Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab
Sandra Schwab has a great voice, and she conveys a wonderful sense of atmosphere in Castle of the Wolf. However, the story underutilises the paranormal element. Or, another way to look at it is to say that the paranormal element is superfluous. Without it, the story would still stand on its own, and I’m baffled as to how this story became a paranormal in the first place. This was distracting because I kept expecting the hero to shapeshift (the heroine calls him her “wolf”) but no, the paranormal element is really quite … wussy.
Von Wolfenbach, the hero, is deliciously dark and broody, but veers into immaturity at times. The pranks he plays on Celia to try and scare her into leaving the castle are juvenile, and the way he keeps stomping off in a huff can get irritating. The villain’s motivations are underplayed, and he’s too much of a caricature for me. Likewise, some of the characterisation seems forced. The bedroom scenes are wonderfully sensual, however, particularly when the erotic playing cards are used. You can read an excerpt here.
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Dreams of Stardust by Lynn Kurland
The heroine
Amanda de Piaget is a poor little medieval rich girl. Sick of being paraded around prospective husbands who are only interested in her dowry, she won’t settle for anything less than a man she can love and respect, even if it means running away from home … or becoming a nun.
The hero
Jake Kilchurn, successful gem designer, starts the day as a reluctant errand boy for his father, ends up in northern England in a castle filled with ghosts, experiencing the most disorienting cases of deja vu. Nothing he can’t cope with … until he crashes his 1967 Jag.
The setup
Jake wakes up to find himself in thirteenth century England, where Amanda–in the process of running away from home with moderate success–finds him, and he is taken to Artane under much suspicion. Brought together by extraordinary circumstances, can Jake and Amanda conquer medieval prejudices, self-doubt, jealous suitors, and time itself to be together?
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Mind Game by Christine Feehan (GhostWalkers, Book 2)
The heroine
Dahlia Le Blanc’s enhanced telekinetic skills are a blessing and a curse. Subjected as a child to grueling psychic exercises that stripped her mind of their natural defenses, she is unable to properly function around people and their emotions and is forced to live a lonely, isolated existence.
The hero
Nicolas Trevane is a GhostWalker, one of an elite group of military trained, psychically enhanced government operatives. A loner by choice, he volunteered to be a GhostWalker to enhance his gift for healing; instead, it’s made him a better hunter. He’s also an anchor–he can draw emotion or energy away from others to help them function better–and a kick-ass sniper.
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Lover Revealed by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 4)
The heroine
Marissa … uh, I don’t think she has a last name … is a 300-plus-year old, divorced, virgin vampire whose market value in the vampire aristocracy took a severe beating when her former spouse dumped her in favour of a half-breed. The only person who really talks to her anymore, aside from the servants, is her brother, Havers … and he’s pretty dodgy. He’s also a big snob, and when Butch, the hero, comes over one day (in a previous book), Havers turns him away. Marissa doesn’t know this and thinks that Butch just lost interest in her. To cut a long story short, Marissa has major self-esteem issues.
The hero
Butch O’Neal is a former cop who is feeling rather useless surrounded as he is by the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a group of super-fighting, scary vampires who pretty much have no use for Butch except as someone to play pool and trade wisecracks with.
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Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh (Psy/Changeling Series, Book 2)
When I won an ARC of Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh, I went into squee mode because Singh’s first book, Slave to Sensation, blew me away. I don’t say that lightly. I devoured the book. And then I pimped it out to Wandergurl, who loved it so much she went and bought her own copy. And then I asked for my copy back so I could reread it. So winning the ARC of the sequel? Squee!
I was supposed to post this review a few weeks ago, but for various reasons didn’t get around to it. It’s probably just as well that I didn’t review the ARC as I meant to. Because the first time I read it? I wasn’t overly impressed. Don’t get me wrong–it’s a great read. But I’d reread Slave to Sensation first and the sequel just didn’t seem as compelling. I was bummed!
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