Night Watch

Book Description

The Night Watch series has caused a sensation never before seen in Russia -- its popularity is frenzied and unprecedented, and driven by a truly great, epic story. In 2005 Fox Searchlight announced it had acquired the Russian film adaptation for an American release. Interest in the books here is now set to reach a fever pitch.

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

An extraordinary translation from the Russian by noted translator Andrew Bromfield, this first English language edition of Night Watch is a chilling, engrossing read certain to reward those waiting in anticipation of its arrival.

Customer Reviews:

Innovative and refreshing.......2007-10-03

First, a review for those that want to take the book after watching the movie(s): do it. If you liked the movies, you'll probably like the book even more - the narration is much more coherent, the events are much less chaotic and the character motivations seem better sketched.

Now, a general review: this book is generally put in the fantasy genre. That means many readers might reach for this book expecting some sort of "Harry Potter in Moscow", as I've read in one of the reviews here. This is NOT it. The fantasy setting here is more of a narrative device than a real dedicated setting. For those of you that have read Bulgakov's "Master and Margerita", you'll come to recognize the device quite clearly - it's virtually the same feel, but in recent-day Moscow instead of the early communist-times one.

Lukyanenko has done something quite impressive - he's written a book about a typical Russian person, who seems special to the reader because of his involvement in the epic struggle between Light and Dark. But this is just a ruse - the struggle is nothing but epic, it is more alegorical then literal. One of the reviews here was very critical on the book, saying that the action didn't progress anywhere, that all of our hero's deeds turned out to have changed nothing in the greater view of things. This is not a mistake by the author, it's the intended effect. That's exactly what the book is supposed to present.

Don't be fooled - this is not yet another fantasy novel, not an epic fantasy one, nor a typical urban fantasy one. This is not a fantasy novel at all. This is a book about normal people, everyday choices, everyday lives. It just seems much more interesting when presented in an imaginative fantasy setting. And it is this combination of excellent worldbuilding and great narration that gets this book five stars.

enraptured.......2007-09-21

i picked up this book and couldnt put it down again! a most amazing author and story. he manages to write an unsaid plot and leave a silent ending that is like and explosion of possibity threads in a certain direction. a true inspiration.

Liked it!.......2007-09-15

Entertaining, engaging vampire novel from Russia, first of three. Definitely more comprehensible than the film! I liked this book- Anton, the narrator, is sympathetic and likable and I enjoyed following his adventures in the intrigue-filled world of vampire-Moscow. As someone who does not read a lot of scifi or vampire novels I appreciated that it wasn't very violent

Fantastic and Different.......2007-09-13

The two things that worked the best for me when reading this novel were:

1) Rather than a cliche' Battle between good and evil, this is about a precarious truce between the two and how both sides fight to maintain that truce while still trying to get ahead.

2) The setting of modern Moscow as the backdrop to this epic. The author skillfully paints the setting and makes Moscow almost a character on its own. For someone who has never read a foreign book, this made the already great storyline fantastic and made me feel familiar with a city that's 1000s of miles away simply because the author writes about it like its his own backyard, not as if he's a tourist. That works wonders for the credibility of the story.

I do not like that it is called a horror. While werewolves and vampires might be classic pieces of the horror genre, this is most definitely a modern fantasy epic. Think Mage the Ascension more than Bram Stroker and you've got the idea.

I recommend this book for fantasy readers like myself who don't read much anymore and really want to try something that's familiar yet new. I look forward to reading the entire series!

Very Good Book.......2007-09-13

A very interesting and creative book. It's not a typical vampire , werewolves, and witches type book. It has more of a story with a actual premise and it's a quick read.

Average customer rating:

Bodice Ripper!
20 Nights of Sin
Not one of her best but still pretty entertaining
Minor Discrepency
can't stop blushing!

One Night of Sin: A Novel
Gaelen Foley
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Avon ANEW CLINICAL 2-Step Facial Peel

ASIN: 0345480090
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

Renowned storyteller Gaelen Foley unfurls the seductive tale of the rakish Lord Alec Knight, who never looked for love–until it was right in front of him. . . .

Lord Alec Knight, the most daring and handsome rogue in all of London, is a smooth-talking aristocrat with an abundance of high-society lady admirers. With his irresistible wit, lucky hand at the gaming tables, and enticing charisma, he can have any woman he wants. But when the only girl he would have considered marrying ties the knot with someone else, Alec realizes he doesn’t want to be with just any lady–he wants to find the love of his life.

The boldly spirited, beautiful Miss Becky Ward takes his life by storm after he rescues her from peril. Alec soon learns that she is on the run from her cousin, the murderous Prince Mikhail Kurkov. Becky has uncovered a menacing secret about the prince–now nothing will stop him from hunting her down. In the midst of danger, Alec and Becky find themselves deeply drawn to each other. After the two spend an all-consuming night of sin, Becky’s knight in shining armor vows on his honor to protect her until the end. But before long, Alec is protecting her with more than honor–and it seems the once untamed rake of London just may have found what he has been searching for all along . . . true love.

Download Description

London, 1817

Fiery swords of lightning clashed across the sable sky. Great rolling clouds flung down a warning spatter of rain. Thunder growled in the distance, but the only sound in the dark, empty street was the frantic percussion of the girl’s running footfalls.

Every step jarred her in her thin kid half boots. Her dingy skirts swirled about her legs, threatening to trip her. Fleeing the glow of lanterns on the broad avenue, she raced up a murky side street, her long hair tangled and wild. Her pale young face was stark with terror as she glanced over her shoulder and pounded on, her fists clenched, her breath raking harshly through her gritted teeth.

With a small gasp, half a sob, she pitched around the corner ahead into a coal-black alley and immediately pressed backward out of sight into the shadowed alcove of a doorway. There, she held perfectly still, but for the panicked heaving of her chest. Don’t move. Don’t even breathe.

They were only seconds behind her.

