Posts Tagged ‘Christine Feehan’

 

Publisher – Piatkus Books
Publication Date – 29th July 2010
Paperback – 480 pages
Genre – Paranormal Romance
Series – Book 1 in the Sisters of the Heart series

Source – Received from publisher for review

Book Information -For Lev Prakenskii, the last thing he remembers is being lost in the swirling currents of the ocean and sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy off the coastal town of Sea Haven.  Just as quickly, just as miraculously, he was saved – pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger – but Lev has no memory of who he was – or why he seems to possess the violent instincts of a trained killer.  All he knows is that he fears for his life, and the life of his unexpected saviour.  Her name is Rikki, a sea-urchin diver in the small town of Sea Haven.  She always felt an affinity for the ocean and the seductive pull of the tides – and now, for the enigmatic man she rescued.  But soon they will be bound by something even stronger – each other’s tantalising secrets that will engulf them both in a whirlpool of dizzying passion and inescapable danger.

Review – This book is the first in the Sisters of the Heart series, but it is tied to another series written by Feehan – the Drake Sisters series.  Although there are quite a few references to events that happened in the other series, I did not have any trouble reading this book as a stand alone from the other series.
Rikki has moved to Sea Haven to seek refuge from her past.  Her parents were killed in a house fire when she was just thirteen, and also survived fires at several other times in her life.  She now has an intense fear of fire and is frightened that she has subconsciously started these fires herself.  But she has an affinity with water and loves her home by the sea.  She is a sea urchin diver and she is never more at peace than when diving out at sea.  One day when Rikki is out diving, she comes across a man who has obviously fallen into the sea without any diving gear and he is hurt and in trouble.  Rikki rescues him and takes him back to her house to help him recover from his injuries.  This man, Lev, has suffered severe concussion as a result of his injuries and he can’t remember much from his past.  All that he can remember is that he is a bad man with killer instincts.  Over time Lev and Rikki start to fall in love with each other, but they are both in a huge amount of danger and Lev must find out where this danger is coming from and put an end to it so that they can live together in peace.
The biggest strength of this book is the way that Feehan is able to describe her characters and bring them to life.  Rikki is a troubled young woman with a lot of problems.  As well as her tragic past with the fires, she also suffers from autism and has to live by her routines.  She gets so overwhelmed by lights, sounds, people and deviations from this routine that at times she is not able to function.  Feehan describes these breakdowns so well that you feel as if you are right inside Rikki’s head and you can’t help but feel for her. Lev has also had a tragic past and has been trained as a killer.  Although he believes himself to be a bad man, he finds a different side to himself whenever he is around Rikki.  You can really feel his pain as he tries to discover who he is, as well as who he would like to be.
The romance between these two characters is well written and believable.  I have read quite a lot of paranormal romance books lately and it seems the norm that the main characters jump into bed with each other and then fall in love with each other later.  However, in Water Bound, Rikki and Lev take time to get to know each other and give their love time to grow before starting a relationship.  This just gave the book a more romantic feel than some others I have read recently.  I also enjoyed reading about the psychic link between Rikki and Lev as this added a new dimension to their love for each other.
However, I wasn’t very impressed with the mystery part of the novel.  They are both in danger from unknown sources and this should have brought in an element of intrigue and excitement.  But I felt like this part of the story moved too slowly and I will admit to being bored during a few parts.  Also, I just wasn’t happy with the way that the mystery part of the story was concluded.  To me it felt a bit rushed and I found it a bit unbelievable, leaving me with a slightly unsatisfied feeling.
Overall though, I did enjoy reading this book and I would definitely try another book from this author.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. Be careful not to include spoilers.

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the books to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Water Bound by Christine Feehan:

“Don’t go yet.” Because he didn’t dare go to sleep.  He might really kill her if he woke up disoriented.  He needed to be able to figure out what the hell was going on.
Page 68

What is your Tuesday Teaser?

 

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Every week I’ll post about what books I have received that week – either through the mail for review, borrowed from the library or bought.  I got loads of great books this week and I’m very excited about reading them!!!

For Review:

Jane Costello – The Nearly-Weds (This was passed on to me from Book Chick City to review)

What’s the worst thing that could happen to a blushing bride?  To somebody warm, loving, and fun – like Zoe Moore? When she finds herself jilted at the altar by her fiance Jason, Zoe knows she doesn’t deserve this heartache and humiliation.  Unable to face the pitying faces of her friends and family, Zoe takes drastic action: she flees to America.  Specifically, to Boston, where she takes up a post as nanny to five-year-old Ruby Miller and her little brother Samuel.  Ruby and Samuel have lost their mother in an accident.  They may as well have lost their father, too, for Ryan Miller is so wrapped-up in his grief that he barely notices his two attention-starved children.  As Zoe sets about tidying up Ruby and Sam’s home, and injecting some fun back into their lives, she finds herself gaining their trust and love.  At the same time, Zoe grows more and more frustrated with Ryan’s bullying behaviour, and his shameful neglect.  Whatever happened to the loving man she keeps hearing about from his neighbours?  Zoe can’t find any sign of him.  The only thing saving Zoe from despair is the small, close-knit group of British nannies who quickly befriend her.  There’s boisterous Trudie, man-mad but hiding a painful secret; Sloanie traveller Amber, who sports a Buddhist tattoo that, unbeknownst to her, reads ‘Batteries Not Included’.  And chilly, tight-lipped Felicity, whose cut-glass voice gives little away.  But will these new friends be able to save Zoe, when she discovers that the past isn’t all that easy to escape, no matter how far you go?

