Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #813380 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

I couldn't finish this one
This is yet another Nocturne book I've read that starts out with a bang and by two-thirds of the way through it's collapsed into a puddle of inconsistent repetitious drivel.

The story begins well, with likable characters and a familiar setting for those who've read other volumes in the Dark Enchantments series. By the time the main characters get lost in the woods, all the momentum is gone and stupidity in storyline takes over.

I'm assured that Mersey and Jack ride off into the sunset for an HEA because it's a Silhoette novel, so I suppose it's not such a bad thing to skip the last few chapters.

An Enchanting begining to a unique paranormal series
Jack Harris works for a P-Cell an undercover branch of MI-5 which is the equivalent of a paranormal SWAT team. He had become a demon hunter after watching helplessly as his partner had been brutally murdered by a particularly nasty specimen. Now he sought revenge, for Monica and for the end to the possibilities he'd been too afraid to explore with her. The world would be a better place without paranormal entities in it. Or so he thought until he met Mersey Bane.

As a Cadre initiate, Mersey works for the opposition. The Cadre is a hermetic order, initiated by the first Earl of St. Yves, whose mission is to keep the balance between the dark realm and the mortal one. Their members trap demons rather than destroying them like the P-Cell death merchants. They then interrogated them and either returned them to the dark realm or cataloged them if they were too dangerous to release.

Jack's approach to the job is black and white, it's either kill or be killed. He is totally unaware of the collateral damage caused by his methods until the two meet while tracking the same demon. The attraction between them is undeniable, but Mersey had been told by her mother that there was only one man for her, her chosen mate. A barbaric death merchant could never be "the one". Or could he?

Following their encounter Jack is assigned to follow Mercy and discover the whereabouts of the Cadre. Although he is an expert tracker she always manages to give him the slip until she decides to use their attraction to teach Jack the error of his ways. The truth seems the best way to begin but Jack is totally taken aback to discover that this beguiling woman is not quite human. Watching her transform takes Jack back to his childhood and a memory he had tried hard to forget. She was one of them, a paranormal entity but she was also so much more. She believed in him, thought he was a hero, and trusted him enough to lead him, the enemy, to her home in the hopes of making a believer out of him.

If this first offering is any indication the series is rightfully named Dark Enchantments. Mersey and Jack are an enchanting together and as individuals, each fighting the darkness to bring the other light. Willing to sacrifice their very lives for the other, these two personify what true love is all about. And what a love it is to survive a powerful demon, a fairy's enchantment, and the price demanded to leave the Cadre. It is a love that dwells in the heart, for they are soulmates, they are destined to be together. The ending is only unusual in that it is just the beginning.

Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch for PNR Reviews

More like 4 1/2 stars....
Jack Harris has been hunting demons ever since witnessing his partner's death at the hands of one particularly nasty one. He never expected to find a civilian at his latest demon hunting assignment, particularly not one as sexy as Mersey Bane. Mersey isn't an ordinary civilian, though. She works for the Cadre, an organization at odds with the goals of Jack's employer, P-Cell. Will Jack and Mersey be able to see past their differences? And just where are all these demons coming from, anyway?

Michele Hauf writes a complex story populated with secret organizations and multiple supernatural entities, from demons to familiars and even to faeries. She does a phenomenal job at describing such a vast, hidden world. Mersey's role is especially unique as Michele Hauf puts an interesting spin on what a familiar is and can do.

The twists and turns are nonstop in FAMILIAR STRANGER, as is the action. It's amazing that Michele Hauf managed to pack so much into such a short book as she did an excellent job at kicking off the Dark Enchantment series. Many times the first book in a series will get dragged down by the necessity of the world building, particularly in one as intricate as this one, but Michele Hauf doesn't fall into that trap. Instead, she sends the reader plunging headlong into the action while introducing us to the world through Jack's eyes. After all, the supernatural world is fairly new to Jack as well so his questions are ours as well.

FAMILIAR STRANGER is a very unique tale. The ending is sure to spark some debate but is perhaps the only ending that would work considering the circumstances. FAMILIAR STRANGER is not your typical paranormal romance, which readers will see as the story unfolds. However, Michele Hauf is to be commended for her daring twist in the finale as it is definitely a memorable one.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES