Spider Game (Ghostwalkers #12) by Christine Feehan-Review and Giveaway

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SPIDER GAME (Ghostwalkers #12) by Christine Feehan-Review and Giveaway

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SPIDER GAME
Ghostwalkers #12
by Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal romance
Release Date: January 26, 2016

Spider Game

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 26, 2016

The Cajun dive in the middle of the godforsaken swamps wasn’t exactly Trap Dawkins’ idea of fun. But the GhostWalker wasn’t there for a good time. He was looking for her. Cayenne. It’s where she found her victims. Poor suckers. Then again, who wouldn’t want to leave a place like this with a woman like her?

It’s not Cayenne’s fault. Locked up, experimented on and never knowing kindness, she was bred this way—with a heart of pure venom. Trap understands her. He survived his own dark past and he shares her desire for getting even. But now Trap’s greatest danger is Cayenne herself. Because what’s inside her is hard to control—especially when it’s aroused by a lover as reckless as Trap.

••••••

REVIEW: SPIDER GAME is the twelfth installment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS paranormal, romance series focusing on an elite group of ‘genetically enhanced’ men and women known as the Ghostwalkers. These ‘supersoldiers’ are part of an unauthorized government experiment performed by Dr. Peter Whitney-a man tantamount to evil incarnate. This is Dr. Trap Dawkins, and Cayenne’s storyline. Trap and Cayenne were first introduced, along with a new team of Ghostwalkers, in Viper Game (Ghostwalkers #11). SPIDER GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from several third person points of view including Cayenne and Trap, SPIDER GAME continues to focus on the dangerous experiments of Dr. Peter Whitney. Cayenne is considered a failure; an experiment gone horribly wrong and, along with Wyatt Fontenont’s children (Viper Game #11), was tagged for extermination. Rescued by Trap and Wyatt, Cayenne found herself alone without any food, clothing or a place to live. To stay alive, Cayenne resorted to some unethical tactics in order to survive in the Louisiana Bayou. When Trap discovers that the Cayene is the woman ‘made’ especially for him, he sets out to ‘trap’ his wayward mate but in doing also brings the hunt for Cayenne to his front door.

Cayenne is a Ghostwalker with enhanced special abilities brought about by ‘spider DNA’. Cayenne is a dangerous soldier whose training saw the death of many Ghostwalker Teams, and the potential for many more. Trap is a billionaire researcher; an inventor whose past has threatened to destroy once again. It is the nature of the male Ghostwalker to provide, protect and be all alpha male when his female is threatened by an outside source but Trap’s over protective nature leaves something to be desired.

The secondary and supporting cast includes Wyatt and Trap’s new team of genetically enhanced soldiers including Malachai, Mordichai and Ezekiel Fortunes; Jo and Draden. There are a few cameo appearances ( and several mentions of) by earlier Ghostwalkers including Gator and Flame, Lily and Ryland, and of course, Nonny who is everybody’s loving grand-mere. Violet Smythe’s return and her ambitions for the vice-presidency sets up some revealing information and the potential for a more dangerous mission for all of the Ghostwalkers.

But….there comes a time in every author’s career where a change in direction is needed or required; where the long quiet muse has finally awakened some dormant need in many authors to push the boundaries of the character to a dark and dangerous abyss that borders on a free fall of questionable choices, and in this SPIDER GAME has fallen into the dangerous area of questionable actions and behavior of the leading hero. This is also true of most of Christine Feehan’s series-the amount of abuse, graphic violence, and aggression towards women is elevating at an exponential rate, and her heroes are the perpetrators of much of the abuse.

In SPIDER GAME, Trap is an over protective alpha male but his actions towards his mate borders on abusive. His bi-polar emotional and physical outbursts would give anyone whiplash. When a beloved series by a favorite author crosses over into a territory where mental, emotional, physical and sexual abuse is hidden behind the proclamation of love and protection, it is time to question the author’s motives: From where did this anger come? To whom is it directed at? And why is the target always the women or female lead? Trap Hawkins is NOT a likeable hero; he tries to justify his actions at every opportunity but he comes across as a controlling, jealous, and abusive pr*ck. This is not romance or romantic; this is not love or even akin to anything near love; this is all about power and control. At times, there were scenes of questionable consent that bordered on sexual assault, and for a powerful heroine she took it without question or a fight. An abuser hides behind and uses ‘love’ to justify his actions and Trap Dawkins tries to justify his actions as a need to protect. Cayenne has been tortured, experimented upon, and abused for years by scientists all in the name of the ultimate weapon of destruction, and her ‘freedom’ forces Cayenne from one abuser to another (from the proverbial frying pan into the fire)-this is NOT the love of a protective male but the need to control; to break the will of an injured animal that must succumb to the abuse in order to survive.

