Lethal Game (Ghostwalkers #16) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway

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Lethal Game (Ghostwalkers #16) by Christine Feehan-Review , Excerpt & Giveaway

LETHAL GAME
Ghostwalkers #16
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romantic, paranormal, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 3, 2020

When Malichai Fortunes attacks a problem, he does it full force–a habit that earns the GhostWalker a painful injury and a forced vacation in San Diego, California. With nothing but physical therapy on the horizon, Malichai is starting to get restless…until a striking blue-eyed blonde makes all his senses come alive.

Amaryllis is kind and warm and sees beyond Malichai’s rough exterior, but he can tell there’s something she’s hiding. Her innate healing abilities indicate she might be a GhostWalker–albeit an untrained one. Malichai doesn’t think their crossing paths is anything more than coincidence, but he can sense that one wrong word could send Amaryllis running.

When strange events at his temporary retreat put Malichai on high alert, he knows he won’t be able to deal with the threat and keep his woman safe in his weakened state. But calling in his brothers means telling Amaryllis what he really is, and revealing that he knows the truth about her too..

••••••••

REVIEW:LETHAL GAME is the sixteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS erotic, paranormal romantic suspense series focusing on an elite group (4 teams) of enhanced men and women known as the Ghostwalkers (GW). These ‘super soldiers’ were once part of an unauthorized government experiment performed by Dr. Peter Whitney but several soldiers have, since, opted into the program on their own. This is US Air Force pararescue medic Malachai Fortunes, and B&B employee Amaryllis’ story line. LETHAL GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

Told from several third person perspectives including Malachai and Amaryllis LETHAL GAME follows in the aftermath of a rescue that went horribly wrong. Shot several times while trying to rescue a number of American soldiers injured and caught behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, Malachai Fortunes would use a second-generation ‘zenith’ patch to stop the bleeding before seeking medical help but Malachai would quickly discover that not all was going according to plan when a forced leave would reveal the continuing deterioration of his injured leg. Meeting Amaryllis, at a B&B in San Diego, California found our hero instantly attracted to a woman who was obviously part of Whitney’s orphan’s experiment. What ensues is the quick building relationship between Malachai and Amaryllis; the discovery of a home-grown terrorist plot; and the on-going breakdown of Malachai’s leg.

The relationship between Malachai and Amaryllis is one of immediate attraction but Amaryllis knows to reveal the truth could mean imminent death if anyone were to find out our heroine had enhanced, super powers. A psychic healer injected with several animal and insect DNA, Amaryllis knows it is only a matter of time before Dr. Peter Whitney discovers her whereabouts, and forces her into his breeding program. Malachai Fortunes knows Amaryllis is a Ghostwalker and his mate, and is immediately drawn to the feisty female but Amaryllis is reluctant to reveal her true powers, lest Malachai is a member of Whitney’s extraction team. The $ex scenes are limited but intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large familiar and colorful cast of secondary and supporting characters including several Ghostwalkers from the other three Teams. Ken and Jack Norton make a cameo appearance; most of Malachai’s team and their significant others (Diego Campo, Ezekiel Fortunes, Gino Mazza, Team leader Joe Spagnola and Mordichai Fortunes, Draden Freeman, Trap Dawkins, Rubin Campo and Wyatt Fontenot) join our couple to take down a government led home-grown terrorist attack, as well as the return of Dr. Trap Dawkins and his mate Cayenne. Christine Feehan continues to address Trap’s behaviour by way of Asperger’s syndrome, found on the high end of the autism spectrum, an address meant to assuage the character’s deplorable behaviour in Spider Game (book 12).

LETHAL GAME is a bit of a departure from Christine Feehan’s recent style of writing in that the detailed, graphic violence, or mention of abuse and torture, are limited especially as it pertains to women and children. Our hero is not a manipulative, controlling, oppressive alpha male like many of the author’s more recent leading male characters but he is desperate to protect the woman with whom he has fallen in love.

I would also like to address the similarities between the author’s Dark Carpathians and the Ghostwalkers as it pertains to the ‘healer’s in both of her series. From the ability to ‘see’ into the body, and heal by psychic energy, alongside one or more additional healers is very reminiscent of the Dark Series, and their ability to heal. The descriptions and graphic details regarding the psychic surgery are familiar and comparable, almost parallel to the earlier works in the Dark series.

