway, I really felt the need to share this one with you all so I will pick at random one name amongst those that leave a comment (make sure you also post your email address so I can contact you) and send them a brand new copy of the book when it’s released on Tuesday. Since postage can be pricey I need to limit this to those in the US.

Shiloh Walker is also having a giveaway at her site for those that pre-order their copy of The Missing or buy the book on release week (READ ALL ABOUT IT) where you can win, not just an ARC of her next release Fragile but also a $40 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice and other goodies.

So, to give you a chance to get in on her giveaway, I’ll be picking my winner by Midnight EST on Sunday November, 2nd. That way if you didn’t win my copy, you can still pre-order your own copy and get in on Shiloh’s Giveaway.

I know you will enjoy this book as much as I did, so post away!

Anthology - Hot Spell

The great thing about going paperless is that you can take a book and break it into small books. Like an Anthology. Essentially an Anthology is just a book that is divided into several smaller tales. For some reason I can attack four short stories better than one big one.

Yes, it’s the same thing but just like a 200 question test is overwhelming when you break up that test into 4 - 50 question tests it becomes do-able. This has been my plan of attack for those Anthologies I challenged myself to read in the Triple 8 Challenge.

Since we are in the month of October and I am all about paranormals this month I thought it appropriate to tackle a title that has been sitting in my TBR pile forever. Now that I got it in ebook I chopped and split it up into 4 really great stories. There really was no loser in this one, but that should not have surprised me since all but one were well loved authors.

Let’s start with the one author that was new to me:

Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brook: (A) This is the first in Brook’s Guardian series. Anthony Ramsdell would prefer to do anything than to serve as the personal physician to a Major General in the peninsula but the Earl of Norbridge had paid for his studies and he now owed him his livelihood. This was a small price to pay for the future the Earl had put in his hands. Two days before departing Anthony has a strange encounter with Emily, the Earl’s daughter, who he has secretly loved for many years. She is furious with her father and in a rebellious act, seduces Anthony in the library. He promise to return from the war and put thing right, if she will have him. But that was not meant to be.

On the battlefield in Spain he and a friend are attacked by a vampire and he sacrifices himself to save his friend. His sacrifice is not in vain since a Guardian give him the option to either die or serve in protecting humanity. Either way he is not to return to the life he knew. When Michael (head Guardian) pulls Anthony from his training months later, it is because a Nosferatu (a rouge vamp) has attacked the Ames-Beaumont searching for a sword. His friend Colin is about to turn and his sister, Emily is in danger. Michael goes against Guardian law and asks Anthony to return to earth to resolve the matter. This one was the best of all the tales. It was a strong story that did not feel like a short. It was so well written it makes me want to pick up the rest of this series immediately.

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh: (B+) Another story that did not feel like a short. There were villains, love, character conflicts, even some in-laws and yet I didn’t feel rushed at all! I am a big breeds fan and this title was a treat. Tarek Jordan is a breed in hiding and acclimating to normal life has been a difficult transition.

His current assignment is to search for a trainer from the Breeds lab that had murdered many of his brethren. His current problem is his neighbor, Lyra Mason. She has gotten under his skin and he would do anything to get some of her coffee and fresh baked bread in his belly and if he can get a piece of her as well, more the merrier. Lyra has a few big brothers that are trained Seal soldiers that might not appreciate his intent but if the lady ain’t complaining? In just a few pages I was feeling Tarek’s isolation, his need for more than just a romp. Lyra was feisty and having grown up with overprotective brother, strong willed. She could handle anything thrown at her and more and when she made up her mind to have Tarek, breed and all, she never backed down. Loved her!

The Blood Kiss by Shiloh Walker: (B+) Roman Montgomery is the An Ri Mac Tire, Wolf king of Wolf Clan Montgomery and his brother has been abducted, well not really but almost the same. Seems his little brother Steve ventured into Vamp territory and the House of Capiet has taken him as a prisoner for trespassing. In reality they are testing the new king and Roman rises to the challenge.

When Roman arrives (in secret) to rescue his brother he finds out that there is a celebration that is taking place as Lord Eduard presents his blood child to society, what surprises him most is that the daughter in question is the same young woman he has seen earlier in the plaza painting tourists in a street stand. She had attracted him at that time and now she is revealed to be the daughter of his mortal enemy. Well, he won’t let such a little thing as a long standing feud stand in his way.

This one had so much story in so few pages you could have blinked and you might have missed something but Roman and Julianna (a play on Romeo and Juliet) held their own. Loved the character of Mikhail, a truly old soul that needs a story of his own. Maybe he already has one and I just have not read it. I need to search for it since this book was published several years ago.

