Rating: Summary: Skillfully written second installment Review: "The Promise" is an intriguing sequel to "The Passion" which picks right up from where the first novel leaves off. This highly gifted author weaves the tale so as to lure and immerse the reader effortlessly.The story is that of Brianna and Matise Devoncroix, supposedly brother and sister, and the children of the leaders of the world's werewolves. In the author's world, werewolves are the pinnacle of society possessing superior intelligence and abilities, and have lived among but unknown to humans for millenia. Both Brianna and Matise are beautiful, talented and highly intelligent. However, Brianna is unable to experience the Change, or Passion as it is called, to wolf form. Being a complete werewolf is the only thing that Brianna desires and becomes the crux of the story. I particularly enjoyed the description of the joyous childhood and formative years of Brianna and Matise. So full of promise and talent, Brianna's life is crushed when she is brutally attacked and driven out of the pack during their coming of age ceremony when the pack discovers she cannot Change. Her parents, the pack leaders, stand and watch as Brianna is viciously humiliated. Thus, the arrogant and superior werewolves violate the Promise made to Brianna's true mother in "The Passion." Only Brianna's best friend, Freda Fasburg, stands by her as she is deserted. Thankfully, the author gave us the character of Freda. Otherwise, there would not be a single werewolf that was truly honorable, compassionate and likable. Even Matise abandons his sister when she needs him the most although he regrets his choice in retrospect. The author skillfully manipulates the reader with her depiction of werewolves to make us envious of them. We want to like them. We want to admire them. We want to be one of them. But I know that I was ultimately relieved and happy to be human and not one of them. Werewolves may be intellectually and physically superior to us, but their downfall lies in their lack of compassion, empathy and humility. When it is all over, it is the werewolves who are the base animals even though they never realize or admit it. The story of Brianna and Matise is revealed to Nicholas Devoncroix as he recovers from an accident where it is read to him in his wolf form by a human who has found the journal in the wreckage. Even though the human saves the life of Nicholas, the new pack leader, and patiently nurses him back to health, she is repaid by being killed carelessly by werewolves arriving to rescue their leader. Hopefully, the author will one day pen a new installment to this intriguing but distressing tale. Although we know little of Nicholas, I wonder if he will be the one werewolf who learns compassion or if he will continue to be the arrogant jerk he seems to be now. The author is highly skilled and draws the reader deep into the story. Readers should be prepared to endure some disappointments as the author manipulates our emotions. Although I yield to the author's perogatives, I would hope that the next installment will make us feel better towards the werewolves. So much talent and promise is right within their grasp if only they can gently suppress their sense of omnipotence and attain the magnificience of which they are capable.
Rating: Summary: I'm pleased Review: I am a fan of "Rebbeca Flanders" who is known to romance writer. She mainly wrote many paperbacks at harlequin publisher. I thought that she was defferent from other authors when I had read her three werewolf books in harlequin shadow series in 1995. I was deeply impressed by those books. Since then, I wanted to read more her books about werewolves sociaty. For a long time I didn't know her new pen name. Now I eventually found her. I am very happy to know that she kept her passion for writing the werewolf saga.
Rating: Summary: I'm pleased Review: I began these books via the audio version that I found at my local library. Going into the book I was at first bored not by the story but the narrator, but it was a long night at work, so I continued. Was I glad I did? YES, ABSOLUTELY! Many of the reviewers have told you the story so I won't add to that. I'm giving strictly my opinion of the the book. Donna Boyd made me absolutely believe in the werewolves and their ability to live among us unnoticed. The Passion is first and then The Promise, I mention that because the order is important. These stories were so well written that I could just close my eyes and I was there. The story, also, was so emotional that it either leaves you rooting for them or hating them. It is easy to get sucked into the world and find yourself calling out "No or Yes" at moments that have lead you down paths you weren't ready for. This is what I look for in a good read! This book kept me enthralled even after I put the book down. The characters kept running through my head with questions of why!!! These books are some of the best werewolf stories I have found, as well as some of my favorite books PERIOD. The end of the 2nd book left me absolutely at a loss simply because there is not a 3rd book to finish what you are left to wonder about. It's been several years and I have read them over and over. I have lost hope that there will ever be a 3rd book in this series, but I will tell you that you never completely lose it. This series is so captivating that now several years later I still read the books and occasionally search for information on Donna Boyd just in hopes that she will sneak the 3rd book in when I least expect it. If you are looking for a well thought out and detailed world to explore these are some books to check out. Just thinking of them now can still take my breath away and bring me to tears. They are an emotional read and are so much like you are actually reading a true story rather than fiction.