The riders came with the storm at their heels— relentless, inescapable as the approaching tempest. Another throaty snarl of thunder vibrated the windowpanes of the darkened building where she hid. She huddled down against the bricks, trying to make herself smaller, for when the low rumble faded, another sound still remained—softer, but more terrible by far.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

The relentless cadence of hoofbeats grew louder. Becky Ward shut her eyes with a grimace of fear, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek. The narrow alley funneled the sound of their approach: the squeak of well-oiled leather, the jangle and hiss of deadly blades, guns, pikes, and pistols—weapons that did not even have a name in English.

Not that the riders had been sent to kill her. Oh, no, she thought bitterly. The prince wanted her brought back to him alive. If she had one advantage, that was it.

She yanked in the muddied hem of her skirt a split second before they came trolling past the mouth of the narrow alley. She stood trembling in the muggy heat of the summer night, holding her breath, agonized with waiting as they stopped mere yards from her hiding place.

They nearly had her, and, expert trackers, the Cossacks knew it. Prince Mikhail Kurkov had sent four of his best warriors after her, though many more were at his beck if these should fail. From where she stood, she could see the looming silhouettes of the second pair.

Huge, menacing men with thick beards and elabor- ate moustaches, the battle-hardened Cossack soldiers wore dark gray coats over baggy trousers, which they tucked into their black riding boots. Beneath the brims of their foreign-shaped helmets, their inscrutable faces were browned and leathery from life in the saddle, their slightly slanted eyes cool and efficient. It was said they were descended from the Huns.

One sniffed the air, trying to scent her out, while the others glanced around, murmuring questions and replies to each other in a low, rapid tongue that she could not decipher. She swallowed hard as they split up to continue searching for her in pairs. The first two continued onward while the second turned their swift, rugged horses around and headed back toward the wide, lamplit thoroughfare, whatever it was called. Oxford Street . . . Piccadilly? Becky wasn’t sure. When they had gone, she nigh collapsed with exhausted relief, leaning all her weight against the locked door behind her.

For a fleeting moment she allowed herself to shut her eyes.

Another hairbreadth escape.

After four days of this, on the run, hunted from town to town as she had made her way southward to London, she did not know how much longer she could last. She had not eaten all day and had reached a foggy-headed state of fatigue. Fear seemed to be the only thing keeping her awake; but closing her eyes brought no respite, for it immedia

Customer Reviews:

Bodice Ripper!.......2007-08-04

I can call it a bodice ripper because right there on page 343 it says "He tore her lovely bodice in his haste to get his hand on her..." Hehe...

The plot has been detailed elsewhere so I'll just say what I liked about this book. First the sex was really steamy and explicit. More, I think, than the other books in the series. These two were so hot for each other, right from the beginning. They couldn't keep their hands off each other!

But the part I really liked was Alec's sweet seduction of Becky. He was such a pro. Standing under an awning on a rainy street, he said all those sweet words to her, just the right things to make her melt. And then he fed her and bathed her and kissed away her sorrows. Alec is so charming! What a sweet hero he is.

These two had great chemistry. Maybe I was just in the right mood for it today, but I really loved this book.

20 Nights of Sin.......2007-03-16

If you're looking for a scorching hot historical with a good plot, this is it. I absolutely loved Alec. I liked this one almost as much as "Lord of Fire"-- which is saying a lot. This entire series by Foley is great and this is one of the best ones.

Lord Alec Knight (the youngest of the Knight brothers) is known as Captain of the London Rakehells and certainly lives up to his reputation. He's rather disgusted with himself after getting deep into debt from gambling and having to resort to working off his debt in a rich baroness's bed for a year. Lady Campion pays off his debts in exchange for his "services". As a result, he terribly hurts and loses the only woman who has ever truly loved him (Lizzie Carlisle--see Devil Takes a Bride). His self-esteem is at an all-time low when he discovers a bedraggled young woman asleep on his friend's doorstep. His overeager friends believe she's a been sent over for their party by the local brothel and they manage to scare her off.

Alec decides to follow her and, while still believing her to be a prostitute, senses that she's in trouble and takes her to his home, where he offers her a hot bath and then orders her dinner from one of the best restaurants in town and tells her she can stay with him for a while if she wants. She allows him to go on thinking her a prostitute.

Alec resolves not to touch her until he's sure she's o.k. and then seduces her in the tenderest way possible. Becky is surprised by his kindness, but runs off without a word in the morning, not wanting to endanger him because of the men that are hunting her down. The next morning, Alec is stunned to find Becky gone without a word and his bed bloodied. Apparently the "prostitute" was a virgin! He runs off after her and manages to track her down, saving her from the Cossacks who are pursuing her to bring her back to her evil, murdering cousin Prince Mikhail who has threatened to rape her to keep her in line. Feeling responsible for ruining her, Alec asks Becky to marry him, but she refuses, not wanting someone to marry her solely out of duty.

After Becky confides her plight, Alec makes it his mission to help her and goes on a quest to raise enough money to buy back her home from Mikhail through gambling winnings as well as convince Becky to marry him. He's stunned at the girl's courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. He needs a woman who needs him and finds that taking care of Becky reforms him. He confides his worst secret (Lady Campion) and rather than being apalled and rejecting him, Becky understands and accepts him, saying he handled it the best way he could at the time to avoid taking advantage of others and tells him he should forgive himself.

Alec the Rake regains his self-esteem and is redeemed though taking care of Becky and rescues her from death in a dramatic climactic scene where Mikhail tries to kill them both. As a result, the rake is reformed and becomes a true heroic figure. This transformation is believably accomplished by Foley.

This is a scorching hot romance and the sex scenes are not for the faint of heart. Rather than one night of sin, 20 night of sin would have been a better title. Alec resolves not to have "sex" with Becky again until she agrees to marry him, but, true to his rake nature, he's quite inventive in finding ways for them to pleasure each other mutually and simultaneously until she agrees.

Overall, a very satisfying and sensual romance, with good character development and an interesting, suspenseful plot.

Not one of her best but still pretty entertaining.......2006-08-06

Becky Ward is on the run for her life. Her cousin, Prince Mikhail Kurkov, murdered an agent of the Czar of Russia and Becky witnessed it. Becky makes her way to London to try and find the Duke of Westland to turn her cousin in, but Prince Kurkov beats her there and makes an unsuccessful attempt to capture her. To make matters worse, her grandfather's death has made Prince Kurkov her guardian, which means he controls her life and also owns the only home she's ever known.

