Tag Archives: Ghostwalkers

Ghostly Game (GhostWalkers #19) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway

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Ghostly Game (GhostWalkers #19) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 2, 2023

Gideon “Eagle” Carpenter is used to rolling with the punches life has thrown at him. It’s the only thing that’s kept him alive. He and his team of GhostWalkers have seen and experienced it all. He does his best to live with all the sins written on his soul. Then he hears the laughter of a woman with the ability to erase—even for a few precious moments—the darkness of his past.

Laurel “Rory” Chappel has always been a nomad. She’s accustomed to taking care of herself, despite the physical challenges she lives with. She thinks she’s too weak to find real love, but that doesn’t stop her interest in Gideon from turning into a full-on addiction. He’s all rough edges and danger contrasted with a tenderness that makes her feel safe. Still, after a life spent in motion, she’s not sure she knows how to stay in one place.

Gideon hopes he can persuade Rory to take a chance on him with every electric touch. But soon, life conspires against him, forcing the GhostWalker to risk everything to protect the woman he loves….

••••••

REVIEW:GHOSTLY GAME is the nineteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS erotic, paranormal romance 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. The original GhostWalkers struggled without a female anchor, a female whose genetic and enhanced powers were often in tandem with the men involved. This is GhostWalkers Gideon ‘Eagle’’ Carpenter, and bartender Laurel ‘Rory’ Chappel’s story line. GHOSTLY GAME can be read as a stand alone but for back story I recommend reading the series in order, or at the very least book one SHADOW GAME where the reader is introduced to the world of the GhostWalker.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Gideon and Rory) GHOSTLY GAME follows with Gideon’s discovery of the woman he believes is his fated mate. Laurel ‘Rory’ Chappel rarely stays in one place or city for very long but has found a home and friendship in San Francisco. A series of break ins and murders in her apartment building finds our heroine the target of police, police she begins to suspect are on the wrong side of the law. Meanwhile, several mysterious and dangerous men begin to follow our heroine from work to home, where she will come face to face with her future in the guise of GhostWalker Gideon Carpenter. What ensues is the building but trepidatious relationship between Gideon and Rory, and the fall-out as Rory’s issues of trust implode when secrets and lies push her out of Gideon’s life.

Rory Chappel has no idea she is a GhostWalker: a part of Peter Whitney’s orphaned girl experiments, experiments of which have left Rory with no memory of her early life, or the torture and pain that had been inflicted as a child but the more time she spends with Gideon, using their telepathic abilities, Rory’s memories and powers begin to tear at the fabric of her mind, a tear that can only be healed by a psychic physician.

Gideon Carpenter has not been forthcoming about who he is, and what he can do but it is his team of GhostWalkers that threatens his growing relationship with our story line heroine. Mack McKinley, Gideon’s team leader, suspects Rory is the enemy, sent by Dr. Peter Whitney, and as such has the entire team looking at Rory as an assassin, biding her time to destroy them all. As Rory continues to struggle with issues of trust, she begins to pull away, suspecting she has more than one target aiming to take her down. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters from GhostWalkers Team Three headed by Mack McKinley and his wife Jaime: Javier Enderman, Kane Cannon, Paul Mangan, Rhianna Bonds, Ethan Meyers, Lucas Atherton, Marc Lands, and Brian Hutton but saying that we are not witness to their powers or their strengths with the exception of Paul Mangan. We are introduced to Rory’s friends and neighbors: Lydia Sawyer, Janice DeWitt, Pam Williams, Cindy Atler and Sally Hudson, and Rory’s boss Brad Fitzpatrick, and Detective Warren Larrsen. The requisite evil has many faces.

The world building continues to focus on Dr. Peter Whitney and his experiments that have created a super solider, as well as the abuse of a number of little girls under his ‘care’ but use of these powers amongst Team Three is limited throughout the story except in the case of Gideon and Paul. I have to question why the Team would text information to one another when each of them has the ability to talk telepathically between minds.

GHOSTLY GAME is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, abuse, torture and brutality, acceptance and love. The premise is detailed and intriguing; the romance is subtle; the characters are powerful, determined and strong.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpted from Ghostly Game by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2023 by Christine Feehan. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher

 