The Countess Pleasure by Emma Holly: (B) And last but never least, Emma Holly’s contribution. This one was the most difficult to read just because it takes place in an alternate universe where there are demons and alternate life forces.

Georgiana DuBarry, The Countess of Ware is a widow with the exceptional quality that she is still a virgin (although honestly, if you read enough romance you will ultimately agree that this is not such an exceptional quality). She goes to Bhamjran (the equivalent to Vegas) with the hopes she will discover passion and not regret having put that off for the sake of her husband. She has heard great things about the striptease preformed by Lyan and wanted to see for herself.

Lyan was trapped into the degrading profession after his mother was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. He is force into indentured service until the crime is paid in full. When he finally believes that his debt is about to be paid, further charges are pressed and he looks to a future with no freedom. He has never prostituted himself but when the woman that stirred his blood during his performance approaches him with a proposal he cannot deny himself.

Even though the whole – I slept with you and you turned my world around enough to make me love you- is a line I hate to accept, this story had other things going for it. Yes, Ms. Holly is queen of eroticism, but not just was the sensuality of the story red hot, the world building was very interesting since it paralleled our own world back when the Irish were seen as less, the black were unworthy. The prejudice against the demon race was a great twist to your typical short.

This anthology was definitely worth picking up. If you haven’t had your serving of the paranormal variety this month reach out for this one. Every tale was a success!

Grade: B+

Format: eBook

Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker

If you thought you were familiar with Shiloh Walker's work... think again! Through the Veil is Walker's newest work and it hits the stand this coming Tuesday. The story offers us a glimpse to another side of Walker's talent by moving toward the Sci-fi genre when I, personally, had only read her paranormal Hunter series.

The story takes place between three worldly dimensions. Our contemporary world where we first encounter Lee, our heroine. Ishtan where Kalen, our hero belongs, and Anqar where the world is ruled by Warlords bent on destroying Ishtan for it's women. These worlds interconnect through gates that can be opened and closed by the Warlords and their power. Less powerful beings might not be able to open a gate to pass into these other worlds but they could look through the Veil between worlds and covet all they saw, like the females and the daughter's they produced. The women in Ishtan had powers that when breed upon produce strong offspring which Anqar needed. They had been losing their natural female population and this lead the Warlords to invade Ishtan and take the women as body slaves back to Anqar where they would try to breed upon them.
The Warlords had been raiding Ishtan for as long as anyone could remember.

Lee lives in the contemporary world but goes to Ishtan in her dreams. She fights alongside the rebel forces to stop the Warlords from destroying that world but she believes that it is all part of an elaborate dream. She wakes with bruises on her body but dismisses them as over active sleep patterns.

Kalen knows that Lee is a strong force that belongs by his side in Ishtan. He is capable of looking through the veil between his world and hers. He watches her confusion and her rationalization of the bruises she acquires in her fight, but doesn't know how to reach her to convince her of the truth. The convincing takes place early on in the book and then Lee moves on to struggle with her new reality because although she is a fierce warrior for the rebellion she comes to Ishtan in her new form as a novice. Her denial of this new reality is overwhelming and blocks her knowledge of how to control her powers.

Lee is a mystery not just to everyone around her but also to herself. She has no idea where she comes from and how is it that she is able to cross over to Ishtan from her world. Kalen only knows that Lee is important not just to the cause but to himself. He has loved her and desired her for many years but between getting shot at and evading a new attack there is little time for romance. now that Lee is back to stay he is ready to claim her for himself.

If you are expecting the story to be a romance you might be disappointed because although the romance and passion are there the main focus is on Lee and how she comes to unite her old self with the warrior she has become. The first 30 pages are difficult due to acclamation to the new world. The definitions at the start of the book is where this information should be since you will need to know this information from the get go. The definitions allow you to get to know the inhabitants of this new world because as soon as you start the book you are thrown into that world, no real introduction just slam-bam thank you ma.am.

But how do you introduce such a dark existence as those living in Ishtan have? The world building is extraordinary and so vivid that you can feel the desolation and the hopelessness when Kalen describes the future of his world. The story doesn't just paint the bleak panorama that exist now but the richness and vitality that existed in the past. You mourn the loss of Ishtan as you see it through Kalen's eyes. Wonderfully done!