Christine Feehan – Water Bound

For Lev Prakenskii, the last thing he remembers is being lost in the swirling currents of the ocean and sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy off the coastal town of Sea Haven.  Just as quickly, just as miraculously, he was saved – pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger – but Lev has no memory of who he was – or why he seems to possess the violent instincts of a trained killer.  All he knows is that he fears for his life, and the life of his unexpected saviour.  Her name is Rikki, a sea-urchin diver in the small town of Sea Haven.  She always felt an affinity for the ocean and the seductive pull of the tides – and now, for the enigmatic man she rescued.  But soon they will be bound by something even stronger – each other’s tantalising secrets that will engulf them both in a whirlpool of dizzying passion and inescapable danger.

Martin Millar – Curse of the Wolf Girl

Scottish teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch is in London trying to settle down and live a normal life.  Her new friends support her as she goes to college to learn to read and write, but her old enemies won’t leave her alone.  Many powerful werewolves want Kalix dead, and the Guild of Werewolf Hunters is still dedicated to wiping out the entire MacRinnalch werewolf clan.  Life might be easier for Kalix if her werewolf family were able to help, but her sister the Enchantress needs all of her sorcerous powers to locate the perfect pair of high heels, her brother Markus is busy in Scotland organising an opera, and her cousin Dominil is engaged in her own merciless vendetta with her enemies.  Kalix must carry on alone but she’s finding it difficult enough to pay the rent and cope with her anxiety and depression, while struggling with werewolf hunters and exams at the same time…

Kate Brady – Last to Die

She’ll charm you, punish you, then kill you…  Mia Kettering is a ruthless killer who hides in plain sight.  Indeed, no one believes that a beautiful, wealthy socialite could be capable of murder.  But now she’s begun her master plan that will leave six women dead, punished for their dark pasts.  Detective Dani Cole is determined to track down a serial killer whose victims include a young woman she pulled out of a life of crime.  Her investigation leads her to Mitch Sheridan, who once saved her life but then disappeared.  With danger hot on their heels, Dani and Mitch unearth a deathly chain of deception that leads to a killer who is closer than they think – and more terrifying than they imagine…

Kat Richardson – Labyrinth

Just back from London, Harper picked up some new skills while she was away.  But instead of taking the time to hone them, she’d rather focus on what’s important.  Like finding the two-bit perp who ‘killed’ her.  She’s convinced he’s a valuable clue in the puzzle of her past and her missing father, as well as a key to figuring out who’s trying to manipulate her powers and why.  There’s just one problem.  Turns out the man who ‘killed’ her was murdered himself while she was away.  Lucky for Harper, she has an airtight alibi, but that doesn’t mean the police are going to play nice.  With Seattle’s recent surge in violence – thanks to the vampires – she’s already under suspicion.  Which means Harper has to watch her step.  Because finding the ghost of her ‘killer’ – and rescuing her father – will mean entering into the Grey.  And with her growing powers pulling her more deeply into that paranormal world, Harper’s afraid she may not be able to come back out…

Library

Amy Meredith – Shadows

Fifteen-year-old Eve Evergold is cute, sassy and enjoying a busy social life.  What she doesn’t know yet is that someone close to her is an evil demon that only she has the supernatural power to defeat.  She needs to work out who it is – and fast!  Because although there’s something very attractive about the dark side… dating a demon?  Pure hell!

Carrie Jones – Need

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect Facebook friends.  It’s little wonder, since she’s had a fairly rough life.  Her father left when she was a baby, her stepfather just died and her mother’s almost given up – in fact, she’s sent her to live with her grandmother in cold and sleepy Maine to ‘keep Zara safe’.  Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother just can’t cope.  Zara’s wrong.  The man she sees everywhere – the tall, creepy guy who points at her from the side of the road – is not a figment of her imagination.  He’s a pixie.  But not the cute, sweet kind with little wings.  Maine’s got a whole assortment of unbelievable creatures.  And they seem to need something – something from Zara…

Carrie Jones – Captivate

Zara and her friends knew they hadn’t solved the pixie problem for good.  Far from it.  The king’s needs grow deeper every day he’s stuck in captivity, while his control over his people becomes weaker.  It’s made him vulnerable.  And now there’s a new king in town.  A turf war is imminent.  The new pixie king is moving in quickly.  He swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he’s one of the good guys.  Zara isn’t so sure.  Despite herself, she wants to trust the new king, but there’s a lot more than her relationship with boyfriend Nick at stake.  It’s her life – and his.

Rachel Hawkins – Hex Hall

In the wake of a love spell gone horribly wrong, Sophie Mercer, a sixteen-year-old witch, is shipped off to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries.  The traumas of mortal high school are nothing compared to the goings on at “Freak High.”  It’s bad enough that she has to deal with a trio of mean girls led by the glamorous Elodie, but it’s even worse when she begins to fall for Elodie’s gorgeous boyfriend, Archer Cross, and frankly terrifying that the trio are an extremely powerful coven of dark witches.  But when Sophie begins to learn the disturbing truth about her father, she is forced to face demons both metaphorical and real, and come to terms with her own growing power as a witch.

What was in your mailbox this week?