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Lady of the Lakes #1
Night Tides
One by one they go missing. And in the lake a voice cries out: “Save them. . . .”
In the darkness, in a lake in the middle of a prosperous college town, Rachel Matre feels the water caressing her bare skin, teasing her senses, drawing her body into a lush erotic embrace. For twenty years she has communed with the lake spirits this way—and told no one. The price is simple: She must help those in need.
But now a series of young women have gone missing. The police don’t have any bodies, or even a single suspect. Only the spirits seem to sense the truth. Through them, Rachel finds herself drawn into a madman’s web. She alone can save the missing women. But who can save her?
In the darkness, in a lake in the middle of a prosperous college town, Rachel Matre feels the water caressing her bare skin, teasing her senses, drawing her body into a lush erotic embrace. For twenty years she has communed with the lake spirits this way—and told no one. The price is simple: She must help those in need.
But now a series of young women have gone missing. The police don’t have any bodies, or even a single suspect. Only the spirits seem to sense the truth. Through them, Rachel finds herself drawn into a madman’s web. She alone can save the missing women. But who can save her?
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 25, 2010
1 1/2 stars
This book has paranormal romance on the back, but there's NO stinking HEA. When I see romance I think well there is going to be romance and a HEA, but these book now your lucky to get just sex forget the HEA or romance.. But anyway if you really want to read this book please read the few spoilers before buying, I have to say its kind of creepy.
Spoilers
The first of the book was hard to get in to because, Rachel goes into a lake and the lake makes love to her yep, its creepy too, She calls them spirits and thinks there is more than one, but she really doesn’t know anything about them. The plot starts off good except for the creepy part. There are some girls in town that gets kidnapped, so you have a decent mystery there. Now let me touch on the romance and just sex parts, she has several sexual encounters with the lake and herself. She knows Ethan in a very small way, she asks him out and that’s not until page 179 then she is on a couple of dates and spills her guts to him after sex, about the lake and he is like well, ok, (whatever! is what, I said) so that’s the romance part in other words lets skip the romance also grrrr , Anyway he goes nuts trying to find her after she gets kidnapped then she dumps him (again whatever grrr!!!). I don’t think I have ever been so mad at a stinking book, but I should have know something wrong when RT only gave 3 stars.
This book has paranormal romance on the back, but there's NO stinking HEA. When I see romance I think well there is going to be romance and a HEA, but these book now your lucky to get just sex forget the HEA or romance.. But anyway if you really want to read this book please read the few spoilers before buying, I have to say its kind of creepy.
Spoilers
The first of the book was hard to get in to because, Rachel goes into a lake and the lake makes love to her yep, its creepy too, She calls them spirits and thinks there is more than one, but she really doesn’t know anything about them. The plot starts off good except for the creepy part. There are some girls in town that gets kidnapped, so you have a decent mystery there. Now let me touch on the romance and just sex parts, she has several sexual encounters with the lake and herself. She knows Ethan in a very small way, she asks him out and that’s not until page 179 then she is on a couple of dates and spills her guts to him after sex, about the lake and he is like well, ok, (whatever! is what, I said) so that’s the romance part in other words lets skip the romance also grrrr , Anyway he goes nuts trying to find her after she gets kidnapped then she dumps him (again whatever grrr!!!). I don’t think I have ever been so mad at a stinking book, but I should have know something wrong when RT only gave 3 stars.
October 4, 2014
I gave up on this book part way through the second chapter when one of the characters was having sex with water. Yes, water.
July 16, 2023
Let me just start off by saying that I have enormous respect for new authors and how difficult it is to write a novel, especially your first novel. Hell, I know I don't word so good so I know I couldn't do it. I don't leave this 1 star review to attack Prentiss, or her ability as an author. I simply want to convey why I disliked the book and especially the main character. I do applaud one aspect of the books so far: it's an interesting premise. In exchange for sex with some water spirits, they give the main character visions of the victims that come in contact with the lake. This allows her to solve crimes. That is pretty neat actually and something I've never seen before.
" The terror began, prosaically enough, with casual rudeness spurred by a misunderstanding."
This is the opening line for this book, a line showing Prentiss has a way with words and a big vocabulary. Admittedly, I had to look up "prosaically" in the dictionary and it means: "an ordinary, straightforward way. Some could even call it boring". Now I can't blame Prentiss for flexing her vocab but some, like me, are simple folk. It's hard for me to jump into a book when I have to look up the 4th word I read. I also have doubts about the use of the word "prosaically" or in context with terror. It seems to me that nothing about terror is ordinary or boring but I had a C average in English classes, I'll leave that question alone. I will say though that this was my first problem with this book: the narration is not casual. This doesn't feel like a natural story teller. It doesn't feel like the main character is telling her story. It feels like one of my English professors is trying to teach me new words.
The second major problem I have is that there seems to be 4 types of straight men and all are stupid:
1) Rapists
2) Sexist A-holes
3) Less Sexist A-holes that are redeemable because they're hot and/or they have feelings.
4) Men who are worthless because they're not alpha males or apparently need to "grow a pair".
All of these, I feel, are sexist stereotypes of men. This isn't the 50s anymore, you can't just put all men and women in little gender normalized boxes anymore. You can't say "all men are this" or "all women do that". It makes the characters unbelievable and unlikable and distances the story from an audience that now feels there's no characters to support.
Here are the male characters thus far:
1) Main bad guy: Rapist and kidnapper. Described as "creepy" because he's "over 40, unhealthy pale and sweaty". Now to be fair this guy is a creeper but according to this description so is anyone over 40 with the flu. Remember, if you see anyone whose pale and sweaty, they're a creeper or a nerd or both.
2) Cashier: sexist. thinks "girls dress in skimpy clothes because they want guys to stare at them then complain when guys do." Sad to think that this type of guy does exist. Here I thought women might dress that way because it's hot outside or to be comfortable. Also, I wonder if it's true for those same guys if another guy stares at their nipples when going shirtless. They must want attention right?
3) Detective. Gay and so far alright. Although, in general, the police seem to be useless according to the main character. She at one point complains that they would catch the kidnapper if they spent more time patrolling instead of setting speed traps. This is said right after she hides from a patrolling cop, which I find pretty funny. Also, unpopular opinion but stopping speeders and drunk drivers also saves lives. A lot more people die from car accidents than murder.
4) Ghetto boys. Yes, the main character calls them ghetto boys. Rapists, because if you come from a poor minority neighborhood then you must be all criminals and rapists. Also, you can tell they're from the ghetto because they love the drugs and Halo video game. Yes, the main character also claims that playing video games makes you stupid and shortens your attention span. Now I'm not a fan of Halo, but I have played before and let me tell you it does the opposite. You have to sit there and actually focus on what you're doing. It takes just as much focus as reading a book or playing chess and you're focusing on that for sometimes hours at a time. This just shows that either the main character or the author comes from the age of "video games will rot your brain" mentality. Very narrow minded and again, making the main character unlikable.
