Romance Book Reviews
Page One of TwoDark Demon by Christine Feehan
Jove, April, 2006Paperback, 546 pages
ISBN: 0515140880
Subgenre: Paranormal
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Natalya Shonski is part Carpathian, part human and part Mage.
A powerful and yet lonely woman, she has spent her life fighting vampires, never
staying in one place for too long. She knows about the Carpathian hunters,
but has always avoided them because of a family myth that said that
the Carpathians are pure evil. Drawn to the Carpathian mountains
by a mysterious compulsion, Natalya is fighting for her life against
three vampires and a wolf pack when the Carpathian hunter Vikirnoff
arrives to help in the fight. Vikirnoff is dangerously close to turning into a vampire himself, because he has never found his lifemate.
Vikirnoff immediately recognizes Natalya as his
lifemate, and is overjoyed that he has finally found a sweet, June Cleaver-like female to
marry. Vikirnoff is one of the oldest and most powerful Carpathians, and
is in for a real shock. Because, as Natalya tries to explain to him, she's more
Xena Warrior Princess than June Cleaver. Not being a fan of television, he has no idea
what she's talking about. But he's about to find out, because the woman
he is destined to spend his life with is an independent modern women who just happens
to be just as skilled a warrior as he is.
The talented Christine Feehan takes her bestselling Carpathian series into a new and very exciting direction with this pulse-pounding adventure. The Dragonseeker line, hinted at in prior books, is introduced in Dark Demon and the subplot adds a rich texture to the Carpathian mythology. Natalya and Vikirnoff's interactions are priceless and quite funny, as Vikirnoff begins to realize what it means to live in the modern world. It is a difficult thing to keep a long-running series fresh and alive, but Christine Feehan does just that: Dark Demon is an absolutely gripping story, full of adventure, passion, and -- of course -- true love.
Hex and the Single Girl by Valerie Frankel
Avon Trade, February, 2006Trade paperback, 320 pages
ISBN 0060785543
Subgenre: Contemporary
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Emma Hutch is a Good Witch living in New York. Her talent is
telegraphopathy: she can send images into other people's minds with a touch.
She uses this unusual talent in her matchmaking business: for the right fee,
she sends sexy images of her client into the minds of the town's most
eligible bachelors. Unfortunately, her magical matchmaking powers don't seem
to work on her own love life, which is essentially a disaster.
Just when her bank account is nearly empty,
Emma is hired by a new client who wants to marry software tycoon
William Dearborn. Although she senses that her client isn't on the level about
being madly in love with William, she takes the case. She follows William
all over town in disguise and does her best to make him fall in love with
her client. But William seems somehow immune to her charms, and more interested
in her. Emma is going to have to act fast, because if she doesn't come through on
this case, she's going to be witch without a home after the bank forecloses.
This madcap and very funny romp through Manhattan has an appealing cast of interesting
characters, a touch of magic and a charming heroine that really deserves
another adventure.
Romance Book Reviews
Page One | Page Two
Return to the June 2006 issue of The IWJ.
More from Writers Write