Despite the difficult start, the book picked up and was a smooth read. There were parts that I would have liked to see more of the Warlords and their threat especially after I accepted the prominent Sci-fi theme. I would have liked to see more of the characters from Ishtan, not just their struggle. This would have made the story more robust and yet by the end not only was I looking for Kalen & Lee's happy ever after but it also left me wanting to hear Morne's story (he was the rebellion's healer and carried a history of his own).

I was divided about the grade on this one just because I loved many things about this book (the strong visuals, the strength of Kalen and his commitment to his people, the unique characters that brought the book to life) but in the end I had to bring it down because it was a difficult start and there was so much focus on Lee's dilemma and the part she was to play in the rebellion that I was left wanting more of the people of Ishtan, more of Kalen, more of Morne and Eira (the witch elder that trains Lee).

Grade: B

Hunters: Interlude by Shiloh Walker

This is the second anthology-like collection in this series. This one carries two stories as did the first one (Hunters: The Beginning).

Byron & Kit: We met Byron during Eli and Sarel's story. He was the Master that Eli visited in the States. Kit is the daughter of a very close friend of Byron who died in battle. When the inherent died, Byron promised to care for his only child, but Kit is no longer that little girl and she has grown into a temptation that Byron has difficulties pushing aside.

Kit loves Byron but he resists her and she believes that it's because he doesn't want her. When Byron can no longer control his temptation he decides that he needs to send Kit away but Kit refuses to go to school and requests that the Council reassign her to a new Master.

Although short, this one was good. I liked to see Byron crawling around under his skin everytime Kit defied him, especially when she showed up in his bed. Poor guy... He didn't have a chance.

Jonathan & Lori: This one was the longer one of the book and we read about the relationship that has developed between Jonathan (the were that is the first to feed Tori) and Lori, Sarel's little sister. Lori has come into her own as a witch / healer but is coddled because she is Sarel's little sister. Jonathan is strong enough to have his own territory but he feels the darkness inside him makes him unworthy both of becoming a Master and of loving Lori.

When a contingent of rebels try repeatedly to kill Jonathan, Lori has to step up to heal him and inadvertently bonds herself to him. The bond scares Jonathan but chaos breaks out around them when someone close to him is kidnapped and he is forced to accept Lori's help in the rescue.

This story gave us more backdrop on what the future might hold for the Hunters which is nice but, honestly, Jon & Lori's story was not my favorite.

Grade: B

Hunters: The Beginning by Shiloh Walker

This month the TBR challenge was two fold and I was lucky to be able to comply with both themes. The first was posted recently which was The Admiral's Bride, but the second theme was to read a book originally published as an e-book (even if you have it in print now). The selection I chose was by an author that my friend Luisa loves and I just had to give a chance.

Title: The Hunters: The Beginning
Author: Shiloh Walker
Year published: 2005
Why did you get this book? A friend of mine is a big fan of this author and I decided to try her work.
Do you like the cover? Yes. Very sexy and tasteful for an erotica
Did you enjoy the book? Yes! It had just the right blend of plot and sex. Reminded me of Lora Leigh's Breed Series
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Brand new author and I already started her next installment of the series.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping it for a while.

Anything else?

This one was an Anthology of a sort, or a collection of stories which contains the first two installments of The Hunters series.

Declan and Tori: Tori has cross paths with a full fledged vampire who takes a dislike to her after she shoots his face off. He believes that the worse he can do to her (after she poisons her own blood with acidity and garlic) is to turn her into one of his own and then abandon her. But Tori is not as alone as this monster assumes and she finds her way to the door of the sexy cop she had been avoiding for months.
What Tori didn't know was that Declan is not all he seems to be. He has his own secrets in the closet, like the fact that he is a shifter. A man with the ability to turn himself into a wolf. Knowing a bit more than she does about the paranormal life, Declan takes her in and helps her. It doesn't hurt that the attraction Tori had been feeling for Declan was mutual and, with their highly developed senses, exploring that attraction can be very, very interesting.

Eli and Sarel: Eli has been a bit envious of Declan and Tori's relationship. Even though he is part of a little trio that gives as much as it gets, Eli feels he is missing something. Sarel hunts Eli because she believes that he has taken someone precious to her. She doesn't realize that the man she seeks is actually the savior she owes everything to.
When her attempts almost succeed, she is forced to see him as he truly is, a Hunter who preys on the evil of the world. Now she owes him more that she ever dreamed. Will she be able to give him the ultimate gift? Her heart?

I love a good vampire tale and the Hunter Council backdrop promises many stories of the other vampires, shifters and werewolves that are also Hunters. There are already several characters I am anxiously looking forward to reading their stories. All in all a great start to a very interesting series!

Grade: A