“I’m not getting the GhostWalker vibe off her,” Gideon said, his eyes on the woman talking to one of her many male customers.
It didn’t matter that her hair was piled on her head in a sloppy knot that was falling out tendril by wayward tendril; it was obvious she had masses of hair, and it was dark cherry red. The real deal. Cherry red. He’d never seen that color of hair on anyone before. Every time she moved under a light, it blazed into vibrant life. It was difficult to keep his eyes off her.
She had those eyes. A deep green. Emerald? Jade? No, emerald for certain. Her eyes sparkled when she talked to her customers. She looked directly at them even when she was mixing drinks, her rhythm never faltering. Sometimes she would laugh softly, the sound musical, turning heads no matter how low it was in the noise of the crowded bar.
“You’ve been here several times over the last couple of weeks, Javier.” Gideon made it a statement. It would be difficult to get anything past Javier.
Gideon had held out as long as he could. The doctor hadn’t given him permission to come see Rory in person, but he couldn’t resist the compulsion any longer. Javier wasn’t happy about it, but he’d come along to ensure Gideon didn’t tear open any wounds. In other words, Gideon thought a little ironically, babysitting.
“I’ve watched her closely,” Javier admitted. “I can’t see any indication that she’s a GhostWalker, other than she has extraordinary reflexes. Her bartending skills are amazing. She’s fast and can handle multiple orders. She doesn’t seem to forget faces or names. On the other hand, I’ve followed her home every night, and she doesn’t run or exhibit any kind of behaviors or skills a GhostWalker might under cover of darkness. She walks, Gideon. Even if there’s a threat to her, which, on more than one occasion, I shut down.”
Gideon didn’t like that. The bartender everyone called Rory was a very attractive woman, although she didn’t seem to notice that she was. She didn’t flirt with her customers so much as genuinely try to connect in a friendly, positive way. If a man asked her out, she gave him a grin but refused gently.
Gideon liked the sprinkling of freckles across her nose and her generous mouth. It would be easy to fixate on both. “You did a background search on her?” Javier was a genius with computers. Gideon knew Javier had. He’d read the report multiple times and committed it to memory. He hoped Javier had updated it.
“Not much to find. She moves around a lot. Lost her parents early. Put herself through bartending school and uses that to earn her way. She doesn’t stay in one place very long. She goes to a state, travels within that state for a little while and moves on to the next one.”
“Anyone following her?”
“Not that I can find.”
Gideon slid his fingers around the neck of the beer bottle and rolled it back and forth. “I’m really drawn to her, Javier, more than any woman I’ve ever been around. The chemistry for me is off the charts. That doesn’t happen. Not like this. Not just with the sound of her voice. Her laughter. Now, watching other men around her, my attraction to her could be a little on the dangerous side, and you know I’m really not that man.”
Javier studied him, one eyebrow arched.
“Not over a woman,” Gideon clarified. “How can I trust it? You know Whitney pairs us. Would he pair someone who isn’t a GhostWalker just to experiment?”
Javier shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to do anything, but what would it matter even if he did pair the two of you? Look at Kane and Rose. They’re happy together. Whitney didn’t make that happen. He might be able to make you attractive to each other, but he can’t manipulate your emotions.”
“And if she’s a plant?”
Again, Javier shrugged. “Then she’s an enemy, Gideon, and I’ll kill her. Whitney doesn’t get to have spies in our home.”
Every cell in Gideon’s body instantly rejected Javier’s casual threat. “Not happening, brother. I wouldn’t be able to let you do it,” he admitted. “That’s another black mark to put in the column against her.”


 

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.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

The Reading Cafe and Berkley/Random House are graciously offering a HARD COVER copy of GHOSTLY GAME to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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10. Giveaway runs from May 4-8,  2023

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Phantom Game (Ghostwalker) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway

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Phantom Game (Ghostwalker 18) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway

 

PHANTOM GAME
Ghostwalker #18
by Christine Feehan
Release Date March 1, 2022
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal, romance

 

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 1, 2022

Jonas “Smoke” Harper has watched his brothers find their perfect mates, never imagining he’d actually meet someone who complements every part of him — even the monster that lurks within. But his instant connection with Camellia goes far beyond wanting the intelligent, beautiful, and lethal woman in his bed. They are two parts of a whole, linked to each other and to a larger network that exists everywhere around them.

Camellia has lived on her own for a long time, relying on her unique psychic abilities to keep her safe. She knows that Jonas was literally made for her, and that makes their addictive connection more dangerous than a thousand enhanced super soldiers. Once the larger threat looming over them is dealt with she’s going to get far away as fast as she can. Life has taught her that the only one she can truly trust is herself.

Jonas can sense Camellia is going to run — and the hunter inside doesn’t want to let go. Not when he knows how good they’ll be together. So he’ll just have to use all of his considerable skills to convince her to stay

••••••

REVIEW:PHANTOM GAME is the eighteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS paranormal, (often erotic) romance 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. The original GhostWalkers struggled without a female anchor, a female whose genetic and enhanced powers were often in tandem with the men involved. This is Team One member Jonas ‘Smoke’ Harper, and Camellia Mist’s story line. PHANTOM GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion, or at the very least book one SHADOW GAME where Team One was first introduced.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Camillia and Jonas) PHANTOM GAME, returns to Team One, Dr. Peter Whitney’s original team of GhostWalkers, a tight-knit group of enhanced soldiers considered a failure by GhostWalker standards. Jonas Harper, along with team members Dr. Kyle Forbes and Jeff Hollister have been sent on a mission by Team Captain Ryland Miller, searching for something or someone threatening the lives of the families secured in the compound for Team One but the further into the forest, the sicker Jeff and Kyle become, and Jonas is forced to go it alone. Pulled by an unknown source, Jonas will come face to face with Camellia Mist, one of the original orphaned girls experimented on by Peter Whitney, a woman who is a genetic match to our story line hero but a woman who was betrayed by someone she considered family and friend. Struggling to accept and trust Jonas Harper, Camellia is reluctant to follow but threats from a different ‘predator’ find Camellia helping the Team, and the man with whom she will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Camellia and Jonas, and the potential fall-out as a need for vengeance finds both Teams One and Two, targeted by a group of enhanced soldiers who are risking their lives for a perceived betrayal of one of their own.

