THE VANISHING by Wendy Webb

Publisher:     Hatchett Books

Published:     January 6, 2015

ISBN:       978-1401341947

Genre:      Gothic Suspense

Format:    Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gna  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

FIVE  HEARTS

In the aftermath of her husband, Jeremey’s suicide Julia Bishop is left to deal with the scorn of people she thought were friends as well as an outraged populace.  Considered another Bernie Madoff her husband was called a sociopath and Julia was caught in his web.  In utter despair she is stunned when a stranger named Adrian appears on her doorstep with a job offer—to come with him right then and there and become a companion to his mother, Amaris Sinclair.  Amaris Sinclair just to happens to be the woman who inspired Julia to write her first book.  At first Julia is confused—the famous gothic horror writer, Amaris Sinclair has been dead many years.  But Adrian tells her a tale that sounds incredible—Amaris Sinclair is actually alive, but has chosen to live as a recluse in the family home of Havenwood. 

With nothing left to lose, Julia accompanies Adrian to Havenwood where she feels both secure and at the same time unsettled.  The residents of Havenwood are kind and welcoming.  But at the same time they have their secrets.  One moment Julia feels like a cherished friend and at others like a prisoner.  Even more disconcerting are the strange voices she hears when no one is around, particularly a little girl.  And then there are the ghosts…or are they hallucinations brought about by sudden withdrawal from her medication? 

And then, most alarming of all is Amaris Sinclair’s claim about Julia’s family and her connection to a famous psychic.  Drawn closer and closer to one family member and at the same time questioning her sanity, especially when Amaris tells her a story she can hardly believe.  Can her sanity survive the truth of what is happening at Havenwood?

THE VANISHING was the first book by Wendy Webb I have read.  It is not the last—I have already ordered her entire back list and she is high on my auto-buy/auto-read list.  I’m a fan of gothic suspense and gothic horror and she weaves an amazing story that transcends time.  At the end of THE VANISHING one of the characters quotes from Poe’s Dream quote:  “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” That quote sums up THE VANISHING and Webb does it amazingly.

I started reading THE VANISHING and was immediately drawn into Julia and Amaris’s stories.  So much so I couldn’t put it down—taking every free minute on breaks at work, ignoring my co-carpoolers riding to and from work and staying up late at night turning page after page until the end.  And at the end I had to sit and mentally revisit the myriad elements of the story, turning each over in my mind and seeing each facet of it in a new or different light. 

Webb creates the perfect gothic backdrop with Havenwood.  And between Adrian and Drew you have two possible heroes—heroes who could be dark and brooding, dangerous or Julia’s saviour.  And the ghosts—they are a particularly wonderful thread in the story—are they real?  Or parts of Julia’s imagination?  And is her imagination simply that or part of something much more sinister?

Definitely one of the best reads this year.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

TEMPTING THE FIRE by Sydney Croft

Publisher: Bantam
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-0385342285
Paranormal suspense romance
Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by publisher


Sela and Marlena, both agents with ACRO are sent deep into the Amazon jungle on a mission to find a strange creature that seems to have an appetite for blood. Sela has a special gift. She can read people’s minds when she makes love to them. When they arrive, they are purposely captured by a team who are there to capture the creature. They find out that they also have a man who survived an attack. Marlena bonds with Chance. A man who was ravaged by the creature but who miraculously survived. He has also been changed because of his encounter. Sela is immediately attracted to Logan, the leader of the team. He harbors his own secrets. Together, they have to capture the creature and ward off the attacks of an enemy organization who is trying to use the creature for their own evil ends.

This was an exciting read that I just couldn’t put down for a minute, thus it was read in one sitting. The backdrop of the Amazon jungle was done very realistically, and I could almost hear the mosquito’s buzzing around my head! Like Sela, I am not a tropical jungle person. A few references to X-Men will give you the gist of this story. Both agencies, the good guys and the bad guys, have people with extraordinary talents. This story reached me on all levels. A plot that held me captive, romance that was hot and emotional and dialogue that was snappy and amusing made for an intense read. There were issues of trust to be ironed out, the bad guys to get rid of and there was also a secondary plot with Annika and Creed and some deep emotional issues that they had to deal with. I haven’t read a story in this series before, but you can bet I am off to catch up with the other books.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE AWAKENING Book 2 of the Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Harper Collins
Date published: May 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-166276-8
Young Adult Paranormal Suspense
Tradepaperback
Reviewed by Gina



