Paranormal Books

Jane Colby has just come home from reporting about a particularly grisly murder in her small town, and all she wants to do is slip back into bed and finish reading her steamy romance novel. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she finds an enormous, muscle bound Warlord comfortably ensconced in her home whose telling her that she's in danger from a killer from the future, whose killing in the past. She's understandably suspicious of this man whose claiming to be some time traveler and she hasn't even met his talking wolf Reika yet. Baran Arvid has been recruited by the Temporal Enforcement Agency to protect Jane from a vicious killer whose mutilating women throughout time and selling his recordings as entertainment. Though Baran is not an Enforcement agent, the agency has uncovered videos of him in the past and know he needs to be here in this time period to stop this killer. They send him back without any information so he can't affect the time continuum, certain that whatever does happen is meant to be. Baran expected this to be a cut and dry mission. Save the girl, kill the bad guy and then get on with his solitary existence. So when he finds her little red negligee and falls in lust hard, he's surprised. He's fascinated by this little native and admires her courage and intelligence, as well as her her lush body. Jane becomes very precious to Baran and he's soon obsessed with the need to protect her, desperate to try and heal the wounds that settled in his heart the day he failed to protect the girl he loved when he was young. Along their journey the ice surrounding Baran's heart begins to thaw, but he soon remembers that when this is over, he'll be sent home and Jane will have to stay in her time, separating them by centuries. The killer on Jane's trail becomes increasingly determined to get to her and begins to taunt them, hoping to get Baran to lower his guards. It takes Jane's newfound courage and the help of some friends to defeat the killer, but when it's over, she has to make a choice that could risk the fate of the world itself. Or she could grasp onto a love that will forever change their lives and follow Baran wherever he goes.

While this is a Terminator styled romance with hints of paranormal, science fiction and time travel mixed in, it's not over the top. Angela Knight keeps everything tight and moving forward at a brisk pace and sets the sheets on fire with her scorching love scenes! Baran is deliciously dominate due to his highly charged, genetically altered hormones and their love scenes will make you red in the face, while making you desperate for more. He looks like a throwback to the Viking era, while being a futuristic Warlord who is one of his race's best assassins. He's determined to protect Jane whether she wants his help or not and he and his faithful partner/sidekick Reika keep a firm grasp on her. Reika adds a lot of fun humor to the story too and helps to keep things light. He's a genetically altered Timber wolf who talks just like he's one of the guys and he's hysterical. The banter between the three of them keeps the story moving along and helps the reader to forget that there is a vicious killer on the loose whose stylized killings mark an eerie resemblance to Jack the Ripper. Which was a brilliant ploy by Angela Knight. To have the killer be someone whose so infamous throughout time for his brutality upped the fear factor and made it a much more desperate situation. Angela Knight didn't need to waste time having Baran try to put the fear of God into Jane, she was already terrified and rightfully so. If I was Jane, I'd have latched onto Baran and never let go. Well, I would have latched onto him anyway so that's probably not a good analogy. LOL.

This was an excellent story and a great start to the Warlord/Time Hunter series. While Angela Knight is the self proclaimed "Queen of Smut" I've really enjoyed her books to date and think she's a great authoress. Her worldbuilding is tight and suspenseful and there's hardly any fat in her stories. The sex is as hot as can be yet I still enjoyed Baran and Jane when they weren't rolling around in the woods. There's humor, suspense and a lot of love here and I highly recommend Jane's Warlord as an excellent read. Enjoy!

I went through the book too fast, darn it. Wonderful new world building in the book, time travel at its best! Loved the characters, especially the wolf! Nice change from the paranormal books I read. I hope it is the start of a long series.

I just couldn't put it down. I love Angela Knight! Talk about a steamy page turner. She's one author I never already know whats coming. She keeps me guessing, on the edge of my seat.

Great story. This one was my introduction to Angela Knight, and had me looking for other books by her.

The characters are great, I love the mystery/thriller part of the book, but also that it doesn't overtake the romance part. The hero is way Hawt, and up front about it. I love that this book is not coy, and doesn't try to pretend that they're IN LUV at their first meeting. Wanting to bang someone out and being IN LUV is two different things, and I appreciate it when an author understands the difference and ALSO understands that WE KNOW the difference and can handle it.

That being said, the evolution of the Protagonist Couple's emotions for each other is great, and believable, and in the end, you know it's not just mind-blowing sex. It's mind-blowing sex between two loving and committed partners!

5 stars: DAMMIT where is my copy of this?? I loaned it out...we were in the desert...it's probably on the other side of the country by now, and I have to go to the bookstore to re-read it.

Think Terminator with more sex. He's a 24th century warlord who's traveled 300 years back in time to hunt down one of the worst mass-murderers in history. Yet when Barin Arvid tries to explain that to Jane Colby you won't be surprised that she laughs right in his face. She's a small town reporter who is no stranger to the bizarre, but this huge, gorgeous, ripped.. okay focus, potential psycho is definitely pushing her credulity.
Though the fact that his sidekick is a huge smart mouthed timber wolf could be making a believer of her. Barin's there to protect Jane, who is destined to become a victim of his prey, but their explosive chemistry soon has them burning up the sheets. If you like your men dominant, your sex scorching and your sarcasm plentiful then Jane and her warlord are sure to keep you entertained.