Camellia is a powerful GhostWalker whose abilities continue to evolve on a daily basis but Camellia is also of the mindset that death follows her at every corner, and the betrayal by a ‘sister’ pushed Camellia out of their lives. Jonas Harper has yet to discover the source of all of his ‘genetic make-up’ but meeting Camellia reveals a closer connection to the earth and wildlife than he could have ever imagined. As the Team comes under fire, Camellia and Jonas will work together using the power of their mind and nature to save the lives of people at home.

The relationship between Jonas and Camellia is predicated and fated by manipulated genetics, and altered DNA. As members of the original unsanctioned GhostWalker experiments Camellia had been ‘matched’ with our story line hero, a match that could not be denied regardless of forethought or desire. Jonas and Camellia’s abilities would help one another when their lives, and the lives of Team One and Team Two are threatened, and it is these abilities that I am going to address below. Like the previous few instalments PHANTOM GAME does not focus on the sexual aspect of the couple’s connection-the relationship between Jonas and Camellia is more of a love match than a need to overpower and control. Jonas knows Camellia is his destiny but refuses to demand submission of the woman with whom he will fall in love. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

For readers and followers of Christine Feehan there is a recent and ongoing familiarity and corresponding comparison between the GHOSTWALKERS and DARK/CARPATHIAN series. The Ghostwalkers are now exhibiting some of the same powers, characteristics and abilities of the author’s Carpathian characters including psychic healing, mind to mind emotional connections and interactions; control of animals and the ability to see through their eyes-Camillia considers the animals under her command a part of her family, as well as controlling the weather, nature and animals; and the application of human characteristic (anthropomorphic) to animals and plants. Camellia’s powers are akin to the Dark series character Syndil and her family line. The GhostWalkers series is treading into familiar territory with many similarities to the Carpathian Series.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many familiar faces introduced in the earlier instalments: Ryland and Lily Miller; Dr. Kyle Forbes, and Jeff Hollister-as a reminder, Jeff is the Ghostwalker who suffered a stroke in the introductory story line; Kaden and Tansy Montague; Team Two’s Ken and Mari Norton; Jack and Briony Norton, and Logan Maxwell; Raul ‘Gator’ Fontenont as well as the mention of several other Ghostwalkers and couples. The requisite evil has many faces.

PHANTOM GAME is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, family and friendships, fate and love. PHANTOM GAME covers but a few days in the life of the Ghostwalkers and our story line couple, and as far as the entire series, only advances a couple of years from the introductory story line. The action packed premise is twisted and tragic; the romance is intimate; the characters are edgy, inspiring and intense.

Copy supplied by the Publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 70 published novels, including six series; Dark Series, Ghostwalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series, Shadow Riders  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.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Penguin/Random House/Berkley publishers is graciously offering a paper copy of PHANTOM GAME to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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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.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

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

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE Christine Feehan on Facebook

4. Please LIKE Berkley Romance on Facebook

5. Please LIKE The Reading Cafe on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

6. LIKE The Reading Cafe on Twitter for an additional entry.

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10. Giveaway runs from March 3-7, 2020

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Toxic Game (GhostWalkers #15) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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TOXIC GAME (GhostWalkers #15) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

TOXIC GAME
GhostWalkers #15
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: March 5, 2019
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal, romance

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

About the book: Release Date March 5, 2019

On a rescue mission in the heart of the Indonesian jungle, Dr. Draden Freeman and his GhostWalker team need to extract the wounded as quickly as possible—or risk spreading a deadly virus unleashed by a terrorist cell. When Draden gets infected, he forces his team to leave him behind. He won’t risk exposing anyone else. He intends to find the ones responsible and go out in a blaze of glory….

Shylah Cosmos’s mission is to track the virus and remain unseen. Her enhanced senses tell her that the gorgeous man eradicating the terrorists one by one is a GhostWalker—and his lethal precision takes her breath away. When he’s hit by a lucky shot, she can’t stop herself from stepping in, not knowing that by saving his life she’s exposed herself to the virus.

There’s no telling how much time Draden and Shylah have left. Racing to find a cure, they quickly realize that they’ve found their perfect partner just in time to lose everything. But even as the virus threatens to consume their bodies, they’ve never felt more alive.

