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REVIEW
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"Hot hunks and fiendish foes in a tantalizing tale"
Most of the inhabitants of Talisman Bay have no idea what
stalks (slithers, hops, flies) through the night as they go
about their lives. It's the job of the Shadow Walkers--part
Men in Black, part Buffy the Vampire Slayer (well, "buff"
at any rate)—to insure the safety of the unsuspecting
populace. These six extraordinary warriors run a trendy and
successful import shop as a cover for their more arcane
activities. Life goes from unpredictable to all-out crazy,
though, the night their leader Stephan rescues the
beautiful dancer Mariah from a demon attack, then is drawn
into the search for her kidnapped friend. What they uncover
is a plot that might end their whole existence. High on action, with a cast of interesting and diverse
characters, this kick-off for a new series held my
attention from page one. The heroes verge on supermen, but
that's probably necessary to combat demons, aliens,
vampires, and assorted other supernatural evils. I
appreciated that each had individual strengths—and
weaknesses—and very distinct personalities. They have a
touch of angst; just enough to give a little depth, but the
main focus is on high-octane action. Occasionally, I wanted
to shake some sense into Mariah; for someone who got
dropped in at the deep end of the "seriously weird" pool,
she had a bad habit of running away from help and headlong
into trouble. I really loved the secondary storyline with
Mariah's friend Twyla and bad boy Freeze, and I sincerely
hope we hear more about them! An interesting crew, and the promise of more love to be
found and evil to vanquish in Talisman Bay pave the way for
several more great stories. But this is not for the faint
of heart—there is graphic violence and sex that includes
ménage and anal play (in a dream sequence), as well as
bondage. The writing duo that is Ashleigh Raine has created
a brave, new world that many fans of paranormal adventure
and hot romance will want to visit again.
Reviewed by Julia Clark
Posted January 19, 2008
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| SUMMARY |
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Welcome to Talisman Bay, where all hell breaks loose on a daily basis, especially when you fall in love. Book one in the Talisman Bay series. For twelve years Stephan Rashleigh has lived in the shadows, patrolling the city streets as leader of the Talisman Bay Shadow Walkers. The danger of his world leaves no room for a woman in his life. Until now. It should have been easy—rescue Mariah, then let her go. Except once she’s in his arms, he can’t walk away. Vibrant, breathing life into him, she makes him feel again. Mariah DeSilva isn’t interested in falling in love, even with the gorgeous hero who rescued her from a brutal attack. When her best friend is kidnapped, she turns to the only man she can trust to help. The more time she spends with Stephan, the less she can hide her growing feelings for him. There’s so much more between them than an explosive romp between the sheets, against the wall and everywhere in between. As they search for Mariah’s missing friend, a sinister evil is revealed, someone who’s been watching, waiting for Stephan to reveal his greatest vulnerability—falling in love. This enemy will stop at nothing to wipe out the Shadow Walkers and claim Mariah for his own.
This book has been previously published but was revised and re-edited for Samhain Publishing.
Warning, this title contains the following: Bondage and knife play (don’t worry, no one gets hurt). A fantasy ménage scene—two brothers loving one woman, yay! Magical orgasms. Pleasure sparks. Lots of demon killing, lots of cursing while killing demons, and even more sex (without the demons).
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