On the heels of her escape from Lyle House, a home ostensibly for troubled teens, Chloe Saunders thought she could turn to her beloved Aunt Lauren. Aunt Lauren turns out not to be quite the guardian angel Chloe was hoping for. The nefarious staff of Lyle House shows up one by one at the secret facility Chloe learns several key facts—her friend Liz is dead and unless she can be “rehabilitated” Chloe may be joining Liz in the afterlife. With the Lyle house adults on the search for her friends Simon and Derek, Chloe does what she can to protect them while at the same time searches for a way to make her own escape. When the opportunity presents itself she goes on the run, this time with her nemesis, Tori, in tow. It takes a little time, but Chloe and Tori finally hook up with Derek and Simon and the foursome take off to find the one man who they believe will be able to help them—Andrew.

Andrew was friends with Simon and Derek’s father and with their dad missing they feel that their old family friend may be the only one to help them. Making their way out of Buffalo to Andrew’s home, the foursome discover their powers growing—werewolf Derek undergoes another partial change, necromancer Chloe raises a few more dead folks and witch Tori tests her skills casting a few spells. Simon takes the lead in planning their future and how to avoid what they now know is The Edison Group. The Edison Group, named for Thomas Edison and in honor of his attempts to contact those in life, had hoped to build a race of super-supernaturals and to that end engaged in DNA manipulation. When they reach Andrew’s place, what they find unnerves them and sends the foursome once again on the run.

The Awakening is a non-stop action, page-turner of a tale. Each of the teens in the story grows and develops throughout the telling, developing their own unique strengths and talents. Subtle changes in personality, unfold in the characters, making them true to life. In her Women of the Other World series author Kelley Armstrong shows the gritty side of life and her ability to tell it like it is but keep you reading is evident in The Awakening as well. While the teens in the story have embarked on an adventure, it is not one they would have chosen for themselves. Step by step their camaraderie grows while at the same time, shows what can happen to a teen out on the streets. Seen through a dark lens, even a sunny day has a cloud covering the characters yet there are moment of at least a glimmer of a chuckle simply because Ms. Armstrong’s own unique humor comes through. The characters are not permutations of earlier characters or of Ms. Armstrong herself, yet the reader can tell there are elements of this fabulous author in each of them. Fans of her adult series, Women of the Otherworld will smile when they see the reference to the Wolf pack in Syracuse. I admit I hoped for a glimpse of my personal hero, Clay, from that other series, but he didn't show—maybe later.

Billed as a young adult series, The Darkest Powers series is a cross-generational read that both males and females of all ages will enjoy. I look forward to the next book in this series and to see what happens to Chloe and her friends next.

THE SUMMONING Darkest Powers book 1 by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: March 2009
ISBN: 978-0061450549
Young Adult Paranormal Suspense
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina



Chloe Saunders has a talent and no, it’s not the one she wants as the world’s most gifted screen writer/director/producer. No, this is one she’d really rather not have. Not just because it makes her less than normal. In the short span of about two weeks she learns that this talent is making her a target by a group of the most nefarious individuals you can imagine. The thing is, neither Chloe, nor her friends, nor the reader know just how despicable these people are. We’re talking betrayal of the highest sort.

Petite, creative, yet in her own mind just your average kind of girl, Chloe is going about the business of being a student in an art school. Her father travels, a housekeeper wakes her up for school in the morning and a taxi driver gets her there on time. She copes with day to day life by seeing it through a real or imagined movie lens. It works most of the time, but one day, it all kind of shatters. First, her long awaited foray into womanhood arrives and at about the same time, she sees her first ghost. Well, not exactly her first. She just doesn’t have the most coherent recollections of the ones she saw as a little girl, the ones her dear Aunt Lauren has protected her from. Things go downhill after the ghost encounter when she finds herself in a group home, diagnosed with schizophrenia. But all in the house isn’t quite what it seems as Chloe learns when her new friend, Liz, is suddenly transported to another facility. Just what that facility is causes no end of consternation and confusion to Chloe when Liz pops back into their room one night and Chloe is able to put her hand right though Liz’s body. Life is suddenly a lot more complicated than just coming of age and getting better so she can get on with her life. In fact, Chloe’s life has changed in a way she would have never written into a movie.

While I’m not entirely certain I’d like my 12-16 year old read this, THE SUMMONING is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery with nail biting suspense and a touch of the paranormal. One of the elements I like about Kelley Armstrong’s books is that they are about people who could be someone you know. Yes, they are otherworld people, but they are present, very much like your next door neighbor or friend. They rely on their smarts and wits and only when they need to rely on their supernatural skills are they different. In Chloe’s case Ms. Armstrong totally nails teenage angst and the need to fit in, on the head.