•••••••••

REVIEW: TOXIC GAME is the fifteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS erotic, paranormal, romance series focusing an elite group of ‘genetically 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. This is former model, GhostWalker and doctor Draden Freeman, and tracker Shylah ‘Peony’ Cosmos’ story line. TOXIC GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

WARNING: TOXIC GAME contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Shylah and Draden) TOXIC GAME follows the building relationship between GhostWalker Dr. Draden Freeman, and GW tracker Shylah ‘Peony’ Cosmos. Dr.Draden Freeman is a member of the GhostWalkers Team Four Pararescue Unit, and their latest assignment finds the team in Indonesia to investigate the mass deaths possibly related to a man-made virus, a biological weapon, that if not contained could destroy the world. Infected and on his own, Draden will meet female GhostWalker Shylah Cosmos, who exposes herself to the virus in order to save our hero’s life. Shylah has been sent to Indonesia to track down and kill the men responsible for releasing the virus, a position ordered by the man in charge. What ensues is the building relationship between Draden and Shylah, as Team Four works overtime to find a cure in order to save their friend and fellow warrior.

The relationship between Draden and Shylah is one of immediate attraction. Draden recognizes, early on, that Shylah is the female ‘developed’ especially for him, something Dr. Whitney has purposely formulated in an effort to produce powerful offspring and heirs. Unlike many of the previous story lines, the relationship and power distribution between our leading couple is based on romance, attraction, and equality, without the male lead going all alpha and forcing the female to bend to his will. The $ex scenes, although limited due to the nature of the story line premise, are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

The world building continues to focus on the camaraderie, friendship and bond between the GhostWalkers, and the women they love. Dr. Peter Whitney, although ultimately responsible for the GhostWalker’s enhanced powers, and the torture of so many psychic females, his role in the series may be changing direction.

Most of GhostWalker Team Four (and their significant others) play secondary and supporting characters: Diego Campo, Ezekiel Fortunes, Gino Mazza, Team leader Joe Spagnola, Malichai and Mordichai Fortunes, Trap Dawkins, Rubin Campo and Wyatt Fontenot, along with a cameo appearance by Wyatt’s Nonny Grace Fontenont. Most of the female characters have been segregated from potential infection.

TOXIC GAME is a story of betrayal, power, revenge and control. The suspense is limited as the conflict focuses on the fight to find a cure for the man-made virus. The premise is intriguing and engaging as the author includes plenty of medical and biological references; the romance is seductive and captivating; the characters are colorful, charismatic and sassy. There are some issues of redundancy especially as it pertains to Draden’s appearance (mentioned numerous times), and saying that, I am a bit of a cover snob, and thusly, the cover doesn’t remotely give credit to the character’s beauty quoted as ‘jaw-droppingly handsome without being so beautiful he bordered on femnine’.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Exclusive except provided by the publisher

He’d been dead. Well, he would have been dead had she not given him CPR, yet he had come out of it fully cognizant. Completely aware.
He turned his head back toward her and those dark, navy-colored eyes bore down into hers. She stayed very still, trying to keep her body relaxed. If she didn’t tense up, it was possible he would relax his grip and she’d be able to break free. She wasn’t certain that would do much good; she’d seen him run and he was the fastest she’d ever seen.
“Did you give me CPR?” It was a demand.
She tried to nod. His lashes swept down for a brief moment, and she saw despair etched deeply into his face. Her heart ceased to beat and then began to pound as sudden knowledge filled her. She knew he was infected. She didn’t know how, but it was that look on his face. The way his hold on her throat gentled. He shook his head and moved back away from her.
“We have to get out of here.” His voice was a mere whisper of sound.
“You’ve been exposed to the virus, haven’t you?” Now her heart was wild. Out of control. She was terrified. She’d seen the horrific way the men and women had died. She knew, but she still needed his confirmation.
He caught her hand and rose, pulling her with him. Her arms and legs suddenly felt like spaghetti. There was a strange roaring in her head. Chaos reigned in her brain. She began to hyperventilate. The virus. He was infected with the virus and she’d put her mouth over his and breathed into his lungs. Her fingers had wiped at the blood on his temple. She had his blood on her at that very moment.
His fingers tightened around her upper arm. “We have to move. Right now.”
The urgency in his voice caught at her. She was an elite, highly trained soldier. It didn’t matter if the worst had happened; she would deal with it later. She straightened her spine, looked into those eyes of his and nodded.
Her reward was instant. His expression softened, and he gave her a quick nod of approval and then began to jog, still holding her arm, forcing her to go with him down the embankment.
What are you doing? They’re going to be on the river in boats. Without thinking she went to telepathy because the women she’d trained with all could speak mind to mind.
They’ll be expecting us on this side. We’re going back in and crossing to the other side. There was a place where the forest came right down to the edge of the water. We’ll cross there so they won’t be able to track us.
She hadn’t expected the intimacy of his voice in her head. It had a smoothness to it that gave way now and then to gravel. The way he moved in her mind stole something from her. She liked that little nod of approval he’d given her as if she were his equal just because she hadn’t given into the hysteria welling up.
She didn’t object, and he didn’t slow down, his fingers never leaving her arm, so she didn’t slow either. She was worried about his injury. It had to hurt even though he was the smoothest runner she’d ever met.
I’m Shylah Cosmos. Well, Shylah is the name my sisters gave me. I dislike my real name with a passion. Peony. Who is named Peony?
Draden Freeman. I believe I know your sisters. Bellisia and Zara? Did Whitney send you here? And there’s nothing wrong with Peony.
She almost stopped jogging she was so shocked. He knew Bellisia and Zara? Are they alive? They left separately on missions and we never heard from them again. And there is something wrong with being named Peony, so never call me that.
Whitney knows they’re alive. He came after them even after he said he’d let them go.
Dr. Peter Whitney had found her in an orphanage. Zara and Bellisia had been found the same way. Whitney had chosen them because he had a talent for recognizing others with undeveloped psychic abilities. He brought the infants to one of his many secret military facilities to experiment on them. He considered them throwaways. In his quest to find the perfect supersoldier, he experimented on the girls and when he thought he’d perfected what he was looking for, he psychically and genetically enhanced the soldiers in his GhostWalker program.


