Heart of Night

Rating:
Summary: Smart, sexy romance
Review: I love both romance and suspense--Heart of Night manages to satisfy both cravings. It's a little like "La Femme Nikita" set in Elizabethan England. The hero is mysterious and appealing and has lots of wonderful dark shadows in his past, and it's great to watch him as he wrestles his demons. The heroine is vulnerable but strong and gutsy and balances him wonderfully. And the suspense is *scary*!

Great setting, richly realized, also. If you like literate, well-crafted romance with plenty of action and strong emotion, I can absolutely recommend Heart of Night.

Rating:
Summary: Smart, sexy romance
Review: I love both romance and suspense--Heart of Night manages to satisfy both cravings. It's a little like "La Femme Nikita" set in Elizabethan England. The hero is mysterious and appealing and has lots of wonderful dark shadows in his past, and it's great to watch him as he wrestles his demons. The heroine is vulnerable but strong and gutsy and balances him wonderfully. And the suspense is *scary*!

Great setting, richly realized, also. If you like literate, well-crafted romance with plenty of action and strong emotion, I can absolutely recommend Heart of Night.

Rating:
Summary: Smart, sexy romance
Review: I love both romance and suspense--Heart of Night manages to satisfy both cravings. It's a little like "La Femme Nikita" set in Elizabethan England. The hero is mysterious and appealing and has lots of wonderful dark shadows in his past, and it's great to watch him as he wrestles his demons. The heroine is vulnerable but strong and gutsy and balances him wonderfully. And the suspense is *scary*!

Great setting, richly realized, also. If you like literate, well-crafted romance with plenty of action and strong emotion, I can absolutely recommend Heart of Night.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: In 1586 London, most people misunderstand Sir Adrian Thorne's gift, which he considers a curse. Adrian can touch a person to see inside their soul and know all about them. This genetic monster led to his mother's suicide, a common ending for Adrian's ancestors.

Now Adrian has been taken to Bedlam, as befitting a lunatic. At Bedlam, he meets Lady Claire Darren, who surprisingly understands his torment. Instead of writing Adrian off as a madman, she enlists his help in exposing traitors to Queen Elizabeth. However, in spite of his unique sense of touch, Claire feels the attraction between them as much as Adrian does. Still, their quest is so perilous that their growing love seems destined for a very short relationship.

Though romance between the lead protagonists strongly supports the tale, the heart of this tale turns it more into a historical novel than a romance. The exciting story line is filled with suspense and non-stop action that takes place predominately in the gritty underbelly of sixteenth century England. Readers touching this book's pages will know that the lead couple is an intrepid pair suffering from demons as well as vile enemies, who seem lacking in comparison. Fans of Elizabethan era stories will Taylor their next book-chase to obtain the author's previous novel HEART OF DECEPTION.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Gread reading
Review: In 1586 London, most people misunderstand Sir Adrian Thorne's gift, which he considers a curse. Adrian can touch a person to see inside their soul and know all about them. This genetic monster led to his mother's suicide, a common ending for Adrian's ancestors.

Now Adrian has been taken to Bedlam, as befitting a lunatic. At Bedlam, he meets Lady Claire Darren, who surprisingly understands his torment. Instead of writing Adrian off as a madman, she enlists his help in exposing traitors to Queen Elizabeth. However, in spite of his unique sense of touch, Claire feels the attraction between them as much as Adrian does. Still, their quest is so perilous that their growing love seems destined for a very short relationship.

Though romance between the lead protagonists strongly supports the tale, the heart of this tale turns it more into a historical novel than a romance. The exciting story line is filled with suspense and non-stop action that takes place predominately in the gritty underbelly of sixteenth century England. Readers touching this book's pages will know that the lead couple is an intrepid pair suffering from demons as well as vile enemies, who seem lacking in comparison. Fans of Elizabethan era stories will Taylor their next book-chase to obtain the author's previous novel HEART OF DECEPTION.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Rare treat
Review: It's not often a psychic hero is drawn believably. Adrian, so empathic that just to be touched is to be plunged into someone else's soul, is a rare, exciting exception. His internal torment gives him a delicious vulnerability! Claire has her own pain and self-doubts, is vulnerable too, yet never wimpy. The Elizabethan feel of the story convinced me, the writing is magical and erotic. I definitely recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: Rare treat
Review: It's not often a psychic hero is drawn believably. Adrian, so empathic that just to be touched is to be plunged into someone else's soul, is a rare, exciting exception. His internal torment gives him a delicious vulnerability! Claire has her own pain and self-doubts, is vulnerable too, yet never wimpy. The Elizabethan feel of the story convinced me, the writing is magical and erotic. I definitely recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Much anticipated after Chase's very engrossing Heart of Deception. Unfortunately, this one simply did not live up to expectations. I found the efforts to tie this book in with the last distracting and forced; Claire and Adrian never become fully realized characters and honestly were rather boring; Nigel and Sir Reginald were caricatures and it was difficult to care what happened to any of them. I found myself stuggling to slog through to the end (actually, I haven't been able to bring myself to finish it yet). Chase is at her best when she portrays strong, dark characters and when there's a bit more of a spark between her lovers (not to mention more tension or love scenes!).

Rating:
Summary: An Overwrought Melodrama
Review: This book is a disappointment in every way. It's not romantic (Claire & Adrian love each other right away and after that the book focuses mostly on the "suspense" part of the plot), it's not suspenseful (we know who the murderer is from the start) and furthermore, it's not even interesting. What it is instead, is REDUNDANT. Not one but TWO different people try to frame Adrian for murder and of course, Claire manages to get taken hostage by both bad guys, and so needs to be rescued not once, but twice. This book is boring, boring, boring. I had to skim the last third, I just couldn't slog through to the very end. Too bad I paid full price for it.

Rating:
Summary: An Overwrought Melodrama
Review: This book is a disappointment in every way. It's not romantic (Claire & Adrian love each other right away and after that the book focuses mostly on the "suspense" part of the plot), it's not suspenseful (we know who the murderer is from the start) and furthermore, it's not even interesting. What it is instead, is REDUNDANT. Not one but TWO different people try to frame Adrian for murder and of course, Claire manages to get taken hostage by both bad guys, and so needs to be rescued not once, but twice. This book is boring, boring, boring. I had to skim the last third, I just couldn't slog through to the very end. Too bad I paid full price for it.