A year or so ago I heard an author speaking about mysteries and how the up and coming generation – today’s young adults – don’t read and if they do, it’s certainly not mysteries because as far as teens are concerned, mysteries don’t make sense. Their first issue is that you are never alone—you are always with your friends so you wouldn’t be out there by yourself. The other is you always have your iPod, cell phone or other method of communication. You’d definitely be texting while running away from the bad guy.

Ms. Armstrong blows that theory completely out of the water. She takes your average, text through the day while you listen to your music teen and takes away her methods of communication, takes her away from her friends and hands her several layers of intriguing mystery. Is she really seeing ghosts? What happened to Liz? What is going on at Lyle House and what is with the other residents? Before one question is answered, another curve is thrown at Chloe. And her friends? Well she makes some new ones who are, at a minimum, some of the most interesting people you would want to meet.

THE SUMMONING is the first of Ms. Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series. This series is definitely an auto buy.

MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: January 2009
ISBN: 978-0-55380709-7
Paranormal Suspense
Hardcover
Reviewed by Gina



It takes a special man to court and win a special woman, especially if she is a supernatural. And if she’s a bitten supernatural, well she is indeed a special woman. MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD is a collection of stories about the men who win these women’s hearts.

Throughout the Women of the Otherworld stories, pack Alpha Jeremy Danvers has long been portrayed as the strong silent type. Unlike your typical Alpha wolf and male, he’s not into dominating with force. Rather he negotiates and encourages. He’s one of those individuals who, with just a look, can make you feel bad for doing something wrong. But how did he get that way? Since werewolf cubs are taken from their mothers at an early age, it certainly doesn’t come from a loving mother. The father then? A father who himself wishes to be pack Alpha? Or does it come from somewhere else, deep inside?

For the pack werewolves mutts are fair game. If they try to venture into pack territory they are quickly eliminated. Sometimes pack werewolves are killed, but the mutt is eventually disposed of. It is pack law and unquestioned. Then what kind of man grows up to rescue a wild werewolf child, tame, nurture and guide to adulthood? Such a man is Jeremy Danvers. Jeremy is the thread that weaves the stories of MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD.

When readers first met Clayton Danvers in BITTEN, the first of the Women of the Otherworld books, we are shown a gorgeous blond haired, blue eyed dream of a man. Did I mention he has the kind of body you want to wake up to every morning? Oh yes. My first impression of Clayton in BITTEN was he was either slow or arrogant. We first meet him sitting in front of Stonehaven just waiting for Elena to show up. Just sitting there for however long it will take. He then proceeds to doggedly track her every step. I know I felt her annoyance at his refusal to take no for an answer.

And then Clayton began to unfold and it became plain that what he felt for Elena was total and complete unconditional love and devotion. Rare commodities to be sure in many relationships yet for Clayton they were the essence of his personality.

In MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD readers meet Clayton as a child and learn how he became a werewolf.

In MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD Kelley Armstrong takes us into the hearts and minds of Jeremy and Clayton Danvers. From their births to their acceptance of the women in their lives, breaking with long held pack law and policy, readers see the men behind the women. Their stories are a combination of their personal and family dynamics and Ms. Armstrong’s special brand of humor, most often seen through Clay’s behaviors.

If you have wondered just how the werewolves of the pack found their places and grew into the men they are, MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD takes you into their hearts and minds. If you are looking for a good read with some werewolf lore, subtle humor and well done vignettes that make up our lives, this is a do not miss. As with the Women of the Otherworld books MEN OF THE OTHERWORLD is a stand alone story and does not necessarily need to be read as a prequel. If this is your first encounter of Ms. Armstrong’s amazing storytelling, you will definitely want to check out her entire back list.

Gina@Loveromancesandmore.com

PERSONAL DEMON: Woman of the Otherworld, Book 8 by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: September 2008
ISBN: 978-0-55358820-0
Paranormal Suspense
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina



Hope Adams is a tad more than the tabloid reporter delving into werewolf sightings about town. And she’s a tad more than a half-demon. Actually she’s got quite the pedigree in that she is Lucifer’s daughter. Yes, that Lucifer. She’s pretty much on her own, no real ties and only one commitment that looms from her past. Along the way she and werewolf Karl Marsten incurred a bit of a debt to the Cortez Cabal. Benicio Cortex, that would be Lucas Cortez’ father, hasn’t been in any hurry to collect, until now. Someone is setting up the Cortez Cabal and as the oldest and most powerful of the cabals, he needs to put a stop to it, but how? There’s a gang working in the neighborhood and what better way to get the scoop than to have a reporter, a tabloid reporter at that, investigate just what’s going on? He calls Hope and she agrees to help, sans Karl because the last thing she wants is to open the old wounds of his telling her to go on out and date other supernaturals.

