"Gripping Paranormal Tale of Betrayal and Love!"
A decade has passed since Val had rescued his lover, Shai,
and Mikhail's last victim's twin sister, Maeve, from his
evil clutches. Now Mikhail has struck again, taking an
elder vampire, Miranda of Glencoe, hostage. It appears he
is seeking retribution against Val, as Miranda had been
Val's dearest friend and companion for many years. But is
that his real goal? The abduction is a violation of the
laws that govern the Shadow Dwellers. It is sure to create
a stir and bring Val running. Jennifer Beaumont is the first to brave the vampire's lair
in search of her friend. Centuries ago Miranda had rescued
the newly created revenant from Mikhail's obsessive grip.
Loyalty and friendship compel Jen to return the favor,
though she has no wish to see her creator ever again. In the years after her escape from Mikhail, Jen had found a
man she'd loved with all her heart, but when Mikhail had
learned of their relationship, he'd threatened her lover's
life. Though it had broken her heart, she'd left Mac,
rather than lose him to death. If she had anything to do
with it, she would not lose Miranda that way either.
Jennifer is shocked at the deplorable condition in which
she finds her friend and does what Mikhail bids her to do. Val, Mikhail's creator, knows better than anyone how
unbalanced the elder vampire has become. When Jennifer
informs him of Miranda's kidnapping, he knows that his
loved ones will never be safe until Mikhail is dead. He
calls upon his good friend Conor MacNaughten to liberate
Miranda, while he meets with the Council of Elders with the
hope of a legitimate means of sealing Mikhail's fate.
Should the council refuse his plea, Val will be forced to
take the matter into his own hands. This would mean his own
death at the hands of the Council. Jennifer's involvement creates conflicting emotions in her
former lover. Mac has no memory of his life before that
time when he was discovered by Renault, unconscious in a
niche in Hadrian's wall a millennium ago. He has no
country, no
recollection of family or friends. His later life had been
filled with the pursuit of pleasure. Only Jennifer had
touched his heart, and she'd betrayed him. Though the pain
she'd caused him had not faded with time, he'd do
virtually anything to keep her from being harmed. It is
clear that even after a century apart, she is not
indifferent to him. Yes, Mac has unfinished business with
Jen. He has unfinished business with Mikhail as well. More than
even he is aware of. Mikhail has been ordered to produce
Miranda unharmed. But Jennifer knows he will not. Her
vision triggers long buried memories in Mac, memories so
horrible that his mind had refused to allow him access to
them. Now Mac is about to come face to face with his
history and....his destiny.
Doing so will give him the key to his power, and a second
chance at eternal love - If he survives. RETRIBUTION is a gripping tale of betrayal and of
love. J. C. Wilder gives us major insight into the villain
Mikhail whose sanity was long gone, well before he joined
the ranks of the undead. One will shudder at the lengths he
will go to, to gain power for himself. He is bent on
revenge, but his plans for retribution go far beyond Val's
supposed misdeeds. This installment will keep the reader on the edge of their
seat. Conor's tale is compelling, suspenseful, and
everyone's worst nightmare all rolled into one. Yet he
carries on untainted by it, which reveals a great deal
about his character. Ms. Wilder also reveals an intriguing
bit about the reclusive Renault, but that is a story for
another day. Mikhail is badly damaged, and the council is in shambles,
but this is not the end. Evil will raise its ugly head once
more, and this time Fayne will be called upon to stop it.
Romance writer Erihn Spencer is about to learn that reality
can be better than anything she could possibly imagine! Her
story is SHAMELESS, Shadow Dweller's Series Book
III. Stay tuned. Copyright © 2001
Original review: LTDBooks rel. -
August 1, 2001,
ISBN #155316072X
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 12, 2001
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