Hiding Hand-Lee Denning

Hiding Hand

Lee Denning

Twilight Times, Oct 2008, $19.95

www.twilighttimesbooks.com

ISBN: 9781606190166

 

In Ireland, the Mullah waits impatiently for the moment to strike as his aid the Crone cautions him.  They plot to abduct eight year old Eva Connard, a chimera of sorts as Nova sapiens.  Her eighteen years old step-brother Joshua “Magician” O’Donnell vows to keep her safe.

 

However, in spite of his efforts and that of their Uncle Hamilton O’Donnell, the Mullah abducts Eva as he wants to control the power of this new evolutionary line as some insist she is the new Messiah.  Joshua tries to rescue his sibling, but his attempts prove futile.  Instead of saving Eva from the “pious” Muslim cleric, he manages to rescue Elia.  As they fall in love, Josh, with the help of “Unca Ham”, mounts a rescue mission only to have his beloved abducted.

 

The next generation offspring from the heroes of MONKEY TRAP make for a terrific romantic science fiction tale as the young precocious hybrid seeks a place in the world of Neanderthals while caught between ambitious modern day Lady Macbeths especially the psychopath Mullah.  Although the villain is obvious early on unlike the first book, team Dennng keeps the suspense high with a strong cast starring in the middle Nova Sapiens thriller.

 

Harriet Klausner

Hiding Hand-Lee Denning

Hiding Hand

Lee Denning

Twilight Times, Oct 2008, $19.95

www.twilighttimesbooks.com

ISBN: 9781606190166

 

In Ireland, the Mullah waits impatiently for the moment to strike as his aid the Crone cautions him.  They plot to abduct eight year old Eva Connard, a chimera of sorts as Nova sapiens.  Her eighteen years old step-brother Joshua “Magician” O’Donnell vows to keep her safe.

 

However, in spite of his efforts and that of their Uncle Hamilton O’Donnell, the Mullah abducts Eva as he wants to control the power of this new evolutionary line as some insist she is the new Messiah.  Joshua tries to rescue his sibling, but his attempts prove futile.  Instead of saving Eva from the “pious” Muslim cleric, he manages to rescue Elia.  As they fall in love, Josh, with the help of “Unca Ham”, mounts a rescue mission only to have his beloved abducted.

 

The next generation offspring from the heroes of MONKEY TRAP make for a terrific romantic science fiction tale as the young precocious hybrid seeks a place in the world of Neanderthals while caught between ambitious modern day Lady Macbeths especially the psychopath Mullah.  Although the villain is obvious early on unlike the first book, team Dennng keeps the suspense high with a strong cast starring in the middle Nova Sapiens thriller.

 

Harriet Klausner

Human by Choice-Travis S Taylor and Darrell Bain

Human by Choice

Travis S Taylor and Darrell Bain

Twilight Times, Aug 2009, $16.95

ISBN: 9781606190470

 

Due to a combat injury, Intel officer Kyle Leverson retired from the Army.  Now a widower, he moved to a remote place in the Ozarks.  When he hears a loud crash outside his home, he goes to investigate.  In the middle of his garden, lies astonishingly an injured ET.

 

Apparently the alien was hurt during a crash landing when the life pod transporting him burned up during atmospheric entry.  Although hesitant, Kyle takes the wounded space traveler into his home where he tries to nurture the alien.  The visitor from another planet has no chance of going home.  She hopes with Kyle’s mentoring and her technology to be assimilated in the Arkansas culture as a human female, Jeri.  However, as she adapts, enemies want her technology and have come to the Ozarks to abduct Jeri.  Kyle refuses to allow any harm come to his beloved Human by Choice.

 

This is a super science fiction romance starring a wonderful hero and an intrepid alien who is the ultimate assimilated person.  The story line is faster than the vessel Jeri flew in as the action never slows down yet the two key players the human and the alien are fully developed.  Although the American government is too altruistic as the corpocracy would want the technology as much as the foreign interests crave it as economic espionage between allies is the norm, fans will appreciate this fine thriller.

 

Harriet Klausner

Dating Outside Your DNA-Karen Kelley

Dating Outside Your DNA

Karen Kelley

Kensington Brava, Dec 2009, $14.00

ISBN 9780758225764

 

While recuperating from an on the job leg injury that keeps him from galactic field work, special agent Roan Hendrix trains tyro operatives.   He detests having to work with Nerakians, but the stipulation for his return to space is mentoring half-Nerakian Lyraka.  Deciding field work is more important than his detesting the aliens, he agrees.

 

Lyraka hates humans so prefers not to be trained by one of them.  However, if she wants field work she will accept Roan as her instructor which she does as becoming an operative means more to her than her destesting his species.

