Rating: 
Summary: Remarkably good reading
Review: A dog groomer becomes more and more enmeshed in a mysterious and really spooky world where a sprit of evil has released a new and much more virulent form of rabies into the world. Out of the night, a short-legged dog, an unlikely hero, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, enters her life. He, and a pair of Basque magicians, bring real interest to this fantasy romance.Doranna Durgin's depiction of her lead character's life as a dog groomer, and her portraits of the dogs in the story read like real life. This book has the best realization of what a corgi is like in any fiction. Read it for the fantasy and the magic. Read it for the romance. Read it for the dogs. Read it. You will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery, romance, pagan gods and dog grooming??? Yes!
Review: A dog groomer becomes more and more enmeshed in a mysterious and really spooky world where a sprit of evil has released a new and much more virulent form of rabies into the world. Out of the night, a short-legged dog, an unlikely hero, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, enters her life. He, and a pair of Basque magicians, bring real interest to this fantasy romance. Doranna Durgin's depiction of her lead character's life as a dog groomer, and her portraits of the dogs in the story read like real life. This book has the best realization of what a corgi is like in any fiction. Read it for the fantasy and the magic. Read it for the romance. Read it for the dogs. Read it. You will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and Compelling
Review: A FERAL DARKNESS is Durgin's first contemporary fantasy, after several traditional fantasy novels. Having read this one, I must say she ought to continue with contemporary settings! Her understanding of characters and their motivations and fears makes this a must-read book for those who like contemporary novels with supernatural settings and challenges. Brenna and Masera are very real individuals, and Brenna's bonding with Druid, the stray dog who is more than just a dog, proves Durgin's understanding of the human-animal bond. Druid is not a typical fantasy animal, talking telepathically or otherwise, but a very real companion. A touch of romance adds a nice extra to an entertaining and compelling story. I read this book in one fell swoop, and wish it had been longer!
Rating: 
Summary: Be careful what you ask for....
Review: And, who you ask it from...Yes, definitely know the God you are praying to and what they can do.
Nine year old Brenna Fallon wants her old hound dog to live--so badly, she prays to the Celtic God of healing and hounds, Mars Nodens. Her prayer is granted, but she's unwittingly opened a gate on her property.
The subsequent burial of her dog after a good, longer than average, life and some teens discovering the place for a party, further enliven the magic spot.
Now, 27 year old Brenna has to cope with a new strain of rabies that effects both man and dog. She has some unexpected help from Druid a Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Masera, this book's version of Tall, Dark, and Mysterious. Very nicely balanced fantasy romance with a decent amount of action interspersed. Definitely keeps you reading. Highly recommended for dog lovers, fantasy lovers, romance lovers.
Only one down note: the theology discussion is probably a little tiresome for some. Other than that, very interesting and well-written. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: So Good!
Review: As a child, Brenna Fallon loved her dog so much, she invoked the spirit of Mars Nodens (a god of healing who favored hounds) to heal her dying, canine companion. Years later, the sacred spot where she invoked the god is desecrated and a malevolent force is building, waiting to be unleashed. That time is now. A dark and oppressive force, angry neighbors, vicious animal attacks, all hint at the approaching modern Black Death. Before you know it, animals and people start dying. Brenna, with the help of a handsome, mysterious stranger and a quirky stray dog, must find the strength to fight back against this evil plague. For she's been having chilling glimpses into the future...and it's ugly. A FERAL DARKNESS has just enough romance in it to keep me satisfied. When Brenna and Gil first meet, they don't even like each other. While working together they start to learn things about the other person and fall in love. The loves scenes are "G" rated, and it is so refreshing to read about the romance instead of where the couple jump into bed thirty seconds after meeting! It was nice to see Brenna and Gil grow closer, and start to care for each other. Ms. Durgin does an amazing job with her characters, endowing them with little quirks that made them seem so alive, especially Druid, the stray dog. If you like dogs, you'll fall in love with Druid, who is very charming and delightful. Brenna is just a regular woman who is trying to deal with what is going on the best she can. She is smart and intuitive, but she doesn't have all the answers and I liked her because of that. If you are looking for a book that has romance, some paranormal elements, is expertly written with wonderful characters and has a smooth pace that leads up to a climatic finish, A FERAL DARKNESS is the book for you and it is not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: So Good!