Rating: Summary: Captivating left me aching for more Review: I began these books via the audio version that I found at my local library. Going into the book I was at first bored not by the story but the narrator, but it was a long night at work, so I continued. Was I glad I did? YES, ABSOLUTELY! Many of the reviewers have told you the story so I won't add to that. I'm giving strictly my opinion of the the book. Donna Boyd made me absolutely believe in the werewolves and their ability to live among us unnoticed. The Passion is first and then The Promise, I mention that because the order is important. These stories were so well written that I could just close my eyes and I was there. The story, also, was so emotional that it either leaves you rooting for them or hating them. It is easy to get sucked into the world and find yourself calling out "No or Yes" at moments that have lead you down paths you weren't ready for. This is what I look for in a good read! This book kept me enthralled even after I put the book down. The characters kept running through my head with questions of why!!! These books are some of the best werewolf stories I have found, as well as some of my favorite books PERIOD. The end of the 2nd book left me absolutely at a loss simply because there is not a 3rd book to finish what you are left to wonder about. It's been several years and I have read them over and over. I have lost hope that there will ever be a 3rd book in this series, but I will tell you that you never completely lose it. This series is so captivating that now several years later I still read the books and occasionally search for information on Donna Boyd just in hopes that she will sneak the 3rd book in when I least expect it. If you are looking for a well thought out and detailed world to explore these are some books to check out. Just thinking of them now can still take my breath away and bring me to tears. They are an emotional read and are so much like you are actually reading a true story rather than fiction.
Rating: Summary: Tragic yet hopeful Review: I have to say that I think that this book was possibly as good as the Passion, but one cannot begin this book thinking that it's going to be a repeat of the first of the series. This story mainly tells the lives of Brianna and Matise, the trials and torments that they endure as the result of Brianna's heritage and their love for each other. I heard that this is to be a series, but I have yet to see a possible third installment. My only complaint was with the jacket summary. It was very misleading in making the reader believe that there was going to be a romance/sexual tension between Alexander and his rescuer. Just to let you know, there isn't any at all. While I'll refrain from giving any more details from the book, I found it to be a satisfying read (great for a rainy day or at the beach). I recommend it to everyone.
Rating: Summary: An Author With A Good Imgination. Review: I prefer Stephen King's and folklore's version of a Werewolf--the monster in the forest that likes to rip people apart. But, I like the writing of Anne Rice even though she corrupts the original reputation of vampires, so, I gave Donna a try and got this book. It was actually pretty good for being something so New Age. The only difference between these wolves and human beings is that they are physically stronger, they shape-shift and they are not as suppressive about sex and nudity as we humans are, which makes their sex lives better. They live among us, pretending to be humans, and working jobs as we do. In fact, they claim that every human achievement--for instance, the great Pyramids of Egypt, and Space shuttles--were all developed by werewolves who only were mistaken to be human, and they claim that all history books are inaccurate. Donna's Wolves think they are above every one of God's creatures, just like we humans do. Donna leaves no stone unturned. She or he? takes you into the wolves lives, how they are raised and how they mate, 'The Passion' how quickly they dissolve when they die, and describes how they interact with us humans....secretly. Donna even gives them a Myth that some of them believe, not much different from Christian Myths. In short, the Myth was this: everything man knows, even from the beginning of human existence, was knowledge only acquired through wolves, who have been around thousands upon thousands of years before man. Kind of ridiculous to think wolves ran with the Dinosaurs, but....then again, the bible treats animals with the same belittlement, defining them as soulless creatures, who were only put on the earth to feed men and women. Donna's werewolves are simply human, as much as they would hate to admit. There's a lot of love, a lot of Shakespearean passion, and a lot of flawless erotica between the werewolves, which I nodded my head too, only because it was with the wolves and not with humans. If Donna did that with humans, it would be highly unrealistic even for a fantasy story. There were a lot of dilemmas and struggles between Donna's characters, and situations kept changing, which made the book a real page turner. It was also well written. For that, I rate it a fair 4, even though the werewolves were not the dreadful monsters I would prefer them to be....and remain.
