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Summary: The second installment in the Moriah's Landing series
Review: Courtesy of Love RomancesJonah Ries is an FBI Agent, working undercover to solve a mystery. Someone in Moriah's Landing has been ordering illegal medical supplies, rumored to be needed by a secret society of scientists dating back to the 1600s. He has tried to find out what happened to the agent who was originally on the case, until he disappeared. Katherine "Kat" Ridgemont is a native of Moriah's Landing, and the local private investigator. She also happens to be haunted by her mother's murder 20 years ago, a victim of a serial killer who was never found. Kat bears more than a passing resemblance to her mother. As the anniversary of her death approaches, Kat starts to have a recurring nightmare from her childhood, and starts to feel as though something is about to happen. From the moment Jonah stumbles into Kat's office and is mistaken for her blind date, they are attracted to each other. Jonah has a secret though, and he is sure Kat would want nothing to do with him if she knew what it was. Something evil is after Kat, and Jonah senses it, knowing he will do whatever is necessary to protect her. If he can't Kat will fall victim to the same fate as her mother did. This second installment in the Moriah's Landing miniseries for the most part does not disappoint. It is a stand alone book from the rest of the series, but reading all four together and in order, will help one to understand the underlying mystery throughout. The readers get to pay a return visit to some interesting characters from the first book, as well as get introduced to some new ones. Also, a little more is revealed about the story of Claire, which was introduced in the beginning. Claire is, in fact, probably one of the most intriguing characters of the series, as one journeys along with her as she re-enters the world and tries to remember what happened to her five years before. Kat and Jonah are wonderful together, balancing each other's faults and strengths, so they are all the stronger for it, together. One thing that is never fully explained however, is why suddenly Kat's nightmares from childhood come back when they do. Many reasons are given for why that is the case, but it is hard to understand why this did not happen in past years on the anniversary of her mother's death. One is led to believe it is partially due to the string of recent murders in the town, hinting at a return serial killer, but if that is the case, one might think her memories would have started to surface after Claire's abduction when they were in college together. In spite of that, the story sucks the reader in and will have one eager to finally get the answers to the mysteries surrounding Moriah's Landing. It also nicely sets up the next story in the series, SCARLET VOWS, which was released in May 2002. Read all four for the full tale. One will enjoy the complexities of each as an individual story, and all of them as a whole.
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Summary: Howling in the Darkness
Review: The Moriah's Landing series continues in "Howling in the Darkness" by B.J. Daniels. This is a story whose success depends on the reader's expectations. Those looking for a good police procedural type story should be pleased. Those wanting a good gothic and paranormal flavored story may be disappointed. Undercover FBI agent Jonah Ries returns to his hometown of Moriah's Landing to investigate the disappearance of a fellow agent in the town. There he meets P.I. Kat Ridgemont. Years ago, Kat's mother was murdered by a serial killer who struck in Moriah's Landing and was never caught. As soon as he meets her, Jonah knows Kat is in danger. Can he protect her and himself from the dangers that are after them both? As a procedural detective story, "Howling in the Darkness" is strong. In terms of her mystery plotting, this is Daniels's best book in over a year, since "The Agent's Secret Child." There are several different storylines all happening at once, with Jonah's investigation, Kat's danger, and her own investigations into several of her cases. All these storylines develop and finally intersect. There's a real plot here with some meat to it. Mystery readers should enjoy trying to figure out how everything is connected. This approach also allows Daniels to do something Amanda Stevens didn't do last month in book one, "Secret Sanctuary." She gives us a real sense of the town of Moriah's Landing and all the relationships and secrets between the townspeople. That's part of the charm of a small town setting, seeing how everyone is connected and the little dramas between them. Daniels makes Moriah's Landing and its townspeople seem vivid. As the modern gothic the cover promises, "Howling in the Darkness" disappoints. This is really only a regular Intrigue with a few paranormal elements thrown on top. They could easily be removed and the basic story would be the same. For instance, Jonah is given a hint of supernatural power but it is barely defined and a small part of the story. Unlike Amanda Stevens last month, Daniels is not an author who is natural for this kind of story. She may have been in her early books, like the wonderful gothic-influenced "Undercover Christmas." Ever since, her storytelling "voice" has become light and breezy, which is the exact opposite of the kind of tone a gothic or paranormal needs. She keeps mentioning the creeping fog and threatening shadows but it isn't enough to create a convincing atmosphere. It doesn't feel authentic. The way Jonah and Kat meet, where he pretends to be the blind date she met online, is an example of how wrong the tone is. It's "cute," even a little "funny." That's what Daniels's readers will expect from her (especially if they read the blind date scene that started "Love at First Sight"). But that's not dark, suspenseful or remotely gothic, and no matter how much creeping fog Daniels throws on top of it, it's never going to be. What "Howling in the Darkness" is missing is the darkness. There are some authors who can really make the reader feel how dark and scary the story is, like Amanda Stevens, Jenna Ryan and others. Daniels is not one of them. She excels at lighter, even humorous romantic suspense, and she keeps this one that way instead of as dark as it needs to be to be convincing. The romance is also underwhelming. It moves slowly and is not very developed. In the first half of the book I don't think Kat and Jonah spend more than 15 pages together. They're both so busy investigating their separate storylines. They do spend more time together in the second half. Until then, the romance is barely present. This adds to the sense that this is more a procedural than a gothic romance. "Howling in the Darkness" is ably told with well-crafted scenes and good characters. It's a solid procedural tale. It's also not much of a modern gothic.
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Summary: Part of a series
Review: This is book 2 of a 4 book continuity series entitle Moriah's Landing. Book one is "Secret Sanctuary" by Amanda Stevens (Harlequin Intrigue, No. 650). Book three is "Scarlet Vows" by Dani Sinclair (Harlequin Intrigue, No. 658). The final book is "Behind the Veil" by Joanna Wayne (Harlequin Intrigue, No. 662). This romance series is suppose to be classic gothic fantasy set in a modern day New England town. I enjoyed these books. I hate to say more, since I don't want to give anything away ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Part of a series
Review: This is book 2 of a 4 book continuity series entitle Moriah's Landing. Book one is "Secret Sanctuary" by Amanda Stevens (Harlequin Intrigue, No. 650). Book three is "Scarlet Vows" by Dani Sinclair (Harlequin Intrigue, No. 658). The final book is "Behind the Veil" by Joanna Wayne (Harlequin Intrigue, No. 662). This romance series is suppose to be classic gothic fantasy set in a modern day New England town. I enjoyed these books. I hate to say more, since I don't want to give anything away ;-)
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