5) In general, college boys are described as "still learning to groom themselves without their mother's insistence". This is just insulting. Does this mean that boys who grow up without mothers or with bad mothers are slobs and dirty? This also implies that it takes them 18 years to learn to shower or trim their nails, ect. Wow college boys must be stupid. I guess I was a girl in college then because despite having a mother who didn't care if I showered or not, I still loved to shower and keep my nails short and otherwise feel clean. On the other hand, all college girls are clean, don't need help grooming and always wear what's in the latest fashion magazine. This is also insulting because that means that young women have no individuality and also that my girlfriend from college was in fact a man since she doesn't care about fashion magazines at all.
6) Jimmy the cook: Not an a-hole so far but because he expressed an interest in not being stabbed to death, he is looked down upon by the main character. She tells him to "grow a pair". This shows the sexism of the main character by saying that a man who doesn't want to get stabbed is obviously not a real man. Does that mean that in order to be a "man" I have to be stupid and macho and fight everyone even though I know I'll die? Also, the phrase "grow a pair"is double sexist. It says that if you're afraid of something then you're not a man but it also says that girls are expected to be fearful, weak, docile and need protecting because they don't have balls.
7) Caleb: Major a-hole. Sexist. Does what he wants, when he wants because he's a veteran. Thinks that all modern guys are wimps/hippies and women should be obedient. No respect for anyone. I hate this guy so much.
8) The main love interest. A-hole. Alpha male according to the main character but unlike other alpha males, his feelings can be hurt.
"A man who could both back down Caleb and still get his feelings hurt was more than a walking gonad"
I have news for the main character, any man's feelings can be hurt. Even a-holes have feelings and can be hurt emotionally. But no, not in this book, only special guys have emotions.
He's also an idiot. "lifted his coffee cup but was so busy looking around that he missed his own lips and spilled on the counter". I have never seen this happen. How does one miss their mouth that much? Not over filling or dribbling but actually completely missing their mouth? Does he not feel things on his lips? Can he not tell when the coffee cup rim is touching his mouth?
He's described by the main character as an alpha man, you know the bad kind that "watches the packers religiously, ice fishes and deer hunts, has a snowmobile, a jet ski and a porn folder". Yes, because all alpha males have or do these things. In fact, I've decided that I'm not a man at all because I don't hunt, fish, watch sports or ride jet skis. Also, why do so many authors associate bad guys with watching porn? Again, this is not the 50s, many people watch porn of some sort for various reasons. Also, why is it never acknowledged that women also watch porn? I feel like that's sexist claiming only guys watch porn. Is it bad for guys to watch porn but okay for women? This again shows a narrow minded main character who is so judgemental.
The main character is also a hypocrite. She puts down a guy for not having balls when he doesn't want to confront Caleb for being an A-hole but then turns around and verbally abuses a guy for having the balls to confront Caleb. So which do you want?
Finally, another characters says "That's how men were in my day. They had spines"
This again solidifies the belief by either the author or the characters in the book that all men should be manly. If you're not willing to confront someone, even if that would be stupid, then you're not a man or you're a coward. You don't see them expecting another female character to do something. No, females are weak and must be protected by big alpha males. That's what I'm being told by this author.
The kicker is that the special man who might be good? He's out in the parking lot being an A-hole because he got told off by a woman for helping him. Nope, not understanding of her feelings, angry and tempted to confront her about it. Because that's how all guys are.
Okay, I'm sorry for the long review but here's my final dislike. The heroine is also stupid and is not a usual heroine. The lake spirits tell her in exact terms: "She needs your help. NOW" and the main character just doesn't get it. It takes her way to long to say "oh you mean now, like as in I can see the kidnapper right in front of me" No, very slow witted. On top of that, she actually catches the kidnapper and even though the spirits told her that a girl was JUST kidnapped, she does nothing. She could've fought the guy, followed him, stopped him some way. She could've been a hero, or in her own words "grown a pair" but no. She says "hello" to the kidnapper, lets him get away WITH the girl he kidnapped and then proceeds to her house at a relatively leisurely pace to write about it on her blog. Whew that'll show him. Way to save some lives there. Just put it up on your blog so the police can take care of it. It will work too! As long as the guy doesn't immediately rape and murder the girl and as long as the police read your blog in time and as long as they believe you in time and as long as they then find the guy in time, you've just saved a life! I realize that realistically there's not much she could've done but imagine this. You see a girl literally in the middle of being kidnapped. You don't help her, you don't call the police. You go home to write on your blog. By then IT'S TOO LATE. She could've easily been raped and murdered by then. And the reason why she doesn't go to the police directly? She wants her blog to remain anonymous.
In conclusion:
This book is not for me. The main character is selfish, sexist and insulting to both men and women. She says that all men are the same and all women are the same.
She has a chance to save a life but doesn't. She rather stay anonymous. She's judgement and narrow minded. Instead of using her cool relationship with water spirits to stop crime, she just blogs about it. Instead of going out there and helping people, she'd rather spend her time belittling and insulting people for being too alpha male or not alpha male enough, for playing video games, for being from the ghetto, for helping too much, for helping not enough, for not being brave, for watching porn or sports, or anything that the main character doesn't believe in. No one is good enough for the main character. And you better be sure as hell that if you do something she doesn't like, she's going to blog all about it.
" The terror began, prosaically enough, with casual rudeness spurred by a misunderstanding."
This is the opening line for this book, a line showing Prentiss has a way with words and a big vocabulary. Admittedly, I had to look up "prosaically" in the dictionary and it means: "an ordinary, straightforward way. Some could even call it boring". Now I can't blame Prentiss for flexing her vocab but some, like me, are simple folk. It's hard for me to jump into a book when I have to look up the 4th word I read. I also have doubts about the use of the word "prosaically" or in context with terror. It seems to me that nothing about terror is ordinary or boring but I had a C average in English classes, I'll leave that question alone. I will say though that this was my first problem with this book: the narration is not casual. This doesn't feel like a natural story teller. It doesn't feel like the main character is telling her story. It feels like one of my English professors is trying to teach me new words.
The second major problem I have is that there seems to be 4 types of straight men and all are stupid:
1) Rapists
2) Sexist A-holes
3) Less Sexist A-holes that are redeemable because they're hot and/or they have feelings.
4) Men who are worthless because they're not alpha males or apparently need to "grow a pair".
All of these, I feel, are sexist stereotypes of men. This isn't the 50s anymore, you can't just put all men and women in little gender normalized boxes anymore. You can't say "all men are this" or "all women do that". It makes the characters unbelievable and unlikable and distances the story from an audience that now feels there's no characters to support.