Rating: Summary: More than just good romance Review: I thought these books (The Passion and The Promise) were going to be a cheesy romance novels, but the stories really moved me. They are also stories of survival, compassion, and suspense. I thought about them long after I finished and can't wait to read the next in the series. If you're on the fence, definitely give these a chance, you won't regret it.
Rating: Summary: More than just good romance Review: I thought this was going to be a cheesy romance novel, but the story really moved me. It's also a story of survival, compassion, and suspense. I thought about it long after I finished and couldn't wait to read the sequel, which was just as good. If you're on the fence, definitely give this a chance, you won't regret it.
Rating: Summary: Incomparable Review: It is a secret society that permeates every corner of the globe: the world of werewolves. As a lonely scientist, Hannah North, soon discovers through the writings of Matise Devencroix, a son to Alexander Devencroix, one of the most influential pack leaders in wolf history. In the remote wilderness of Alaska, a plane crashes leaving one of the six passengers alive: barely. Unbeknownst to Hannah, is Nicholas Devencroix, a young idealistic werewolf (who no longer sees the usefulness of the interaction of werewolves and humans), who has just inheritied the entire pack after the brutal slaying of his parents. As Nicholas helplessly heals and Hannah discovers the book, she begins to read the story of his brother, Matise and his sister Brianna. This is a memoir that Nicholas's father wanted him to read before announcing a radical law of seperation of humans and werewolf. The book is a chronicle of Matise's and Brianna's lives, the history of the pack, as well as the link between man and wolf. Within the pages of the memoirs, lies the future of his pack. Boyd's writing skills are incomparable! I was completely amazed at how she tells her stories. She captures your attention, complete and full. Her writing is like fluid poetry with a very good use of vocabulary and artful sentencing. She has a few stories that stand slightly apart from main theme but they all quietly come together well. She's one of the few writers that actually sticks right with the entire story. She didn't deviate or go off base. Also, the synopsis hints at some "thing" between Nicholas and Hannah. The books primarily focuses on Matise and Brianna and their story, history...etc. NOW...while her writing and style is way above the rest, the plot of the story itself left me a bit removed. Her writing itself actually overpowers you but the story line could have been better. The ending was a bit too rushed and Boyd should have made it longer. Everything happened all at once and within paragraphs and it left the ending kind of hanging. Perhaps a trilogy will be in order... But all in all, I'm going to buy the Passion ASAP. Boyd has definitely hooked me into this new genre of fantasy and of werewolves: the life and times. She intricately and expertly weaves history and it's mysteries into a factual truth in the Promise. While I haven't read the Passion, I didn't feel that I missed too much information in-between and I never got lost.
Rating: Summary: Hmmm Review: Now this, compared to her other book "The Passion" was a little more hopeful. Still depressing in ways, werewolves need to swallow their damn pride (it's rather irritating that they miss out on wonderful things like Briana and Matise did because of pride.) ...great writting. Donna Boyd is a very talented writer my only slight criticism is she needs to lighten up a bit, but for what this book was meant to be it would be number one in it's category! Me, I'm a sucker for happy endings, and the only reason why I'll be searching for her other books is to just see what happens with the Devoncroix's story.
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