Paranormal Books

I just want to say I have been reading alot of Ellora's Cave books (which includes many wonderful writers) and the Lunewulf series was great. I have really enjoyed it and would say it is a "must" read.

The eldest sister in the Vega family is at it again! Matchmaking should be easy when you are psychic - but try telling that to Angela! Sure, she can see exactly who her siblings are meant to be with, but getting them to believe it is the hard part. It's not that they don't believe in their sister's powers, but each of her siblings proves to be more than gun shy when it comes to romance.

Take Evelyn Vega, for instance. With one failed marriage under her belt, Evelyn isn't looking for another. Still, she can't say no to her sister when Angela gifts her with a 2 week vacation at a Dude Ranch, even though she knows it is more than likely her big sister is up to her matchmaking ways. A city-slicker like her can enjoy the vacation and avoid falling in love with a cowboy, right? At least, that's what she thinks until she meets younger man Jason...

Cowboss Jason Makepeace also has a bad marriage behind him. While he may not be averse to the idea of falling in love, his plans for the future do not include falling for an ornery city girl like Evelyn. But Jason finds her lure irresistible, and as his latent psychic abilities open his mind to her thoughts, he learns there is much more to this seemingly hardened New Yorker than meets the eye...

First off, I LOVE how Gracie C. McKeever joined her Matchmaker series to her novel Spells Cast in Shadows in this story! It makes perfect sense for Evelyn to vacation at the very same Dude Ranch owned by Seth and Montana Phoenix - not to mention it was great fun to see where that couple is now. Pairing Evelyn with Jason, who suffered from a case of unrequited love in that previous book, was wonderful and paves the way for future crossovers, should McKeever choose to do so.

I loved Jason Makepeace before, but seeing him come into his own in The Matchmaker, Book 3: Manifest Destiny was a pure delight. It took someone with a gentle soul and a firm hand to break through Evelyn Vega's considerable defenses, and who better for the job than a man who stands by his friends even while his own heart is bruised? By the time Jason meets Evelyn, he is over his crush on Montana, and planning for his move away from the Freeborn Ranch. The timing couldn't be better for him to meet the woman who is his `Manifest Destiny', even if he does not believe so at first.

Evelyn thinks she is over the pain of her first marriage, but she has buried the real hurt deep down inside, hidden even from herself. She needs someone like Jason who can touch her very soul, read her every need as easily as he finds he can read her mind, to help her deal with the past that has sealed her heart away from the potential pain of loving again.

I am uncertain how many more Vega siblings are left, but with the expansion of this series in Manifest Destiny, I am hopeful that Angela will turn her skills to others when she finishes marrying off her brothers and sisters. I've enjoyed each of these stories as much as the first, and am nowhere near ready to see an end to McKeever's The Matchmaker series!

Series Order:
Beneath the Surface: The Matchmaker, Book 1
Terms of Surrender: The Matchmaker 2
Manifest Destiny [The Matchmaker 3] (Siren Publishing)

Connected Story:
Spells Cast in Shadows
(This book is not part of The Matchmaker series, but contains crossover characters from 'Manifest Destiny'. While 'Manifest Destiny' can be easily comprehended and enjoyed without reading 'Spells Cast in Shadows', the story in 'Manifest Destiny' will be greatly enhanced by reading 'Spells Cast in Shadows' first.)

If you love Barbara Erskine and Diana Gabaldon, try this debut novel from Benjamin Ford. Restless spirits, a love story that literally spans centuries, reincarnation, possession, time travel and more besides... this novel has it all - and features a twist at the end.

Memoirs Of An Exorcist reads like the day of a life of an exorcist; not surprising, as it's first time author, David Devereux started studying magic when he was a teenager and has been a professional exorcist for twenty years.

He writes in such a humorous and down to earth way about his first hand experiences of exorcising homes, pubs and offices that he comes across as totally convincing.

'Exorcism is an extremely specialised task that calls for a great deal of training, a very particular skill set, a confidence in one's abilities that borders on arrogance and a team of people who work well together under pressure. It's really not something to try if you have any choice in the matter.'

The most interesting thing about Memoirs is how Devereux describes his extraordinary job of an Exorcist as perfectly normal. He candidly describes the hair-raising jobs which Athanor Consulting, a 'ghost busting' company, which he co-founded are hired to do. His clients aren't esoteric weirdoes but are professional people who need their homes cleansed or pubs and businesses cleaned of malign paranormal influences.

