Hidden Currents

Drake Sisters #7

by Christine Feehan

In her Drake Sisters novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan delivers “everything her fans have come to expect” ( Publishers Weekly ). Now, she exceeds expectations as the fate of all seven sisters depends on the destiny of one...

From afar, Sheriff Jackson Deveau has always loved Elle Drake, the youngest telepath of seven sisters. After a long time away she’s finally returning home to the small coastal village of Sea Haven. But someone has been following Elle, someone who doesn’t want her to make it back. And when Elle fails to arrive, her disappearance strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who loves her. Now it’s left to Jackson to uncover the mystery of Elle’s vanishing, and rescue her from an unseen danger. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for anyone, and it’ll take the powers of all the Drake sisters and their men to survive the coming storm.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Magic, Witches, Fiction

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 100 published novels, including five series; Dark Series, GhostWalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series, Shadow Riders, Torpedo Ink and her Romantic Suspense novels. All of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.
Her series include:
The Dark Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/darkb...
The GhostWalker series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/ghost...
The Leopard Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/leopa...
The Shadow Series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/shado...
Torpedo Ink series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/torpe...




IN HER WORDS:
I've been a writer all of my life -- it is who I am. I write for myself and always have. The ability to create pictures and emotions with words is such a miracle to me. I read everything; I mean everything! All kinds of books, even encyclopedias. I am fascinated by the written word and I love storytellers. It is a great privilege to be counted one myself. (www.christinefeehan.com)

Reviews

[Azet · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hidden Currents" is the 7:th and last book in the Drake Sisters series about the magical seven sisters who are born telepaths with different gifts.This book is about the youngest sister, the pride and elusive Elle Drake who are on a mission as a undercover agent to stop Human trafficking,but the mission goes wrong when a suspect turns out to also be a telepath and kidnaps her to a isolated island,full intent on breaking her spirit.The only person able to rescue her will be her beloved Jackson Deveau who she saved all those years ago when he was a prisoner of war.

"Hidden Currents" nearly destroyed me with the darkness of it from the start.I hated what that sadistic monster did to Elle.HATED EVERY SECOND OF IT,and i almost broke my computer apart several times,because it was shattering reading all the graphic details of that brutality.Her spirit did almost get broken,and together with Jacksons turmoil over feeling what she feels,and all the Drake sisters and their mens grief...i just cried my heart out.Jacksons consistent desperation to save Elle infected me,their misery and pain was mine and the traumatic details of it.Elle Drake is indeed a magical badass heroine of her own.Being the youngest sister and having the responsibility of the next legacy born seven daughters,she also has all the elements her sisters have.She was a fierce and confident woman before that monster destroyed her,and if it weren`t for Jackson..she would ultimately have died.What she went through is a tragic itself,but under the tender,selfless and lovely care of Jackson,her fated soulmate,she slowly comes back to life.

***
"I can barely survive right now. You're the toughest man I know and I trust you with my sanity. I'm giving myself to you, Jackson, my soul. You said it was mine to give and you're the only one I know that is mean enough and tough enough to guard me, to guide me through this." -Elle

***
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Sheriff Jackson Devaue is the obsidian,morose,silent,brooding hero that called my heart ever since he first appeared in the second book.He has the heart of a warrior and are so fierce,deadly and loyal...while he also is ready to burn down the whole world for Elle.I wept for what he went through as a prisoner of war and what those sadistic bastards did to him for months,and only the voice of Elle kept his humanity and sanity intact.They formed a bond through telepathy,and knew they belonged with each other.Jacksons love for her are absolute,everlasting and so strong that i wept for him and Elle,and the scars that was deep rooted into their souls that cried for itselfs.But together they were so much stronger,their love so much more powerful,and the way Christine Feehan makes them bring each other back to life together astounded me,because those moments were so emotional,sweet and real at the same time.

***

"Do you know what they made me into, Elle? You think I was an animal crawling on that floor, blind and sick and broken. I was a monster learning hatred, finding ice in my veins, a place I can go where I feel nothing--nothing at all. A place I can go to kill. That's what you're living with. That's who I am. -Jackson

***

I also love the scene where all the Drake sisters men privately plan to kill off the villian,i mean these heroes are so badasses!!!!MY GOD the ending was so beautiful in all its glory,a true perfect closing for all the Drake sisters and their men and this series.The Drake sisters have changed my life for the better,and i am so grateful for the unforgettable experience!I will miss all these characters that colored the whole series,all are heroines and heros to die for and i am so happy that Jackson,Elle,Ilya,Joley,Jonas,Hannah,Tyson,Libby,Aleksandr,Abby,Matt,Kate,Damon and Sarah all have their deserving happy ever afters in Sea Haven.

Now i know that the villian´s bodyguard was Ilya Prakenskii`s older brother who did try to save Elle,but got drown by the sea while the sisters together with their men tried to kill the villian (but i know he will survive since he is the hero in the first book about the Prakenskii Brothers spin-off series).I am sad that i have finished the Drake sisters series,but i am also so excited over the spin-off series about the six Prakenskii brothers stories in "Sisters of the Heart"-series,i mean if Ilya Prakenskii is this much mix of danger and sexiness,then how much sexier his six older brothers must be...OH MY GOD YEESS I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT!

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the toughest reviews I've ever written, because of the very sensitive subject relating to what Elle endures in this book. I write this review with all due respect to other friends who have read this book and had issues and serious objections to the depiction of rape and abuse that occurs. I also write a disclaimer that I am not qualified to say what a rape victim can go through and how soon she can recover to move onto a normal life. All I can do is say what I personally think of the book. I know that some will disagree, but we all see things differently, and that's okay.

I thought this book was a very intense and moving story. I went into reading it with a heavy stone in my gut, afraid that I couldn't handle the events that occurred. In my humble opinion, I thought Ms. Feehan wrote those events tastefully, and she showed just enough for you to realize what a terrible ordeal Elle went through. I really was expecting to see minute by minute, scene by scene descriptions of what this psychopath did to her. It wasn't written like that, thankfully. However, there are a couple of real time scenes that are hard to read. But I think they could have been much, much worse. I came through those pages with a feeling of strange relief. I did make it through and I didn't break down.

Now some readers question why Ms. Feehan felt she had to put Elle through this. Why does crap happen in life? I think we all ask ourselves that. Should a character in a romance novel be immune from the horrors of life that occur? I don't think so. Are there some horrors I can't bear reading about in a romance novel? Yes, indeed. For myself, I can read about a character who has been raped in a romance novel. It's a rough thing and a touchy subject. But if it is approached with sensitivity, I can deal with it. I have other subjects I don't want to touch with a ten foot pole. That doesn't mean that those who don't want to read about rape or abuse are wrong or right. It's just different comfort levels.

I don't know what Ms. Feehan was thinking when she plotted out this novel. What I suspect is that she wanted to show the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst events possible. I think she wanted to have her character go down to the pits of despair and realize that she could rise above it. Maybe she wanted to have Elle and Jackson be on completely equal footing. It is not said explicitly, but it's clear that Jackson was also raped when he was kept as a prisoner by enemies during his time in Special Forces. I have a feeling that she wanted us to see how Elle has to come to the realization and acceptance of her destiny as the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, and all the burdens that come along with that. Maybe she wanted the bridge between Elle and her destined mate Jackson to be that much stronger for what they have suffered together, and the kinship that formed when Elle made contact mentally with Jackson when he was being held prisoner and tortured. And conversely, how he refused to give up and moved mountains to get her back and to help her recover. Frankly, I think she was very brave to write this. Considering the backlash she's gotten, she really took a chance with this story.

In all honesty, I didn't feel that the ugly events that occurred to Elle was a huge diversion from the original books. In my opinion, this is a series with fairly dark subject matter from the beginning. I think the events in this book were slightly, but only slightly harder to read then when Hannah was savaged by the crazy man with a knife. Sexual violence hits home much worse, but the cruelty and horror of being violently attacked is bad, period. I have read all but two of the Drake stories, and they were all somewhat grim in some aspects of the storyline. But, this grimness is contrasted to the power of the love and sisterhood of the Drake women, and the men they love.

Do I feel that Elle recovered pretty fast from her ordeal? Maybe. But, I have to take into consideration that she's not an average woman. She is a woman blessed with powerful gifts and surrounded by other women with incredible gifts of their own. I also think that the bond she forms with Jackson helps her to heal faster. Should she have been ready to plunge into a normal sex life? I can't really answer that question either. I forced myself not to think of this as a normal, real life situation, because this is a paranormal romance novel. The time line did seem very fast, I don't deny that. I'm not sure why Ms. Feehan decided to have this story occur over a matter of days. Those are questions I turned around in my mind. I do have to say that, given the fact that Jackson and Elle had a very intimate association on the mental and emotional level from the beginning, allowed me to accept that they would be able to pursue an intimate physical relationship perhaps faster than a woman who has been sexually assaulted might do in real life. Again, I can't say because I don't have a real life scenario to apply it to, and I won't make any judgments on any women (or men) who suffered this way.

The thing about fiction, especially romantic or feel-good fiction, is that horrible, and seemingly insurmountable events occur, and good prevails. Some may not like this lack of realism. Myself, I am a believer in good prevailing ultimately. So I like my fiction that way. Christine Feehan seems like the kind of writer who believes that good will always triumph in the end, and her stories reflect that philosophy. Maybe this was her way of showing that there is hope for those who have gone through horrible experiences like Elle and Jackson underwent.

I felt that the end was a little rushed. However, I liked the fact that we got to see all the unmarried sisters get hitched at the same time. That was really nice. I loved the closing scene, where she shows all the couples in their own private places, enjoying each other and their love for each other. That put a smile on my face and was a nice thing to read before I went to sleep last night. In fact, I thought that was the perfect close for the story.

I really loved the strong bonds of family in this series. The mates for each sister became a part of the Drake family and are like brothers to each other. When I read stories, one of the best parts for me is the interactions between the characters. I think that Ms. Feehan does an exceptional job of writing these types of scenes. I like how she shows how unique each sister and her mate is from each other, yet how the men make perfect pairs with the individual sisters, and also bring different gifts to the table. The men work together to solve the problem in a way that will resolve the issue with Elle's crazed stalker and keep Jackson out of jail for killing him. They show a lot of understanding of each other and the way they think. The men are all strong, dominant fellows, but they treat the women with respect, and show a very high regard for them. Cherish is good word for this.

Another aspect I loved was the humor. For this to have such dark subject matter, it was nice to enjoy some really funny moments in this book.

Animal lovers will enjoy this story. Jackson's dog acts a sentinel and protector for the physically, mentally, and emotionally fragile Elle. There are also great depictions of sea creatures like dolphins (Abbey's loyal friends), whales, and seals. This animal lover was very happy, anyway.

I loved the fact that Ms. Feehan left us fans of Ilya (and the fact that he is the seventh son of a seventh son) a clue that we might get to see his brothers and what life has in store for him. I am eagerly awaiting their stories.

As usual, the magic parts were interesting and at times, eerie. The Drake house never fails to creep me out. It's a protective, benevolent house, but it's just kind of scary to accept that it's alive. I'm really glad I'm not the seventh Drake sister, but then, Elle's pretty used to that house. The scenes with the sisters chanting and using their gifts together tend to send a shiver down my spine. I'm not sure why. It's pretty interesting for me as a reader (and I don't really care for witch stories, so that says a lot).

Although this novel is not perfect (is anything in life perfect?), the power and message of it really hit home with me. Despite the fact that I think some aspects were left undone or dealt with perhaps a bit abruptly (maybe another 50 pages could have helped), it kept my interest, and I was invested in the characters. I felt that Christine Feehan did a really good job telling the last Drake sister's story. It wasn't easy to read at times, and it wasn't pretty (the depths of cruelty that humans are capable of never fails to disturb me). But at the same time, it showed that inner strength, faith, and the love of family and one's mate can really help to move mountains. A person who is wounded in such a way does have a long journey to recovery. I don't think Elle is fully recovered emotionally, but we see that she has the mental and emotional fortitude, and the support to get there someday.

Well, you might ask how I got a five star rating for this book. I'll tell you. I gave this one five stars because of the way it resonated with me emotionally. When I rate a book, I don't rate it on technical merit alone (that is a part of it, but I'm not overly critical on books in this way because the best technical writer can leave a reader bored and dissatisfied if the heart is not engaged). I rate books on the ability to tell the story well, but also on how it affects me as a reader and gets me involved. For me, Hidden Currents was a winner for its depiction of triumph of the human spirit in adversity, the power of love to heal the deepest wounds, the strength of the bonds of family, friendship, and one's spouse or mate, and good, involving storytelling. I also have to give it to Christine Feehan for not being afraid to go to the dark places, but also showing that where there is dark, there is also light. So, five stars it is.

PS. I had a disturbing moment when I thought I lost my review before saving it. God is good! It was still there. (Wiping forehead). Phew!

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christine Feehan's books are always well written with interesting characters and plot lines, and this book is no different. However, The multiple chapters of waaaaayyyyy too much detail on the lead female character's sadistic sexual slavery was TMI!