Lord Alec Knight and his three friends have just arrived at one of his friends' homes where they find Becky asleep on the portico. Assuming she is a prostitute, they wake her up and try to coax her into the house, but she fights them off and runs away. Alec chases after her and talks her into going with him to his apartments. They have a glorious night together but when Alec wakes up, Becky has already escaped. While he is rushing to get dressed, he notices bloodstains on the bathrobe Becky wore and realizes that she was a virgin.

Alec talks her into trusting him with her story and offers to help her. They devise a plan to win, through gambling, enough money to buy back Becky's home from Prince Kurkov. They also need to find evidence of Mikhail's treachery before they can go to Westland with her story.

Admittedly, I was prepared to not like this book. I had just finished reading Devil Takes A Bride where I found Alec to be a self-indulgent brat who was trying to come between Devlin and Elizabeth. However, he redeems himself in this book. I don't like that the tale takes pot shots at Elizabeth, portraying her as someone not quite strong enough to handle Alec, but I suppose this is an attempt to convince us, the audience, of Becky's courage in loving Alec despite his past.

In my opinion, though, it was not necessary to disparage Elizabeth for that reason. I, for one, was already convinced, in Devil Takes A Bride, that Alec and Elizabeth were not suited for each other. It was already clear that Elizabeth, until she met Devlin, had fallen in love with an image of who she thought Alec was. Likewise, Alec wanted Elizabeth around because he thought he needed her, but certainly not because he loved her. There was really no need to compare Becky to Elizabeth. Both are equally strong heroines with unique characteristics of their own.

One Night of Sin is sumptuous and erotic. The storyline, however, is a bit predictable and I found it lacking. The magic and sizzle that other Gaelen Foley works have, such as in The Duke, is missing in this one.

Minor Discrepency.......2006-06-26

For those who have already read the book, Alex tells Becky that Jacinda was two when their mother left, but Jacinda's year of birth was in 1798 and Georgiana died in 1799. SO there was no way Jacinda was two, if anything she wasn't even one yet, because Georgiana supposedly left and was transporting her aristocrat's friends children from france for a while before she got caught and was executed.
I found another one of these slight "errors" in "His wicked Kiss".
Anyway (please read synopsis of the book on product review page)
about the novel, I was looking forward to reading about Alex since I really didn't like him at all in Devil takes a bride. I wanted to see how he was going to redeem himself and boy am I proud of our little brother, fighting all those Cossacks all by himself and all.
I was just as proud of him as his brothers when they came barging in to assist him and found that he had taken care of everything and he was ENGAGED!!!!
Like I mentioned in one of my other reviews, when I read any of Gaelen Foley's books I always feel like I'm watching a movie as opposed to reading the book since everything is so detailed.
Well done Gaelen!!!

can't stop blushing!.......2006-05-18

wow. this book is hot. and i don't mean just a bit. i loved it, but i would definatley want everyone who is looking to read this that you may get turned on. really turned on. so anyway, i would recommend this to anyone who is just getting into romance or who has read hundreds just like me.

Average customer rating:

Great book
30 days of terror
Terrific art, great story
Solid story
I want to say it's crap

30 Days of Night
Steve Niles , and Ben Templesmith
Manufacturer: IDW Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0971977550

Book Description

In a sleepy, secluded Alaska town called Barrow, the sun sets and doesn't rise for over thirty consecutive days and nights. From the darkness, across the frozen wasteland, an evil will come that will bring the residents of Barrow to their knees. The only hope for the town is the Sheriff and Deputy, husband and wife who are torn between their own survival and saving the town they love.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2007-09-28

Very interesting and good quality book. It should make a pretty good movie. I recommend it if you like vampire stories.

30 days of terror.......2007-09-17

Excellent and simple story with a diferent approach to the vampire cliché. The art is very scary and well-done. You can't take your eyes off this reading until you finished, great material.

Terrific art, great story.......2007-09-08

Some say this is nothing new. I don't know what they are talking about.
The art is awesome - look at the images I put in.
Some panels are like dark movie stills, showing the angst and the horror to come, others are funny with a very dark and edgy humor to it, and some are as if unfinished, blurry, but mostly when there is action or something waiting to happen. That way the "unfinished" art work gives you the feeling things are about to move (or you as the reader better get moving before you're being eaten alive...)
It reminds me of the camera work on NYPD Blue when it first came out. A lot of people who didn't like it just didn't get it that there was a purpose behind both the moving camera shots and the "still" ones.
To the story, do you always need a "new" take on vampires to like it? You got a problem with cliches? I don't. A town in dark Alaska with nothing going on is attacked by a horde of vampires. That's the story in one line. I left out the details because I would be giving away too much.
The twists and turns make this a story to enjoy not once, not twice but over and again.
It is a graphic novel - the artwork and the storyline are as one. Ben Templesmith's terrific pictures and Steve Niles' tight and at times very funny dialogue make this book a great add to my - and I hope everybody's collection.
IDW is publishing the trilogy (of which his is part 1) as a HC soon. All three parts can be read seperately though. And then there's the movie scheduled for release October 30 2007

Solid story.......2007-08-06

About: Graphic novel about an Alaskan town where the sun does not rise for a month, the perfect place for a vampire frenzy (will be coming out as a movie on October 17, 2007).

Pros: Entertaining, well written little book, dark art matches tone of book well.

Cons: The sometimes blurry art style didn't appeal to me so much.

Grade: B+

I want to say it's crap .......2007-07-27

But that would be a bit too harsh. In reality it's just mediocre. The artwork is excellent (Though not for all tastes), the concept is excellent but what drags this down is the writing. The characters are all one dimensional and not terribly interesting, the story arch doesn't live up to the potential of the idea behind it, the ending is a total cop out and quite infuriating, there's a pointless side plot that comes to an abrupt end, I really can't wrap my mind around why it was included as the main story is already too short. Overall, the amateurish writing bogs down what could have been a classic horror comic.

Average customer rating:

A MUST!
A Facinating Read
A very useful companion.
Good companion

The Arabian Nights: A Companion
Robert Irwin
Manufacturer: Tauris Parke Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1860649831

Book Description

The Arabian Nights: A Companion guides the reader into this celebrated labyrinth of storytelling. It traces the development of the stories from prehistoric India and Pharaonic Egypt to modern times. It also explores the history of the translation, and explains the ways its contents have been added to, plagiarized and imitated. Above all, the book uses the stories as a guide to the social history and the counterculture of the medieval Near East and the world of the story-teller, the snake charmer, the burglar, the sorcerer, the drug addict, the treasure hunter and the adulterer.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST!.......2007-07-11

The best companion to one of the most fascinating collection of tales in history. Irwin's work is also a great socio-political study of both the times that The Arabian Nights was written in and the times that it was finally translated into the west. If you have the The Arabian Nights and this book then I highly recommend Irwin's other book, Night & Horses & the Desert: An Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature, and Edward Said's Orientalism.

A Facinating Read.......2006-04-10

This is one of the more interesting companion books I have read. It goes into great detail of the history and the formation of the 1001 Nights collection, and provides an interesting window into Arabic culture. However, one thing I found to be really interesting is that the 1001 tales of Arabic culture were primarily oral tales. The professional storytellers who would tell these books would have manuscript versions which they would use as notes, so there were no official versions--each telling would be elaborated and expanded on depending on the audience. The version that we are familiar with in the west was formalized in France in the 17th century, and may have more relevance to the European expectations of Arabic culture than to Arabic culture itself. In fact, several tales which appear in the European version do not appear in any Arabic manuscripts and may have been written by Europeans to fill the demand for fantastic tales. Overall, this book is quite interesting and I really recommend this to those who would like to see how a lose collection of oral tales becomes a work of literature.

A very useful companion........2005-09-24

The history of the Arabian Nights (1001 Nights) is often appended to the various translations available. They tend to be brief and often reflect the focus of the editor and/or translator. The Arabian Nights: A Companion by Robert Irwin is very substantial. The author often makes conclusions but always includes the thoughts of those with whom he disagrees. This is a must for anyone who really enjoys this collection of stories and will be rewarded by its fascinating history and the history of its translation...almost as enjoyable as the stories themselves.

Good companion.......2000-05-03

As someone who loved the "Arabian Nights" since childhood, I eagerly read this book as well. For the most part, I wasn't disapointed. It does a wonderful job of setting the scene, discussing its origins, its distortions, and showing how the stories relate to medieval Arabian life. I was particularly impressed with the section discussing the connections between various story collections in both Asia and Europe. In short, this book helps the reader better understand this complex (and often confusing)work. The chapters are all clearly laid out and well argued, and the book as a whole is easy to read. He has complex ideas, but is able to communicate them fluidly.

One idea I would challenge, however. I believe the scholars who argue that the more "complete" manuscripts probably arose from increased European interest in it. It makes sense that writers would add filler to reach 1001 nights in response to consumer demand.

Book Description

30 Days of Night, the surprise hit that revitalized horror comics and became the #1 trade paperback of the year, gets the deluxe treatment in this special limited edition collection! This oversized, slip-cased edition containing all three issues, all three scripts (with Templesmith's original sketchbook material), the never-reprinted story from Wizard Edge, the pitch book that sold the movie, a brand new short prose story by Niles (illustrated by Templesmith), and more! This book has everything the legions of 30 Days fans crave! New cover by Ben Templesmith.

Customer Reviews:

Second Most Beautiful Graphic Novel Ever.......2005-04-25

I say second because, really, can anything compete with 'Sandman'?
The illustrations are gorgeous, lush and full of movement. The story is interesting but is secondary to the artwork. If you love dark art, buy this. If you love beautiful high-quality books, buy this.

Some very orignal ideas in the script and gourgess art.......2005-02-17

THere are some very orignal ideas in the script, but most of all it has unique and beatifull art(I were almost drooling when I read it!). After reading this comic I have become a hugh fan of Ben Templesmith.

It is a bit expensive compared to other TPBs, but the quality of the paper is well worth it. (BTW the quality of all IDWs TPBS are outstanding but expensive!) I highly recommend this.

No Original Ideas anymore?.......2005-02-07

I liked this story when it was done in Vampirella by Mark Millar.

I wonder why all of the author's stories feel so familiar?

worst ending ever,completly spoiled the book.......2004-02-24

I purchased this title mainly because i like the artist.so i bought the "complete" edition thinking there would be alot more artwork and stories-as said in the discription-.but to my dissapointment there wasnt,just the script to the book which is just pointless seeming you read it throughout the story anyway and a diary from some1 in it.And thats it.the story starts off half good then is just rushed towards the end,like the writer thinks "right i've had enough of this,lets just finish it up".I suppose i can sell it on ebay when the film comes out to double the money i paid for it.

Average customer rating:

Steele meets steel...
The Heat is On...
Night Heat......
the title says it all
NIGHT HEAT (KIMANI ROMANCE)

Night Heat (Kimani Romance)
Brenda Jackson
Manufacturer: Kimani
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1583147780

Book Description

Sebastian Steele was the kind of man women dreamed about.

He was drop-dead gorgeous, wickedly charming and fabulously wealthy. So why wouldn't Jocelyn Mason accept his offer to help run her struggling company? It was his reputation. Sebastian was a corporate shark, and Jocelyn knew the big fish didn't swim with the little fish, they swallowed them whole.

It had been Sebastian's intention to take over Mason Builders, whether Jocelyn liked it or not. But when he started to work with her, sparks began to fly and they shared a sizzling, unforgettable night of passion. And soon it wasn't clear who was bossing whom….

Customer Reviews:

Steele meets steel..........2007-09-29

Sebastian Steele has to change his lifestyle. Highly stressed from working eighteen hour days, he is ordered by his doctor to take three months off. Timing is everything, a friend, who had a positive impact on Sebastian's life, left him one-fourth ownership in his construction company. The will requires Sebastian spend a minimum of six weeks in Tennessee to help settle company issues.

Jocelyn Mason owns one-half of the company and her sister the other one-fourth.
Sebastian's arrival is met with stern opposition from Jocelyn, who has been running the company for the last eight months, she resents his presence. As confident as she is with where she has taken the company, she is leery of Sebastian; he is a corporate shark who swims with the big fish. Additionally, Jocelyn cannot ignore that he reminds her, more than she wants, she is a woman. When she realizes he plans to stay longer than the six weeks specified in the will, her patience snaps. As the two jockey for control, the boardroom loses some potency.

NIGHT HEAT, the second book in the Forged of Steel series, is fused with the hardness of steel and the sizzling heat that lingers when steel is torched. Again Jackson gives readers strong characters, sassy actions, and sweet tempered loving. There is a secondary story that fits well with the primary characters. Jackson shows how to balance love, lust, and turmoil in an invigorating way. Bring on the next 'steel magnolia' the soil has been properly tilled.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

The Heat is On..........2007-04-22

Can't say it was my favorite Brenda Jackson novel. However, it was still a great read. This is the first book in the Steele Family Series that I have read, I must back track and read Chance's tale. The story centers around Jocelyn and Sebastian - two completely opposite people yet you feel the sparks between them from their first meeting. Thoroughly enjoyed their heated attraction. Night Heat also contains a very endearing secondary plot involving Jocelyn's sister, Leah and Reese, her lost love. Which I think I enjoyed more than the main story and wouldn't have mind reading more about their situation. All in all, Brenda Jackson knows her stuff and she has yet to disappoint.

Night Heat.............2007-02-12

Good book, easy read, thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a fan of Ms. Jackson!

the title says it all.......2007-01-06

ms.jackson is a very good authress,each of her books are exceptional.
This book is one to enjoy and read within one or two days

NIGHT HEAT (KIMANI ROMANCE).......2007-01-03

I REALLY LIKE THIS BOOK .THE STORY LINE WAS GOOD. WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE OF THE KIMANI ROMANCES.

Night: A Novel (Pegasus Prize for Literature)

Average customer rating:

a nightmare lived by a -incidentally- gay mr. K
Intriguing and Invigorating
This can be the beginning
This can be the beginning

Night: A Novel (Pegasus Prize for Literature)
Bilge Karasu
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0807118494

Customer Reviews:

a nightmare lived by a -incidentally- gay mr. K.......2003-07-21

...is it celine, is it monsieur k. or is it 'at long last love?' as the song has it. this is one the most accomplished books of its kind- leaves you in a void, a whirlwind, you name it. the night of the title is one of terror and anticipation- metaphorical, political and sexual.
a night of being followed as well as cruised and cruising. by one of turkey's greatest writers who also happened to be gay which may not be accidental after all.

Intriguing and Invigorating.......2000-06-08

This was a novel I found by accident when looking for another "Night," but after reading the description, gave it a try. One should definitely give it a try. The prose is very involving. It draws one in and never lets go. So many questions, so many answers. One's imagination becomes a best friend as the narrative process unfolds. It is a treasure trove of literary talent.

The reason why it's not five stars as opposed to four is because I still left a bit confused! But it's very enriching and will leave you a happy reader.

This can be the beginning.......1999-08-06

Bilge Karasu was the most finest, delicate author of this intriguing turkish language. But, yet, this book is a very anxious but still twisting reading: just like the reality. So, if one day, some publisher will have the idea to translate his Garden of Trespassed Cats, then, you'll find one of the most important writers of the century; like Louis-Rene des Forets... and others... destined to be unknown of course...

This can be the beginning.......1999-08-06

The Cruel Stars of the Night: A Mystery (Ann Lindell Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

A New Star for American Readers
Build slowly to WOW
It's more a psychiatric study than a real mistery
Mature second effort
exciting one sitting clever whodunit

The Cruel Stars of the Night: A Mystery (Ann Lindell Mysteries)
Kjell Eriksson
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312366671
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Book Description

When The Princess of Burundi was published last year by Thomas Dunne Books, American critics hailed Kjell Eriksson as Sweden’s Ed McBain, and they compared him to Henning Mankell. Now The Cruel Stars of the Night, the next in this internationally acclaimed crime series, unveils a spellbinding new tale again featuring police inspector Ann Lindell.

The Cruel Stars of the Night opens one snowy day when thirty-five-year-old Laura Hindersten goes to the police to report that her father, a local professor, is missing. Inspector Ann Lindell and her colleagues can find no motive for the man’s disappearance. And when the corpses of two elderly men do turn up, neither of the dead men is the missing academic.

Unexpectedly, the police get help from one of the professor’s colleagues, who believes there is an astonishing link between the murders and the disappearance of Professor Hindersten. But as the pressure on Lindell increases dramatically, she is shocked to discover that the killer has many more diabolical schemes in store.

Combining heart-pounding suspense with brilliant psychological insight, The Cruel Stars of the Night moves like a comet as it approaches the cliff-hanging climax. It is sure to win Kjell Eriksson a whole new galaxy of American fans.

Customer Reviews:

A New Star for American Readers.......2007-07-21

There is a new light on the horizon!
Those who love an intelligent read and don't feel the need for a bookcover to hide behind will be glad for the entrance of Kjell Erikson to their bookshelves.
His characters are humanly drawn and his plots are careful. These are people we can live with in our own lives---even the bad guys!
I recommend "The Princess of Burundi" as well.
First rate!

Build slowly to WOW.......2007-07-19

Laura Hindersten's professor father has gone missing and, while he may have just took off without telling her (though tyrannical, he is exceptionally eccentric), she is convinced something horrible has happened to him.

The members of the Uppsala Violent Crime Division are certain the professor - an expert on the Renaissance poet Petrarch - will turn up. But they are much more concerned with the murders of several elderly men in the region and how that may affect the upcoming visit by Queen Silvia, scheduled to arrive in a few days to open the new Academic Hospital.

Police Inspector Ann Lindell suspects there may be links between the murders and the missing professor, a hunch born out by evidence presented by the professor's colleague. As the body count and public anxiety increases, there's pressure on Inspector Lindell and the rest of the team to determine if the deaths are the work of a serial killer.

