Romance Book Reviews
Page One of ThreeDark Symphony by Christine Feehan
Jove, March, 2003Paperback, 341 pages
ISBN: 0515135216
Subgenre: Paranormal
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
In the latest entry in her bestselling Carpathian series,
Christine Feehan revisits Italy and the
cursed Scarletti family, whose ancestors were the subject
of the gothic novel, The Scarletti Curse. Antoinetta Scarletti
is a beautiful heiress and talented concert pianist who has
remarkable psychic powers.
Blinded and scarred in the boating accident which took her
parents' life, Antonietta lives a rather lonely existence, despite being
surrounded by her large, bickering family. Carpathian Byron Justicano
has spent hundreds of years hunting vampires, and knows
his time is running short. For if he does not find his
chosen life mate soon, he, too will turn into one of the
vampires, who are completely evil. Drawn by Antionetta's
music, he knows she is the one destined to be with him forever.
But he also senses great evil around her; someone is trying to
murder her. Now Byron must find a way to win Antoinetta's love,
and stop whoever is determined to destroy her.
Antonietta Scarletti is an intelligent and powerful woman, who was a success in business long before Byron shows up, which adds an interesting element to the romance. Byron cannot claim Antonietta as his lifemate in the normal, forceful Carpathian way -- for one thing, she's surrounded by family -- which leads to some entertaining situations. Christine Feehan gives this popular series a twist, including the very funny addition of a young Carpathian, Josef, who can't quite control his budding powers and has fondness for rap music, making for a very entertaining read.
Die in Plain Sight by Elizabeth Lowell
William Morrow, June, 2003Hardcover, 400 pages
ISBN: 0060504129
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Lacey Quinn has always puzzled her high society parents.
Her passion is her art: she is a painter who makes her living
selling collector's items from her tiny shop in
Newport Beach, California. When
Lacey hears that the famous painter Susa Donovan is
going to be appearing at a local charity event, she takes
her grandfather's paintings for Susa to see. Susa is
impressed with the paintings and befriends Lacey. She also
pushes Lacey to have the paintings professionally appraised,
as the paintings remind Susa of famous California plein air
impressionist painter named Lewis Martin. With the help of
Susa's handsome bodyguard, Ian Lapstrake, who works for Rarities Unlimited,
Ian and Lacey begin to investigate Lacey's grandfather, whose
later work showed dark and disturbing images of death and horror.
Soon, the paintings are attracting unwanted publicity and
Lacey finds her life in danger. And the murders her grandfather
painted appear to have really happened. Now Lacey and Ian must
make sure that they stay alive, despite a killer's best efforts
to make them disappear from the face of the planet.
Elizabeth Lowell always takes her readers to an interesting world: this time she enters the world of California plein air painting: the American Impressionism school of outdoor landscape paintings, which show California as it was before the onslaught of freeways, smog and strip malls. Against this backdrop, Ms. Lowell spins a riveting story of passion, revenge and murder. Lacey Quinn, the artist who never quite fit in with her society family is determined to prove that her deceased grandfather had real talent as a painter. But her impulsiveness gets her into a lot of trouble. It also throws her together with the charming and handsome Ian Lapstrake. The love scenes sizzle, the characters are memorable, and, best of all, we get to spend more time with Susa -- the indomitable and spirited matriarch of the Donovan family.
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