"An engrossing tale of the occult and dark magic"
The Battle for Barnstable by Alan M Brooker is an
engrossing tale of the occult and dark magic. Alex Anderson, a journalist writing feature articles on
old manor houses, returns to the home of his childhood for
his latest piece. He has mixed feelings about returning to
the town where his parents were killed years ago and the
murderers never found. Never did he expect what would
happen when he arrived at Barnstable. Upon arrival, Alex meets the beautiful Lisa and finds
himself unable to stop thinking about her. When strange
things start happening at Barnstable Manor, Alex begins to
discover not all is as it seems. He meets up with the
vampire Lord of the Manor, Andrew Barnstable, who alerts
him to the real dangers in town. Barnstable Manor is the
command center for a coven of Satanists who have been
grooming Lisa for years to become the Bride of Satan.
However complications arising from her relationship with
Andrew's daughter, Sara, have interfered and now both
women are in danger. Now these unlikely allies, with the help of a few other
trusted parties must defeat the Satanists before they can
complete the final ritual to bring Satan back from Hell. The Battle for Barnstable is full of non-stop action and
suspense. However, some of the more graphic scenes may
offend more sensitive readers. This reviewer was a little
put off by the excessive sexual acts and descriptions, and
could have done without the orgies. If one can look past
the gratuitous sex in parts to the deeper story, this book
will captivate. The experiences Alex and company have
while trying to battle the satanic cult are frighteningly
vivid yet full of fascinating information. The characters are very well drawn and deep, drawing
readers into their lives, experiences, and feelings.
Andrew the vampire is by his very nature a killing animal,
but this reviewer found herself very sympathetic to his
plight. When he discovers the danger to his daughter, and
discovers some other secrets revealed, he is driven to
protect the women at any cost, even if it means his own
destruction. One thing disappointing about this story was that there
didn't seem to be enough emphasis put on Alex's back
story. He is so determined in the beginning to find out
more about his parents' deaths, but then that drive takes
a back seat to everything else. It was more of a secondary
plot device, but some readers may feel like that storyline
line is not satisfactorily wrapped up. © Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2006. All rights reserved. Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted July 18, 2006
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 12, 2007
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