paranormal

Claire de Lune

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Claire de Lune, Christine Johnson’s debut novel, is a good, but not standout, addition to werewolf lit. The simple way that this twist on werewolf lore is presented will make it a quick and satisfying read to ardent werewolf lovers, though it will have a tougher time winning the hearts of others.

In Claire de Lune, Johnson introduces us to a different type of paranormal world, in which only females can be werewolves. It’s not a feminist book, per se, but the dynamic that this sets up allows Claire to grow into a strong and self-reliant girl/werewolf. Here, it’s the girl protecting the boy, not the usual other way around.

Having a girl be the strength in a relationship would be a great story, but the book never fully lives up to its potential. Outside of Claire, I found the characters difficult to get to know, most of them only fitting roles expected to appear in a paranormal romance: the tensions among the werewolf group members, the love interest’s villainous father, the head-butting mother. I never found myself fully immersed in Claire’s family dynamics, with her mother’s Type A “bad parent” personality and their rather inconsequential au pair (who’s more a red herring than a useful character). All of Matthew’s father’s supposedly malevolent machinations and campaign against werewolves remained in the distant background and never fully took on immediacy.

I guess I’m just extra cynical when it comes to paranormal romances nowadays: it’s going to take a lot to make something stand out for me. Claire de Lune never reaches that point, but I have no doubt that it will find its audience as scores of werewolf lovers prowl the shelves for something equally supernatural and romantic after watching Twilight for the twenty-eighth time.

Written by: Steph Su Reads, July 4th 2010

Forbidden Passion

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:59:00 +0000

By Rita Herron

Forever

Forbidden Passion is a paranormal romance centered around the relationship of Dr. Marlena Bender and Sheriff Dante Valtrez. Set in the small Southern town of Mysteria, the book begins with Marlena returning home to confront her troubled past. Twenty years before, Marlena witnessed the gruesome deaths of her mother and sister at the hands of two men in the woods. She was saved by Dante, then a local teenager.

Haunted by the events of that day, Marlena has pursued a career as a scientist, studying the genetic reasons for violent behavior. Dante, too, is haunted by that day, but for different reasons. He knows the truth about the attack on Marlena’s family: they weren’t attacked by men at all, but by a pack of demons; a pack that Dante himself used to be a part of. Ashamed of his dark past, Dante has devoted his life to protecting the citizens of Mysteria from the demonic forces that prey on them. Despite Dante’s resolve to stay away from Marlena, the two are thrown back into each other’s lives when a serial killer begins stalking Marlena, leaving her tokens from his victims.

This is the third, and I would presume final, book in Rita Herron’s Demonborn series. It’s your typical paranormal romance: the two main characters fight their mutual attraction to each other for half the book before finally succumbing to temptation. There are a lot of demon-related killings, as well as a prophecy and a high-stakes “good versus evil” showdown. Herron keeps the action coming at a pretty fast pace, so even though Forbidden Passion isn’t revolutionary, it isn’t boring either.

The book revolves mainly around the mystery/thriller aspect of the plot, throwing in bits of sexual tension here and there. This makes it a good read for those who prefer their romance novels to be driven by story instead of sex. In the end, Forbidden Passion was able to hold my interest for the duration of the book, but it wasn’t good enough for me to want to read the other books in the series.

Written by: Victoria Kroeger, May 19th 2010

Yes, My Darling Daughter

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:36:00 +0000

By Margaret Leroy

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

“Such a pretty girl. Four years old; well loved by her young mother, Grace. But there’s something...'off ' about the child.”

The above excerpt sets the scene for Margaret Leroy’s Yes, My Darling Daughter. Margaret Leroy offers a novel that is so original and suspenseful it pulls you in from the first page. The story involves Grace, a single mother who works full-time at a London flower shop, and Sylvie, her four-year-old daughter. Things become complicated and strange when Sylvie begins to display behavior that is out of her nature and involves mean-spirited actions at preschool and with friends. She begins to have tantrums, outbursts, and a strange fear of water. These sudden changes seems mysterious, and Sylvie's psychiatrists blame Grace.

Grace knows there's something happening to her daughter that can’t be explained and is beyond her control. To help understand Sylvie's trouble, she decides to seek help from Adam Winters, a university professor who has studied paranormal behavior. Adam has theories about what is happening to Sylvie that prompt the three to travel together to Cold Harbour in order to understand Sylvie’s connection to the area, particularly to the house she continuously draws thought she has never been near it.

Set in London and Ireland, Yes, My Darling Daughter provides a backdrop full of characters that are intriguing and moves along with a past life twist told by an uninvited character. Leroy’s words entice readers into a nonstop and exciting murder mystery. If you enjoy the idea of visits from the other side, this book will satisfy your paranormal appetite.

Written by: LaToya Rogers, September 22nd 2009