 

Both are stunned when their animosity turns to attraction.  However Lyraka fears her Nerakian sex drive will injure the soft himan she wants so decides to keep her libido in check, which drives Roan crazy with desire.  Sadist Prince Banyon of Rovertia sees Lyraka as an opportunity to avenge the scar on his face that her mom etched on him when she said no.  He abducts Lyraka leading to Roan and his unit giving chase to rescue her.

 

This is a faster than the speed of light scicne fiction roamnce starring two beloved enemies and a nasty villain.  The story line is straightforward with a projectory that is obvious, but no one will care as Roan returns to active duty to rescue the half human he loves.  With a gender sexual twist as the female heroine fears her Nerakian sex drive will physiclaly overpower her loved one, fans will enjoy being lost in space in the Kelley uivorse (see CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A SEXY KIND and The Bad Boys Guide To The Galaxy).

 

Harriet Klausner

To Serve and Protect-Arianna Hart, Kit Tunstall, Trista A Michaels, and Delilah Devlin

To Serve and Protect

Arianna Hart, Kit Tunstall, Trista A Michaels, and Delilah Devlin

Ellora’s Cave (Pocket), Nov 10 2009, $14.00

ISBN: 9781439131541

“Convince Me” by Arianna Hart.  The man charged through the door to the fundraiser cursing socialite Sareena and threatening to kill her for giving his battered spouse protection at a Brooklyn shelter. The attacker comes after her with a knife, but as police officer Brogan watches in horror, she disappears and a jaguar chases the sociopath into Central Park.  Unable to resist her lure, Brogan escorts Sareena back to her apartment.

“Ablaze” by Kit Tunstall.  Firefighters Nick and Paula enter the blaze at the Westbridge Academy and rescue Miri. After Miri is released form the hospital, Nick suggests a heated tryst, which out of character Miri agrees to.

“Fantasy Bar” by Trista Ann Michaels.  Having fled from Meenus Prime to Klindor, Kira hides from the law.  At the fantasy bar, she meets Jerrod, an undercover private investigator searching for her as she killed his best friend.  Instead of bringing her back to justice, he indulges in their fantasies.

“Ride a Cowboy“ by Delilah Devlin.  Katelyn had enough of men after her nasty marriage until the Texan arrives to help renovate her new home.  He offers to also renovate her body and heart too.

There four heated erotic romances run the gamut of urban fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and second chance but all contain strong females and men who understand their role is TO SERVE AND PROTECT the women they love and cherish.

Harriet Klausner

Time Raiders: The Protector-Merline Lovelacee

Time Raiders: The Protector

Merline Lovelace

Silhouette Nocturne, Nov 2009, $5.25

ISBN: 9780373618224

As part of Project Anasazi Air Force Lieutenant Cassandra Jones and Major Max Brody are sent back in time to the seventh century Chinese Tang dynasty in order to retrieve another piece of the twelve pieces scattered in time and place alien bronze medallion also known as the Karanovo Stamp.  Once all the pieces are gathered and assembled, the stamp will enable Earth to join other worlds of the Pleiadian Council.

Max is uncomfortable with time travel and ET but trusts his former CO General (R) Ashton who recruited him from duty in Iraq.  He does not trust his traveling companion Cassie as he holds her responsible for the accidental death of his friend Captain Jerry Holland at the academy where she was working as a weather officer.  Using the device found in the Roswell crash, they go back to the reign of the Empress Wu Jao.  However, he has no time for his suspicions and disdain when the alien Centaurian race tries to abort their mission as they want the Stamp.  Cassie’s uncanny weather changing sixth sense proves critical to them staying alive long enough to have a chance to accomplish the mission.

The latest Time Raiders romantic suspense science fiction thriller is a fast-paced tale that flows on tow interrelated subplots.  First there is the retrieval mission and second there is the major’s personal investigative mission.  Although the Centaurians seem like wusses in the seventh century and in Arizona, fans of the sage will enjoy the action-placed fourth entry (see (see The Avenger by P.C. Cast, The Seeker by Lindsay McKenna and The Slayer by Cindy Dees).

Harriet Klausner

Blaze Of Memory-Nalini Singh

Blaze Of Memory

Nalini Singh

Berkley, Nov 2009, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425231111

Steely Shine Foundation chief Dev Santos is absolutely certain the waif he has found outside his door is a trap set up by his enemy the Psy.  Still Dev cannot kill her even though he knows he should or even ignore the battered female.