Scientists, sceptics and disbelievers in magic of any kind will probably dismiss David's autobiographical account of an exorcist as pure fantasy. But, it doesn't matter if the reader is a cynic or a fervent believe in psychic entities of the malevolent kind. Memoirs Of An Exorcist is a highly entertaining book, whatever way you wish to view it.

David Devereux makes a living from exorcism and in his book, never escapes into fantasy. The matter of fact way he recalls his out of this world experiences is normal to him. To him and his grateful clients, his job is necessary and normal, rather like the role of a plumber. And I should know.

Devereux came to do some 'Spot Cleaning' (chapter seven) in my office when weird things suddenly started to happen to my electronics one Christmas. I'm pretty cynical, and didn't truly believe in stuff like curses or exorcism before he came round to cleanse my room. But, I quickly changed my mind after his extraordinary session, which I can only describe as 'magical'.

'Once a tulpa' (the word comes from Tibetan and means thought-forms), 'has been identified as the cause of a problem, the task is to catch or corner it, and then eliminate it. Since these are artificially created entities, there is nowhere to which they can be returned and so they must be destroyed. This process generally involves draining them of energy to a point where they can no longer hold themselves together and then hitting them with a concentrated blast of energy to effectively blow them apart.'

A fascinating read, especially if the reader like David, believes that 'the universe in which we live is wild and mad and scary,' and know that exorcism is the only solution for 'strange noises in the night and things that move by themselves.'

Mercury Warrant is the most animalistic of the feline breeds. Thought to be the only male whose mate is deceased, Mercury is watched closely by doctors to make sure his feral nature does not surface. Since his supposed mate died in the labs Mercury is resigned to live his life alone without the comfort of the one woman nature intended for him. It is because of this that Mercury is asked to be the bodyguard of Ria Rodriquez, the woman sent to the breed compound by the Leo to track a spy selling confidential information to a pharmaceutical company. The more time Mercury spends with the lovely Ms. Rodriquez the more reluctant he is to let her go - even without the presence of the one thing all mated couples possess.

Ria Rodriquez is on a mission for the Leo. Arriving at Sanctuary, she is surprised but secretly pleased to find the feline breed Mercury Warrant waiting for her. Ria is thoroughly intrigued by this lion and while she knows she can't be his mate, she is willing to be his lover. Her heart breaks more each day that passes without showing signs of their true relationship.

There are other factors to consider. Mercury's feral disposition is being watched closely by friend and foe alike and it isn't until the animal inside of Mercury breaks free of his invisible bonds that the relationship between Mercury and Ria is solidified.

I have been in love with Mercury Warrant since he and his leonine features were first introduced in Tempting the Beast, the first feline breed installment. Every single time his dead mate was mentioned my heart cried a little inside. I wanted Mercury to have a mate but I was picky. I wanted his mate to be worthy of him. I wanted her to be strong but not bullying. I wanted her beautiful but realistic. And I wanted her to love Mercury like he deserved. Ria could not have been better written. She was strong without being hateful. She was striking in her own way and I easily related to her. Last but not least, she adored Mercury with every beat of her heart and for that alone I was satisfied.

MERCURY'S WAR answers gobs of questions and then leaves some unanswered. In the erotic and suspenseful way in which Ms. Leigh is quickly becoming famous, she left me begging for more. I need more breeds, I need more mating heat, and I need Jonas Wyatt badly. Silliness aside, Lora Leigh has really delivered with MERCURY'S WAR. Readers will laugh, readers will blush, and some may cry. But when the last word is read they will be stunned and seriously sad the book ended. I know I was.

MERCURY'S WAR releases from Berkley in October 2008. While it is readable as a standalone, I think reading the series in the correct order is a must to fully enjoy this amazing world created by an amazing author. ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

The author is apparently not afraid to rock the boat of conventionality - he's comfortable (and adept) at poking holes at many commonly held truisms such as UFO visitations, Bigfoot, and 'AIDS is a CIA plot'. This one should ruffle some feathers.

"The Midnight Cafe" is the second of three hardback editions that collect several novels in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. "Club Vampyre" had the first three stories and "The Midnight Cafe" has the next three: "Lunatic Cafe," "Bloody Bones," and "Killing Dance." That last one has proven to be the pivotal novel in the series.

