New lawyer, Jonathan Harker, is sent to Transylvania from England to complete some legal transactions for his office. Nearly as soon as he arrives in New lawyer, Jonathan Harker, is sent to Transylvania from England to complete some legal transactions for his office. Nearly as soon as he arrives in the area, he senses that all is not normal. When he meets Count Dracula and begins to live in his castle, he knows there's something wrong, but held captive, he can't do much about it. After Count Dracula and his many boxes of dirt leave for London, Jonathan is able to escape. Meanwhile, Mina Murray and her best friend, Lucy Westenra, are spending time together in Whitby, when the ghost ship conveying Dracula to London arrives. Lucy has had three proposals of marriage from Dr. John Seward, American Quincey Morris and the Hon. Arthur Holmwood and accepted Arthur's proposal. Mina is concerned when Lucy starts sleepwalking, with good reason, because Dracula has discovered Lucy. When Mina discovers Jonathan's in hospital in Europe, she goes to him and they are married. Meanwhile, Lucy is not doing well, and her former suitors all band together to help her bringing in Dr. Seward's learned friend, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing from the Netherlands. Van Helsing with help from all of the others puts together the truth after Lucy's death and together they work to uncover the Count and destroy him.
This was amazingly readable for having been written in 1897 and wasn't nearly as scary as I expected it to be. Had an interesting book club discussion of it - appropriate for an October read....more
Count Karlstein has made a pact with the Demon Huntsman and plans to sacrifice his two nieces on All Soul's Eve. Lucy and Charlotte, with the help of Count Karlstein has made a pact with the Demon Huntsman and plans to sacrifice his two nieces on All Soul's Eve. Lucy and Charlotte, with the help of Hildi, the maid, Sergeant Smtsch, Doctor Cadaverezzi and their old school teacher, Miss Augusta Davenport, escape and are recaptured, escape again and foil the Count's evil plans. Set in Switzerland in an older time period. Easy read, kind of fun....more
**spoiler alert** Sullivan Quinn is an Irish werewolf and a member of a European delegation to an important meeting of New York area “Others”. His tas**spoiler alert** Sullivan Quinn is an Irish werewolf and a member of a European delegation to an important meeting of New York area “Others”. His task is to persuade the Americans that they need to come “out” on their own terms before the radical anti-Others group Light of Truth does it for them. Anthropologist Cassidy Poe is a foxwoman, and her grandmother is a member of the high council. She has tried to avoid council involvement her whole life, but is coerced into attending the opening banquet for the European delegation. Cassidy and Sullivan are asked to work together to try to uncover who’s behind the New York cell of Light of Truth and consequently the kidnapping and murder of a Russian Other’s mate. More importantly, this gives them the opportunity to explore the instant attractions they’ve both had for each other. With the help of several “Others” they uncover those behnd the current problems and acknowledge their “mates”. Fun book, unusual premise, attention stayed high until the end.
There is quite a bit of fairly graphically described sex and some language....more
**spoiler alert** Ex-schoolteacher Jim Ironheart has some kind of power to divine imminent catastrophe, and is then compelled to save those in danger.**spoiler alert** Ex-schoolteacher Jim Ironheart has some kind of power to divine imminent catastrophe, and is then compelled to save those in danger. As the story opens, Jim is shopping when he unwittingly utters the words "Life Line"--his cue that a rescue is beginning. "[As] if his every move was orchestrated by someone unseen," he flies to Oregon, cabs to a school, races up a hill, and snatches a child from the path of an onrushing truck. That act is witnessed by local reporter Holly Thorne, who days later comes across Jim's photo in a story about another rescue and digs out the shocker that Jim has rescued a dozen people in the past half-year. At the same time, Holly begins having nightmares about an eerie mill--nightmares that briefly take flesh in the form of an alien monster. Determined to uncover Jim's secret, Holly tracks him onto an airplane flight that proves the novel's nerve-jangling centerpiece--as in midflight Jim realizes that the plane will crash, killing many. And so it does, although Jim still manages to save dozens, including Holly--who then confronts him in a soul-exchange that culminates with a tumble in bed and a reappearance of the monster. Together, the pair drive to Jim's boyhood town and the old mill at its heart, seeking the source of Jim's power.
The first two thirds of the book are well-written suspense and action, while the ending is unexpected but disappointing--a major change from action to psychological issues. Includes some major violence (he has a shoot-out with some murderers) and a very brief sexual encounter....more
**spoiler alert** Written under Cabot's pseudonym Jenny Carroll. Fun start to the series, not terribly scary.
High school sophomore Susannah Simon has **spoiler alert** Written under Cabot's pseudonym Jenny Carroll. Fun start to the series, not terribly scary.
High school sophomore Susannah Simon has the ability to communicate with the dead. As a "mediator," she helps ghosts put unresolved issues to rest so they can move on to the next world. When her mother remarries, Suze moves from New York City to California, where she and her three stepbrothers attend a Catholic academy headed by a priest. Conveniently, the priest is also a mediator (the first of her kind that Suze has ever met). On her first day there, Suze encounters Jesse, a handsome young man from the 19th century who haunts her bedroom. Her first day of school introduces her to another ghost, Heather, a girl who was a student at the academy until she killed herself when Bryce, her boyfriend, broke up with her. As Suze attempts to protect Bryce from the angry apparition's wrath, the ghostly girl grows determined to get revenge on both her former beau and Suze. Suze finally resorts to an exorcism to get rid of her, and is successful with a little help from Jesse....more