Review: As a child, Brenna Fallon loved her dog so much, she invoked the spirit of Mars Nodens (a god of healing who favored hounds) to heal her dying, canine companion. Years later, the sacred spot where she invoked the god is desecrated and a malevolent force is building, waiting to be unleashed. That time is now. A dark and oppressive force, angry neighbors, vicious animal attacks, all hint at the approaching modern Black Death. Before you know it, animals and people start dying. Brenna, with the help of a handsome, mysterious stranger and a quirky stray dog, must find the strength to fight back against this evil plague. For she's been having chilling glimpses into the future...and it's ugly. A FERAL DARKNESS has just enough romance in it to keep me satisfied. When Brenna and Gil first meet, they don't even like each other. While working together they start to learn things about the other person and fall in love. The loves scenes are "G" rated, and it is so refreshing to read about the romance instead of where the couple jump into bed thirty seconds after meeting! It was nice to see Brenna and Gil grow closer, and start to care for each other. Ms. Durgin does an amazing job with her characters, endowing them with little quirks that made them seem so alive, especially Druid, the stray dog. If you like dogs, you'll fall in love with Druid, who is very charming and delightful. Brenna is just a regular woman who is trying to deal with what is going on the best she can. She is smart and intuitive, but she doesn't have all the answers and I liked her because of that. If you are looking for a book that has romance, some paranormal elements, is expertly written with wonderful characters and has a smooth pace that leads up to a climatic finish, A FERAL DARKNESS is the book for you and it is not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Writes great human dialog and even better dog dialog
Review: As a multiple dog owner, avid science fiction fan and sucker for good old fashioned romance I found myself enchanted on all three levels by this book. Even though I usually have multiple books going at once and happily hop back and forth between them, this one was read at one long sitting--and lying as I took it to bed to read through the night. Not since I discovered Taylor Caldwell years ago as a teenager have I so enjoyed a story featuring human-animal communication. I especially related to "Druid," the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, who brought back many memories of my own beloved Pembroke Corgi, Gus, who succumbed to cancer this past summer. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a loyal canine companion is bound to be as taken by the rightness of Durgan's portrayal of human-dog relationships as I was. The human-human ones also ring true. The story satisfies throughout and its ending is just offbeat and upbeat enough to leave one feeling happily satisfied.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I was expecting
Review: Brenna Falon is a dog groomer working in a pet shop. She has a knack with dogs or so she thinks, but you see her "knack" stems from a time when she was nine years old and in danger of losing her beloved dog. The young Brenna, armed with a girl's naiveté and a little knowledge, called upon Mars Nodens--a god of healing--to save her dog. Without knowing what she was doing, she created a place of power near the spring that ran through her family's property thereby giving the god a place to dwell. When, her dog finally dies at an amazingly advanced age, she buries him in this sacred place and raises a cairn of rocks to mark the place. Years pass with her often visiting the grave and "keeping it nice" not realising that by doing so she is keeping the site active and inadvertently praying to Mars Nodens by thinking of the good times she and her pet had together. Things go wrong when a group of rowdy teenagers desecrate the site and shed blood. A dark power is released to contest ownership of the spring and of Brenna. A new strain of rabies begins to take its toll over the animal and human population. Brenna struggles to understand what is happening and together with a man she doesn't entirely trust, she fights against to the darkness and its human servant. This book was okay, but not even close to what Ms Durgin can produce. I recommend skipping this one in favour of Dun Lady's Jess, Changespell, Changespell Legacy, or Wolf Justice Mark E. Cooper...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent contemporary fantasy
Review: Doranna Durgin wisely grounds this fantasy (and its readers) with very mundane elements: the child who would do anything to save her beloved pet, a lousy boss, an annoying older sibling, and that less-than-stellar job you keep because you're not sure you could do anything else. By the time the fantasy comes to the fore, you already believe in the characters, and thus have no problem following them along their dark and dangerous path. I also liked the fact that Durgin mixed the supernatural threat with more realistic ones (trying to avoid spoilers, but if you've read the book, you know what I mean). The idea that this all could be happening in an ordinary small town filled with ordinary people is the most chilling feeling of all.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent contemporary fantasy
Review: Doranna Durgin wisely grounds this fantasy (and its readers) with very mundane elements: the child who would do anything to save her beloved pet, a lousy boss, an annoying older sibling, and that less-than-stellar job you keep because you're not sure you could do anything else. By the time the fantasy comes to the fore, you already believe in the characters, and thus have no problem following them along their dark and dangerous path. I also liked the fact that Durgin mixed the supernatural threat with more realistic ones (trying to avoid spoilers, but if you've read the book, you know what I mean). The idea that this all could be happening in an ordinary small town filled with ordinary people is the most chilling feeling of all.
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