 

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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Covert Game (GhostWalkers #14) by Christine Feehan- Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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COVERT GAME (GhostWalkers #14) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

COVERT GAME
GhostWalkers #14
by Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic,paranormal suspense
Release Date: March 20, 2018

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 20, 2018

Rescuing an industrial spy from the hands of a criminal mastermind is a suicide mission for the GhostWalkers. And there’s no one more up to the task than Gino Mazza. He’s the perfect killing machine–a man driven by demons so dark and destructive that his blighted soul has given up trying to find solace. But his laser-sharp focus on his target has transformed into something nearing desire.

A treasonous senator dangled top secret GhostWalker data in front of a Chinese crime lord, and he bit. Zara Hightower, one of the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence, was sent in to psychically wipe the crime lord’s computer network. She succeeded, but at a huge cost. Now she’s the captive of a man who has descended into paranoid madness. Torture and death await her…

But GhostWalkers never leave one of their own in enemy territory. And it’s up to Gino to save Zara, or kill her if it turns out she’s led them into a trap. Either way, heaven or hell won’t stop him.

••••••••••

 

COVERT GAME is the fourteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary adult GHOSTWALKERS paranormal, romantic suspense series focusing on an elite group of ‘genetically enhanced’ men and women known as the GhostWalkers. These ‘super soldiers’ were once part of an unauthorized government experiment performed by Dr. Peter Whitney-a man tantamount to evil incarnate. This is GhostWalker/hunter Gino ‘Phantom Wind’ Mazza, and industrial spy/GhostWalker Zara Hightower’s story line. COVERT GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

WARNING: COVERT GAME contains very descriptive scenes of graphic violence and torture that may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Zara and Gino) COVERT GAME follows the abduction, torture and eventual rescue of enhanced female Zara Hightower. Considered a genius in the world of AI (Artificial Intelligence), Zara was Dr. Whitney’s pawn; an industrial spy whose special abilities superseded what the evil doctor considered her glaring failures. Sent to ‘download’ a file about the GhostWalkers, from Chinese crime lord Mr. Cheng, Zara found herself trapped by a man, Bolan Zhu, whose reputation in specialized torture preceded our heroine’s visit to Shanghai. What ensues is the rescue and recovery of our Zara Hightower; the building relationship and romance between our leading couple; and the fall-out when several teams of Whitney’s enhanced soldiers, and Bolan Zhu, are sent to recapture our story line heroine.

Team Four never expected to honor one of Dr. Whitney’s requests but the rescue of Zara Hightower meant the rescue of one of their own. Prepared for anything, Gino Mazza suspected the rescue was a trap, but a trap that found our hero falling in love.

The relationship between Gino and Zara is one of immediate attraction but unlike the earlier GhostWalker story lines there is no proof that the attraction is chemically connected or fated by enhanced DNA. Gino is an alpha male; a dominant man who is quick to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love but a dominance that appears to be genetically matched to our heroine’s submissive personality. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Most of GhostWalker Team Four (and their significant others) play secondary and supporting characters: Diego Campo, Draden Freeman, Ezekiel Fortunes, Team leader Joe Spagnola, Malichai and Mordichai Fortunes, Trap Dawkins, Rubin Campo and Wyatt Fontenot, along with Wyatt’s Nonny Grace Fontenot.

COVERT GAME is a story of power, abuse, betrayal and revenge. As the series continues to develop the author has changed the original direction of the series in that the enhanced soldiers no longer need or require a ‘female’ to anchor their abilities (Team 1); and the most recent instalment does not confirm or deny the existence of genetically matched DNA between two unsuspecting GhostWalkers, both changes the author addresses in the current story line.

Most of the recent male GhostWalkers volunteered for the genetic enhancements such that to blame the doctor for many of their problems is not necessarily true but Dr. Whitney’s ongoing experiments with the female GhostWalkers, many of whom were abducted and tortured at an early age, is still quite prevalent throughout the series. As well, our heroine appears to have no psychic power, or the ability to communicate psychically with the man that she loves, something that wasn’t addressed in this particular story line.