It was seriously unsettling and held no entertainment value, and the book could have been all the better for me had she simplified it somewhat. It was just too much for me, and left me unsettled for days. I didn't want to read any of my other books that had any love stories because all that graphic detail was there lurking. This book should have at least come with a disclaimer page on the potential disturbing content.
I can allow that those majorly graphically scenes may not have had the same effect on other readers, that maybe it was just my overly active imagination that just brought it all too real into my imagination. But keeping in mind the very detailed build up of this truly evil, sadistic character and all the very detailed scenes of his atrocities, I felt that his final confrontation was somewhat UNDER-whelming for me. Why, you may wonder, do I feel this way?
WARNING_SPOILER ALERT Paragraph (skip to next parenthesis & 3dots to miss any possible spoilers)

So, after she is rescued from his psychic-psychotic clutches, all of the future attacks are from afar, and it is sort of fitting that he comes to an end from afar at the psychic "hands" of his victims. But what about all that shit in the beginning? After all those pages and pages of 'TMI' physical and sexual violence there should have been a major smack down. And our heroine should have gotten to have some serious payback closure time.

....(Okay, the spoiler is over. You can continue reading now.)

And then there is a point to hit on for all those readers whose main love for Feehan's books are the love story side and all those well written, and yes, frankly, often very Hot! sex scenes. But who can really enjoy all those aspects of this book after having all those overly descriptive violent rape and beating scenes!? I sure as hell had to hop over those good scenes because I couldn't get all the evil stuff out of my scarred brain.

So, if you have not read this book yet, here is your disclaimer for "Hidden Currents": BEWARE GRATUITOUS SEXUAL/PHYSICAL VIOLENCE IN FIRST PARTS OF BOOK!!! Now you have been warned, and good luck to any future readers. Here's hoping for a more enjoyable read on Feehan's next book.

[Calisto · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't put into words how much I hated this book...but I'm gonna try. Now, I'm not a Feehan fan (read one Carpathian before this series and...shudders) but I really liked the idea of magical sisters. To be honest, the other stories weren't toxic. The first four are solid stories but it seems that Feehan (at least in this series) had an absolute knack for making secondary characters utterly amazing but then didn't know what to do with them when they got their own book. This happened in the last three of the series - Hannah, Jolie, and Elle.

This being Elle's story, and the final in the series, I couldn't not read it despite reading the previous reviews. I thought I was prepared. Guess not. What bothered me the most was not the graphic torture of the heroine but that it was out of place in what had basically been a fluff series. It was like watching The Cosby Show for a gazillion years only to have Freddy Krueger show up in the series finale and slaughter the entire family.

I might have gotten over that shock if it had been handled well. Unfortunately, as many reviewers have already noted, the fact that Elle who had been raped and tortured for a month basically jumps into bed with Jackson less than a week or so after she was rescued is insulting and like putting acid on the already oozing wound.

WTF was Feehan thinking?! "Oh, let's shock the readers who are expecting exciting fluff and throw in graphic torture then let's just whitewash the heroine's trauma with the magical 'healing c*ck' and basically gloss over any psychological scars 'cuz well, its a fluff romance."

Yeah. I'm not remotely angry or disgusted with the wasted hours I spent with this book. Nope. Not bitter. Not at all! ;)

[Evelyn Bryant · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having read the Ghost walker series and also some of the Drake Sister series, I thought I was in for a good read. Instead, this is the worst book this author has written and I truly hope this is her rock bottom.
She starts with the heroine being debased and raped and sodomized by some twisted crud. The she is rescued but of course is mentally, psychically , and physically damaged so she must hide from all those who would help her. Okay. At some point however you stop empathizing with her and wish the author would get on with it. Elle's whiny manner become irritating and her ducking her sisters who can help her is just so stupid. Why do these sickening women always think if they run off to be recaptured it will save everyone they supposedly love. Aaaarrrrrrrrg! I kept waiting for this book to get better but instead it droned on and on. I am truly disgusted that the author thought having all these things happen to her to begin with would make for a good book. It doesn't.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

reviewed May 11, 2012
What a crappy ending to this series. The potential these books had to be good was amazing. The execution, however, was not. When I hear of such a legacy as this, seven sisters with unique powers who help out others and are supposed to get with one man sounds so interesting in theory, but you get an author like this and it just completely fell apart.
(there are plot spoilers, I just didn’t want to hide the whole review.)

Elle was the wild sister with a temper that I expected so much out of. She does undercover work, and that in itself is cool, but in the very beginning we jump into a case she’s been working on, for some time I’d imagine, and the guy is saying he wants a relationship with her and all that, when she’s under a secret identity. She puts him off, barely, so he just decides to kidnap her on the boat and steal her away to his home.

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve been led to believe that Elle, the youngest and strongest Drake sister, with all of these powers and special abilities, can handle herself in any situation. Namely, she can handle herself when some guy is trying to bring her to his home. So imagine my surprise when she just stands there and lets it happen.

She could have done what any average, normal person would have done: she could have jumped off the boat and swam her way back. She could have fought her way out, kicking and screaming and using any makeshift weapon she could get her hands on. OR, she could have used the gifts she was born with, you know, all those little tricks and things Elle has used throughout the previous 6 books.

But for some reason that it is just so unfathomable to me, she does nothing. Yes, that’s right, NOTHING. His bodyguard like blocks her way or something that she could have easily gotten out of. But since she let it happen, I felt like she asked for it, so I felt no sympathy for her whatsoever.

She does reach out to Jackson telepathically, and says his name like once…and that’s about it. He keeps up a one-sided dialogue with her, asking where she is and telling her to do whatever she has to just to stay alive, and she doesn’t respond to tell him where she is, who she’s with or to give him any helpful information at all. Stavros knows she’s contacting someone with her mind and shuts it off, and when she gets to the island she can’t use her mind or else she feels pain…which I never really understood how he did that. I felt that his powers were a complete mystery.

We go back to find Jackson really upset and a bit uncontrolled in his anger and devastation at her capture. Which I ate up, because I love to see the man’s reaction when their woman is in danger. And then we pick right back up with Elle and wow, does Christine Feehan just dive right in. I was absolutely shocked to death at what transpired. I did not see that coming. I thought for sure she would be in danger and maybe he’d try something but Jackson and her family would come in time. But we find out that he had been raping her and controlling her unmercifully, forcing her to perform sexual acts with not only him but random men, and she had to ask to use the bathroom and he monitored when she took baths and even went so far as to shave her private parts and whipped her to where she bled, and I was like what in the hell is this doing in a book?

I would never, ever pick up a book where the character was being sexually, physically, and emotionally abused. This is not material for a book in any way, shape or form. Books are supposed to be enjoyable, they’re supposed to take you to another place and make you forget your troubles. They’re not supposed to put you through torture and make you disgusted and repulsed and nauseous like this did.

Which I guess I should have seen something like this coming, she had just had Hannah slashed in the previous one, why not make Elle suffer twice as bad? It was just so sad to know that she had been a virgin before that and was no doubt saving herself for her husband but this man just so brutally used her. It was tragic and unnecessary.

I’m not sure if it was meant to make Elle a stronger person, or show a growth in character or what, but if so, it wasn’t successful. Elle was a shell of a person, letting Jackson cuss at her and borderline bully her and just went along with whatever he had planned. She brings up the past and says that he didn’t like her or her legacy, and I expected her to leave or be hurt or something, but she just couldn’t muster up any emotion. Then when they’re in bed he’s having a flashback of his torture and reaches for a gun, and she sits calmly instead of getting out of the way and he completely barks at her. Instead of being hurt or mad, she goes downstairs and they have sex, and that scene was a little disappointing compared to the romance in her other novels.

When Jackson and them finally save her, I liked the scene where she’s in the boat and her anger is unleashed and causes havoc on the island, and her nose and ears and eyes are bleeding, which was a little disgusting, but Jackson makes her stop so she won’t cause damage to her brain by using her mental powers. Loved that part where he shows he cares and she shows the extent of her gifts.

She came back and I expected her to be hurt and embarrassed and withdrawn from everyone, but she immediately jumps into Jackson’s truck and rides off with him to his home and keeps her distance from her sisters, who could actually help her. She lets Jackson give her a bath, which tells about how close they are and how comfortable with each other they are, but considering what she had gone through I didn’t think she’d want anyone touching her like that. She asks Jackson to cut her hair, and I’m so glad he didn’t go through with it because I hate when girls cut their hair really short and things like that. She did ask for cornrows, which I absolutely hated. Why cornrows for a girl? And her and Jackson proceed to have this insane conversation where he seems to be okay with her having cornrows. Ugh!

Then Elle just goes completely lusty and starts having these thoughts about Jackson that any rape victim in recovery should not be having. She’s thinking about doing things to him that her captor had her do, and I’m wondering if Feehan researched rape victims and the extent of the trauma they suffer through, but I can tell you I highly doubt a victim of this kind wants to do things like that in a matter of days after escaping something like that. Completely unrealistic and sickening. Then we’ve got this scene where Jackson trips over his jeans and I’m just like omg. Omg, I am not reading this right now.

Jackson was cussing and verbally abusing her and I was disappointed that fiery Elle never made a comeback to the woman she was in the earlier books. She might as well had been a completely different person. And I don’t know if it was just me, but Jackson’s “inspirational and motivational” speeches were more bullying and insensitive. The whole “you’re down but you’re not out” speech was overused and I was just not buying it.

Then we’ve got that lovely conversation where Jackson just pops out with “Elle might be pregnant” when Jonas, Ilya and her sisters are there visiting, which was insensitive of Elle’s feelings of such a private subject. Miraculously, Christine Feehan throws poor Elle a bone, having Ilya say he doesn’t think a 7th daughter of a 7th daughter can bear children from anyone other than the one man she’s destined to be with. Thank you, Christine Feehan, for small favors…it was the least you could do after the torture you put Elle through. And I mean that literally, it was the LEAST you could do.

I honestly expected Elle to be pregnant with Stavros’s child and Jackson would just be on board with the whole thing and be very supportive of Elle, in a typical overbearing, almost-abusive way the men in Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters books treat their women.

The scene where Stavros telepathically takes control of Elle and makes her choke was an intense scene that I liked reading about. Jackson showed his ability to protect her, and Ilya showed his protectiveness of Jolie, and that was nice to read about. However, it was also a bit mysterious, in that Christine Feehan doesn’t fully explain how Jackson got his attack dog to bite Stavros (in the nether regions, I presume?)

The act itself was good and funny, but it loses so much when the author can’t be bothered to explain HOW it happened. Those details are pretty crucial, and I understand it might not make sense because telepathy and powers like that aren’t real and it’s hard to explain something that isn’t real, but an attempt would have been appreciated. The author wasn’t even concerned with letting us grasp how the characters did what they did.

Then we’ve got this fight with Stavros where all of the girls are getting beat up and weak because they go down to the water to fight him off, but only end up getting hurt. You’ve got all the sisters together, yet they’re all unable to do anything. Hmm…are they powerful or aren’t they? I’m getting majorly confused between the authors descriptions of them and the moments when they’re easily drained and unable to defend themselves.

At the end I feel that everything was rushed to the finish line and quickly tied up. All of the others get married who haven’t previously been married, and I didn’t really like that they all upstaged Jackson and Elle’s moment. It was as if they hadn’t planned their momentous and life-changing moment, but said “Oh, what the hell? Why not get married?”

And I didn’t like how Elle was kept in the dark about what really happened to Stavros. Why didn’t they just tell her they had killed him? I think she deserved to know that.

At the end I did like how each couple was mentioned in their private moment.

I’m just so fed up with Christine Feehan’s sabotaging her characters as if she hates them or something. Idk why an author would do that to their own characters. This book was horrifying in its gruesome details. This one did have more a shock-factor and plot than previous ones, but again, there are a lot of “poor me” I-feel-sorry-for-myself emotions, and constant feelings by a character become boring and exhausting to read through.

[Jo Bennesch · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐️
3.5/5🌶


Ay... no puedo decir que la novela sea mala, porque no lo es. Pero dudo poder perdonar a la autora por esos primeros capítulos. Creo que fue demasiado y no encontré una justificación para el horror. Todo demasiado descriptivo y por como viene la saga y por la sinopsis muy inesperado.

Ellos me encantan, era una pareja sobre la que quería leer. Pero después de ese inicio la verdad no pude ver mucho más. Sumado a que después de semejante trauma no me creo la rapidez con que están juntos. Literalmente la autora destruye a su protagonista femenina.

La resolución del conflicto no fue satisfactoria. Yo quería ver a la Drake más poderosa en acción. Y necesite una venganza qué no llegó.

El final/epílogo es correcto, tierno, etc. Pero después de todo lo demás no pude disfrutarlo, solo quería que se termine.

Si leíste los otros 6, vas a querer leer este. Para mi fue una tristeza. 😪

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding read - with difficulties. In the first portion of the book the heroine is captured, tortured, and raped repeatedly with the intent to 'break' her. It takes a month before her friends and family manage to locate and rescue her. This would be uncomfortable reading about a relatively unknown character and is much worse when it is someone we have come to know and love through the previous books. The dynamics of Elle's struggle to overcome her physical, emotional and psychic trauma, intermixed with Jackson's personal history of the same type of experiences as a prisoner of war, were painfully powerful. I loved his bone deep strength and determination that she WILL heal and THEY will survive.

The remainder of the plot line is spent fighting off the villain who wants her back and is searching for and attacking her psychically. Of course he finds her and plans to destroy all she holds dear... I must admit I LOVED how they got the bad guy - ah, the importance of a good science education!

I also enjoyed the insights into Jackson's character as the 'mean, badass, loner' is revealed as the soft-hearted caretaker for those in need of help. His steadfast refusal to admit he's capable of anything remotely sweet is rather charming. One of the other pluses is that all the other sisters and their mates got to be a part of this story - it's nice to see them working together as friends and family.

This is apparently the last of the Drake Sisters books [after all, we've run out of sisters:] but a new thread has been laid by the advent of one of Ilya's brothers - so now we may be having the Prakenskii Brothers... One way or another I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing Sea Haven again.

Drake Sisters
1. Magic in the Wind (2003)
2. The Twilight Before Christmas (2003)
3. Oceans of Fire (2005)
4. Dangerous Tides (2006)
5. Safe Harbor (2007)
6. Turbulent Sea (2008)
7. Hidden Currents (2009)

[Corrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes when I read a book quickly I get a reading "high" and think, Man this is one of the best books I've ever read, only to think about it for a few days and realize there were glaring flaws that I just didn't catch in my euphoria. This might be one of those cases, but I don't care. I loved this book, it's the book I've been waiting the whole series for.

Elle Drake is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter, and as such, she will carry on the Drake legacy. She's known for years that Jackson Deveau is her soulmate, but he resisted at every turn, thinking he wasn't good enough to carry on the legacy, but loving Elle nonetheless. Elle eventually became fed up and dedicated her life to helping others by working undercover in dangerous situations. Her latest, to stop a human trafficking gang, has put her in the clutches of Stavros Gratsos, a Greek shipping magnate with a penchant for sadism and sexual slavery. He captures Elle and puts her through hell for a month. And it was brutal, enough that if you are squeamish you might not want to read it. Through it all Jackson is in Elle's head, comforting her and desperately trying to get her to keep living all while he and the Drakes search for her.

When Elle comes home, she's broken - psychically, mentally and physically. She doesn't want to subject her sisters to the horrors she's been through, so she clings to Jackon, and Jackson does everything he can to bring Elle back from the brink. He's a total sweetheart, the badass with the soft heart - taking care of lonely people and the elderly in Sea Haven, and cherishing Elle no matter what, although there are times he can't control his autocratic instincts, but they don't phase Elle. I love watching Elle find her self and her love for Jackson again, and I loved Jackson finally realizing that what he had been through (he was a prisoner of war) didn't make him any less because Elle hadn't been diminished in his eyes by going through her ordeal.

All of the Drake sisters finally get their happy endings, and so does the whole town of Sea Haven. Excellent ending to this series. A-

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is probably the worst book I've ever read. The fact that it includes detailed rape/torture scenes in it bothered me only in the sense that it doesn't make an enjoyable story and I felt it was completely unnecessary. If I were reading a book about a war-torn 3rd world country where that happens and where the point of the book was to shed light on the horrid truth, then it wouldn't have bothered me. For this book, it felt contrived and shed no light on human trafficking.
**spoiler alert**
To make it even worse, Elle recovers from her torture in the matter of days and is able to be romantic with her ex-boyfriend who just happened to have been tortured also. I mean, really? How convenient that was. Also too convenient and completely unnecessary was the appearance and death of the pedophile reverend who just happened to also be a human trafficer. The ending of the book was terribly anticlimactic. Stavros the rapist/torturer was taken out quite easily and the explanation about the methane gas seemed very unbelievable to me. I did enjoy the battle raid on Stavros' island compound near the beginning of the book when Elle's family rescued her. Too bad the ending battle wasn't more like that. I also liked the idea behind the Drake sisters and their psychic abilities even if it did seem like a rip-off of Charmed. Perhaps I'd like some of the previous books in the series that aren't so violent but if they are as anticlimactic and convenient as this one, then probably not.

[Eileen Troemel · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this zero stars I would. The first six in this series were light, easy, romance paranormal with a little bit of danger and little bit of sexual dominance. This book spent five chapters with the main female character being tortured, raped, and eventually rescued. If that weren't bad enough, later she has the main male character who we already knew was tortured relive some of that torture. She has her main character who was demolished by her torturer have sex three days after she's rescued. I get there is some leeway with paranormal - psychic healing speeds up the process but this is unacceptable. I read the books - loved the previous books - because they were entertaining and fun. This book was dark and incongruous with the rest of the series. If Feehan wanted to write dark novels I have no problem with that. I would expect that when I pick up the book. That is not what I expected when I got to the seventh book. She betrayed her story and her readers by straying so far from the original books. I struggled to finish the book. I struggled to read the horror she rained on Elle - the seventh sister. Feehan failed to conclude the series in a manner that was consistent with the first six books. The ending where (here's a spoiler so if you don't want to know don't read further) six of the sister get married in a rush of a beach wedding seems to be an easy out for concluding. It was all about oh there's a minister here - well marry us, and us, and us... As a reader I wanted to feel their weddings and participate as Feehan tempted us to believe she would do but this was just a complete and epic fail. I will not be reading any of her books again. This book was disturbing and disappointing. It saddens me to see such a fun and good story be ruined by such a poor ending.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

i had to slam this thing down. it was THAT bad. &i will not pick it up again. ever.
am i the only person who doesn't think sexual torture should be in a romance book?!
christine feehan had me believeing that maybe she's jealous of small skinny beautiful people because all her characters in this series are that way&then they end up getting slashed &beaten and tortured.
i couldn't believe what i was reading. that someone actually came up with this&then put it in a book for the world to read!
&if the main character was so powerful than why did she just let herself be captured. because, lets face it, thats basically what she did. just handed herself right over to the enemy.
i dont think id read this if someone paid me.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I waited a week to write this review to see if I was still as angry as I was when I finished the book. Yup, I am.

First, a disclaimer. I find I loath Christine Feehan and her writing. I started with Dark Prince at the recommendation of a friend. I totally hated it. My friend insisted I try more of her books. I waded through more Dark novels and hated each and every one of them. The "heroines" are idiots and the "heroes" are abusive jerks. So, my friend said "Read the Drake Sister books, you'll love them!" Um, no I didn't.

My library doesn't have any complete series by Feehan so I had to start with Dangerous Tides, not horrible but not a book to make me want to read more. Again my friend insisted I keep reading."They get better." After that the books became more and more....dark. I hated Safe Harbor and Turbulent Sea as the "heroes" became bigger and bigger aholes and the women bigger and bigger fuckwits. Alpha male does not equal controlling abusive asswipe. Please, what is up with all the men in her books? "Baby ('cause damn if he'll call her anything that's not demeaning/belittling) do what I say when I say because I am the MAN and you are a stupid woman who must be protected from yourself." WTF! I decided to read the last book because 1) I had already checked it out from the library and 2)I was home sick and desperate. Rule 3 of the Internet that also applies to real life. What is once seen (read) cannot be unseen (unread) I should have re-read Nobody's Baby but Mine for the 20th time.



Where to start. Well, first somebody buy that woman a thesaurus. I do believe she has a set plot and just inserts words and phrases from one of those fridge poetry sets into the blanks. Words like velvet and mushroom head (ewww! NOT sexy) and phrases like "He shackled her wrist with his hand." Because nothing says I love you like shackling your "baby" against her will.


Elle is supposed to be super sister endowed with all the powers (ha!) but she like all of Feehan's female characters is an idiot. She gets kidnapped because she is an idiot by a sex slaver. Then we are assaulted by just the worst torture porn. Feehan lingers on the rape and torture in loving graphic detail. It was disgusting and horrific. I actually threw the book across the room I was so angry. If I it had been mine I would have held my very first ceremonial burning of the garbage. At that point I decided to finish the book just so I could vilify it completely.

Once Elle is rescued it doesn't get any better. She doesn't want to be with her sisters (?!?!) won't let them heal her (I've been tortured, beaten and raped for over a month but no don't heal me) and decides despite the fact the bad guy will sure to be after her to move into Jackson's isolated beach house instead of the family house that actively protects the Sisters. Again, WTF. And Jackson! He seems to think threatening to beat her if she goes against his wishes is the way to treat someone who has been BEATEN AND RAPED for a month. About 3 minutes after she gets home! It gets better! He brow beats her into giving him a bj, grabs her by the hair and starts thrusting into her mouth to the point she can't breath! When she freaks out they don't even mention that, she's just all upset she got upset! And at one point she says to him (in what is supposed to be sexy banter!)that she learned some things about sex while a being beaten, raped, tortured and degraded! WTF! Jackson even comments that he doesn't understand what the bad guy had in mind while he was raping Elle 'cause dom's really love their subs! and want them happy!!! Double WTF! The book goes on and on and on just like that.

Now the ending. That was the only thing I was kinda looking forward to, Elle's revenge. Feehan decides that Elle not only won't get to face her rapist, she's kept completely in the dark about all the plans to take him out! Jackson attitude "Let's keep the little woman out of avenging her rape, this is big he man business." and the their plan strains credibility.

Plus, all the sister's deciding to horn in on Elle's wedding was lame and cheesy.

I could have said/ranted a lot more but Feehan and her books aren't worth another second of my time. Now, what did I do with that Andre Norton book I'm reading....

[Serena Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final estupendo para una saga que no tiene ningun desperdicio

me encanta como empieza, te atrapa y no puedes dejar de leer. Y Jackson es maravilloso, gracias a el Elle recupera todo...

Esta saga es de las pocas en las que ni un solo libro me ha decepcionado

9.5/10

[Mojca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elle Drake's been in love with Jackson Deveau, deputy sheriff of Sea Haven, since before she met him. And when she did meet him, she knew he was her destiny, the one man to help her continue her family's legacy...But in the end he rejected her, and she left, to go lick her wounds the only way she knew how—by helping others.

On her latest undercover assignment, she met someone who is perfect for her, someone who would never reject her...But she discovers that perfection is only a mask a little too late...And never makes it home.

Jackson Deveau pushed Elle away because he knew he wasn't worthy of her legacy...And because she'd wanted him to change into what she thought was the perfect picture to go with the legacy. But Jackson knows he's not perfect, he's never been, and what's been done to him had prevented had changed him into something he himself fears sometimes. But he loves her, he's always loved her. How could he not? She's his complete opposite, gentle, caring, loving, beautiful, with a loving family, and a heart of gold. He'd feared he'd taint her spirit by being with her, but he's beyond caring now that she's gone.

He's determined to get her back no matter the cost. And get her back, he would, even if he had to walk to Hell and back. But even as he fulfills the promise, they both have a long road ahead of them...



I admit I was a bit leery of this book thanks to all the reviews both here and on Amazon, but in the end this one turned out to be a wonderful, a little heartbreaking, and quite a bittersweet story, and provided a perfect ending to this series.

The scenes everybody so complained about (the first couple of chapters in the book) weren't as "bad" as we've all been warned. They were necessary to the story, to Elle's growth, maturing, change, and understanding of self, and their execution was extremely tasteful. Ms Feehan succeeded in conveying the right amount of sorrow, terror, and pain Elle's been through without descending into gory details.
These scenes were also instrumental in Elle's fundamental understanding of Jackson's character and what he's been through. Sure, she'd been there with him, sharing his mind as he'd been tortured as a prisoner of war, but until she went through pretty much the same torture, she didn't understand him, not completely, not the way he needed to be understood. And that was evident throughout the series, whenever these two had a scene together. Elle simply didn't get him, and because she didn't get him, his silences, his brooding, his deep-rooted need for violence, she pulled a childish act and went undercover...And almost lost herself.

Did she suffer? Yes. Did she come back a changed woman? Yes. But she also came back with a new vein of steel underneath, the steel Jackson himself helped hone during the recovery process.
They both suffered through it all, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and both Jackson and Elle came out of the ordeal tougher, their connection stronger than ever.

And this is what I love most about Christine Feehan's writing. Her ability to convey strong emotions in her stories, her penchant for putting her characters through hell (both literally and figuratively) and make them come out on the other side stronger, more determined, more mature, changed, but still remaining the same deep down where it counts...All without having to subject the reader to all the gory details. After all, this isn't a horror story or a thriller, but a romance with all the trimmings, including the requisite happy ending.

I loved the dynamic of the characters, the sisterly devotion, the friendship between the men, how they were all determined to keep Jackson out of jail and end the evil together.
Speaking of evil, the villain was the weakest link in this book for me. Not because of his villainy, he was appropriately evil and insane, but because of his seeming omnipotence. I don't know whether it was written as a sort of analogy; because of what he'd put her through Elle though he was so very powerful, capable of striking from great distance at everything she held dear, and that's exactly what he was, but I felt his powers were a bit of an overkill, a plot-device to bring it all full-circle, to need the full power of all the Drake sisters and their chosen mates to vanquish.

Speaking of which, it was lovely to revisit the couples from previous books, and see them still holding strong, the women still teasing their mates and the men still unrepentant over their overprotective ways.
And the ending was just perfect with all the gifts to the next generation, the ever-changing, people-eating house preparing itself for the next generation, and the wind visiting each couple, showing glimpses of their happiness, before rushing back toward the sea.


P.S. Also, this book, though finishing the Drake era, provided a nice intro into the Prakenskii brothers era, with Ilya's brother making an appearance, resulting to be in the same profession as his younger brother. His story is next in line, following his escape from the boat, in Water Bound.

[Aneca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Currents is the last book in the Drake Sisters series... I've really enjoyed the series so far and I must say that I think Feehan came up with a very different and definitely darker book than the others to close the series. While I had no problems with it the number of negative reviews on Amazon surely attests to the fact that a lot of readers do.

To begin with, Elle, who is an undercover cop is found out and tortured by the man she was investigating. Not only that but he wants to break her completely by using pain and there are several descriptions of Elle being tortured and I can tell that some thrillers don't go as far in the descriptions as Feehan went.

The man who is torturing her also has some paranormal powers so while her sisters can tell Elle is alive than cannot discover where she is and how to help her. Her only change of surviving and maintaining her sanity intact is the fact that Jackson, the man destined for her, can actually get into her head and sooth her the way she did for him when he was a prisoner of war.

After Jackson discovers where she is, he with the other men in the family does mount a rescue operation to save Elle. During that operation we discover that one of the men guarding her at the bad guy's orders is actually Ilya Prakensky brother and he may not exactly be what he seems (can't wait to find out more about him) and while they do rescue Elle the bad guy gets away.

The bad guy is Stavros and he is one of the leaders of a human trafficking ring that Elle was trying to stop. He is powerful and obsessed with Elle so they all will have to come together to keep her safe even after she is recues and is healing.

Jackson Daveau has been avoiding Elle since they both met. A survivor of an unhappy childhood and torture as war prisoner he never felt he would fit into the loving Drake family not to mention that he never felt he could be a good parent (and Elle is supposed to carry on the family tradition and have 7 children). But now, with everything that's happened, not only he is the right man to help Elle recover as maybe he has come to realise he can also be a family man.

The only part in the story that I found less than convincing was how quickly Elle healed both physically and mentally after her ordeal. It's a problem I also had with some of the previous books and even with magical help it seemed too fast.

Regarding the graphic detail of Elle's torture I can only say that so many time story's hint at really bad things that in the end don't happen that for me it was surprising in a good way that the horrors promised were delivered. In the real world if an undercover cop gets caught by the bad guys what are the odds he will come out of it with minor scratches? Some people might want to skip those few chapters but I felt Feehan really went out with a bang and managed to end it with something different.



Grade: 4.5/5

[Nikki the Sapphired Book Dragon AKA NixieNut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Currents is the last book of the Drake Sisters series and I really enjoyed this instalment. In many ways, the order of this book seemed a little turned round with the kidnapping and then daring rescue happening at the beginning of the book and the rest of the book dealing with the aftermath and stopping the big bad.

In terms of just this book's story, I felt like we hadn't really seen to much of Elle before this book so we really only get to know post kidnapping Elle. I liked Elle and Jackson as a couple and thought they blended together well especially in the way they were there with each other through some very traumatic experiences. Their connection and chemistry seemed genuine wand I liked them together.

As as the conclusion goes, being a series conclusion as well the the instalment conclusion I guess I expected something bigger but in the end the solution, while not easy as such, still seemed somewhat easy to come by. There were quite a few threads left loose and whether this is because there is another new series set in Sea Haven after this, which i think centers around the Prakensii brothers

All in all while, I did enjoy the way some threads were tied up with characters from previous books brought in, this didn't really feel like a series conclusion and the ending ended feeling just a little rushed.

That being said, it was still an entertaining read and I give this book 4 stars

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book from Audible.com. I got one of the first books in the series as a special deal, and thought it and the next few were good enough to purchase the rest of the series.

Boy, was I wrong.

The fifth and sixth books in the series were bad enough, but with a lot if fast-forwarding I got through them. I returned this one.

Yes, after 13 years as an Audible member and hundreds of books purchased, I finally returned one. It. Was. That. Bad. Maybe it's just me, but graphic descriptions of serial rape really isn't what I look for in a book - particularly a "romance novel." I've found Feehan's characterizations of alpha males suspect in the past, but I could at least stomach them, despite the imperious demands, the physical domination, and the arrogant assumption that their women should just shut up and do what they're told. This book went too far. WAY too far. Run away, run far, far away. Unless, of course, sexual brutality is your cup of tea.

[Anna-Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. As much as I looked forward for this one I stopped after chapter 7. I just read the last chapter to know how the end is but I knew that before I read it.

Sorry but this storyline in this book isn't working for me. It's ridiculous and for me it seems like the author wanted it to be the big-bang thing.

But honestly?
The start alone with this strange psychic sick perv who wanted Elle to do what he wanted being his sex slave? And Jackson being on her mind telling her she should do what that perv wanted just to stay alive...gosh how romantic. *sarcasm inside*

I'm kinda sad and disappointed but now I know why the book only got so few stars at Amazon.de. It's really a pity that it ends like this. I really enjoyed the series so far but this isn't what I expected for the last volume.

[Lita Bouquard · Rating 1 out of 5]

My review didn't save because I wrote most of it half way through the book and the rest when I finished it. Unfortunately I was logged off but others expressed feelings that were just as upset as mine.


spoiler*

It sucked. In many ways including having a victim of rape/violence/ who was forced to give oral sex recover so quickly she gives a bj to her very dominant mate who sometimes love bites her. Elle also says she learned a lot of tricks (from her captor!) and might as well use them. REALLY!
Hey I was a virgin learned neat skills from a madman and other bedroom skills- I'll use them to pleasure you. Unbelievable.

See I still am p*ssed about this book.

[*The Angry Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just love this series. The action. The alpha men. The strong women. The magic. I attempted 4 other books before starting this and settling right in. Even read all out of order this is a fantastic series.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally Read: 2011
Re-Read: November 2015

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars actually...I don't know how to make a half star on the rating...

I really do not know how to respond to this book...It pulled me a lot of differents ways most more uncomfortable than pleasurable....I remember having to stop reading various books from Mrs. Feehan's Carpathians series because within the first like three chaps. I just thought that they were too visceral for my taste...I know she is known for being extremely explicit in her romance novels, that I can kinda handle, but, the darkness that seems to seep through the villians in her books for me are really disturbing....Honestly, at first, I didn't even know if I was going to finish this book...I had gotten it from the library, and was attracted by the cover and the title. Also, as I read the synopsis of the book and saw that it involved psychics I was like ok, I really want to read this...I had no idea at the time there were 6 books prior to this one in a series no doubt...That was like two years ago...Now the library had just gotten fresh copies of this book and "Safe Harbor" in so I was like I'm going to go for it and try to read this...And as I expected, I really struggled through the first five chaps. Stavros is a sadistic bastard, and the whole thing with him and Elle really disturbed me....Once that section passed I was like ok maybe it'll mellow out some now...Which it did from the torturing part, but, then I found myself not completely connecting with the character of Elle Drake....This seems to be a going theme with me and the books I read...The heroine of the story plucks my last nerve 90% of the time, regardless of who the author of the book is...Maybe that's part of how authors intend for their readers to react to their heroines...I do not know...

On the other hand, I admired the bond of the seven sisters, liked how each had there specialties in regards to powers...But, for this book to be about elle who is supposed to be the most powerful of them all and the one destined to carry on the drake legacy, I just didn't connect fully with her...I liked Jackson fine and the other significant others of her sisters, even Inez, to an extent...But, even after just reading the final pages about two hours ago...I still find myself feeling confused as to my reflections on this book....I will say I loved the wedding at the end the dresses, the beach, how the other sisters decided to get married too, the house as they entered the threshold changing to fit them perfectly...but, I don't know...I am now in the process of starting the series from the begining to see if that makes me feel differently...Maybe I will connect more with one of the other sisters, or maybe I'm just not a fan Mrs. Feehan's writing...idk, yet...I'm sure I will have an answer to that question once I've read the other books in the series...

Another note...a lot of people on here get bent out of shape when we read series our of order, which I respect...And sometimes I do read things from beginning to end and other times I do jump around...I guess that's just the rebellious side to my personality...I understand that at some point in this series Jackson goes through brutal torture as well..And more than likely when I get to that book, I will skim if not skip that section, and I usually hate to skim, but, for my own comfort I will have too...I mean I don't know what else to say...I guess if you're a die hard Christine Feehan fan than you should definately give this series a whirl....If reading things unpleasant doesn't mess with your psyche, then by all means go for it....there is a lot of information about so many characters within the pages of this book so from that stand point...I guess one could say she tied the series up well..

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I love the emotion and connection between Jackson and Elle. I also thought that Feehan did a decent job with the way she wrote about the torture both were put through, it was all described after it happened, and more in terms of where the bruises or other marks were. It was enough to see how terrible it was, but in my opinion, not overwhelming. It is there, and it may be too much for some so be warned.
I think this was probably the best book in this series, as I felt much more emotions between Elle and Jackson than any of the other sisters and their men. As the other sisters come back into this novel with their men, you do see their connections. I also love the sisterly love they have for each other and their brothers in law, and the same for the mens friendships with each other and their sister in laws. This was a pretty good ending to the series as well, and I am excited to continue on with Sisters Of The Heart series next!

[♥ℳelody · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 35%

*Originally started this in October 2013*



I had to give this out while I was cleaning out my bookshelf. This has been sadly on my back burner shelf for over a year and I couldn't gather up enough interest to pick it up and finish it. If I can't bother to finish a book in the first attempt then I most likely will not come back to it. This is the second book by Christine Feehan I've attempted to read and ended up DNFing. Message received loud and clear: she's not for me. I honestly don't know why I bothered with this one and regretted it 5 minutes after buying it. The writing is just very poor with super flat underdeveloped characters and a bizarre plot and pacing that is thick and slow as molasses. The author seemed to want to focus with excruciating detail on the most mundane to the most disturbing disgusting things (because everyone wants to read in explicit detail about a woman being raped right? *shudders* NO.). The rescue arc that happens over a 2-3 hour time span covers 45 pages. Oy. Something that was meant to be the apex of the story, super suspenseful and climactic ended up being ridiculously slow, boring, repetitive and dragged out for no reason. And was it really necessary to give like 5 different POVs during a rescue mission? Really?

However the final draw in the sand that made me put this down was when the hero kept offering to give the heroine cornrows because she couldn't stand the feel of her own hair. Um... cornrows ? Where did this come from? How in the world would he even know how to braid hair much less do cornrows? Is this a special hobby of his? I needed an explanation! It just seemed very far fetched and out there. That's definitely not something everyone knows how to do. And I'm sorry but a white guy knowing how to do cornrows is the biggest joke of all. The hero was the most comical OTT thing out of this entire story. Talk about trying too hard. He knows and can do everything and has enough swagger to put a street walker to shame. Like...dial it down. And the baby talk was just an added ick factor, like nails on a chalkboard.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I tried. I needed to because I’ve been going on the journey with the Drakes and I adore these characters. I've decided not to rate the book because I couldn't read it all & it wouldn't be an unbiased rating. I did notice from what I read that the writing flowed better here compared to some of the other books in the series.

My curiosity (despite the warnings from friends & knowing my own avoidance of books with sexual abuse) and need to finish the series, had me reading even from the start...but even the little of what I read that is happening to Elle, gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tried skipping, but it didn't make a difference.

I did read the last few pages and that was great & it was heart-warming to see all the Drake women with their soul mates (just a pity the book itself was based around one of my least favorite & vile topics) & I did like seeing the family interacting together ( I wish CF had also written a separate novella of just some family fluff with the sisters and the brother in laws).

I understand the author’s goal was probably to show the power of love and healing, and I’m sure others might not mind going through the emotional rollercoaster and going from feeling despair to one of hope, but it just reinforced that rape of a heroine in a romance book is not for me at all.
But it's a personal thing if you are someone who doesn't mind it then this should be a good book.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series and have been looking forward to see how things turn out. I think what Elle went through and endured was horrific. It was great that with Jackson he was someone who could understand her and how her feelings could turn on a dime. As someone who went through a horrific exerience himself, he knew what it would take for Elle to start to heal. I was sad to see her pushing her sisters away, but understood her reasoning why. A couple great aspects of this book was how the house / legacy seemed to come to Jackson's house to protect them while Elle felt she couldn't go to the house itself. I also loved to see all of the sister's and their men working together to first get Elle and then protect her. It allowed us to see them in a different way and take another closer look at their powers. Also I loved how the town stood behind the family. It seems like everyone in town knows what is going on with the family, but no one really talked about it until now. I am a little sad this series seems to be over, I liked to spend time with the sisters.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book by Christine Feehan about the rape and torture and then rescue and insta-love of a poor helpless woman (who is supposed to be strong and independent but isn't) by the aggressive strong relationships are all about sex man (but hey he has a whole depth of feelings, not). Tell me really who is tortured and sexually abused then is rescued only to have hot passionate loving sex with another man a day or two later like the previous days were just a nightmare and not reality? Also hey everyone is psychic in some way but that doesn't really matter since it doesn't help and it's what got you into this nightmare mess is the first place? (the bad guy wants to "breed" with the heroine for her powers) And there is a who series devoted to this? Seriously who in their right mind finds this erotic and sexy?

[Barbara ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to read emotionally. Poor Elle went through the ringer and then some. As did Jackson as we saw in some flashbacks. Here are two people who basically experienced the same horrific thing and are able to help each other through the turmoil and terror of surviving such a nightmare.

I loved both Elle and Jackson and enjoyed seeing all the sisters (and lovers) reunited in this story.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book would get 0 stars if that was possible.

I liked most of the others in this series but this was terrible!! I certainly didn't expect page after page of torture and rape scenes to start off the book, followed by totally ludicrous and offensive scenes where the heroine supposedly begins to recover. Wow, what was this author thinking?? I should have read the amazon reviews before reading this.