In "Lunatic Cafe" our heroine no longer bears the marks of Jean-Claude or any other master vampire and is exploring a relationship with Richard, the middle school teacher. Of course there are problems: Richard is a werewolf whose pack leader is threatening to kill him, Jean-Claude will not take "no" for an answer and has a female vampire who wants to kill Anita, and Dolph wants help identifying the something that is killing lycanthropes (shapeshifters). The Lunatic Cafe is the name of the hangout where the werefolk meet and Anita is finding out more about their kind than she really wants to know. Good thing they want her help in finding out who is butchering their kind, although her involvement is certainly a mixed blessing.

As always with Hamilton's Anita Blake novels, she managed to bring everything together by the end of the story. With each book in the series I become more convinced that the "Vampire Hunter" label is to attract fans of Buffy, but Anita is really an Animator (she was a Vampire Hunter in the time BEFORE the first novel) and these books are considerably more gruesome. One of the subplots in "The Lunatic Cafe" concerns a pornographic/snuff film with werewolves and a human girl, with Edward showing up to avenge her death. These are very intense horror novels and Buffy wannabees picking these up without having a clue as to what awaits them inside are not going to sleep for a week. Hamilton has created an alternative reality where monsters have legal rights, and she explores this world with creativity and intelligence. Her heroine endures a lot of physical damage in these books and the mysteries she investigates are always complex. This is a first rate horror series that deserves its reputation and its growing following.

"Bloody Bones" is the name of a eating place out in the sticks it is also the name of something much, much worse. Anita and her trainee Larry (not Lawrence) Kinkaid are out in the sticks of Missouri to raise a bunch of really old zombies to settle a development issue. But then Dolph calls Anita to tell her the local cops need her help with a murder investigation that sure looks to our heroine like an incredible fast vampire using a really big sword. Of course, these and every other plot line in the book are all related. The "romantic" triangle between Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard is pretty much on the back burner this time around, although Jean-Claude and his pet werewolf Jason show up to help Anita meet Serephina, the local master. Boy, does that ever turn out to be a mondo-mistake.

"The Killing Dance" is the pivotal novel in the series. When Edward her bounty hunter friend calls up Anita you know it is not going to be good news and it is not. Someone has offered him big bucks to kill her and he has refused the job, not so much out of friendship as from the fact that he can kill more people guarding her than just bumping her off. Of course, the first assassination attempt takes place before Edward makes it to town and when he does the news is even worse. The offer is now up to $500,000 provided Anita is dead within twenty-four hours. But if there is one thing we know about Anita it is that she worries about everybody else before she takes time to think about herself and that fact that people she does not know are trying to kill her for reasons she does not understand. Certainly her friends are having problems that are even more complicated than normal.

Anita's love life is finding new levels above boiling and the price on her head is not helping things. While she has chosen to date Richard Zeeman the werewolf, Jean-Claude the master vampire of St. Louis is still the most beautiful corpse she has ever seen. But Richard is being challenged by Marcus, another alpha male in the pack, for the position of Ulfric and he refuses to deal with the challenge out of a position of strength, despite Anita's desperate council, which means this is going to be another bad ending for everybody concerned, especially since Marcus does not harbor any such moral illusions. Further complicating the issue is Rania, the sadistic lupa of Marcus, who makes S&M porn movies of shape shifters with humans. Jean-Claude has his own problems, with the arrival in town of the ancient vampire Sabin, who wants Anita to cure him of the illness that is killing him. Sabine's human servant, Dominic Dumare, is a necromancer so Anita has more enemies to contend with this time around than any of the previous efforts.

From the vantage point of today looking back at this 1997 novel it is clear that this is the pivotal novel in the Anita Blake series. The one constant up to this point had been Anita's refusal to get off the fence and choose between Richard and Jean-Claude and for readers who were waiting for her to choose you could say that this decision has been made for her. But not only does she finally take one of them to bed, she finds a reason for not doing the same with the other. Everything changes after this point, and very little of it in a good way. "The Killing Dance" also represents a significant change in Hamilton as a writer in that this is the point at which the sexuality in her stories becomes explicit. For many fans this is the point where they lament that the Anita Blake series "jumps the shark," and front this point on the balance between horror and sex really moves from the former to the latter. You are going to have to make up your mind on this score on your own.