The Cruel Stars of the Night, the sequel to Kjell Eriksson's critically acclaimed debut, The Princess of Burundi, once again features the Uppsala Violent Crime Division and Police Inspector Ann Lindell.

Police procedurals are standard mystery fare, yet Eriksson takes this well-worn formula and crafts something extraordinary. His character-driven mysteries feature an ensemble "cast" and the personality and motivation of each member of the Uppsala Violent Crime Division is fleshed out in tandem with the details of the case. Eriksson's police men and women are very human, each with their own way of balancing work and home. Lindell, a single parent raising a young son, wonders if she is a "good" parent, while coping with loss and loneliness.

This is not an action-filled thriller. Eriksson lets the tension build slowly, playing out the psychological clues like an expert angler - ensuring his audience is hooked before ratcheting up the tension. Readers may be able to takes breaks from Eriksson's work in the early chapters; however, once the pieces begin to fall together, The Cruel Stars of the Night becomes impossible to put down.

Armchair Interviews agrees completely.

It's more a psychiatric study than a real mistery.......2007-06-27

It's a very good analysis of a full progression to what we call madness, and a nice description of police officers and their procedures. For the reader it's quite easy to tell who is the serial killer, but also is possible to understand that the police has not all the clues. I enjoyed the book.

Mature second effort.......2007-06-09

I was surprised to learn that this was only Eriksson's second book about Ann Lindell (the chief investigator on the case). The police team characters seemed to have been together for awhile and the author does a great job conveying a sense of a long-standing team working well together. I was looking forward to finding earlier books of the series but I guess I have to be satisfied with there being only one.

I liked the book a lot despite the fact that, to me anyway, there was no mystery of who the killer had to be. The mystery was, why the obvious killer was the killer. It certainly wasn't obvious to the police who, except for Lindell, never made a connection between the old professor's disappearance and the murders of the old men.

I thought the bit with the chess pieces and the potential connection to an assassination attempt on the queen was a total distraction. It might have work better if the author had explained a bit better what the connection was. The old chess match history was interesting but I never did get the connection.

But that was only a minor complaint. On the whole I enjoyed the book quite a lot. I had a hard time putting it down.

exciting one sitting clever whodunit.......2007-05-19

In Sweden, the Uppsala Violent Crime Division police department struggles with cases that does not make sense as they cannot find a connection though the crimes are similar. Two elderly men are murdered with a third missing. The local police hope to rescue the missing man, retired professor Hindersten although they expect foul play has already occurred.

While officers Ann Lindell, Ola Haver, Sammy Nilsson, and Allan Fredricksson struggle with making progress, the daughter of the missing man, Laura Hindersten begins to crack under this new crisis. Desperate, the cops lean towards a real life chess game with the taking out of Sweden's Queen Silvia being checkmate. However lone wolf Lindell disagrees and tries a different path that could lead to the death of the cop.

The exciting story line rotates between two strong subplots; that of an ensemble police procedural and a psychological thriller. They share in common frustration as the police struggle with a serial killer in which the dots fail to connect while Laura is losing control. As with THE PRINCESS OF BURUNDI, Ann sticks out amongst the police as she goes down a different path than her peers. Kjell Eriksson provides a one sitting clever whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

Nights Over Egypt (Indigo: Sensuous Love Stories)

Average customer rating:

McDonald's for dinner tonight!
Desert Delight
Visions of Egypt
An A+ Romance
Great story

Nights Over Egypt (Indigo: Sensuous Love Stories)
Barbara Keaton
Manufacturer: Genesis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585711926

Customer Reviews:

McDonald's for dinner tonight!.......2007-06-18

I love Egyptology. I have read and own tons of books on the subject and whenever there's a documentary on it I'm there watching and taping it. I fell in love with SG-1 for that same reason. I ordered this book because of the reviews and the subject matter and thought I would love it.

I was sorely mistaken and disappointed.

The first disappointment was the annoucement that the dig wouldn't be for, what, 8 weeks or so (that's two months folks). WHY? I don't know how long it would take to get to digging after being approved for the dig and arriving in the country but two months is too long if all they're doing to do is attend dinners and parties and more parties and another dinner. But it would have been nice to see them ordering supplies, hiring strange, and maybe a bit scary characters to work with them. Visiting and hiring camels that will take them on the journey. Going to shops not to buy stuff to send home like I would (which this heroine did!) but to purchase food provisions, metal pots and pans, a flour siffer, a few forks, knives, spoons, water, bags for artifacts, notebooks and paper, maybe a composition book or two, extra pens, pencils, a camera and bug spray.

I have one question, did the woman even bring a laptop computer with her? After reading half the book, I still don't know what she brought with her except clothes and maybe a map or two.

I got to the point of tireness reading about him begging everyone he knew for help with a woman who has told him over and over that she doesn't want him. How weak can one get? It would have been great if Ashalon was able to fight his attraction to her as she fight her attraction to him and let the excitement of the dig bring them together. Now that would have been "a good read..."

However, I didn't write this book so I tried hard to get into what the author wrote, it's her story, right? I had images of reading about love discovered over an open sarcophagus. But after reading over 100 pages of this (just about half) they were at yet another party, on a yacht this time. They might as well been in San Franciso Bay. They still had not pick up a digging utentil or a brush or a bucket, NOTHING!!!

I can't tell you how many times I had to read about Corine's credentials. Let's just say I can now recite them from memory. I felt she was rude and disrespectful to just about everyone she met. A person can be a "spitfire" and still be respectful. It just takes skill...to do it and to write about it.

The last thing I read was at yet another party. Did I say 'party' again? Let's see, where is my thesaurus: social gathering, get together, festivity, bash, feast, affair, reception, dinner, banguet, and shin dig. I guess I should try a different word since the characters in the book are not going to do anything else. Well, let's see at this 'social gathering' some woman starting discussing Corine as being 'way too dark' to be dating someone so importment as the professor and I was done.

Thank goodness I still had one more day to return this book, so I did and I think I'm going to McDonald's for dinner with the $10.00. Oh, goodness did I say dinner again...