Kelley Armstrong strikes again. Another well written story. Once you start reading you just can't put it down.

"Stolen" was by far my favorite of the three novels by Kelley Armstrong featuring Elena the werewolf. In "Bitten" I didn't much care for Clay or her relationship with him, but in "Stolen" something clicked and I completely fell in love with the characters.
Kudos on the cover art as well.

This book was extremely good. Here we find Elena checking into illicit werewolf activity as a part of her job in the pack. Following a tip, Elena is led to a meeting with two witches. Things spiral out of control and Elena ends up being kidnapped and brought to an undercover and illegal paranormal "study" organization headed by a bigwig millionaire psycho. Ty Winslow believes in hunting his 'stolen' prey ala Most Dangerous Game fashion. That is once his co-workers get tired of studying their powers, habits, and DNA. Inside the compound adventure upon adventure awaits. Elena most use all her skills and cunning to get out of unreal situations. How does Elena cope? Who are these intriguing co-captives among her? Will and how does Elena escape and who can possibly make it out alive? I recommend anyone slightly intrigued by this storyline grab up a copy of this book and its predessasor "Bitten" immediately. Personally speaking, I liked this book more than the first. I had problems with some of Elena's behaviours in the first book, but I found her much more likeable this time around. Clay and Jeremey had a much smaller role in this one. "Stolen" is all about Elena and the motley group of other paranormal species she is locked up with. As I understand it Ms. Armstrong goes to some of the other species to star in her next books in the Otherworld series and I say this is a great way to do it. Also changing between the characters in a series is a great way to keep that series fresh and interesting. I am going to go order the next book right now...this series is too good to pass up.

I picked up this book hoping that the heroine, Elena(who, by the way, I couldn't stand in Bitten), would evolve into the strong, sensible woman you would expect of the "Only female werewolf ever". With all the 5 star reviews that is what I was expecting and I had no idea I would be so disappointed.

Elena is still as stupid as ever, doesn't listen to her insticts, and makes me scream "PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS, YOU'RE A WEREWOLF YOU IDIOT". She has at least started to accept some of her situations, but not fully.

Initally you are lead to believe that this is werewolf story, but then the author goes and throws in all the other paranormal stereotypes that anyone can think of. The only reason I can think to put this hodgepodge of character types together is in hopes of selling the book to a wider customer base. The plot line of catch and study and then hunt/kill has been done over and over by untold amounts of other writers and been written better by these other writers. Supposedly this is a way in which to slip these other races into the fold smoothly. If it wasn't a first person view, from only Elena, it might have worked out that way.

I picked up this book, then put it down, because I just don't like Elena, then tried again and again and ended up skimming to the end just to see if she died. If you were to base your criteria of a good book on the fact that you get angry with the stupidity of the characters then this book would qualify as a great read.

I read Bitten five years ago and loved it. And I'd intended to look for this one when it came out, but that was before I started keeping a calendar list of what's coming out when, and I ended up forgetting about it. Argh.

Elena Michaels is the only female werewolf. Her job for the pack is to help keep the werewolves' secrecy by investigating anything online that might indicate a mutt (non-pack werewolf) getting himself noticed.

She's following a lead when she agrees to meet with Ruth and Paige Winterbourne, aunt and niece, who are selling proof that werewolves exist. When she meets them, she finds out that not only do they have proof--they know all about her, personally, and that they'd placed the ad specifically in order to meet her. The women explain that they are witches and they wanted to meet her to invite the pack to a meeting of representatives of supernatural races, convening to discuss the disappearance of supernaturals of all sorts, kidnapped by billionaire Ty Winsloe.

Elena is disbelieving, but when a stalker in fatigues who seems to know she's a wolf tries to grab her, she's a little more willing to listen. So she, the alpha Jeremy, and Clay, her lover, attend the meeting along with the witches, a vampire, a shaman, and a half-demon.

Then she's, well, Stolen--abducted after the meeting when her vehicle gets separated from the one carrying Clay and Jeremy. She's taken to an underground facility with cells housing other supernaturals who are being experimented on. Think Season 4 of Buffy, and The Initiative (which, by the way, is mentioned, making me laugh).

That's why the scientists and doctors are there, anyway. Winsloe just wants his own extreme LARP.

Stolen opens up the series by introducing other supernatural races. Witches are pretty much what you'd expect, but vampires are a little different from what I've seen elsewhere, and the half-demons, who have a variety of powers depending on their demon parentage, are quite unusual.

There's a lot of worldbuilding in this story, and the plot facilitates that--first by Ruth and Paige explaining things to a disbelieving Elena, and then by the experiments and observations of Winsloe's scientific team.