When Karl hears what Hope is doing, he heads for Florida, determined to work by her side. Before he arrives though, Hope, posing as party girl Faith with an entre into gang, has met a potently sexy man named Jaz. From the first moment they meet Jaz puts the moves on Hope and she is on the verge of succumbing. Jaz is everything Karl is not. With Hope’s arrival, movement within the gang changes and instead of just stealing from unsuspecting humans, Cabal members begin to be killed. An even iller wind blows when members of the gang also begin to turn up dead. With things getting uglier and uglier, including the murder of two of Lucas’ brothers, Lucas and Paige head off to Florida to help out. What they find is almost beyond comprehension with finger pointing at the very top of the Cortez Cabal. e Fates.

I didn't like PERSONAL DEMON. There is little in the book for me to recommend and this was a huge disappointment for me because of how strong the writing was in BITTEN, HAUNTED and BROKEN. While a different series, EXIT STRAGETGY was one of the best reads I had all year. PERSONAL DEMON is a slide back to how I felt when I read DIME STORE MAGIC and INDUSTRIAL MAGIC. Admittedly I am not a fan of first person writing, but in the “Elena” books as well as Eve Levine in HAUNTED Ms. Armstrong turns me around. Those are so well done. In PERSONAL DEMON she has not only Hope, but Lucas in the first person point of view and at times it makes the reading tough going. It does not add to the drama, but makes following the story and who’s doing what hard to follow.
The connection between Jaz and Hope is instantaneous but there’s no true emotion with it. The story needs them to have a connection so it’s there, but I didn't feel it was true. I did like the turn around with Karl and he became a likeable character. I also liked Benicio – he does grow on you after awhile!

Hope is purported to be Lucifer’s daughter. There are a couple of references to Hope’s lineage, but nothing is much made of it. I felt more could have been done, perhaps even with an appearance of some sort by the…demon…himself. Over all though, I felt no connection to any of the characters and for the most part the book read like a travelogue of Hope and Lucas’ experiences.

From past books I know Ms. Armstrong is a talented and innovative writer. I look forward to the next Nadia Stafford book as well as her new Summoning series.
And, given that PERSONAL DEMON ends on the note that leads one to believe we haven’t seen the end of Jaz, I will probably read it and hope it is one of Ms. Armstrong’s pinnacle tales.

NO HUMANS INVOLVED by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Spectra
Date Published: February 2008
ISBN: 978-0-55358837-8
Paranormal Suspense
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina




Super sexy, red haired necromancer Jamie Vegas is about to realize the dream of a lifetime. Death of Innocence, a reality-type television show staring spiritualists, culminating in raising the ghost of Marilyn Monroe could be the pivotal last step before being handed the television show she has always coveted. The dream coming true, however, is the imminent arrival of Jeremy Danvers, the werewolf alpha who captured her heart some five years earlier. Not that Jeremy knows of her infatuation. Jeremy is all aloof courtesy, putting his pack first and lately, his two grandchildren and Clay and Elena’s babies, Logan and Kate. Jamie lives for the supernatural council meetings where she can drink in even just the sight of the man of her dreams.

When Jeremy calls to say he’ll be late because the twins have colds, Jamie is disappointed, but she understands and expects he will not be arriving at all. Before she can crumble at the thought of not seeing Jeremy, the production team begins their work on the show, starting with a séance where contact is made with the ghost of Tansy Lane, a fledging starlet killed before her career could take off. While Jamie is the real deal, the other two spiritualists hired for the show aren’t exactly the folks you’d want contacting your family member. As the contact with Tansy moves along, Jamie becomes aware of other ghosts, yet they are like no ghosts she has ever encountered. They can’t hear her and she can’t hear or see them. The joy of Jeremy’s arrival is filtered through the mystery of the child ghosts. Jamie looks to Eve Levine for help, yet Eve doesn’t answer. Rather, it is Kristof who shows up. When she tells him of her discovery he goes to the Fates and before long Eve is sent to help. What is going on is of grave concern to the Fates. What unfolds before council members is more than they bargained for.