I would also like to point out the author continues to justify Trap’s abusive behaviour in Spider Game (GhostWalker #12) as a by-product of Asperger’s Syndrome –a plot point that was never mentioned in Trap’s story line- Spider Game- but has been addressed in the last two instalments in an effort, I believe, to appease the many negative comments and reviews about Trap’s abusive and controlling behaviour. In this, there is also much talk between the heroines, throughout Covert Game, rationalizing and accepting their mates’ controlling behaviour-something I see as the author, once again, as trying to defend her male characters’ less than favourable characteristics. I do not have a problem with alpha males in my ‘fictional’ story lines but the increase in controlling and somewhat abusive behaviour is something the author is most likely trying to address and explain via her female leads.

COVERT GAME is a suspenseful and action packed story line. Gino will seek retribution for the woman he loves, retribution that is equal to the torture inflicted upon our story line heroine. The premise is startling, dramatic and intense; the characters are intelligent, complex and charismatic; the romance is intimate and emotional. COVERT GAME is an intriguing and fascinating look at the paranormal.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed By Sandy

Posted by arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Christine Feehan, 2018.

 

Zara was being tortured. He knew she was. Cheng would never lose that data and let a foreigner leave his country. After, he would have to kill her. Even if she never admitted she was spying for Whitney, or running a mission, Cheng would still have to kill her. How could he not? He couldn’t rely on her not talking about being detained and tortured. She might have the United States lodge a protest on her behalf. Cheng’s government would have no recourse but to investigate. No, he had to kill her.
How long did she have? He was suddenly anxious to get started. They were making one last night jump, and he wanted to get it over and get on the road. He was a doctor, a damn good surgeon, and he had a healing touch. That was always a shock to him because his hands killed. Not just killed outright either. Ciro had taught him that sometimes killing cleanly didn’t send the right message. If you wanted others to pay attention and fear you, killing cleanly didn’t get you what you wanted and you did it another, very ugly way.
He didn’t like inflicting pain on anyone, but he didn’t mind either. He could shut down. He had shut down when intruders had murdered his family one by one in front of him. When they shot him three times and left him for dead. Over money. It had all been over money. He detested that money more than anything else. They had broken in with the idea of taking Gino and ransoming him back to his parents. His parents and grandparents had refused to let him go. They wouldn’t step aside.
Gino remembered trying to push them aside and get around them, so no one would get hurt, but his father had quietly stopped him. He’d shaken his head and told the intruders very softly that he wasn’t giving up his son. That was a man taking care of his family. He hadn’t resisted, or tried to hurt the intruders, he’d simply said no.
Being nice didn’t work with some men. Being nice was equated with weakness. Gino had made certain he would never be equated with weak. Like Ciro, he learned to be strong and feared. He wanted to be feared so no one would touch the people he loved. So no one would ever try to do to his child what had been done to him. Money cost him his parents and he’d turned his back on it. That was ironic, because now he was far wealthier than his parents had ever been. What was more ironic was the fact that he’d shaped himself into a man to be feared so no one would touch those he loved—but he was so cold and dark no woman would ever love him for himself.
The sky was clear tonight, and the moon shone over the water. A light fog moved through the forest, giving the interior an eerie glow when the sky and water were both so clear. He stared into the trees, looking at those fingers of fog pointing toward him. He didn’t believe in signs or fate the way Nonny did. She saw signs in everything from rings around the moon to horny toads jumping across the road.
“We’re coming for you, princess,” he whispered to the night and hoped she heard him. Hoped she could hold on. “I’m coming for you and nothing will stop me. Not heaven. Not hell. I’m not leaving you in that place.” He’d already made up his mind she wasn’t working with Whitney, and that was plain stupidity. He wasn’t a stupid man. It didn’t matter. “I’m coming, baby, just hold on a little longer.”
That was another thing he had to consider as he made his way back to the small airfield where they’d go through the jump one more time before they packed their gear for the night. Zara Hightower was smart. Way the hell smart. Like Trap smart. She was used to being in the spotlight, and he didn’t want that life. He didn’t want any one of his family members to ever set themselves up as targets. That wouldn’t happen. She traveled the world, giving her talks. She might need that. Still . . .
“Won’t make a difference, princess,” he whispered again. “I’m coming for you. Just hang on.”
The jump went far smoother than he expected. They knew the feel of the power paragliders as they steered their chutes down to the rooftop. Each knew where he had to come down to avoid hitting the others. They were out of their gear and into formation in minutes, cameras disrupted, and then they went through the entire routine of finding the prisoner. Every movement was planned in advance including what to do if she wasn’t able to walk.
“Good job, everyone,” Ezekiel said. “Okay, everything is set with getting out of here and joining the work crew. We leave at twenty-four hundred hours. You have two and half hours to get everything ready and reset. Adjust your gear, get your chute repacked, do whatever you’re going to do, but be back here on time ready to kick ass and get our girl back. You can sleep on the plane, it’s a long journey. And remember, the minute you leave here, you are no longer soldiers, you’re construction workers.”
Gino inclined his head and went to work. He knew exactly what he was—and he was neither. 


 

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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Christine’s Feehan’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of COVERT GAME to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Power Game (Ghostwalker #13) by Christine Feehan-Review and Giveaway

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POWER GAME (Ghostwalker #13) by Christine Feehan-a review and giveaway

Power Game Banner

POWER GAME
Ghostwalkers #13
by Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance
Release Date: January 24, 2017

Power Game

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 24, 2017

When members of a United Nations joint security force are taken hostage by radical terrorists in Indonesia, Captain Ezekiel Fortunes is called to lead the rescue team. Part of a classified government experiment, Zeke is a supersoldier with enhanced abilities. He can see better and run faster than the enemy, disappear when necessary and hunt along any terrain. There are those in the world willing to do anything for power like that.

A mysterious woman with her own agenda rescues a captured GhostWalker soldier held by a secret enemy. Together they uncover a conspiracy that extends beyond the reaches of the US government and proves a deadly threat to national security…

A formidable spy genetically engineered to hide in plain sight, Bellisia rarely meets a man who doesn’t want to control her or kill her. But Zeke is different. His gaze, his touch—they awaken feelings inside her that she never thought possible. He’s the kind of man she could settle down with—if she can keep him alive.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: POWER GAME is the thirteenth 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’ were part of an unauthorized government experiment performed by Dr. Peter Whitney-a man tantamount to evil incarnate. This is Ghostwalker Dr/Captain Ezekiel Fortunes, and Bellisia Adams’s story line. POWER GAME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty although I recommend reading the series in order (especially the previous 2-3 installments) for cohesion and back story.

Told from several third person perspectives including Ezekiel and Bellisia POWER GAME returns to the Louisiana Bayou, and focuses on the take down of Senator Violet Smythe. Violet is a female Ghostwalker but a woman driven to become the most powerful person in the USA at the expense of her fellow female Ghostwalkers. Dr. Peter Whitney will send Bellisia Adams, a female Ghostwalker with ‘unusual DNA’ to ferret out Violet’s plans with the intent that our heroine returns to Whitney’s compound to reveal all of Violet’s secrets including her plans to destroy Ghostwalker Team 4 and anyone with insect or reptilian DNA. Enter Ezekiel Fortunes, a Ghostwalker targeted by Violet Smythe, and the man who has been genetically matched to our story line heroine. What ensues is the struggle to keep one step ahead of both Whitney and Smythe, and the building relationship between Ezekiel and Bellisia.

The relationship between Ezekiel and Bellisia is a dramatic change from several of Feehan’s previous story line couples including the relationship between Trap and Cayenne (Spider Game #12)-a relationship that bordered on abusive and controlling. Our current hero Ezekiel Fortunes, although alpha and protective, is also a man who does not use power or abuse to control or protect the woman he claims to love. The building love and partnership is an equal and balanced relationship in that our heroine is just as capable of making her own choices and decisions as the man with whom she is falling in love. The one hundred and eighty degree turn in the author’s writing style is a welcome relief. The $ex scenes are limited although seductive and intense.

In Power Game, the author tries to justify Trap’s abusive behavior towards his mate in Spider Game (Ghostwalker 12) by backtracking and proclaiming Trap suffers with Asperger’s syndrome-a neurobiological disorder on the higher end of the autism spectrum thus rendering him with issues of social and communication skills. The ‘Asperger’s’ story line is new and never once mentioned in the previous installment thusly I suspect the author is trying to justify her hero’s behavior to appease the many negative comments about the abusive and controlling character.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters. We are reintroduced to several members of the Ghostwalker Team 4: Gino ‘Phantom’ Mazza and Draden ‘Sandman’ Freeman, psychic surgeon Joe Spagnola whose own potential DNA match is revealed, newcomer Rubin Campo, as well as Ezekiel’s brothers Malichai and Mordichai Fortunes; the female Ghostwalkers Cayenne, Pepper and her Ghostwalker husband Wyatt, and their triplets Ginger, Thym and Cannelle; and we cannot forget about Grace ‘Nonny’ Fontenot-sadly Gator is no where to be seen. We are introduced to Bellisia’s friend, a war veteran named Donny, and her ‘handlers’ Adam and Gerald whose own Ghostwalker DNA may be a cause for concern. The requisite evil comes with many names and faces including Violet Smythe and a Chinese businessman named Cheng angling for the Ghostwalker technology. If only by way of mention there are a number of female Ghostwalkers waiting for rescue: Zara, Shylah, Scarlett, Blue, Cat and Amaryllis-I am suspecting these ladies will be matched with several members of Team 4.

Unlike some of the other installments in the series, there is a large amount of military jargon and technical information as it pertains to a rescue mission in Indonesia, and Ezekiel’s Navy SEALs although it does not interfere with the understanding or enjoyment of the story line.