Here are the male characters thus far:
1) Main bad guy: Rapist and kidnapper. Described as "creepy" because he's "over 40, unhealthy pale and sweaty". Now to be fair this guy is a creeper but according to this description so is anyone over 40 with the flu. Remember, if you see anyone whose pale and sweaty, they're a creeper or a nerd or both.
2) Cashier: sexist. thinks "girls dress in skimpy clothes because they want guys to stare at them then complain when guys do." Sad to think that this type of guy does exist. Here I thought women might dress that way because it's hot outside or to be comfortable. Also, I wonder if it's true for those same guys if another guy stares at their nipples when going shirtless. They must want attention right?
3) Detective. Gay and so far alright. Although, in general, the police seem to be useless according to the main character. She at one point complains that they would catch the kidnapper if they spent more time patrolling instead of setting speed traps. This is said right after she hides from a patrolling cop, which I find pretty funny. Also, unpopular opinion but stopping speeders and drunk drivers also saves lives. A lot more people die from car accidents than murder.
4) Ghetto boys. Yes, the main character calls them ghetto boys. Rapists, because if you come from a poor minority neighborhood then you must be all criminals and rapists. Also, you can tell they're from the ghetto because they love the drugs and Halo video game. Yes, the main character also claims that playing video games makes you stupid and shortens your attention span. Now I'm not a fan of Halo, but I have played before and let me tell you it does the opposite. You have to sit there and actually focus on what you're doing. It takes just as much focus as reading a book or playing chess and you're focusing on that for sometimes hours at a time. This just shows that either the main character or the author comes from the age of "video games will rot your brain" mentality. Very narrow minded and again, making the main character unlikable.
5) In general, college boys are described as "still learning to groom themselves without their mother's insistence". This is just insulting. Does this mean that boys who grow up without mothers or with bad mothers are slobs and dirty? This also implies that it takes them 18 years to learn to shower or trim their nails, ect. Wow college boys must be stupid. I guess I was a girl in college then because despite having a mother who didn't care if I showered or not, I still loved to shower and keep my nails short and otherwise feel clean. On the other hand, all college girls are clean, don't need help grooming and always wear what's in the latest fashion magazine. This is also insulting because that means that young women have no individuality and also that my girlfriend from college was in fact a man since she doesn't care about fashion magazines at all.
6) Jimmy the cook: Not an a-hole so far but because he expressed an interest in not being stabbed to death, he is looked down upon by the main character. She tells him to "grow a pair". This shows the sexism of the main character by saying that a man who doesn't want to get stabbed is obviously not a real man. Does that mean that in order to be a "man" I have to be stupid and macho and fight everyone even though I know I'll die? Also, the phrase "grow a pair"is double sexist. It says that if you're afraid of something then you're not a man but it also says that girls are expected to be fearful, weak, docile and need protecting because they don't have balls.
7) Caleb: Major a-hole. Sexist. Does what he wants, when he wants because he's a veteran. Thinks that all modern guys are wimps/hippies and women should be obedient. No respect for anyone. I hate this guy so much.
8) The main love interest. A-hole. Alpha male according to the main character but unlike other alpha males, his feelings can be hurt.
"A man who could both back down Caleb and still get his feelings hurt was more than a walking gonad"
I have news for the main character, any man's feelings can be hurt. Even a-holes have feelings and can be hurt emotionally. But no, not in this book, only special guys have emotions.
He's also an idiot. "lifted his coffee cup but was so busy looking around that he missed his own lips and spilled on the counter". I have never seen this happen. How does one miss their mouth that much? Not over filling or dribbling but actually completely missing their mouth? Does he not feel things on his lips? Can he not tell when the coffee cup rim is touching his mouth?
He's described by the main character as an alpha man, you know the bad kind that "watches the packers religiously, ice fishes and deer hunts, has a snowmobile, a jet ski and a porn folder". Yes, because all alpha males have or do these things. In fact, I've decided that I'm not a man at all because I don't hunt, fish, watch sports or ride jet skis. Also, why do so many authors associate bad guys with watching porn? Again, this is not the 50s, many people watch porn of some sort for various reasons. Also, why is it never acknowledged that women also watch porn? I feel like that's sexist claiming only guys watch porn. Is it bad for guys to watch porn but okay for women? This again shows a narrow minded main character who is so judgemental.
The main character is also a hypocrite. She puts down a guy for not having balls when he doesn't want to confront Caleb for being an A-hole but then turns around and verbally abuses a guy for having the balls to confront Caleb. So which do you want?
Finally, another characters says "That's how men were in my day. They had spines"
This again solidifies the belief by either the author or the characters in the book that all men should be manly. If you're not willing to confront someone, even if that would be stupid, then you're not a man or you're a coward. You don't see them expecting another female character to do something. No, females are weak and must be protected by big alpha males. That's what I'm being told by this author.
The kicker is that the special man who might be good? He's out in the parking lot being an A-hole because he got told off by a woman for helping him. Nope, not understanding of her feelings, angry and tempted to confront her about it. Because that's how all guys are.
Okay, I'm sorry for the long review but here's my final dislike. The heroine is also stupid and is not a usual heroine. The lake spirits tell her in exact terms: "She needs your help. NOW" and the main character just doesn't get it. It takes her way to long to say "oh you mean now, like as in I can see the kidnapper right in front of me" No, very slow witted. On top of that, she actually catches the kidnapper and even though the spirits told her that a girl was JUST kidnapped, she does nothing. She could've fought the guy, followed him, stopped him some way. She could've been a hero, or in her own words "grown a pair" but no. She says "hello" to the kidnapper, lets him get away WITH the girl he kidnapped and then proceeds to her house at a relatively leisurely pace to write about it on her blog. Whew that'll show him. Way to save some lives there. Just put it up on your blog so the police can take care of it. It will work too! As long as the guy doesn't immediately rape and murder the girl and as long as the police read your blog in time and as long as they believe you in time and as long as they then find the guy in time, you've just saved a life! I realize that realistically there's not much she could've done but imagine this. You see a girl literally in the middle of being kidnapped. You don't help her, you don't call the police. You go home to write on your blog. By then IT'S TOO LATE. She could've easily been raped and murdered by then. And the reason why she doesn't go to the police directly? She wants her blog to remain anonymous.
In conclusion:
This book is not for me. The main character is selfish, sexist and insulting to both men and women. She says that all men are the same and all women are the same.
She has a chance to save a life but doesn't. She rather stay anonymous. She's judgement and narrow minded. Instead of using her cool relationship with water spirits to stop crime, she just blogs about it. Instead of going out there and helping people, she'd rather spend her time belittling and insulting people for being too alpha male or not alpha male enough, for playing video games, for being from the ghetto, for helping too much, for helping not enough, for not being brave, for watching porn or sports, or anything that the main character doesn't believe in. No one is good enough for the main character. And you better be sure as hell that if you do something she doesn't like, she's going to blog all about it.