I became am “Armstrong fan” when I read BITTEN earlier this year, moving on to STOLEN, DIME STORE MAGIC and INDUSTRIAL MAGIC. Both DIME STORE MAGIC and INDUSTRIAL MAGIC were a struggle for me, the stories felt flat and I had a hard time differentiating between Elena and Paige. With HAUNTED and BROKEN I once again saw the writing that set Kelley Armstrong apart. NO HUMANS INVOLVED is proof positive of Ms. Armstrong’s unique talent for story telling. She definitely regained her voice and has come back strong and steady.

The heat between Jeremy and Jamie is palpable and when Jamie sends him from her door without even a goodnight kiss I wanted to shake the characters and yell at them “You gotta do this!” They waited five years to move to the next level. Well I waited through four books! Ms. Armstrong did not disappoint…and neither did Jeremy!

This is a multi-layered story—the drive to out do and the glamour of Hollywood, lost children taken in their prime with no one to care. Lost souls finding their way home and justice meted out to those that need it most. When Eve shows up with her sword I cheered her on. Ms. Armstrong leads her readers into the psychological machinations of some very sick people along with the motivations of the good guys. The cameos of some favorite characters makes for a read that makes the reader feel included. There’s also a touch of humor, as seen through Jamie’s eyes. While the author doesn’t treat some of what Jamie sees as funny, the idea of a ghost hanging from a chandelier does have a certain glimmer of amusement to it.

NO HUMANS INVOLVED shows a believable perspective on the after life. While the names are changed, some of those we meet from the other side are recognizable and honored by Ms. Armstrong’s tale. When justice is done, it’s awesome. NO HUMANS INVOLVED is a do not miss read.

LIVING WITH THE DEAD: Women of the Otherworld, Book 9 by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Bantam
Date published: Otober 2008
ISBN: 978-0-55380664-9
Paranormal Suspense
Hardcover
Reviewed by Gina



On assignment in Los Angeles Public Relations guru Robyn Peltier is just starting to put her pieces together after losing her husband, Damon, in a tragic misunderstanding. What she finds in L.A. is a bit more than she bargained for. Following the murder of her client, celebutant, Portia Kane, her eyes are opened in a way she never could have imagined. Before she can report Portia’s murder she finds herself being accused for a second and possibly a third. Determined to turn herself in, she makes contact, sort of, with Detective John Findlay, who gladly answers to Finn.

Finn found himself drawn to the L.A. Police Department mainly because sitting in his patrol car in a small town he wasn’t able to use his skills as much as he would hope to and it’s not just handling a gun. Finn’s real talent lies in being able to see and talk to ghosts, specifically murdered ghosts. It’s not long after he begins his pursuit of Robyn, much like the ghosts of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, he picks up a ghostly hitchhiker named Trent. While Trent convinces him he’d make a good, well silent, partner, there’s something about Trent that holds the key to Portia’s murder.

Joining the mix of a Cabal link, a new breed of paranormal and humans are Hope and her werewolf lover, Karl Marsten. Dodging them at every turn yet evading their efforts to catch the killer, is Adele, a young woman who is on the run for her life for more reasons than one.

LIVING WITH THE DEAD is book 9 of Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series and her first written in the third person and it is fantastic! In her author’s notes Ms. Armstrong speaks about her hesitation in making the switch from her signature first person and let me be among the crowd to say it was definitely a good move. There is much more depth to the characters, showing each character, and especially Hope’s, internal conflicts more fully than imaginable. I came away from PERSONAL DEMON not caring very much for any of the characters. LIVING WITH THE DEAD more than makes up for any fault I found with PERSONAL DEMON. In LIVING WITH THE DEAD I saw the talent and depth Ms. Armstrong exhibited in BITTEN and EXIT STRATEGY. It has left me more eager than before to see what she does with her new SUMMONING series.

The story takes readers into the plastic side of L.A. life through the foibles of Portia Kane and her ilk and offers a testament of true friendship when readers see the relationship between Robyn and Hope.

I wasn’t too thrilled with the ending because I found I really wanted to see a happy one between Hope and Karl. It’s not that it’s not happy—but Ms. Armstrong better be working on the next book in this series or I’m going on my own hunt for Karl!

Almost all of the books in the Women of the Otherworld series can be read as stand alones, however with LIVING WITH THE DEAD, reading PERSONAL DEMON is pretty much a must do. While I didn't like PERSONAL DEMON all that much, after reading LIVING WITH THE DEAD I plan to re-read PERSONAL DEMON and take a closer look at the Hope character because of what a great job of transformation Ms. Armstrong does with her in LIVING WITH THE DEAD.

Definitely a do not miss read.