Predatory Game (GhostWalkers, Book 6)
by Christine Feehan
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Book Reviews of Predatory Game (GhostWalkers, Book 6)
Book Review: Assassin meets wheelchair-bound hero
Summary: 3 Stars
This is another story in the GhostWalker series by Christine Feehan. The GhostWalkers are a group of enhanced humans who have special talents including psychic abilities and extra physical strength. They are battling against the rogue creator of the GhostWalkers, Dr Whitney, and uncovering more complex intrigues as the series progresses.
Jess Calhoun is a GhostWalker, an ex-Navy SEAL who was seriously injured previously and is now in a wheelchair having lost the use of his legs. However Dr Lily Whitney-Russell has been carrying out some new medical treatments to try to regain the use of his legs although the experiments haven't yet worked. Jess has had a housemate for several months, Saber Wynter, who appears to be hiding from an abusive husband and who keeps herself to herself.
As the story begins Saber, living with Jess, feels that the time is approaching that she should move on. She's been running and hiding from Dr Whitney, creator of the GhostWalkers, for a long time. However she's not sure she can leave Jess, a man to whom she feels attracted. When they discover that they are each GhostWalkers their newfound close friendship is sorely tested. Each finds it hard to trust the other as they could be bent on betrayal. Saber's psychic powers enable her to be a silent assassin and her fear of Whitney and the other GhostWalkers means she wants to escape - but Jess won't let her. Particularly when it becomes clear Saber has a stalker who will stop at nothing to get at her.
Although this book refers occasionally to events in other of the GhostWalker books it's possible to read this one without knowing the other plots and to understand what's going on. However the complexity of the underlying plotlines of Dr Whitney and who is good and who is bad feels rather muddled in this story with Whitney seeming almost godlike in his power. Saber was a difficult character to like, mainly because she spends so much time trying to run away. I was also very unsure of her age which made some of the romantic elements a little uncomfortable; she tells someone that she's fourteen, she's known to change her appearance to make her look older, and she's continually described as slender, small, tiny etc. Jess appears to be the traditional fiction Navy SEAL type, obsessed with patriotism and honour and yet also having a soft centre.
This was a reasonable read but there were some slow patches, the coincidences or engineered sections of the plot were sometimes difficult to take in and there were many aspects of the plot left open-ended, for example whether the feelings between Jess and Saber were caused by the pheromones that Dr Whitney apparently introduced. The action parts were well written and interactions between characters were good in places but overall it wasn't an entirely satisfying read.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008
Book Review: Predatory Game
Summary: 5 Stars
Saber Wynter knew she had been in one place too long considering the terrifying past she was running from. A child prodigy of a doctor responsible for turning her into an assassin before she hit puberty, Saber doesn't believe she will ever find acceptance and a family to call her own. Living with her boss Jess Calhoun, a Navy Seal recuperating from his battle wounds, goes against all she's been taught. But for the first time in her life, she feels safe.
Jess didn't realize his roommate/housekeeper is more than a woman on the run from a bad past. When Saber slips up and her hidden abilities become apparent, Jess knows he has to find out why she's in his home and how she's related to Whitney, the doctor responsible for the anomalies he, his team and the female orphans all have in common. Jess' current assignment brings more danger to their home and the long arm of Whitney becomes apparent when Jess and Saber discover maybe their shared attraction is not as natural as they would hope.
Jess and Saber become involved in one heart-pumping encounter after another as two sick mad men decide to play a game of cat and mouse, a game that seems to be spiraling out of control. Only love, trust and the Ghost Walker brethren working as one will keep these two lovers safe.
Another addition to a series where science, paranormal and espionage come together in a world where enemies are plentiful and those you can trust are few. Predatory Game is the third book in the Ghost Walker series I've had a chance to read and a big reminder of how much I've missed since Mind Game. Jess is part of the G.W. team who, despite his crushed legs, is just as powerful as the rest of his team and has the ability to move things with his mind. A tiny pixie with the power to kill by means of the lightest touch, Saber is a powerful woman tormented by nightmares of dark places and a cruel past. Together these two are fascinating to watch, from Saber's impressive talents to Jess' dominating personality that hasn't changed despite his physical limitations. Christine Feehan has done an excellent job in creating a story that is full of suspense and has so many surprises and layers that you find yourself reading as fast as you can to get to the next unbelievable twist. For fans of the series, you will be excited to see cameos from some of the previous team members and catch up on the diabolical Whitney as he continues to manipulate from afar. For newcomers, all I can say is sit back and hold on. Predatory Game is as impressive as the rest of the series and lives up to its name.
Indy
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Book Review: They actually have time to fall in love
Summary: 4 Stars
"Predatory Game" is book 6 in Christine Feehan's Ghostwalker series. And here we continue with our trend of Ghostwalker SEALs with Jesse Calhoun. You may remember Jesse as Dahlia's NCIS handler in "Mind Game (GhostWalkers, Book 2)." He was beaten within an inch of his life, trying to protect his team-mate, and his legs were destroyed below the knee. Since we saw him last, it's been mentioned that he is back to working with his old team, but is doing so from a wheelchair.