The books are similar in that the menagerie of monsters continues to grow, with faeries and worse being added to the roster, while Anita's powers as a Necromancer continue to grow at the most opportune moments. In terms of writing pure horror, Hamilton knows how to lay it out big time. If Hollywood ever dared to film these books as she writes them they would be NC-17 (at least). Yes, Hamilton tends to play the same cards in getting Anita out of her dire predicaments, but as a writer of horror novels with scenes of disquieting intensity that will make it difficult for you to sleep at night, she has Lovecraft, King and Barker beat. She is so good at coming up with scenes of outright horror that go on and on, that I did not let my teenager daughter read these books until she was in college.

I love Marilyn Lee's world of vampires and shape shifters. I fell in love with this series when I read Moonlight Desires & Moonlight Whispers and the Madness series is a good continuation of that series. I love the brothers Gautier and I love the concept that love conquers all sins and sacrifice has redemptive powers. I can't wait for her next installment.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

This book, More than Magick, is the continuation of the story of Win and Diana Sayre, which was begun in Magick.

Win is a mage of the Balance, a kind of religion, based on magick that worships the Goddess. He recently found his lifemate, Diana, an Adept, who is a very rare member of the Balance that is able to practice all kinds of magick.

When a Healer Apprentice, Carla, disrupts the Balance by being kidnapped out of the Ocean Magick stronghold in Rhode Island, and horribly abused, Win is selected to be the temporary Guardian there, as the old one failed at protecting everyone. His first tasks are to find Carla and bring her home safely, and to strengthen the protection on the stronghold so that can't happen again. Diana's Sight dreams assist in finding Carla, though they aren't able to determine who the abductor is... until later.

While Win is learning his new job as Guardian, finally reaching his dreams, Diana is adjusting to life in the Balance, still refusing to worship Goddess because She forced Diana into a very unhappy life growing up, reason being that Diana needed that to learn strength and fully appreciate her gifts and accept the Balance. Win and Diana are also still learning to grow together as lifemates, their conflicting views causing much tension between them, on the brink of tearing them apart.

When Sulis, Win's sister is drawn into the web of the man who abducted Carla, destroying her mind in the process, Win and Diana must put their differences regarding Goddess aside so as to rescue Su from the evil man who has her. Diana must also come to terms with her feelings and decide once and for all if she will dedicate her life to Goddess and the Balance.

This tale is first and foremost a love story, the continuation of Win and Diana's growth as a couple and their love for one another and their acceptance of each others' beliefs and dreams. The characters, not just these two, but all of them, are skillfully rendered and fully developed. One learns what makes them be whom they are, focusing on back-story just enough to understand their reasons for being as they are.

There is plenty of plot to be found, the character driven storyline of Win and Diana's relationship, as well as the action driven plot surrounding Carla's kidnapping and resulting trauma, and Su's relationship with the villain. Magick, of course, is a key element in all the plotlines, in the form of a good vs. evil struggle with a twist.

Ms. Taffs once again lovingly creates the Realm of the Balance, showing her attention to detail and her vivid imagination by crafting a world of magick, love, and beauty, that the reader can't help but be drawn into, never wanting to leave. This reviewer loved her second visit to the Balance, hoping there will be more books from the pen of Mary Taffs, and future visits to such an incredible world. This story will convince the reader that More than Magick can be found everywhere, if only one looks for it.

The reader will be captured for the very first gripping scene, vivid and detailed, and not let go until the end, riding through a roller coaster of adventure and love, all the way to the incredible climax. One does not have to read the prequel, Magick, to follow the story, but it will fill in some of the recent history leading to events happening here, making this story all the more intriguing.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2003. All rights reserved.

This is simply an amazing book which is informative, easily understood and absolutely real. It dispels the fear of death and soothingly shows that our souls never die; they just continue to evolve. Communications from loved ones who have passed on are beautifully illustrated and give comfort in knowing that they are but a thought away. The stories within are compelling and no nonsense. I couldn't put this book down and although I am no stranger to these beliefs and knowings, it was refreshing to be able to regain the assurance that is provided in the pages within. If you have questions, they will be answered. If you have doubts, keep an open mind and take faithfully the messages given in this marvelous compendium of channeled wisdom. If you already know, then the words will remind you that we are not alone. Whatever you do, don't let this book get away. It is not selling or preaching, just giving truths. You don't want to be left out.