Reviews from Harriet

Entice Me At Twilight
Shayla Black
Pocket, $7.99
ISBN: 9781439166772

In England the Doomsday Brethren chief wizard Bram Rion orders wizard Simon “Duke” Northam to meet with him prompt as the brazen enemy Anaraki army led by malevolent Mathias d'Arc have become brazen with their attacks. They burned the home of Bram and the headquarters building of the Brethren, but fortunately failed to achieve their goal of either taking or destroying the Merlin texts. Simon understands the gravity of such a call, but wonders how to be in two places at the same time as he is also the best man at the wedding of his half-brother the barrister Mason Daniel to nursery school teacher Felicia Safford.

Undercover agent Denzel informed the brethren that the latest scheme of the Anaraki is to enter the tomb of evil Morganna le Fay to resurrect their evil idol. Bram believes Duke holds the key to prevent the catastrophe, as he feels the playboy has touched a rare "Untouchable" since he has lost some of his aura. Duke assumes someone in the wedding party is an Untouchable; most likely his future sister-in-law. If so, he must abduct her to safety, which will alienate his half-sibling and further strain their already dysfunctional relationship.

Thee latest Doomsday Brethren romantic fantasy (see Possess Me at Midnight and a novella in the anthology Haunted by Your Touch) is a stupendous thriller due to the relational triangle though the Mathoas-Morganna arc adds exhilarating incredible levels of suspense. Readers will appreciate the low energy flow of the hero; the loyalty to her first choice by the heroine; and the half-sibling caught in the middle between a woman he claims he loves and the half-brother he detests. On top of that is the Morganna scenario that moves forward the overarching theme of the saga as Shayla Black entices readers to stay up long past Twilight to finish this terrific tale. Harriet Klausner

Mr. Monster
Dan Wells
Tor, $11.99
ISBN: 9780765327901

John Wayne Cleaver still struggles, as he has all his life to keep, his demonic Mr. Monster side from taking over his mind. However, ironically his heroism involving taking out a serial killer has strengthened Mr. Monster’s hold.

A second Clayton County serial killer apparently surfaces with several corpses as the calling card. Once again the local police fail to catch the predator. In spite of fearing involvement again after how much stronger Mr. Monster has become, John uses his knowledge he gained from his war with the first demon killer to try to trap the second. However, evidence mounts that John is the serial killer.

This is much darker than the dark I Am Not A Serial Killer as Mr. Monster takes over for a few moments leading to a raging out of control beast ready to torture and kill, which after Cleaver regains the power he is filled with anguish and torment for what happened; mindful of mid stages of Alzheimer’s victims who recall what they did and consider stupidity. Cleaver and Monster make the lead character appears as if he has a multiple personality disorder as they war for the lead. Action-packed with ultra gory scenes (some too vividly ugly for my sensitive stomach), yet Dan Wells enables his audience to see the battle of good and evil inside the heart and mind of one struggling soul teetering on the brink of being lost. Harriet Klausner

Rogue Wave
Boyd Morrison
Pocket, $5.99
ISBN: 9781439189580

Somewhere over the Pacific, a light flashes past an airplane, which erupts into flames killing all on board. Their bodies were never found. A humongous wave assaults Christmas Island leaving it underwater; no survivors.

On the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, Kai Tanaka is the assistant director at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center when he accesses data that the world will never forget. While he is at work, his wife Rachel is at her job at a state of the art hotel. Their daughter Lani is with their guests Teresa and her daughter Mia at the beach. At the center, a tsunami warning is advised, but neither he nor his assistant is worried but then certain island stations fail to report. They do not understand what is happening because none of the conditions are right for a tsunami. They realize after studying available data that a meteorite hit the earth causing undersea earthquakes greater than any ever recorded before. Their announcement is late but they hope to save some lives including their loved ones. Few survivors in the Pacific Rim are expected to escape unscathed since the waves are more and bigger than they expected. Kai tries to find a way take his daughter Lani, his brother Brad, Mia and Teresa to a safe high point while his wife is at the hotel taking care of the guests.

This is a riveting apocalyptic thriller that is so enthralling readers will be unable to put it down until they finish the last page. Millions of people on the Pacific islands and Hawaii are on the verge of having their lives end due to a wave that is strong huge and higher than the largest skyscraper. Readers are hooked from the opening Mayday and the lack of the routine signal from a buoy as required to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The audience ironically knows hell is coming while Kai and his cohorts remain blissfully blind until it appears too late. Adding to the pending doom is Kai has family and guests caught in the upcoming catastrophe forcing him and Rachel to make difficult choices. Mindful of the giant tsunami that killed millions a few years ago, Boyd Morrison provides the audience with a spectacular thriller that brings to readers the tragedy on the two levels of a biblical scale and a personal dilemma. Harriet Klausner