Even though the story is told from Elena's first person POV, the various characters are all unique and well-developed, including the villains, who aren't just cardboard cut-outs of Evil, and are all the more chilling because of that.

The suspense kept me turning pages, and I particularly appreciated that Armstrong skipped the cliche of the stupid villains--that most of the ways Elena tried to escape had been anticipated and prevented, and that she kept having to stretch her ingenuity.

There is, of course, less of the werewolf pack and Elena's relationship with Clay--that was done superbly in Bitten, and kudos to Armstrong again for not simply rehashing the first book. There's a bit, though, enough to keep fans happy.

I'm glad I finally remembered to get this. The third book is already in my TBR pile.

If you enjoy a good story that is easy to read, this is a great series. It is fun, totally unrealistic, and enthralling.

This book series draws you into the story and keeps you there! It is classified young adult. But, let me tell you, if you are young at heart this book series is awesome. As soon as I read the last book in the series, I was searching Stephenie Meyer's site to see what see has coming up next.

In August of 2007, I was searching for books to read after Harry Potter. I came across an article about the Twilight Saga being the next HP. I wrote the title of the first book down for reading at a later date.

Fast forward to May of 2008. When starting my first year of college, a girl in my Psychology class was talking with me about her favorite books. She mentioned Twilight, and said I could borrow her copy to read it. I accepted her offer and gave the book a try. I was hooked from the first chapter. I bought all the books for myself and am completely obsessed! I may buy this package just to have it! But seriously, if you haven't read this wonderful series, this is the best way to get the first 3 books. And don't miss the movie on November 21st!

I just love this series. It is nice to have another author that is interested in writing clean and wholesome stories. Go Stephenie. My dauhgters got me reading this series and I bought this set for my mother, who has now read all the books and she has been passing her copies around the rest of the family. I would highly recommend these books, couldn't put them down.

I enjoyed the series but my major complaint was the pitiful 'heroine', Bella... for me she was little more than an extremely shallow girl who wants to become a vampire to avoid "getting old" (ie., by turning 19 and being older in years than Edward?). Meyer's attempt to compare Bella and Edward to Romeo & Juliet is also a poor analogy (there is no comparison))... I just wish Bella hadn't been so immature - or that the author didn't portray growing older as something so very negative... for me that ruined the character (as her complaining was endless).

"The beauty and the horror..." The opening words set the mood for the story and then Chapter 1 introduces a ghost - no, a vampire- who has been awakened from the grave. But what awakened him? Chapter 2 answers that question and the story begins in earnest. We learn who called him from his sleep (a woman - of course; his lost love reincarnated - perhaps) and some of his history and hers. He is there to do anything for her but what does this solitary woman trained to objectively look into others' minds want and what will this vampire hungry for love (and blood) do? Chapter 3 does not tell but leaves the reader wanting to read more about these characters and their story. I am generally not a reader of this genre. After reading the "vampire" novels of Anne Rice I became "burned out" and didn't think I would be interested in another vampire story. But this excerpt makes me want to read all of Cardinal Desire to the end.

Each and every one--the good, the bad and the ugly--from which I gleaned something (do I need another couple of adjectives here?) Okay, joke. I appreciate the Publishers Weekly review as well as the Amazon Top Reviewers who took the time to read and review my efforts.

It was a fun rollercoaster ride but when I was ejected in midair I felt quite sick at my stomach. (Joking again) Still and all, I wouldn't take anything for the experience.

Ms. Nightingale's prolific use of language is captivating and charming. Every sentence paints a tree of the whole forest. She is one of the few people who have peeked my interest in vampire stories. I am looking forward to reading more of Cardinal Desires.

I got tired of vampires after my fascination with Ann Rice books wore thin, but this story caught my attention. The language is rich and the vampire is elegant with just a hint of evil. The sample chapters left me curious, wondering what would happen next.

From the excerpt I read, I must say that Cardinal Desires is an extremely well written story that compels the reader to want to keep going. Can't wait to read more.
Pat C

This most definitely is not the book for anyone who is looking for deep personality analysis, intense themes, riveting plots or insights into Irish history. I'm sure that those who have had any contact, online or otherwise, with Wiccans would not find the latter to be laughing aloud at the idea that magical wands or transforming oneself into wolves would be a likely encounter. Yet, as a natural bluestocking who freely admits that Nora Roberts books are a regular guilty pleasure, I recommend these books highly for their blend of romance, magic, and a light but fairly realistic treatment of conflicts that can arise from not wishing to have one's true nature compromised yet knowing being different can alienate those whom one loves.

These magical tales are just perfect for a day at the beach, or snuggled under a duvet during a rainstorm, or for a leisurely garden read. I found myself wishing I could enter Morgana's shop or have a brew with Anastasia. The depictions of human relationships are lovely - filled with warmth and the ideal of a supportive and loving family. A profound truth always underlies the action - that love is the truest magic of all.

Loved the magic but everything just went to smooth. Roberts usually has a bit more twists but i guess since it was a 3fer they had to fall in love fast.