POWER GAME is a story of action, suspense, betrayal and revenge. The slow building romance is almost secondary to the overall plot but the relationship is dramatic and captivating none-the-less. The premise is engaging and entertaining; the characters are colorful, animated and inspiring; the romance is passionate and sensual. POWER GAME is a thrilling and powerful return to the original Christine Feehan brand of paranormal romance.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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The Reading Cafe and Christine Feehan’s publisher are graciously offering a hard cover copy of POWER GAME to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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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-Review and Giveaway

Spider Game Banner

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

Spider Game

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository /

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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Samurai Game by Christine Feehan – a Review

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Samurai Game by Christine Feehan – a Review

Before I begin this review I feel I should share a little story about me and the Ghostwalkers.  This was the last of Christine Feehan’s series that I got into and it was only thanks to the urging of fellow Feehanista’s and friends I met in the Feehan Community.  When I first checked this series out I thought it sounded a little on the sci-fi side with wacky experiments and a mad scientist. That genre has never been a favourite of mine, so I decided not to read it.  However, I couldn’t have been more off base, except for the mad scientist part. 😉  To this day some of my friends from the Feehan community still bug me over those thoughts.  😉  I’m glad I finally came to my senses and listened to everyone, gave the first book a try and as they say, the rest is history.  I fell for this series hook, line and sinker.  I love me some Ghostwalkers, now lets get to the review. 

In Samurai Game, Christine brings it all for me. Action, battles, drama, suspense, intrigue, a hot romance, with a side of nutty professor thrown in to complete the recipe.  This story kept me turning page after page just wanting to find out what was happening next.  I love it when a book holds my attention so completely.

Once again our resident wacko, the nutty professor himself Dr. Whitney has his sites set on the Ghostwalkers and this time it’s Sam Johnson.  Christine brings Sam to the forefront in this story and springs Team One back into action.  Since team one is the first team I met they all hold a special place with me.  Sam being one of them.  Even though he’s been more of a background player till now, there was something that intrigued me about him.  I had a feeling there was more to this Ghostwalker and Christine didn’t disappoint.  Sam really stepped it up in his book proving he’s every bit as capable as any of the Ghostwalkers and has some pretty amazing talents.  Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be on Sam’s bad side, or run into him in a dark alley. 

Azamai Yoshie(Thorn) is very much like Sam.  Once she’s set her sites on a mission she won’t waver from that path till she’s completed it and is satisfied with the outcome.  She’s feisty, intelligent and one hell of a fighter.  When Whitney tossed her out to the streets of Japan deeming her worthless for his continuing experiments, he was sure she’d die there.  A major miscalculation on Whitney’s part.  Instead she was found and adopted by a samurai warrior who trained her in the art of the samurai along with her two adopted brothers.  Now Azmai is making sure that Whitney pays for all he’s done to her and anyone else who’s come into contact with him.  She doesn’t want to see anyone else, especially a child used the way Whitney used her and the other girls.

As I mentioned earlier Samurai Game is packed full of action and it starts from the beginning. I liked the fact that there wasn’t a slow build up to the story, but instead got right into the action.  Someone is taking out people important to Whitney and they don’t know who it is.  I like how Christine introduces us to Azami and lets us see what she’s capable of out in the field.  This is a great lead up to Sam and Azami’s first meeting.  When they meet for the first time both Sam and Azami feel something but aren’t sure what it is.  At first they are leery about the other but soon learn it’s an ambush but unsure who the attack is against.  Both are thrown into action and are equally matched in battle skills and the more time they spend together fighting they realize there’s an attraction that’s much deeper then just the physical.  These two characters sizzle as a couple and I liked how it was more then just a physical attraction from the get go.  The emotional connection they have for one another is strong and real and their scenes together are brilliantly written. Sam is so tender and loving to Azami and shows her what it means to be cherished.  Azami brings the meaning of home and family to Sam, something he never thought he’d ever have for himself. 

Weaved through Sam and Azami’s romance is of course the danger and intrigue that Christine is noted for in her Ghostwalker series.  Dr. Whitney is bound and determined to get a diamond from the Congo to further his madness, but to do so, he needs to sacrifice a Ghostwalker to Ekabela  as his men are in possession of the mine.  Sam is just the Ghostwalker he has in mind and Azami informs team one of this.  Of course Ryland and the rest of the team are cautious about this info from Azami at first seeing as they know little about her, but when Sam’s stepfather General Ranier arrives and informs them of the orders that have just come down, Ryland starts to change his feelings about Azami and Sam’s choice to be with her.  As team one prepares for this mission Christine does an amazing job of keeping the reader on edge and wondering just who is in cahoots with Whitney and these orders.  For a while she had me second guessing a few people only to learn later on I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

The more I read, the more I loved this story.  I truly love the way Christine unravels the intrigue she creates throughout this story.  It kept me on the edge of my seat wanting more. The battle and actions scenes made me feel like I was there, a part of the action and drama that was unfolding on the pages.   Along with all the action, danger and intrigue there was also humour and camaraderie amongst the men of team one. There’s one scene in the book that had me laughing out loud at the antics of these guys when they get together.  This is a great team and the characters and personalities Christine created just gel perfectly.  I truly enjoyed hanging with team one again and watching them battle and once again outsmart the villainous resident mad scientist Dr. Whitney.  Here’s to looking forward to the next Ghostwalker installment that can’t come soon enough.  If you haven’t ready this one yet, I suggest you do.  

Review by Marcie

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