LETHAL GAME is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; a story of power and control; of fate and love. The premise is engaging, entertaining and intriguing; the characters are energetic, dynamic and courageous; the romance is emotional and captivating.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Malichai made his way to the dining room. A prickle of awareness crept down his spine and his gaze swept the nearly empty room. One other person sat by herself at a table in the corner. She was reading a book—a romance—and he smirked when he saw it. She was a gorgeous woman and he tried not to stare at her. She was a blonde, but her hair was so thick, he doubted if the color could be natural. Most blondes just had finer or thinner hair than that. He must have been looking too closely because she glanced up. He could tell that first glance was simple idle curiosity but then she stiffened, and her gaze wholly focused on him.
Her eyes were gorgeous, a startling blue, like jewels. So deep blue they were almost certainly contacts. She glanced back down at her book, but he could tell she wasn’t reading it anymore. He’d probably scared her. He wasn’t like some of his fellow GhostWalkers, who seemed to walk into a room and have half the female population enthralled—and that had nothing to do with their enhancements and everything to do with their good looks, charisma, or both, none of which he had.
The breakfast was set up buffet style with a long row of warmers laid out on a table. He would have his back to the room when he served himself food, but he seemed to be the last man to breakfast. The moment he’d walked in he became uneasy, but no one was there but the two of them—the blonde and him. Was the threat coming from her? Was it even a threat? He was on vacation. Didn’t that mean there was no threat? Hell if he knew.
He dished himself food, standing sideways to keep her in sight. Her gaze jumped to him and she lowered the book partway, both feet coming to the floor, when she’d been relaxed, one leg curled up under her. He sent her a cocky grin.
“See you’re readin’ my favorite book.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You have no idea what I’m reading.”
He was an enhanced GhostWalker with the very sharp eyes of an eagle. “It’s a romance titled Toxic Game.” He hoped he didn’t have to describe what the book was about because he didn’t have a clue.
She glanced down at the book as if she couldn’t believe he knew the title. When she looked back up at him, his heart went a little crazy. The sun hit her just right, turning her blond hair into a waterfall of ice and gold sparkles. The strands actually dazzled his eyes for a moment, so that he lost sight of her. Her image blurred. He could only see that amazing, overpowering shine.
He blinked to bring her into focus. When he managed to get her back in his sight, he found himself staring into her vivid jeweled eyes, eyes blazing blue flames at him.
“You do not read romance books.” Her chin went up. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to read about men who believe in monogamy. I doubt you’d know anything about that.”
He took a chair facing her and drank his coffee slowly, studying her furious little face. She was beautiful all riled up. His heart was going a little crazy and all at once he felt very much alive. Maybe this vacation thing wasn’t going to be so bad.
“What makes you think that? If I read romances, clearly I like happy endings and I prefer books where men and women are faithful to one another.” It was all about thinking fast on one’s feet. Any GhostWalker should be excellent at that.
“I think you’re so full of—” she broke off as a woman came into the doorway, clearly agitated, so much so that she seemed to completely miss that Malichai was even in the room.


 

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 70 published novels, including five series; Dark Series, Ghostwalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series and Torpedo Ink. All of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.

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The Reading Cafe is offering a paper copy of LETHAL GAME to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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45 thoughts on “Lethal Game (Ghostwalkers #16) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway”

  7. Thank you, Sandy for the intricate details of what this series is about. I would love to try this one because of the psychic healing. Psychics fascinate me. Please include me in the drawing. Thank you!

  13. Great review! I enjoyed this one as well, and noticed the same Carpathian similarities as you did. I actually went back and reread one passage 3 times to see if I was missing something. BUT, I am sooooo glad we got to ‘see’ Ken and Jack!! That was an awesome surprise!

    • I was actually hoping for a little more Ken and Jack~~ too bad CF hasn’t done a ‘reunion’ book like Dark Celebration.

      And OMG, the psychic healing similarities were almost spot on between the two series.

  17. Really hope to win this book! I might have to buy the earlier ones in the series.. Love the Ghost Walkers & their healing powers. I know Amaryllis will be able to heal Malachai in all ways.

  25. I’m looking forward to reading this book. Thanks for the informative review, Sandy! ?

    Please enter me for the giveaway.
    aylah001 (at) yahoo (dot) com
    (3)-(8): ✅

  39. I don’t know how I missed this series. Please enter me in the giveaway…now I have to get busy reading the first books of the series. lol Thanks for the great review!

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