She suffers from starvation and total memory loss.  Her mind is deteriorating without access to the Net Mind although she receives enough feedback to barely hold onto her tenuous grip of reality; the Silence being unbearable.  Katya as she is called and Dev know she is probably a deadly weapon programmed to kill by Ming and the Council with him and his organization who protect the Forgotten as her probable target(s).

The latest Psy-Changeling urban fantasy not only moves the overarching theme forward, but Nalini Singh provides insight into the Silence.  The story line is fast-paced as Dev cannot figure out why he feels protective of what is obviously a conditioned killer who’s most likely coming for him.  Fans will appreciate this super entry as love and determination battle against devastating preconditioning brainwashing that literally washed the heroine’s brain clean and replaced her past with a future imperative (think of The Manchurian Candidate) in a great entry.

Harriet Klausner

Heart Change-Robin D. Owens

Heart Change

Robin D. Owens

Berkley, Nov 2009, $15.00

ISBN: 9780425229972

In Celta, GrandLady Signet D’Marigold is lonely as the last surviving member of her proud family.  However, to make matters worse, her talent remains undefined.  That is unheard of until thirteen year old prophet GreatLord Vinni proclaims her to a major catalyst for change.

Vinni needs Signet’s help with his seven years old heartmate Avellana Hazel; the child’s brain has been damaged and chances of surviving her first passage are nonexistent unless Signet takes the risk of assisting her.  GreatLord T’Hawthorn’s security chief Cratag Maytree is chosen to protect the two females during the flair.  None of the participants were expecting an attraction between Signet and Cratag, but as that ignites someone wants to destroy all of those involved.

Readers will relish the latest Heart realm romantic fantasy as the lead couple falls in love while trying to save a child’s life.  The story line is character driven as Robin D. Owens goes deep inside family relationships on Celta with a poignant passionate tale that resonates with its health issue timeliness.  Robin D. Owens’ latest as is the case with the magnificent seven predecessors is filled with Heart as the concern is the child’s welfare first.

Harriet Klausner

Darkscape Redemption-R. Garland Gray

Darkscape Redemption

R. Garland Gray

Medallion, Dec 1 2009, $7.95

ISBN: 9781933836553

In 3211 after serving as a Commander in a clan war, trader Declan de Douglas travels to Planet Forest from his home Braemar Keep on Planet Mars to negotiate a textile agreement between his clan and that of MacKendrick.  Although filled with rage due in part to a DNA synthesis, the savage beast is calm every time he meets Fallon MacKendrick.  Her father warns her to stay away from the savage as he is too dangerous, his clan deceitful, and besides her dad has completed a betrothal contract for her.

However, she is attracted to “Douglas the Savage”, who reciprocate although he remains filled with guilt over the war and fury re his brother’s DNA infused in him.  When Fallon learns Declan has been kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery, she vows to rescue her beloved even as clan warfare seems ready to ignite again.  However, in spite of the belief in knowledge is power by both clans, neither realize the real threat comes from a devious third party at a time when the solar system peace is fragile.

The premise behind the Darkscape tales is simply placing pre-Culloden Scotland in outer space; thus clan wars are all over the solar system and where they are not, hostilities are one incident away from exploding.  Redemption adds a Romeo and Juliet twist to the mix.  Although it helps to read the previous Darkscape science fiction romance (see The Rebel Lord) to better understand the dysfunctional relationships between the feuding clans and the story line is somewhat expected, R. Garland Gray provides readers with a super outer space opera.

Harriet Klausner

Time Raiders: The Avenger-P.C. Cast

Time Raiders: The Avenger

P.C. Cast

Silhouette Nocturne, Oct 2009, $5.25

ISBN: 9780373618200

The Time Raiders send psychic Alexandra Patton back to 60 A.D. so that she can bring back part of the medallion that will enable Earth to join the alliance of other space-traveling planets.  Alex loathes the brutal feral behavior of her hosts; as she speaks to the dead who often are victims of atrocities.

Alex pretends to be a soul speaker priestess to the goddess Andraste when she and Queen Boudica’s Druidic cousin Caradoc meet and are attracted to one another.  As she falls in love, he helps her adjust to ancient times.  However, she knows that Boudica will die in the battle for Londinium, but fears Caradoc will too though she does not know for certain.

The third Time Raiders romantic suspense thriller (see The Seeker by Lindsay McKenna and The Slayer by Cindy Dees) is an entertaining tale that hooks readers from the opening dialogue between Alex and the dead but restful Andred and keeps the audience’s attention throughout.  The spin to the exciting story line is what the time traveler knows about ancient Britannia and does not as Alex fears her beloved will die alongside his famous warrior cousin.  This tale and the saga are winners due to a strong casting leading to readers wanting to accompany the heroes on their treks back in time to find the medallion segments and love.

Harriet Klausner