Desert Delight.......2007-06-06

I thought that this book was an excellent read and couldn't put it down. I liked how educated the Black female was (University of Chicago graduate!!!!!!!!!)and how she carried herself and the fact that she had all the necessary tools needed for her trade. I especially enjoyed how the windy city was featured with places I'm familiar and can identify with. Ms.Keaton, thanks for the wonderful, well developed and educational love story. You now have a "new" fan!!!!!!!!!!

Visions of Egypt.......2007-06-04

This tale of love was found in the the Land of Kings, Egypt. Corina Camden is Professor that get to go on a dig that would prove the existence of a son from Ramesse I that was disowned for his beliefs in one God and not in several, Itamun. She is to be supervised by Professor Ashalon El Asab. Ashalon is defensive to American digs but upon seeing and meeting Corina he is instantly interested and attracted to her. I do not want to reveal their relationship that goes beyond their meeting, but the story is beautiful. I enjoyed that story and it was worth the price.

An A+ Romance.......2007-05-25

This is the first novel I've read by Barbara Keaton, and it was excellent! Ms. Keaton is an exceptional storyteller and the imagery made you feel like you were right there in Egypt with Ashalon and Corina.~~~~~~~The romance between Ashalon and Corina was beautifully spun and the intimacy between them was HOT, without being crude. Ashalon was a very attentive and passionate man, especially once his sister told him what he needed to do in order to win Corina's heart. And Corina was very open and appreciative of all the attention and the little things he did for her. He swept her off her feet.~~~~~~~I enjoyed the secondary character development in this novel, hopefully we'll possibly be reading more about some of them in future novels.~~~~~~~I will definitely be back tracking to read more of Ms. Keaton's novels and looking forward to any future releases. An A+ Romance!

Great story.......2007-05-21

This was such a great read. I highly recommend it. These two were so exciting together and I love the idea of an black american woman being allowed on a big dig.

Average customer rating:

Chick Lit, or a Victim of Sequelitis?
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
If you loved Finbar's Hotel, read this one
These stories "unfurl like a skein of cloth"
gimmicky device, but great, hearbreaking stories

Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel
Maeve Binchy , Clare Boylan , Emma Donoghue , Anne Haverty , Kate O'Riordan , and Deirdre Purcell
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156008661

Amazon.com

In this almost-all-girl reprise of the collaborative fiction Finbar's Hotel, Dermot Bolger skillfully weaves together eight chapters, each contributed by a different Irish writer, into a light, coherent, and highly readable novel about a culture in flux. The old Finbar's had been a dark, unchanging place, a "grade two" businessman's hotel in Dublin smelling of gravy and overcooked meat. The impressive new establishment, owned and renovated by the not-quite-respectable Dutch wife of a rock star, is a symbol of 21st-century Ireland--unquaint and anonymous, its chilly white surfaces are indistinguishable from those of a Hilton or a Marriott, despite the "Irish Bar" tucked into one corner of the lobby as a sop to tourists. Bolger is the only man among the writers included, and it is to his credit (or a handsome rebuttal to the old argument about "men's" and "women's" voices in fiction) that we can't tell his contribution from the others. None of the chapters lists its author--a brilliant if unsettling device--so that readers are left wondering whether the bestselling Maeve Binchy, for example, can be distinguished from Anne Haverty and Éilis Ní Dhuibhne, both of whom write poetry as well as prose. Other contributors are Kate O'Riordan, Deirdre Purcell, and Dublin natives Clare Boylan and Emma Donoghue.

Most of the female protagonists are returning to the Dublin of their youth after finding success elsewhere: a former maid comes back to meet the son she gave up for adoption; a faded movie starlet's luck takes a strangely positive turn; a nun looks for a man to sleep with. In "Da Da Da--Daa," an up-and-coming designer tries to corner the Dublin market for her soft, Celtic-inspired fashion line, and instead must endure a long encounter with her mentally ill father. Looking anxiously around the lobby as her room is being readied, Poppy realizes the risks she is taking just by showing up again in the city of her troubled childhood. And if she cannot make her mark as a designer in Dublin, what will success anywhere else mean? But at least for a moment, her assistant takes her mind off her own problems:

He returned her smile confidently, but he was mincing like a camp poodle, so she knew he was nervous. First time to Ireland for this second-generation Bronxer. Secretly, he'd expected to be lynched. So he swaggered, flaunting the homosexuality that had so repelled his Roscommon father. So nervous, he couldn't yet see that the fabled Ireland of his youth, the endless, monotonous, force-fed sentimentality of his parents, had no bearing on this new country. For all the world as though he couldn't see the blatant y.e.s. tattooed on the buttocks of the porter's young assistant.

Although the early chapters of Ladies' Night read more like short stories than the opening of a conventional novel, Bolger teases the reader with recurrent scenes and characters, so that the final stories bring satisfying conclusions to several mysteries--and not a few surprises. --Regina Marler

Book Description

A year has passed since the closing of Finbar's Hotel, a down-on-its-heels hotel on the Dublin quays. Now, with a rock star as its new owner, it has once more opened its doors-and Finbar's has become an ultra-chic gathering spot. Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel describes one night in its newly illustrious surroundings-a night filled with adventure and comic romp. In one room a man surreptitiously helps his wife's friend get pregnant, while next door a businesswoman battles her father. And down the hall, a nun struggles with the most important mission of her life. A fabulous mix of pathos and high humor, this is a sardonic tour of the gamut of human experience told by Ireland's finest modern storytellers. Maeve Binchy has written numerous bestsellers, most recently Tara Road. Dermot Bolger is the author of six novels and edited The Vintage Book of Contemporary Irish Fiction. Clare Boylan has written six novels and several nonfiction works, including The Literary Companion to Cats. Emma Donoghue is the author of Stirfry and Kissing the Witch, among other works. Anne Haverty's writing has been short-listed for the Whitbread Award. ƒilis N' Dhuibhne has published poetry, short fiction, children's books, and two novels. Kate O'Riordan writes for stage and screen, and has written two novels including The Bray House. Deirdre Purcell recently adapted her novel Falling for a Dancer as a four-part serial for BBC television.

