An unevenly executed thriller helped along by a wolfman who’s full of surprises.
Murray and Fahrie (NYC Werewolf Tales 3, 2018, etc.) present an urban-fantasy tale about a young werewolf.
Lucy, a Manhattan college student, takes notice of a tall, shy classmate named James Hatton, and they begin dating. Their outings include walks in Central Park and a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s on this visit to the Met that James confesses a strange secret: He’s a werewolf. Ever since his mother died five years ago, whenever he feels threatened, he changes into a ferocious creature. In wolf form, James stops a would-be shooter, saves a man from drowning, and even steals a motorcycle from a surly thug and rides it, among other feats. Lucy comes to terms with James’ wolf identify fairly easily, although she does harbor a lingering fear that he’ll lose control of himself while transformed. She’s dealing with other problems, as well—namely, that her ex-boyfriend Josh refuses to accept that their relationship is over. Lucy and James consult regularly with a psychic to shed some light on their situation, but there’s no predicting where, in the end, the wolf shall roam. The book’s excitement comes in finding out what James’ wolf form will do next—and what sort of criminal he’ll set straight during his sudden appearances. However, the sections of the novel between these heroic tasks are not quite so gripping; on more than one occasion, for example, they digress into lists of foodstuffs. This is not to say that the minor characters are bland; one feisty old man in the Hamptons with a penchant for motorboats shows plenty of bravery despite his lack of supernatural powers. The story’s final section moves into stranger territory as Lucy makes the best of her peculiar romantic relationship, and readers are kept wondering whether it will all work out.
An unevenly executed thriller helped along by a wolfman who’s full of surprises.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-980277-49-1
Page Count: 398
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Above-average formula fiction, making full display of the author’s strong suits: sense of place, compassion for characters...
Female rivalry is again the main preoccupation of Hannah’s latest Pacific Northwest sob saga (Firefly Lane, 2008, etc.).
At Water’s Edge, the family seat overlooking Hood Canal, Vivi Ann, youngest and prettiest of the Grey sisters and a champion horsewoman, has persuaded embittered patriarch Henry to turn the tumbledown ranch into a Western-style equestrian arena. Eldest sister Winona, a respected lawyer in the nearby village of Oyster Shores, hires taciturn ranch hand Dallas Raintree, a half-Native American. Middle sister Aurora, stay-at-home mother of twins, languishes in a dull marriage. Winona, overweight since adolescence, envies Vivi, whose looks get her everything she wants, especially men. Indeed, Winona’s childhood crush Luke recently proposed to Vivi. Despite Aurora’s urging (her principal role is as sisterly referee), Winona won’t tell Vivi she loves Luke. Yearning for Dallas, Vivi stands up Luke to fall into bed with the enigmatic, tattooed cowboy. Winona snitches to Luke: engagement off. Vivi marries Dallas over Henry’s objections. The love-match triumphs, and Dallas, though scarred by child abuse, is an exemplary father to son Noah. One Christmas Eve, the town floozy is raped and murdered. An eyewitness and forensic evidence incriminate Dallas. Winona refuses to represent him, consigning him to the inept services of a public defender. After a guilty verdict, he’s sentenced to life without parole. A decade later, Winona has reached an uneasy truce with Vivi, who’s still pining for Dallas. Noah is a sullen teen, Aurora a brittle but resigned divorcée. Noah learns about the Seattle Innocence Project. Could modern DNA testing methods exonerate Dallas? Will Aunt Winona redeem herself by reopening the case? The outcome, while predictable, is achieved with more suspense and less sentimental histrionics than usual for Hannah.
Above-average formula fiction, making full display of the author’s strong suits: sense of place, compassion for characters and understanding of family dynamics.Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-36410-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2008
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.
Passion, friendship, heartbreak, and forgiveness ring true in Lovering's debut, the tale of a young woman's obsession with a man who's "good at being charming."
Long Island native Lucy Albright, starts her freshman year at Baird College in Southern California, intending to study English and journalism and become a travel writer. Stephen DeMarco, an upperclassman, is a political science major who plans to become a lawyer. Soon after they meet, Lucy tells Stephen an intensely personal story about the Unforgivable Thing, a betrayal that turned Lucy against her mother. Stephen pretends to listen to Lucy's painful disclosure, but all his thoughts are about her exposed black bra strap and her nipples pressing against her thin cotton T-shirt. It doesn't take Lucy long to realize Stephen's a "manipulative jerk" and she is "beyond pathetic" in her desire for him, but their lives are now intertwined. Their story takes seven years to unfold, but it's a fast-paced ride through hookups, breakups, and infidelities fueled by alcohol and cocaine and with oodles of sizzling sexual tension. "Lucy was an itch, a song stuck in your head or a movie you need to rewatch or a food you suddenly crave," Stephen says in one of his point-of-view chapters, which alternate with Lucy's. The ending is perfect, as Lucy figures out the dark secret Stephen has kept hidden and learns the difference between lustful addiction and mature love.
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-6964-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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