Romance, edginess, and the paranormal come together in a cohesive and engaging tale.
A witch regains her magic and reunites with her vampire mate while both are threatened by external forces in Crescent’s (The Last Marine, 2015, etc.) romantic fantasy.
When Lilith Caldwell receives an unsigned note telling her, “The future lies in the past. Go home. It is time,” she eventually succumbs and returns to the childhood house she inherited. This is the same place where, two decades ago, a young Lilith called for her “mate” to save her from her grandmother’s beatings, and vampire-daemon James answered. Present-day Lilith, at her old home, tries to rid herself of a dark entity that seems to be attached to her—one that she’s dubbed “Aimee.” But there are surprises in the house: James is squatting there, and the magical power that she lost, likely due to Aimee, returns. James, a Guardian for the Watchers (a group of fallen angels), normally has a mission to assassinate any being that would threaten the balance of good and evil, but the Watchers demand he protect Lilith instead. The witch and vampire are drawn to each other, but, with various menaces looming, their newfound romance isn’t the only thing at stake. Julius Crowley of the Vampiric Council is searching for Lilith, certain that she’s a threat to all Guardians. Meanwhile, Rowena, the High Priestess of Lilith’s former coven, may have a way to decimate all daemonkind. Crescent’s novel deftly blends elements of erotica and fantasy. The inevitable sex scenes between the two main characters, though explicit, often thrive on tension, as James’ technique is deliberately slow and diligent, and the two take turns as the dominant partner. Nevertheless, the narrative is even stronger as a thriller, as it’s rife with mystery (with over 100 Guardians having gone missing in a month) and a dense back story that draws on multiple religions. Most readers will be unsurprised by the plot turns in the final act, but the confrontations between formidable characters (including the spellcasting Lilith) are thoroughly satisfying. The book also ends with a rousing setup for a planned second volume in a trilogy.
Romance, edginess, and the paranormal come together in a cohesive and engaging tale.Pub Date: April 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9971872-3-6
Page Count: 362
Publisher: Cara Crescent Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