SPIDER GAME is a sexually graphic story line with scenes of questionable consent and graphic acts of power and control. In the past, some of Christine Feehan’s male leads (especially in the Dark Series) have ‘forced’ their females into a mating, bordering on rape and sexual assault, but the frequency of abusive situations is increasing, and I am having a difficult time looking past the act and seeing a potential, positive outcome for these story line heroines. Many readers become one with the story, with the leading hero or heroine to experience the ultimate fantasy romance but when romance becomes abuse, perhaps it is time to find another hero (or series) with whom to fall in love.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

 

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9. Giveaway runs from January 25 to January 30, 2016

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33 thoughts on “Spider Game (Ghostwalkers #12) by Christine Feehan-Review and Giveaway”

  1. A wonderful review, Sandy. Your review points exactly as to why I will not read anymore of Christine’s Ghostwalker and Leopard series. We read to enjoy and escape reality. The last few books of Christine’s (I am on the border with Dark), have left me angry, dissatisfied and fed up. At one time Christine was one of my top favorite authors. That has changed drastically. It is sad when the author totally goes another way then what we came to love at the start. Thanks for this honest review.

  5. I totally agree with what you are saying, Sandy. This used to be my favorite series of Christine Feehan’s but all her “heroes” are abusive jerks these days.

    I already do these things:
    3. Please LIKE and Follow Christine Feehan on Facebook
    5. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.
    6. FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.
    7. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

  7. Thanks for the review, I thought I was the only one who did not care for how abused the characters were in her later stories. I mean, if it supports the character’s growth that would be one thing, but it seems that’s all that is happening in her books anymore.

  8. Thanks for your amazingly honest review and insight into the author’s recent releases. I have read the entire Ghostwalker series and I too have found the abuse at the hands of the hero is mounting. And like you said, most abusers hide behind their declarations of love and protection to justify their actions,and our fictional heroes should not abuse the women that they ‘love’. ……thanks again.

  9. Wow, thanks for your honesty. I am discovering that too many authors write the ‘alpha male’ as abusive and controlling. There is a difference and alpha is usually one that leads….is confident, can be dominant without being abusive, a leader, smart, knowlegable, hard worker, man of value, can be stubborn, leads by example, and treats his woman with respect.

  10. AWESOME review Sandy!! I could not agree more with everything you said. I’m so over “I know I’m a controlling bastard, but…………”. And, even though in this series the couples are “made” for each other, I feel that if the heroine was indeed as strong as she’s portrayed, she’d also be strong in saying BACK OFF!

  11. I liked the review but I don’t see any of her books as being too abusive, Wyatt was too jealouse but he never beat her or the children in the name of love, I have loved all of Christine Feehans books and will continue reading them as long as I enjoy them 😉 Happy Reading everyone!
    Christinahunt4165@yahoo.com

    • HI Christina.

      Abuse takes many forms not just physical through the act of beatings or slapping. We are not talking about ‘beating’ their mates but about the amount of emotional and mental abuse; the verbal abuse and tirades these men direct at the women they claim to love. Trap’s abusive nature was some of the worst I have seen in this series, especially when he becomes jealous of Cayenne’s friendship with the other men….his ‘teammates’ flirt with her and he punishes Cayenne by forcing her to do a sexual act in the truck and then she must walk naked into the house in the daylight….this is not the actions of a man in love but of an abuser…regardless what he calls it

    • Let me know what you think once you have read Spider Game, especially the scene where Trap is jealous and forces Cayenne in the truck to perform a sexual act..he will not let her up//…and then she must walk naked into the house. This is not love…this is power and control.

      • I totally agree. I remember a scene in one of the books, where the hero who was demanding control of her, tells her when they get up in the morning, she had to put her mouth on him either in two places. In my eyes, this belittles woman.

  16. great review.. and i will read anything by Christine. but i agree that some of her books have taking quite the dark turn…thank you for the chance..

  24. Love the honest review Sandy. I was thinking about stopping this series because of the increase in abuse-there is something to be said about crossing a line in a romance story line. Thanks.

  25. Thanks for the review Sandy. I loved Ms. Feehan’s early works but some of these games series are too dark. I dislike the domineering male protagonists that have appeared in her latest works. Please Christine, go back to your core and give us our romance and adventure.

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