May 26, 2010
I have to start by saying that after reading the snippet from the story inside the front cover, and laughing at what was there - and no it wasn't intentionally humorous - the only reason that I actually ended up reading the book was so that I could write this review, because I don't generally review a book I haven't finished. However, I have to admit that I actually ended up liking Night Tides more than I thought I would - there were moments in the story that I liked - hence the 'ok' rating.
The whole premise behind the Night Tides is that after a 'drowning incident as a child, Rachel has a psychic connection with the lake which allows Rachel to see visions of crimes. Rachel uses this knowledge to help bring the perpetrators to justice by offering anonymous tips about the crimes in her blog. The part of Rachel's powers that I had difficulty with: Rachel's 'connection' includes a sexual relationship with the lake, and since the lake took her virginity (yep, seriously), Rachel can only find completion with the lake and not on her own or with a man.
As the story begins though, instead of her usual getting glimpses of cold case crimes, Rachel is getting glimpses of women who have been kidnapped recently and have disappeared with only their clothes left behind. The suspense part of Night Tides is fairly well done, we get glimpses of the kidnappings and the victims being held by their captor, but the reason which ties the victims together and abuse that the captives suffer while imprisoned aren't revealed until late into the book.
Along side of the mystery, Rachel meets Ethan, a traumatized veteran of the Iraq war, and the pair become thoroughly obsessed with each other - even though their first encounter doesn't go well and it looks to Rachel as if nice guy Ethan may be every bit as stalker-y as the men she usually attracts. But it turns out Ethan's okay and when Rachel shares her secret he's even willing to do a ménage-a-lake.
Leaving wierd water interludes behind, Rachel and Ethan were pretty good characters and I liked that Rachel was acustomed to rescuing herself, this served Rachel in good stead when she was forcibly 'invited' to the kidnapper's little party. Despite Rachel's strange relationship with the lake, I probably would have liked Night Tides even better if Prentiss hadn't denied us the happily ever after that I wanted for Ethan. But since this is apparently a series starter, I guess Prentiss was just saving something for the sequel, Dark Waters (December 2010).
The whole premise behind the Night Tides is that after a 'drowning incident as a child, Rachel has a psychic connection with the lake which allows Rachel to see visions of crimes. Rachel uses this knowledge to help bring the perpetrators to justice by offering anonymous tips about the crimes in her blog. The part of Rachel's powers that I had difficulty with: Rachel's 'connection' includes a sexual relationship with the lake, and since the lake took her virginity (yep, seriously), Rachel can only find completion with the lake and not on her own or with a man.
As the story begins though, instead of her usual getting glimpses of cold case crimes, Rachel is getting glimpses of women who have been kidnapped recently and have disappeared with only their clothes left behind. The suspense part of Night Tides is fairly well done, we get glimpses of the kidnappings and the victims being held by their captor, but the reason which ties the victims together and abuse that the captives suffer while imprisoned aren't revealed until late into the book.
Along side of the mystery, Rachel meets Ethan, a traumatized veteran of the Iraq war, and the pair become thoroughly obsessed with each other - even though their first encounter doesn't go well and it looks to Rachel as if nice guy Ethan may be every bit as stalker-y as the men she usually attracts. But it turns out Ethan's okay and when Rachel shares her secret he's even willing to do a ménage-a-lake.
Leaving wierd water interludes behind, Rachel and Ethan were pretty good characters and I liked that Rachel was acustomed to rescuing herself, this served Rachel in good stead when she was forcibly 'invited' to the kidnapper's little party. Despite Rachel's strange relationship with the lake, I probably would have liked Night Tides even better if Prentiss hadn't denied us the happily ever after that I wanted for Ethan. But since this is apparently a series starter, I guess Prentiss was just saving something for the sequel, Dark Waters (December 2010).
March 29, 2014
I love this book. I was waiting a while for the second book, but never saw it. Now I'm on the hunt for it. I haven't read this book since it came out, but I can remember so much of it. It sticks with you. It seems like a fantastic series. I sincerely hope it doesn't end with the second book. I hope Prentiss writes and publishes more of these.
March 4, 2015
I loved this book.
I'll admit the cover is what first caught my attention...it's absolutely gorgeous. It sounded a bit bizarre...sex with water?!...but that combined with the mystery is why I wanted to read the story.
The sex scenes with the water spirits were done quite well. I could imagine them perfectly.
I'll admit the cover is what first caught my attention...it's absolutely gorgeous. It sounded a bit bizarre...sex with water?!...but that combined with the mystery is why I wanted to read the story.
The sex scenes with the water spirits were done quite well. I could imagine them perfectly.
November 29, 2010
An awesome page turner! Loved that it was set in Madison.
May 15, 2011
Wow..where to start.
Diff/whats-wrong-with-the-book things-
1) Rachel getting naked in the lake.
2) Rachel fulfilling her sexual desires with the lake.
3) This book judges on race(at the start of the book).
4) I dont even know why the guy is kidnapping till like the middle of the book.
5) Im confused when starting the book till later on because of lack-of-explaining.
6) The lake loving beer..huh.
Whats the lake's name? The one that Rachel always goes to is 'Lake Mendota or Monona'
Ok..Like me some of you are probaly thinking 'Why is this creep kidnapping young females?' A common answer always pops into your mind when you hear 'kidnapped girls'.. and its rape. But not in this book. This creep is actually kidnapping certain girls (as in his old patients
who turned down one of the designs he worked so hard on) to tattoo his design on them wether they like it or not.
(Im a spoiler!!..Beware)
Ending: All the victims are alive except Ling Hu. Rachel tells Ethan she wants to take a break from him for awhile(which is kind-of breaking up).Korbus is dead and the story ends with Rachel showing Patty the lake and explaining.
Characters:
Rebecca/Becky: Rachel's little sister(2 yrs younger),trying to stop animal cruelty at the university labs.
Terrell: Becky's ex-boyfriend,teaching assistant at the college,neat and well behaved.
Tainter: Rachel's cat.
Don Talley: Rachel's ex-husband,met Rachel at a wedding she catered back when she ran Soirees to Go,was divorced by Rachel b/c all he focused on was trying to get her to come all the way while with him.
Larry “Cat” Arnold: a man Rachel had known for years and once briefly dated,has a weekend jazz show on a local radio station,interrupted Rachel when she was about to go warn Patty to be careful(b/c of a vision she had from the lake).