I had read the Nora Roberts novel "Entranced" several years ago and always wanted to read the books for the other two Donovan cousins, but never got around to it. A few months ago I picked up this book (which has all three novels in it) and read straight through the entire thing in a few days!

The three stories are "Captivated," "Entranced," and "Charmed."

"Captivated" centers around the first Donovan cousin, Morgana. She is a witch who runs a wiccan type store in Monterey. Nash is a novelist who specializes in horror stories (like Steven King I guess) and he is planning to write a novel about witches, so he comes to meet Morgana since she is infamous in the area for being a witch. At first he doesn't believe her powers are real, but as the two continue getting to know each other and fall in love, he begins to believe. I love both the characters, Nash and Morgana. They are extremely well written and fun, I quickly became attached to them. Their story was fast-paced and easy to read, I found it thoroughly enjoyable!

"Entranced" is about the only male Donovan cousin, Sebastian. He has psychic powers and often uses them to help the police when they are stuck on a case. Mel is a private investigator searching for the kidnapped baby of one of her friends. She doesn't want Sebastian's help, but the distraught mother called him anyways. The two of them go on an intriguing journey to find the lost child, and in the process (of course) fall in love! This was my favorite of the three stories - I really became fond of Mel especially. Probably because she reminds me a lot of Eve Dallas, the main character of Nora Roberts' (aka J.D. Robb's) "In Death" novels. Again, the characters are fun, sympathic and enjoyable to read about. This book is more of an adventure than the other two, which made it all the more enjoyable to read. I've read it half a dozen times and I STILL love it. :)

"Charmed" is about the final Donovan cousin, Anastasia. Her extraordinary powers specialize in the healing arts. A widowed (I think, I can't remember) father, Boone, moves in next door to her with his young daughter, Jessie. Ana and Jessie get along extremely well and because of this Ana and Boone end up spending a lot of time together and fall in love. The big problem is, Boone doesn't know Anastasia has magical powers which ends up causing a rift between them when he finds out. Honestly, I thought this was the weakest of the three stories. It wasn't as interesting as the first two and while it was still good, it had the potential to be so much better. Even so, I really enjoyed the characters, especially Jessie who definitely stole the story.

All three books are fun, I really enjoy Nora Roberts trilogies. I get really attached to characters, so seeing them again in a new book is such a fun experience! I highly recommend this set, any Nora Roberts fan will enjoy these books.

Another great trilogy by Nora Roberts. This time the Donovan cousins Morgana, Sebastian and Anastasia who are best friends and witches. Each of them are very interesting and well written. Morgana runs a wicca store and meets Nash who wants to write books about witches. In Sebastian's story he uses his powers to assisst the police he's brought in by a desperate mother looking for her child and meets Mel, a private investigator who doesn't believe in magic or witches. The last story Anastasia mets Boone who moves in next door with his young scene stealer daughter Jessie. All three are wonderful stories that I've read a hundred times and will contiune to re-read.

"Captivated" is a nice basis for the story of the three Donovan cousins. Morgana's principles are admirable. I found myself giving her a few mental you-go-girls when she lost her temper. Nash's progression to belief was well-written and his trip to the castle in Ireland and his meeting with the family were amusing.

In "Entranced" I noticed shades of Eve Dallas and Rourke. I didn't think I was going to like this story but I was won over by the the love story and the development of the characters. Sebastian and Mel are an interesting couple.

"Charmed" was my favorite of the three stories. The best parts revolve around Boone's daughter Jessie. She stole the show. The stories within the story were lovely.

The supporting characters in this book are very endearing.

If you enjoy a twist of the paranormal, you'll enjoy this book.

I've read from time to time many books on this subject and this and Fr. Amorth's other book are perhaps the most in-depth and detailed of any written. No fluff here...solid material and riveting. I also highly recommend
Donald Omand's book Experiences of a Present Day Exorcist but it is out of print.

What I thought would be a scary book, instead strengthened my faith and gave me new insight. Instead of promoting fear, it inspires hope and strength. Powerful deliverance prayers for lay people included as well. Fr. Amorth really tells it like it is and lets people know how to protect themselves. Would like to see more Priests and Ministers alike stand up like this. Found out more about the real reason for the Bible in the first 47 pages than I've realized in 59 years. Don't be afraid to buy this book...it's terrific!

A unique and critically important book for Catholic bishops and priests who are the ordinary ministers of persons under diabolical influence.

I just read a book that I am really glad I read. It is called An Exorcist tells his story by Fr. Gabriele Amorth.

The book confirms what I always knew,An Exorcist Tells His Story that the devil is indeed real, possession is indeed real, and the fact that his antics are taken so lightly is why he is on the rise. According to Amorth, one of the major factors contributing to the increase of demonic influences is western consumerism. Many people have lost their faith because of materialism and a hedonistic lifestyle.

Another contributing factor is the concept that modern sciences like psychology and psychiatry can explain all human conduct. Witchcraft, spiritualism, and other aspects of the occult are on TV, and books dealing with them are on newsstands.