Customer Reviews:

Chick Lit, or a Victim of Sequelitis?.......2003-12-30

An old adage says that some good things are better left alone - and I've certainly found this to be true here, because although this "Finbar" sequel was devised and edited by Dermot Bolger, who also oversaw the original project, I cared decidedly less for this book than I did for the first "Finbar" compilation.

The entries here strike me more or less as what is known as classic "chick lit": there is, among others, a woman trying to get pregnant for the first time shortly before menopause without having to marry, a freshly liberated woman confronting the guy who suppressed her in a relationship years ago, and a mother reuniting with the son she gave up for adoption shortly after his birth out of wedlock. Alas, all of this has been done before, and in many instances better and with more original plotlines than here.

One characterization that does stand out among the rest, though, is that of a father who, in many respects at his wits' end (even quite literally so), pays a last visit to his career-woman daughter in a desperate effort to retrace the steps of his life and find again what they both have lost. (Room 102: "Da Da Da - Daa.") You might argue that as a type he, too, is an Irish cliche and in fact, would have been so long before Frank McCourt resurrected them in "Angela's Ashes;" and I would not fight you over the issue. Worse yet, I found the daughter and her fashion world entourage to be so badly stereotyped that I was actually ready to slam the book shut a couple of times halfway through the story. Yet, something about the father truly touched me. - I also thought that this story and "The Debt Collector" (Room 103) had the only truly well-done endings in the book; most of the others either fizzled out rather half-heartedly or came to a sudden, abrupt and more or less random stop.

Unfortunately, in this and also in other respects the obvious centerpiece of the book, "The Master Key" (Room 105) - the story which is designed to hold the book together in a similar fashion as does "The Night Manager" in the first "Finbar" book - is particularly disappointing. It is also the biggest offender as far as consistency with regard to the recurring characters and the hotel's history are concerned; for example, the rather seedy and not at all respectable place of "Finbar I" is suddenly is described as a (still somewhat run-down, but essentially honorable) hotel for families and traveling salesmen right around the same time when "Finbar I" had clergy, cops and the underworld converge in the hotel's very own back rooms.

My overall favorite entry is the story taking place in the penthouse, "Tarzan's Irish Rose," which is charming in an offhand fashion while at the same time sporting a rather sarcastic tone. Stylistically well-done and driven by an emphatically drawn, quirky protagonist is also "The Wedding of the Pughs" (Room 106); but alas, this story, too fizzles at the end and left me thinking "What? That's it?" Overall therefore, "Finbar II" unfortunately cannot sustain the high level set by the original "Finbar's Hotel" collection. It is an only mildly entertaining compilation and very inconsistent; both as far as the quality of the writing is concerned as well as with respect to those elements of the contents that are supposed to hold the book together and provide a bridge to "Finbar I."

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.......2003-07-27

I read this book before the male counterpart - and I thought that Ladies was so much better!

A series of interconnected stories, written by the top Irish women writers, promises for a good, quick, and fun read!

If you loved Finbar's Hotel, read this one.......2003-07-20

Actually, if you loved Finbar's Hotel (a set of intertwined stories set in a Dublin hotel in danger of being demolished, with each 'chapter' written by a different unattributed Irish male author), you've probably already read this. If you haven't read either one, it doesn't matter which book you start with; you'll end up reading both of them anyway.
Ladies' Night at FH is seven female Irish writer's response to the first book, and it's a winner. Authors among the 7 include Maeve Binchy and Dierdre Purcell, but it's up to the reader to try to figure out who wrote what. I didn't bother, too caught up in the delicious mini-plots and connections between guests in Rooms 101, 107, 110, and so forth. The neat twist is that the old hotel has been renovated by a rock-n-roll couple and has become The Place to be Seen in old Dublin.
Wonderful.

These stories "unfurl like a skein of cloth".......2003-06-20

This is a fun, light read, the strongest stories being "Da Da Da --Daa" (about a businesswoman's relationship with her elderly, senile father); "The Master Key," a lovely story about a woman, her first love, and long-lost son; "The Wedding of the Pughs," a delightful husband-and-wife settling-their-differences story; and finally "Tarzan's Irish Rose," a rather contrived story about an aging movie star who meets up with her original leading man; this story is the best in the lot.

gimmicky device, but great, hearbreaking stories.......2003-01-28

First: that the authors of the short stories are not identified is a gimmick, and one that is not useful for the American reader unequipped to "guess the author." Second-- the only reason I minded this as much as I did is because the writing was so good!

I would certainly have liked to read more work by the authors of some of the stories, particularly the "Room 102-- da da da-- daa," in which a fashion designer is confronted by her manic-depressive father-- this story is heartbreaking, vivid, has a sense of inevitability and transcendance that is accomplished with amazing speed.

The stories all take place in Finbar's Hotel, once a seedy, traintrack stop, now owned by a rock star and decorated with minimalist cool. But the new decor can't quite hide the hotel's past, and several of the stories involve former residents and workers. The stories were apparently written sequentially as well, as protagonists of early stories are described as peripheral characters in later ones. This is a nice, neat trick that gives the reader a satisfying sense of "aha."

But overall the stories were simply a feast. My only complaint is the anonymity. They vary in style and tone-- "Room 101-- Touchy Subjects" takes on a woman whose best friend's husband has agreed to be a sperm donot, what could be just TV-movie or situation comedy is handled with compassion, humor and a portrayal of what love in marriage really is that is very touching. "Room 103-- the Debt Collector" involves a woman's interview with the man who once ruled her heart and shattered her self-esteem; the reader's knowledge of the woman's real pov as she politely talks to him on the verge of her wedding affords a delicious irony. Other stories involve a nun looking for the right man to sin with, a former maid meeting her illegitimate son, a woman confronting her husband having an affair-- in which she discovers that neither the affair nor her marriage are what she thought they were, and, improbably, an elderly has-been silent film star who trashes the penthouse with a tiger escaped from the zoo.

That last story may be a bit OTT with its whimsy, but don't let the other situations fool you into thinking this is just a literary version of PLAZA SUITE. Each story's real subject is Ireland-- the changing mores, the loss, the gains, the growing pains of the Celtic Tiger. And all the writing is, as they say, garjus.

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