Ethan: Marty's older brother(they're not related but live under the same roof),was about Rachel’s age,caucasian,an ex-soldier,owns the company- Walker Construction,had spent his childhood on a working dairy farm outside the nearby town of Monroe,during tour in Iraq one of the soldiers in his quad raped and killed a girl there(he saw the body),unruly brown hair that needed cutting,broad-shouldered,clean-shaven,square-jawed,eyes look either blue or green,radiated intelligence strength and total self-confidence,helped Rachel get rid of Caleb when he started causing more problems(after that he got kicked out by Rachel also.. b/c she said he caused more trouble by helping),in the middle of the night he was at a shop tlking to Marty when he saw Rachel across the street(she was following Patty to keep her safe),after being told abou the story of Rachel only going fully w/ the lake he took her there and they went full way together,went to Caleb's place to get some answers b/c he had a feeling Caleb is the murderer(it turns out not to be him),when hearing about the lake spirits from a old man he gives beer to the lake before going in it to find answers(it worked.. he felt a connection w/ Rachel since that time she was also touching some lake water that came from a pipe).
Marty: was descended from the Hmong—the indigenous people of Laos—which meant he was a smallish dark-skinned Asian,been adopted as an infant by a white family,an up-and-comer in the police department, is gay,insisted to Ethan to try Rachel's diner,is called by Ethan about Rachel not coming back from a walk so he calls one of the police officers and they found her clothes by the lake.
Chuck: Marty's boyfriend(maybe).
Mr.Walker: Ethan's dad and Marty's foster dad,sun-browned age-spotted hands,small and wiry,has a head that seemed too large for his body, stood tall,could love his adopted child unconditionaly even though Marty was another face and is gay.
Alonzo Hyland: patrol cop.
Jimmy: the cook at Rachel's diner.
Helena: waitress at Rachel's diner,black hair,sharp features,known Rachel for most of their adult life,had been out as gay since junior high school.
Clara: the new waitress(additional) at Rachel's.
Ambika: Ethan's secretary,has a lilting Hindi accent.
Alice: a student feminist and weekend regular at Rachel's,had short mannish hair,the face of a cherub.
Casey: a graduate student studying sculpture,long bangs,customer at Rachel's.
Stephen:” a tall dark-skinned girl.
Cindy: redhead,pale long legs,gives Ethan her number and asks him out on a date but he declined.
Caleb Johnstone: tall man with graying hair worn in a crew cut,always causes promblem/trouble at Rachel's diner,middle-aged, dissipated,used to intimidating people who never fought back,was the one who trashed/ vandilized Rachel's shop,had pot in his basement.. enough to make it a felony.
Julie Schutes: tall professionally dressed blonde,big blue eyes and dramatic blond hair that swept back from her face emphasizing her strong Nordic features,tanned enviable legs,made love to Ethan when she was his gf(thts how he knows shes clean-saven in her.. area), Ethan's ex-girlfriend,was a rising reporter for the Wisconsin Capital Journal,when Rachel was in the hospital she went past the guards and had a convo that basicly said 'Dont date Ethan anymore b/c hes mine'.
Sam “Garish” Garnett: Cap Jo's editor,salt-and-pepper hair immobile in its cocoon of product.
Tony Russo: the sports editor.
Oswald Dunning: expert on Chaucer and author of the thick textbook, walked the five blocks from his house to breakfast every morning for twenty-two years,Age spots and thick knuckles marked his once-wiry hands.
Ace: looked barely twenty-five,hair was dyed jet black with lighter tips,had huge hoop modifiers in his earlobes,the edges of an elaborate tattoo peeked from his collar and sleeves,met Rachel while jogging one night.
Ken: Ling Hu's new boyfriend,made love to Ling Hu on his balcony,more than a foot taller than Ling Hu,skinny and pale with a nipple-piercing and a Celtic rope design around one biceps.
Tyler: football player,Ling Hu's other boyfriend.
Nathan: Carrie's boyfriend.
---
Ling Hu(victim #1): twenty-year-old UW college girl,has asthma,black hair, foreign, has a elaborate dragons foot design across the small of her back,made love to Ken on the rickety balcony of his apartment, disappeared the day she was kidnapped,died of an acute asthma attack and was dropped off somewhere for the cops to find,when her body was found by a fishermen it was full of tattoos.
Faith Evangeline Lucas(victim #2): 21-year-old UW college girl,white blond cheerleader and swimsuit model who came from a prominent family of Green Bay Lutherans,was kidnapped and then disappeared after.
Carrie Elizabeth Kimmell(victim #3): nineteen-year-old sophomore,soft brown hair and a Celtic knot tattooed on one shoulder blade,five feet three inches tall,weighs 125 pounds,pale skin,when she was a teenager she always ran away,was walking alone down Gorham Street toward her apartment when she was kidnapped n taken to Lake Monona,when she was taken to the lake her foot fell in it and the Lake Spirits sent a 'help' signal to Rachel(but Rachel only posted another blog).
Patty Patilia(victim #4): curly black hair that fell to her shoulders and pale freckled skin,nose was long and vaguely semitic,had a small diamond stud in her left nostril and wore a turquoise and leather choker,plays acoustic guitar,a vision of her kidnapped and tormented like all the other girls was sent to Rachel by the lake(it was a vision of the future.. so Rachel had time to stop it),had a performance at Father Thyme -coffee shop- really late at night,when walking home she was being followed by Rachel w/o knowing and when the truck came Rachel acted drunk to let the truck know she was there and is a witness(the truck went away and Patty was safely inside her apartment),been snatched in broad daylight barely four blocks from the state capitol(clothing had been found by a college boy who was studying by the lake),was bitten by a black widow in the basement(Rachel killed it but before she did it bit twice),was promised by Rachel an explanation about why Rachel was touching the lake water and moaning(and Rachel kept her word).
Rachel Matre(victim #4): The Lady of the Lakes,when getting clues about crimes in the area by the lakes she writes it on her anonymous site,thirty-four(was married but divorced),lean athletic body,wild semifrizzy hair, sharp features,full lips and soulful eyes,owns a eponymous breakfast-and-lunch diner.. and on top of the diner is her apartment,when she was fourteen she drowned in the lake b/c of a speedboat passing by and she was in the water for two hrs but somehow didnt die.. when the people found her she was naked,graduated from La Follette High School then started college with dreams of being a veterinarian(it didnt work out),has a spot below her navel where she had a small simple tattoo of the mound silhouette,when running home from the lake she was confronted by three drunk boys,when seeing a truck(murderer's) park in a area too long she writes a blog warning people,when coming home from Patty's she sees a truck parked outside her diner so she calls the police only later to find out it was Ethan, made a lunch-date w/ Ethan only for them to later on have a dinner date also.. then she got her first kiss from him when inviting him inside her diner after,tells her story bout the time she drowned to Ethan after they made love for the first time,went for another swim in the lake after Ethan was asleep in her apartment and was kidnapped,was found by the police.. Marty n Ethan banging Korbus's head in the basement,had a new tattoo(b4 Korbus died he forced her into one but he didnt fully finish.. but anyways shes getting a tattoo removal),broke up with Ethan b/c he reminds her of too much that happened.. but it isnt goodbye.