The church has become "soft" on the issue of Satan claiming that "he doesn't exist" or that he is not able to do things that would require an exorcist. The act of exorcism some in the church say outlived its usefulness a few hundred years ago. Each diocese should have at least one exorcist, but most bishops won't appoint one.

He did an entire chapter on witchcraft saying it is a direct cult of Satan. There is no difference spiritually between black and white magic. Many people who are possessed and get no help from the church, turn to wizards and other sorceress who simply use another spell to get them involved even deeper.

The weapons the Christian has against are truth, justice, faith and the double edge sward of God's word. However the sorceress have the power of destruction, and Satan's army to continue to wear them down.

Amorth makes an interesting statement about superstition. He says, where religion fails, superstition increases. The cold irony of that is that sadly, those in positions to actually fight the devil are saying he either doesn't exist or is at worse, a minor nuisance.

Amorth cites many verses where Christ expelled demons. He also gave the power to those who believe in him. Many protestants do exorcisms and they still realize that evil is alive and well. My favorite line in the entire book is where he says that those who do not believe in Satan are essentially saying they don't believe Christ came. After all, he came to combat Satan. So if there is no devil then why did he need to come to earth and fight for our souls??.

Many Catholics have discovered the practice of deliverance from Christians of other traditions, mainly Pentecostals. The books they still read come from these.

He cited several experiences of his own while doing exorcisms and told some pretty bizzair stories. However the book was not written like a Hollywood style horror flick. He told enough real life events to keep it interesting but he mostly focused on the symptoms of possession, the reasons for it and what the Catholic Church should do about it.
I enjoyed that one so much I am now reading the second one called An Exorcist, more stories.

Fr Benedict Groeschel hits the nail on the head in his introduction when he says that Fr Amorth speaks of "a world that vacillates between severe rationalism and wild speculation." Inconsistency, a certain wildness and an intended humour must also be added to the list:

"It is often said that the cat is an animal who "absorbs spirits" and that evil spirits assume the resemblance of a cat to go undetected. For certain warlocks and some forms of magic the use of cats is fundamental. I want to make it clear that this is not the fault of this charming house pet." (page 127) I admit that this last sentence made me laugh aloud.

He also gives useful plumbing advice: "Nothing must be thrown into the toilet or sink; when this happens, often the entire hourse is flooded or every drain becomes plugged" (page 135)

For an example of wild speculation, see pages 160 and 161 on sorcerors: "I will mention again that healings can occur through demonic intervention possibly under the guise of extraterresterial beings or guiding souls"

Nonetheless, notwithstanding these faults, Fr Amorth's testimonies are in line with the Word of God and sacred tradition. We would be foolish to ignore his warnings concerning the real activity of fallen angels in the life of the world; until the end of time, Satan remains the Prince of this World. Only blindness can prevent us from seeing this fact.

I would recommend his second book; it has more balance and less wildness.

Occasionally, one comes across a writer of exceptional talent. When that happens the wise person takes note and digs for every gem they can find. Marjorie Liu's first book impressed me so much I immediately went online and googled her. Imagine my dismay when all I could find was mention of a soon-coming book: A Taste of Crimson.

Honestly, I thought Tiger's Eye had to be a fluke. I mean really...what newbie author could "speak" with such power, such emotional savvy? Her deft manipulation of the language turned the pages into poetry, lyrical and evocative. I was proven wrong. Her contribution to the Crimson City collaboration was, in my studied opinion, the best of the collection.

For the next three books--Shadow Touch, Red Heart of Jade and Eye of Heaven--Ms. Liu never disappointed. She built upon her solid base of masterful storytelling using a stirring mix of drama, intrigue and magic, blended with a delicate handling of sensual romance. Her world-building and well-rounded characters enhance a story arc that continues to suspensefully build toward a chilling finale that this fan of her Dirk and Steele series looks forward to with dread and anticipation.

Every one of Ms. Liu's stories surpasses her previous one, and this book is no exception. Soul Song, takes us a step closer to that culmination, ramping up the action and the heat. That it is a wonderful read does not need saying. Her name on the cover guarantees such. But with Kitala and M'Cal's story, Marjorie has burst from her crysalis of newbie writer to emerge as a fully actualized author.

There are cameo appearances from earlier Dirk and Steele books, but this one rightfully showcases two new characters. This book is a song of lost hopes, of betrayal. It tells of how a young man's first fragile love was twisted into a brutal enslavement of his body and will, turning him into a leathal killing weapon. Woven in strands of majestic light and dark is the stirring melody of a wild and raw passion, power seething untapped in the heart of a musician who is more than she knows but woefully less than she will need to be...

The catylist is LOVE. When weapon and victim come face-to-face, the music of their souls mesh. Now the weapon becomes the protector and the victim, the savior. Together, they become more than the sum of two lovers. Bound so tightly death and separation can not tear them apart, Kitala and M'Cal stand united in the face of Evil's might armed only with their courageous hearts and their Soul Song.

Like the title of the book, this story sings to you. Ms. Liu's command of the English language is a thing of rare and shining beauty. Each turn of phrase is exquisite, her descriptive skills superlative. This reader was moved to laughter and tears, filled with wonder and dread. I greived, I sang, I cheered with the characters, as concerned for them as though they truly lived and breathed. Through Marjorie Liu's magic magical touch, they do.

I really enjoyed this book. Although, I was a little confused by some of the character references since I've only read a few of her short stories, I truly enjoyed this book. M'Cal and Kitala were not the typical romance novel characters. I appreciate the dark side of the romance that developed between them. If you are new to Marjorie M. Lui, you may want to read a few of her other Dirk & Steele titles before this one, or you may feel a little lost. I also think this book could have been a little longer to take time and develope the story involving Kitala's grandmother, and M'Cal's father. There is a missing link there. If you like your romance with some sharp edges, then this book delivers. I wasn't sure until the end if they were going to make it through. I read it all in one night and couldn't put it down.

Having read several of the earlier books and been intrigued with the tensions of good/evil and who are the bad guys really..., and the gradual development of a romantic bond between the two main characters i found this book vastly disappointing. If you were to rip out the pages of lubricious activity (which goes on and on and on and...gets repetitive) and "soul searching" this book would be about 1/3 as long as it appears.

Heck. Certainly in the earlier books there was a lot of yearning and mental speculation between hero and heroine, and the usual "suspicion" still there was more of a plot, action, adventure, movement of the story. And wow...condoms. This book seems more a vehicle for mechanical and formulaic erotic fantasy, and an attempt to channel Laurell Hamilton that gets in the way.

I had to really work hard to make myself put this book down. This book started on a rollercoaster high and kept speeding up from there. Even from the beginning this book vibrated with tension and the author kept turning it up. The main characters Kitala and M'cal are so hot together I can see the smoke pouring off of them. I was really creeped out by the Ivan character and he reminded me of all the bogeyman stories I was told growing up. The main witch of the story surprised me with her turn around from being throughly evil to becoming a victim as well as the others that are in this book. Jazz Marie was very strong character as well. Seems like being dead has only made her a stronger voodoo priestess. Marjorie M. Liu is a fantastic author and i thoroughly recommend her to anyon that likes paranormal themes in their books.

I found this book to be a let down after the others in the series I have read. The characters, when not just plain boring, seem to make endlessly stupid decisions to run headlong into to danger. Nobody has any lasting emotional damage though torture and rape run amok though out the book. The ending was ridiculously upbeat for such a dark story, as it seems no one had any hard feelings about said torture and rape. This book was so bad that I no longer read anything by this author.

When one of Abby Cooper's clients is murdered she is drawn into the police investigation.

Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye is well plotted and well written. There is an element of romance as there is an immediate attraction between Abby and Dutch Rivers (they meet through a dating service, she doesn't know he's a cop and he doesn't know she's psychic) but it is not the usual I love you/I hate you but rather Detective Rivers trying to come to grips with something he never believed in and doesn't understand. A professional psychic who has worked with the police, Victoria Laurie has made her characters, including the police, believable and well-rounded. This is the first in the series but will not be the last I read. When I next shop for books I will make a point of searching for Victoria Laurie's Psychic Eye books.

I'm just finishing the book and I love it! A friend recommended it and it has been a great summer read for me. The psychic angle is fascinating especially since the author is a psychic herself.

I absolutely love this series and would recommend it to readers looking for a humorous mystery story. I found Abby to be a very likeable character. She can be a little whiny at times, but it's nothing that would put readers off. Even though you can start with any book in the series, I would advise to try and read it in order. Little details in the books would make better sense. Like her main character Abby, the author, Victoria Laurie is a psychic and it was very interesting to get a glimpse of her world. I can only imagine the kind of experience Ms. Laurie has in her own career.

Here's one of those fun books to procure for beach-reading on a very hot summer. Attractive author and psychic Victoria Laurie introduces us to Abigail Cooper, a Detroit resident and psychic extraordinaire who can be clumsy and highly tactless at times, and who describes herself as "vanilla flavored" - meaning her life always seems to lack something, like the yummy fudge chocolate sauce topping on the classic vanilla ice-cream.

In the first installment, Abby finds herself involved in the middle of a mystery that will eventually cause four deaths. Although skeptical of her powers at the beginning, detective Dutch Rivers (who, you guessed it, lived in Holland for a few years and thus speaks fluent "Dutch") learns to trust Abby's psychic abilities as she helps the police in solving the murders and apprehending an even more psychotic killer. Other characters who are sometimes quite more interesting than Abby are her eccentric sister Cat (who unlike Abby seems to have everything under control), and her dachshund dog Eggy, who, you guessed it again, has a penchant for eggs, and is inspired by the author's own dachshund. I would have much preferred a story with them as the protagonists and Abby as the second boring supporting character instead.