Jesse is living in Wyoming. Though he still consults with the Ghostwalkers (physically and psychically enhanced soldiers), he is now also a songwriter and owns a radio station. Living in his home, is the mysterious Saber Wynter. Saber works as a DJ at Jesse's radio station. And since she began renting a room in his home nearly a year ago, they have become very close friends. Actually, both have feelings beyond friendship, but they have never acted on those feelings. Each is trying to hide the fact that s/he is enhanced. Saber was also part of the Ghostwalker project; only she had been taken as a young child by mad-scientist Peter Whitney and trained as an assassin. She made her first kill at age 9. But she escaped last year and is now in hiding.
Now Saber is being stalked. The man works for Whitney but has gone off the deep-end. He's obsessed with Saber and wants her for his own. Jesse and Saber continue to grow closer and eventually reveal themselves to each other. They realize that Dr Whitney wants them to get together, to create a super-baby who has powers from both parents. While their relationship develops and they fight the growing danger to Saber, they must also contend with Jesse's disability and bionics he is trying to master, so that he can walk again.
I really enjoyed this one. (I have a soft spot for the SEAL guys, it seems.) The book is different in that our couple actually had a chance to get to know each other and develop believable feelings --as opposed to previous books where the couples were "in love" in a matter of days. Saber is undoubtably the most lethal Ghostwalker yet, but she is understandably vulnerable after all she has endured. Meanwhile, Jesse is strong emotionally, while he struggles with the limitations his body is dealing with. The love scenes are solid, though not quite as super-hot as in the last two books.
A solid contribution to the series. 4 stars.
Book Review: Not sure how I feel about this book....
Summary: 3 Stars
I won't write a synopsis of the book, as several reviewers have done that already. I'll just give my thoughts and opinions about the book itself.
On the one hand, Predatory Game was a satisfying, steamy romance read. The personal interactions and relationship between the hero, Jess Calhoun, and the heroine, Saber Wynter, sizzled right off the page. I could definitely tell there was a huge attraction between the lead characters. The personal relationship was explored from both character's perspectives, in particular, I really enjoyed reading about the hero. Despite the hero's handicap, he was uber-yummy and Christine Feehan is on the top of her game when it comes to wonderful heroes with those alpha qualities such as possessiveness and wanting to protect his heroine. I, like the heroine in the story, didn't see the handicap and I felt it added to the personality of the hero and made him that much stronger as a character.
But, despite that, I felt the plot of the story was weak. It was hard to see there was such a menace and threat to Saber and Jess from the bad guys. The villain watching and stalking Saber, and the mysterious "someone(s)" that want Jess and what he's involved with in the GhostWalkers, just didn't come across as serious or real. For instance, I couldn't see how the mad doc Whitney's henchmen following Saber could be anything other than something to roll your eyes at. He didn't come across as someone who could harm Saber because he didn't really do anything in the story, so I'm not sure what his purpose was. It was all very vague and I got the sense that it was just added to the story-line to give some sort of tension and suspense, but it was lacking and seemed an afterthought by the author. I think the author could have gone further into detail into the bad guys' motives and goals.
Anyways, this is the 6th book in the GhostWalkers series and you don't need to read the prior books to read this one, although a few characters from previous books make cameo appearances in Predatory Game. This book would have gotten 2 stars for the weak plot and villains, but I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Jess and Saber and really enjoyed Jess as the hero, so I bumped up the rating to 3 stars. Predatory Game has the steamy scenes and wonderful heroes that Feehan is known for, but as for furthering the plot and story-arc of the series as a whole, it disappointed.
Book Review: Love this series...
Summary: 4 Stars
Jess Calhoun always believed that his soul recognized Saber Wynter the night she showed up at his doorstep asking for a job. More than happy to offer her the radio host position he has available at his radio station, Jess also offers her a place to live. Recognizing Saber as someone who is on the run, Jess feels compelled to help her. Instinctively knowing that she would never accept a handout, Jess convinces her that he's been looking for a housekeeper and she would actually be helping him by accepting his offer. The fact that he's in a wheelchair only helps his cause b/c it gives Saber a false sense of security where Jess is concerned.
Saber has been running from Peter Whitney her whole life. Taught at a young age that she will never be anything more than an assassin, Saber steers clear of forming any sort of relationship, be it with a man or a woman. When Jess offers her a place to live, she finds herself unable to refuse his offer. As the months pass, Saber and Jess grow closer. Because of Saber's skittishness, Jess was content to wait to show her his true feelings. That changes when Saber accidentally speaks to him telepathically. Suddenly Jess has to look at Saber as he would an enemy, asking himself if she purposely insinuated herself into his life. Considering the fact that he has been working on a highly confidential matter, he's not inclined to think it's a coincidence.
I think Christine Feehan is doing a great job with this series. I really enjoyed reading about Saber and Jess. Used as a child in the worst possible way (not that way), Saber learned to isolate herself from anyone she could accidentally kill. Which is basically everyone. I think it was that self-imposed isolation and her years of being alone that made me want her to have an even better HEA than usual. Jess is the only person that ever suggested that she use her ability to heal rather than hurt. As for Jess, he was a burning hot alpha hero. In many situations he used the fact that he was in a wheelchair, therefore perceived as weak, as an advantage. It doesn't take long for you to realize that Jess is far from weak. Overall, I really enjoyed this addition to the GhostWalker series. I'm curious to see where Feehan will take it next.