---
Arlin Korbus: man with long gray hair(balding on top) and a pasty complexion,short and thin,had pancreatic cancer,studio was called Korbus Inks,the man who gave Rachel her tattoo below the navel,owns a burgundy Ford(starts parking it at a curb in the shadow of a tree so that at night he could kidnap easily),at least forty years old,the one who kidnapped all those girls,he kidnapps and ties girls up and leave them in his basement for sessions of harrassment n pain(forced tattoos) till they die of it,hates Rachel and wants to make her 'pay',stalked Ethan and Rachel and witnessed the lake momment they had,kidnapped Rachel when seeing her swimming alone out at night, the man who’d slipped out of the diner after Ethan faced down Caleb and who had approached Rachel at Father Thyme's,when being tricked into thinking the girls are escaping he opened the basement door and was grabbed by Rachel then knocked to the floor and died.
---
Pages: k-201
Diff/whats-wrong-with-the-book things-
1) Rachel getting naked in the lake.
2) Rachel fulfilling her sexual desires with the lake.
3) This book judges on race(at the start of the book).
4) I dont even know why the guy is kidnapping till like the middle of the book.
5) Im confused when starting the book till later on because of lack-of-explaining.
6) The lake loving beer..huh.
Whats the lake's name? The one that Rachel always goes to is 'Lake Mendota or Monona'
Ok..Like me some of you are probaly thinking 'Why is this creep kidnapping young females?' A common answer always pops into your mind when you hear 'kidnapped girls'.. and its rape. But not in this book. This creep is actually kidnapping certain girls (as in his old patients
who turned down one of the designs he worked so hard on) to tattoo his design on them wether they like it or not.
(Im a spoiler!!..Beware)
Ending: All the victims are alive except Ling Hu. Rachel tells Ethan she wants to take a break from him for awhile(which is kind-of breaking up).Korbus is dead and the story ends with Rachel showing Patty the lake and explaining.
Characters:
Rebecca/Becky: Rachel's little sister(2 yrs younger),trying to stop animal cruelty at the university labs.
Terrell: Becky's ex-boyfriend,teaching assistant at the college,neat and well behaved.
Tainter: Rachel's cat.
Don Talley: Rachel's ex-husband,met Rachel at a wedding she catered back when she ran Soirees to Go,was divorced by Rachel b/c all he focused on was trying to get her to come all the way while with him.
Larry “Cat” Arnold: a man Rachel had known for years and once briefly dated,has a weekend jazz show on a local radio station,interrupted Rachel when she was about to go warn Patty to be careful(b/c of a vision she had from the lake).
Ethan: Marty's older brother(they're not related but live under the same roof),was about Rachel’s age,caucasian,an ex-soldier,owns the company- Walker Construction,had spent his childhood on a working dairy farm outside the nearby town of Monroe,during tour in Iraq one of the soldiers in his quad raped and killed a girl there(he saw the body),unruly brown hair that needed cutting,broad-shouldered,clean-shaven,square-jawed,eyes look either blue or green,radiated intelligence strength and total self-confidence,helped Rachel get rid of Caleb when he started causing more problems(after that he got kicked out by Rachel also.. b/c she said he caused more trouble by helping),in the middle of the night he was at a shop tlking to Marty when he saw Rachel across the street(she was following Patty to keep her safe),after being told abou the story of Rachel only going fully w/ the lake he took her there and they went full way together,went to Caleb's place to get some answers b/c he had a feeling Caleb is the murderer(it turns out not to be him),when hearing about the lake spirits from a old man he gives beer to the lake before going in it to find answers(it worked.. he felt a connection w/ Rachel since that time she was also touching some lake water that came from a pipe).
Marty: was descended from the Hmong—the indigenous people of Laos—which meant he was a smallish dark-skinned Asian,been adopted as an infant by a white family,an up-and-comer in the police department, is gay,insisted to Ethan to try Rachel's diner,is called by Ethan about Rachel not coming back from a walk so he calls one of the police officers and they found her clothes by the lake.
Chuck: Marty's boyfriend(maybe).
Mr.Walker: Ethan's dad and Marty's foster dad,sun-browned age-spotted hands,small and wiry,has a head that seemed too large for his body, stood tall,could love his adopted child unconditionaly even though Marty was another face and is gay.
Alonzo Hyland: patrol cop.
Jimmy: the cook at Rachel's diner.
Helena: waitress at Rachel's diner,black hair,sharp features,known Rachel for most of their adult life,had been out as gay since junior high school.
Clara: the new waitress(additional) at Rachel's.
Ambika: Ethan's secretary,has a lilting Hindi accent.
Alice: a student feminist and weekend regular at Rachel's,had short mannish hair,the face of a cherub.
Casey: a graduate student studying sculpture,long bangs,customer at Rachel's.
Stephen:” a tall dark-skinned girl.
Cindy: redhead,pale long legs,gives Ethan her number and asks him out on a date but he declined.
Caleb Johnstone: tall man with graying hair worn in a crew cut,always causes promblem/trouble at Rachel's diner,middle-aged, dissipated,used to intimidating people who never fought back,was the one who trashed/ vandilized Rachel's shop,had pot in his basement.. enough to make it a felony.
Julie Schutes: tall professionally dressed blonde,big blue eyes and dramatic blond hair that swept back from her face emphasizing her strong Nordic features,tanned enviable legs,made love to Ethan when she was his gf(thts how he knows shes clean-saven in her.. area), Ethan's ex-girlfriend,was a rising reporter for the Wisconsin Capital Journal,when Rachel was in the hospital she went past the guards and had a convo that basicly said 'Dont date Ethan anymore b/c hes mine'.
Sam “Garish” Garnett: Cap Jo's editor,salt-and-pepper hair immobile in its cocoon of product.
Tony Russo: the sports editor.
Oswald Dunning: expert on Chaucer and author of the thick textbook, walked the five blocks from his house to breakfast every morning for twenty-two years,Age spots and thick knuckles marked his once-wiry hands.
Ace: looked barely twenty-five,hair was dyed jet black with lighter tips,had huge hoop modifiers in his earlobes,the edges of an elaborate tattoo peeked from his collar and sleeves,met Rachel while jogging one night.
Ken: Ling Hu's new boyfriend,made love to Ling Hu on his balcony,more than a foot taller than Ling Hu,skinny and pale with a nipple-piercing and a Celtic rope design around one biceps.
Tyler: football player,Ling Hu's other boyfriend.
Nathan: Carrie's boyfriend.
---
Ling Hu(victim #1): twenty-year-old UW college girl,has asthma,black hair, foreign, has a elaborate dragons foot design across the small of her back,made love to Ken on the rickety balcony of his apartment, disappeared the day she was kidnapped,died of an acute asthma attack and was dropped off somewhere for the cops to find,when her body was found by a fishermen it was full of tattoos.