When it comes to mystery writing, the biggest asset a writer can possess is to have the talent of supplying all the clues for the reader, yet presenting them in a way that the truth is not easily arrived at. In Ms. Laurie's case, I have to agree with reviewer Richard Stewart, when he states that the character development in the novel is "somewhat lacking", and the fact that the killer does not appear in the story until the final chapter makes this a mystery that lacks the capacity to not only be an above-average novel, but a deceitful one as well. Still, I will give Abby Cooper another try, especially when I am looking for a light, yet not particularly engrossing read, on yet another hot Florida summer.

Likes:
Abby is a very likeable main character and she's easy to relate to. I liked that Victoria Laurie explains what it feels like to receive psychic messages and how the intuition works. 'Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye' is one of the best books that I've read in a while. It was fast-paced, easy to get through and it held my interest throughout the entire book. This book is an excellent start to the Psychic Eye Mysteries and I look forward to reading the whole series.

Dislikes:
I really didn't find anything wrong with this book!

Maybe it was just me, or that my expectations were too high, but as I was reading this trilogy it felt like the author had fallen in love with the idea in the first book, carried it through in the second, but was bored with it by the third. This was not a bad book, but when compared with the first two, it seemed like she pushed the fun and intriguing paranormal aspect of the story to the side and fell back on letting the romance side of the story carry the last book. I began wondering if the heroine would ever have to fight the villain at all.

Even though, it did bring closure to the story and was an enjoyable read. (Even if I had been hoping for more of the paranormal aspect.)

nora roberts is a brilliant novilist her last book of this triology was fasinating. she always keep me coming back for more books.

Hey guys,

I was really impressed with the last installment in the key trilogy. It didn't ramble off into nothing and there was no let down ending like some series that have been on offer. The book really tied all the 3 stories together and with Zoe's stubourness the ending could have gone either way! Definately a great series if you like romance with a twist!

This is my absolute favourite story of this trilogy.

Zoe, a single mother and hairstylist, meets Bradley Vane IV, the sexy heir to a home improvement empire. He falls instantly for her. Only she wants nothing to do with him, as their life and finances are worlds apart. And besides a rich boy left her pregnant as a teen, which makes everything far more difficult for Brad.
But Brad, loved the man for his single-minded persuit of her, will not take no for an answer.

A thrilling read, finding how Zoe learns to overcome her distrust of men and learn to love again while looking for the key.

The third installment in the key series is focused on Zoe McCourt and Bradley Vane's story. Zoe is a single mother, and she has had to struggle to raise her son. She was an unwed teenage mother who was abandoned by her first love James Marshall. As Zoe gets to know Bradley, she is horrified to see the similarities between he and James. It becomes obvious that to get close to the third key, Zoe must get over her trust issues, and rely on Bradley to help her. As in the past books, Kane becomes even more evil, and lives end up hanging in the balance.

A very good conclusion to the Key series. The male/female relationships were done well, but what outshined those, was the relationship that developed between the three women. Dana, Malory, and Zoe were all very different women with different life experiences, but instead of the differences being a hindrance, those differences strengthened their bond. You could feel the strong friendship between them.

Dean Radin's book is an excellent work. Unfortunately, this is the second book I've bought over the last year that is printed on very cheap pulp-paper. Only, HaperOne has done something that the other publisher didn't do, and that is print a hardcover book containing cheap pulp-paper.

In the future, I will be looking to make sure that no book I buy is printed by HarperOne. I will not reward this nasty corporate trend with another dime.

It is funny, I only originally planned to buy Entangled Minds but was told I would get free shipping if I bought this book. I got no free shipping but I got percisely the information I needed from The Conscious Universe. The answer is that, yes, it appears that various forms of extended perception are authentic and are probably distributed among the general population like any other talent.

This book is fantastic with anyone with an interest in anomalous phenomena such as psi, read it then read Entangled minds for the full picture. Even radins critics claim that there is some interesting evidence put forward in this book , I even heard a skeptic website review of the book reach the conclusion "in my opinion "The Conscious Universe" is an interesting book, whose subject area deserves closer inspection." if the skeptics received it moderatly well so will you.

I must confess that this book is written for people who are much smarter than I am. The author has gone into great detail and analyses of many situations of psychic phenomena. I am familiar with much of what he has written because this subject is interesting to me, and I watch television documentaries concerning this subject. Edgar Cayce and his readings are especially of interest.

I wanted the author to give me the answer to something that happened to me, but so far he has not done so. Last fall, I saw a locust on its back. I knew it did not have long to live so I walked by and started to go in my house. Then it was as though something hit me as I thought, "This might be his time to die but he does not have to die right now this minute. If I helped him to get over on his feet, he could live a while longer."

I picked up some plastic ties that are used to tie garbage bags together and touched the locust's feet with the ties. His tiny brain in that tiny body knew that help was coming to him from some place. He held on as I slowly turned my hand over, bringing him back to his feet. I slipped out the ties and said, "Okay, bud, you're on your own." I went into the house and forgot about him.

On the following day I was standing at my mailbox gathering my mail. I heard the buzz before I saw him. When I looked up, the locust was bombarding me. He came directly toward my hair, buzzing all the way. I shook him away from my hair, and then I thought, "I'll bet that this is the same locust I helped. He recognizes me and this is his way of saying 'Thank you.'"

I walked back to where I had seen the locust on his back and looked around the area. I could not find him anyplace. About two weeks later I saw a locust buzzing around my bushes, and I would imagine it was the same locust.

About the same time I noticed a yellow butterfly on the outside of my car window as I was driving into my garage. I thought, "If I shut the door, he will die because he cannot fly freely and will have no food." I reversed the car, drove outside the garage, tapped on the window causing him to fly away, and then drove back into the garage.

These are two occasions where I have had contact with the insect world where I felt that there was some sort of communication going on between us. I do not know if these two situations fit into Dr. Radin's book, but I bought his book hoping that there would be a section explaining this phenomena. I have not found any explanation so far, but I have not finished the book.

Does anybody who reads this have an answer? Are we connected in our universe?

Get the Real Facts on ESP
There's no question about the reality of ESP for anyone who has ever experienced it. Just the other day, for example, as I was driving cross-country to give a seminar, a student came to mind. I hadn't heard from the person in a long time, and I found myself worrying and full of doubt. As these feelings seemed to erupt out of nowhere and had an obsessive quality about them, I suspected a subliminal telepathic influence. I watched as my obsessive worrying revealed certain themes. Acting as if these feelings were a message of distress from that person, I pulled over at a pay phone by the road and gave a call. The person answered the telephone and was surprised at who was calling. "I had just been thinking about you!" was the student's exclamation. I ventured a guess about the content of those thoughts. It was exactly as I suspected. Needless to say, the student was delighted, impressed, and touched.
Something is real if it makes a difference in your life, a wise philosopher woman once told me. I agree. ESP sure made a difference to that student and I. The fact that I reached out and touched that person at just the right moment made a difference in the way we experienced our relationship and work together.
Coincidence? Well, maybe, maybe not. I've heard many people, for example, tell a story similar to mine, only to exclaim, "It was creepy!" Then they shrug it off as "just a coincidence." When they say the C word, they do so with a sigh of relief. The coincidence defense is often used, I believe, to deny the intimate connection between minds, just like in another context someone might deny intimacy by saying "We're just friends!"
To destroy the plausible deniability of ESP, I recommend the book, The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena (HarperSanFrancisco). The author, Dean Radin, Ph.D., is Director of the Consciousness Research Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His name appears often in my Psi Research column because of his wide ranging and innovative research and his book reflects his impressive scope and grasp of the field.
The major strength of the book, and what makes it stand out as a unique and important contribution, is his treatment of the technical details defining the evidence for ESP. People are confused by statistics, for example, and in the absence of a dramatic psychic phenomenon, like spoon bending, we can easily dismiss an ESP effect that is largely statistical in nature. Radin gives some good examples of statistical realities that are more familiar in our culture to help the reader better comprehend the nature of the evidence for ESP. To take one example, perhaps you've heard about the studies showing that aspirin can prevent heart attacks. A long term study by Harvard Medical School was in progress when the results were so dramatic, the investigators made the unusual move of going public before the study was completed. They felt that the information was so important, the public had to be informed because of the lives that could be saved. What is less known is that the strength of this effect, the change in your odds of getting a heart attack if you take aspirin, and the strength of the statistics backing up those odds, are weaker than the statistics that underlie the laboratory evidence for ESP! It's more likely, in other words, according to accepted mathematical canons of science, that ESP exists than it is that aspirin reduces heart attacks. Moreover, ESP has a stronger effect on laboratory data than aspirin has on medical data. If I may say so, ESP is stronger than aspirin!
If ESP is so strong, why doesn't it work in Las Vegas? Radin, strategically located in the gaming capital of America, is in position to give us some new information on this perennial question. The answer is, it does! He was able to obtain normally top secret information concerning casino payoffs. He presents graphs that show, with the visual vividness we usually associate with scientifically secure phenomena, that casino profits fluctuate with the strength of the earth's geomagnetic field. As other studies show, when geomagnetic field is weak, people show greater psychic ability, and the Las Vegas casinos are not exempt from this influence.
We are being affected psychically, and exerting psychic effects, according to the studies Radin presents, on a national, international and global scale. At the moment the verdict in the OJ trial was announced, when more people were glued to the boob tube than in any other moment in history, electronic random number generators in several laboratories registered an unprecedented lack of randomness. When minds are joined, it matters. Over a thirty year period, to give another example, on the afternoon of the outdoor graduation ceremonies at Princeton University, the weather was sunnier than normal, even when it was raining in nearby localities! Just a coincidence? Don't bet on it.
Our thoughts, as has been noted before and as Radin now shows undeniably, are powerfully real things! They make a real difference in our lives. henryreed.com/publications/bookreviews