Faith Evangeline Lucas(victim #2): 21-year-old UW college girl,white blond cheerleader and swimsuit model who came from a prominent family of Green Bay Lutherans,was kidnapped and then disappeared after.
Carrie Elizabeth Kimmell(victim #3): nineteen-year-old sophomore,soft brown hair and a Celtic knot tattooed on one shoulder blade,five feet three inches tall,weighs 125 pounds,pale skin,when she was a teenager she always ran away,was walking alone down Gorham Street toward her apartment when she was kidnapped n taken to Lake Monona,when she was taken to the lake her foot fell in it and the Lake Spirits sent a 'help' signal to Rachel(but Rachel only posted another blog).
Patty Patilia(victim #4): curly black hair that fell to her shoulders and pale freckled skin,nose was long and vaguely semitic,had a small diamond stud in her left nostril and wore a turquoise and leather choker,plays acoustic guitar,a vision of her kidnapped and tormented like all the other girls was sent to Rachel by the lake(it was a vision of the future.. so Rachel had time to stop it),had a performance at Father Thyme -coffee shop- really late at night,when walking home she was being followed by Rachel w/o knowing and when the truck came Rachel acted drunk to let the truck know she was there and is a witness(the truck went away and Patty was safely inside her apartment),been snatched in broad daylight barely four blocks from the state capitol(clothing had been found by a college boy who was studying by the lake),was bitten by a black widow in the basement(Rachel killed it but before she did it bit twice),was promised by Rachel an explanation about why Rachel was touching the lake water and moaning(and Rachel kept her word).
Rachel Matre(victim #4): The Lady of the Lakes,when getting clues about crimes in the area by the lakes she writes it on her anonymous site,thirty-four(was married but divorced),lean athletic body,wild semifrizzy hair, sharp features,full lips and soulful eyes,owns a eponymous breakfast-and-lunch diner.. and on top of the diner is her apartment,when she was fourteen she drowned in the lake b/c of a speedboat passing by and she was in the water for two hrs but somehow didnt die.. when the people found her she was naked,graduated from La Follette High School then started college with dreams of being a veterinarian(it didnt work out),has a spot below her navel where she had a small simple tattoo of the mound silhouette,when running home from the lake she was confronted by three drunk boys,when seeing a truck(murderer's) park in a area too long she writes a blog warning people,when coming home from Patty's she sees a truck parked outside her diner so she calls the police only later to find out it was Ethan, made a lunch-date w/ Ethan only for them to later on have a dinner date also.. then she got her first kiss from him when inviting him inside her diner after,tells her story bout the time she drowned to Ethan after they made love for the first time,went for another swim in the lake after Ethan was asleep in her apartment and was kidnapped,was found by the police.. Marty n Ethan banging Korbus's head in the basement,had a new tattoo(b4 Korbus died he forced her into one but he didnt fully finish.. but anyways shes getting a tattoo removal),broke up with Ethan b/c he reminds her of too much that happened.. but it isnt goodbye.
---
Arlin Korbus: man with long gray hair(balding on top) and a pasty complexion,short and thin,had pancreatic cancer,studio was called Korbus Inks,the man who gave Rachel her tattoo below the navel,owns a burgundy Ford(starts parking it at a curb in the shadow of a tree so that at night he could kidnap easily),at least forty years old,the one who kidnapped all those girls,he kidnapps and ties girls up and leave them in his basement for sessions of harrassment n pain(forced tattoos) till they die of it,hates Rachel and wants to make her 'pay',stalked Ethan and Rachel and witnessed the lake momment they had,kidnapped Rachel when seeing her swimming alone out at night, the man who’d slipped out of the diner after Ethan faced down Caleb and who had approached Rachel at Father Thyme's,when being tricked into thinking the girls are escaping he opened the basement door and was grabbed by Rachel then knocked to the floor and died.
---
Pages: k-201
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
February 27, 2023
2.5 stars I didn’t hate it but it was weird weird weird
August 2, 2021
NB: Reviewer's note... After some reflection, I am reinstating the reviews I had deleted and will hold off on deleting the rest. I will link to an explanation at my blog page ASAP.
---------------
This book has been downgraded (i.e. originally rated 4 stars). Original review is below.
---------------
All in all I enjoyed this one.
There were undeniable flaws in this story and yet it still felt both gripping and promising as a debut novel. Its strongest aspect was the atmosphere created by the author.
A major weakness concerned a particular plothole I noticed, as well as the characterizations. Concerning the latter, while not *badly* done where the two main characters were concerned, I couldn't help but feel that it would have been satisfying to have the author show us a bit more more of the main characters' backstories. Additionally, the secondary characters felt entirely one-dimensional as the author gave virtually no additional/character building information about them. It would also have been satisfying to have a bit more backstory on the killer in order to gain a better feel for his 'motivations'.
Spoiler space (for those who don't want to know anything about the resolution of the main mystery in this novel):
*
*
*
*
*
*
The main character was rescued by Ethan (her new boyfriend) and his brother Marty (a police detective in charge of this particular case). The issue I had with this was that there was no mention of Marty (or anyone else for that matter) seeking a search warrant in order to assure themselves of being on the right side of 'probable cause' when it comes to entering a suspect's house. In this instance, if the suspect had survived his defense lawyer(s) might eventually have argued that this constituted an unlawful search and seizure, which might have caused any evidence obtained during such a search to be thrown out of court. Did Marty and/or Ethan hear the girls screaming (which might *perhaps* have been argued as 'probable cause')? This is not mentioned. If this was not the case, one might even argue that their entry into the suspect's house constituted breaking and entering under the law!
A few final notes:
(i) Probable cause refers back to the fourth amendments to the U.S. constitution. As a caveat, I am neither American nor a lawyer. But this part of the story struck me as odd.
(ii) This book contains explicit sex. (I'll admit any sane person would expect this upon reading the summary, but I thought I'd let people know. :)
(iii) If this book didn't already have a published sequel which should deal more in depth with the origin of the lake spirits, I might have lowered the rating on this one to 3 out of 5 leaves as this is not explained in the first book.
---------------
This book has been downgraded (i.e. originally rated 4 stars). Original review is below.
---------------
All in all I enjoyed this one.
There were undeniable flaws in this story and yet it still felt both gripping and promising as a debut novel. Its strongest aspect was the atmosphere created by the author.
A major weakness concerned a particular plothole I noticed, as well as the characterizations. Concerning the latter, while not *badly* done where the two main characters were concerned, I couldn't help but feel that it would have been satisfying to have the author show us a bit more more of the main characters' backstories. Additionally, the secondary characters felt entirely one-dimensional as the author gave virtually no additional/character building information about them. It would also have been satisfying to have a bit more backstory on the killer in order to gain a better feel for his 'motivations'.
Spoiler space (for those who don't want to know anything about the resolution of the main mystery in this novel):
*
*
*
*
*
*
The main character was rescued by Ethan (her new boyfriend) and his brother Marty (a police detective in charge of this particular case). The issue I had with this was that there was no mention of Marty (or anyone else for that matter) seeking a search warrant in order to assure themselves of being on the right side of 'probable cause' when it comes to entering a suspect's house. In this instance, if the suspect had survived his defense lawyer(s) might eventually have argued that this constituted an unlawful search and seizure, which might have caused any evidence obtained during such a search to be thrown out of court. Did Marty and/or Ethan hear the girls screaming (which might *perhaps* have been argued as 'probable cause')? This is not mentioned. If this was not the case, one might even argue that their entry into the suspect's house constituted breaking and entering under the law!
A few final notes:
(i) Probable cause refers back to the fourth amendments to the U.S. constitution. As a caveat, I am neither American nor a lawyer. But this part of the story struck me as odd.
(ii) This book contains explicit sex. (I'll admit any sane person would expect this upon reading the summary, but I thought I'd let people know. :)
(iii) If this book didn't already have a published sequel which should deal more in depth with the origin of the lake spirits, I might have lowered the rating on this one to 3 out of 5 leaves as this is not explained in the first book.
January 7, 2011
Rachel Matre is having a relationship with the Lady of the Lake (or whatever dwells within). She jumps into the lake and the lake spirits (more than one), molest and rape her. According to Rachel, there are more than one spirit involved, sometimes they are gentle and other times very rough. Though when she rises to the surface, she doesn't feel violated at all. Yeah that's beyond bizarre. To complicate things, Rachel cannot orgasm with anyone else (including herself, and she does try). So explain to me why she keeps trying to date when she knows up front that it's not going to work out. Ethan Walker is just the latest one she's interested in. I find it strange that after just one encounter at the diner (which Rachel owns), both of them are having bizarre bouts of lust where only thinking of the other will do. I mean come on, they only talked for about a minute and that was for Rachel to kick him out of the diner so where exactly did these feelings spring from.
This book is not classified as erotica but it should definitely have come with a warning. The lake sex and the masturbation sessions were really unnecessary and disturbing. Interestingly enough, Rachel didn't feel violated when the lake had it's way with her but let some guy try to tattoo her without her permission and she feels raped? Too strange for words. All of this bull totally over shadowed the mystery of why the young girls are being kidnapped since no bodies are found. I'm not sure what the real point of the story was, the mystery or Rachel and the lake. I'm not sure if this is a series book, but definitely not an author I'd read again.
I easily read 300 pages in one day if the book is interesting. I think the fact that it took me 5 days to read 320 pages says it all!
This book is not classified as erotica but it should definitely have come with a warning. The lake sex and the masturbation sessions were really unnecessary and disturbing. Interestingly enough, Rachel didn't feel violated when the lake had it's way with her but let some guy try to tattoo her without her permission and she feels raped? Too strange for words. All of this bull totally over shadowed the mystery of why the young girls are being kidnapped since no bodies are found. I'm not sure what the real point of the story was, the mystery or Rachel and the lake. I'm not sure if this is a series book, but definitely not an author I'd read again.
I easily read 300 pages in one day if the book is interesting. I think the fact that it took me 5 days to read 320 pages says it all!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2011
I stumbled across book two of this series so I had to order this one, which is book one - wow!! I started reading the first paragraph just to see if I liked the style and ended up reading the whole first chapter. I couldn't put it down! It is an extremely refreshing blend of several genres. It could even be called an erotic paranormal thriller. The main character has a unique sexual relationship with the water, which leaves you on the edge of your seat with its climactic scenes but questioning who or what Rachel really is, a serial kidnapper and possible killer on the loose, and a promising romantic relationship brewing. Alex Prentiss managed to capture all the wonderful things I like about multiple books and combine them all into one fantastic book. The book kept up its momentum from page one to the end and I immediately grabbed the next book when I finished this one. I have no doubt this author will be making my favorites list!!
July 15, 2010
I liked parts of this book but the whole premise was just ridiculous. She has an orgasmic relationship with two of the local lakes and in return they show her horrible things that are happening or have happened. And the only action she takes is to blog about it. I still don't believe the reason the police haven't tracked down who runs the blog either. That seems to be a common place and easy thing to do (tracking down site owners). And the ending... yes well, it just annoyed me.
June 23, 2010
This is more Urban Fantasy than Paranormal Romance. You don;t get the over the top mushy gushy and it is much more plot driven than typical in the PR genre but it is a great read for those that enjoy PR AND Urban Fantasy.
Strong characters and what I think is a very original plot. A great first novel and I am looking forward to reading the next Lady of the Lakes book.
Strong characters and what I think is a very original plot. A great first novel and I am looking forward to reading the next Lady of the Lakes book.
April 10, 2011
It's odd for a body of water to be a lover but it somehow works out in this series. Prentiss creates an interesting story but I found myself lost on what Rachel Matre actually looks like. Her descriptions were simple, not giving much detail and often wandered off to something else. Despite this, I'm still looking forward to reading the next book.
September 23, 2011
I bought this book because the cover art was very pretty even though the inside blurb was a little meh. It wasn't a bad read but I wouldn't advise people to run out and purchase it. Charters were interesting but the whole sex with water spirit thing was lackluster. Get it at the library before spending money on it for sure.
June 29, 2015
I found this book to be very interesting unlike anything I've ever read before. The suspense, mystery, romance, & erotica was a definite page turner. A quick & simple read that I was able to devour in less than 2 weeks. A full set of 5 stars. I am looking forward to reading it's continuance called Dark Waters.
April 4, 2010
Wow, an extremely descriptive book that went into great detail throughout the book on several scenes. A good first novel from Alex Prentiss. I am looking forward to the next novel in the Lady of the Lakes series, DARK WATERS.
June 1, 2016
Embarrassed by how bad this book was. Sex with water in a lake to communicate with the lake spirits and pass on messages to the heroes of the book - no, no, no - really bad. Oddly enough, the quality of the prose was OK - I suspect the writer is capable of so much more.
July 4, 2010
Okay, so it's a little creepy and weird, but it made me want to read more from the author and I found it surprising - which is rare anymore.
February 14, 2011
I really enjoyed the mixture of mystery novel and urban fantasy this book provided.
The main character's relationship with the spirits of the lake is very intriguing. It's an interesting read.
The main character's relationship with the spirits of the lake is very intriguing. It's an interesting read.
September 12, 2016
:| Strange book. Really strange.
August 25, 2012
Excellent read, great story!
October 6, 2012
Very intense.
April 14, 2013
Very weird story, I like that it's different though. The whole lake thing is still kinda throwing me but I like the effort she put in to write a different story. Great pace, keeps you interested.
August 9, 2014
Started good and then all hell broke loose. *sigh*
Review to come
December 2, 2014
Somewhat erotic abduction, romance, detective story
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews