Raintree: Haunted: A Fantasy Romance Novel

I'm thrilled with the direction Nocturne is taking as a line. The middle book in the Raintree Trilogy only confirmed that for me. Winstead-Jones creates a world for Gabriel and and Hope that is believeable even in the midst of a fascinating paranormal universe. Howard had the task of setting up the world and Barton will have to tie it all together but Haunted has the sweet spot and Winstead-Jones used it to her advantage with this really wonderful, thrilling, sexy ride. Gabriel is a fabulous hero, dark and wounded and Hope is a woman who overcomes her doubts to accept all that Gabriel has to offer. The bad guys are very bad and this is not a book for the fainthearted in certain parts. The romance and chemistry are heatstroke inducing and very well written and paced. I loved Haunted and I can't wait to pick up Barton's book tonight to see where Sanctuary takes me.

Raintree: Haunted is a really cool and unusual detective romance story with ghosts and supernatural powers that provide the paranormal ambiance. The reader is immediately drawn into the characters and the search for justice. Gideon Raintree is a fun hero. He talks to ghosts, inhales lightning and sometimes glows in the dark. Talking to ghosts comes in handy since he is a policeman on the homicide beat. The trouble is that a partner might discover his paranormal powers. Hope Malory comes to Wilmington NC and is assigned to be his partner. He will do just about anything to get rid of her and work alone again including taking her to bed....but the real trouble may be all these ghosts begging him to avenge their deaths and catch the serial killer. Secrets abound and heighten the suspense and paranormal attraction. Gideon must use his powers to track down the killer and fears his partner will expose him. Are the ghosts helping his investigation or leading him into the hands of the killer? Although he easily identifies the ghosts of homicide victims, one apparition remains mysterious. Who and where is Emma? Both the hero and heroine are somewhat lost or wounded souls in the "normal" world and somehow, despite many chilling and humorous meanderings, find their way to a better place than the "normal" world. She is strong and dynamic. He is strong yet soulful with touches of gentleness despite the electrical power coursing through his body. A thoroughly wonderful read!

I wasn't even sure if I should bother buying this one, since I felt the first book by Linda Howard was terrible, yet I am so glad I did. I flew through this one. Haunted follows a much faster pace and the characters are so much more likable. Gideon, the brother of Dante, is a homicide detective--the ONLY homicide detective, and he likes it that way. As it is, the other cops on the force thinks he's strange because he keeps talking to himself on the scene. Little do they know he's really speaking to the ghost of the victims. Gideon's powers allow him to handle and manipulate electricity. Because the human body is full of electrodes and energy is never lost, he can see and speak to ghost. Hope Mallory is Gideons new and unwanted partner, who happens to find it strange that a man on his salary can afford his nice beach side house and expensive late model cars (3 of them). Even on off hours she sets out to investigate him to find out if he's dirty--only she ends up tripping into more than she expects. The story has many levels, which makes it so much more interesting to read. There is Emma, the ghost child, that calls Gideon "Daddy." There is the Raintree legacy and the fight between two warring groups (Gideon actually doesn't even realize this until the very end). There is the crazy serial killer that Gideon and Hope are trying to stop. Lastly, there is this budding relationship between Hope and Gideon. Heck, I can even throw in smaller problems like Hope trying to come to terms with her family and how they are different from her. I would definitely recommend this book. You really don't need to read the first Raintree book to enjoy it, but if you feel it necessary to follow the sub-plot, go ahead, but don't let it discourage you.

This is the 2nd installment of the trilogy from Sillouette Nocturne and it is great. Not only is the story complete it held my attention and made me care for the characters. Gideon Raintree is a detective. He is also gifted and uses his powers to help him solve murders. He can talk to the ghosts of the victims and he honestly feels a need and desire to bring justice to them. His electrical energy has its ups and downs. He heals quickly but is devestating to electroic components. Hope Malory is made his partner. She really wants to work with him and even as he tries to discourage her she is determined to stay his partner. Her mother runs a new age shop and because of her mother's beliefs she is firmly set against things that she can not see. They are brought togather by the murder of his cousin's roommate. It quickly becomes evident that the murderer is not finished and is coming after Gideon. Hope must face her unbelief in order to connect to this man who touches her on many levels. I loved it and unlike the previous book in the series this one really has a story and people you can care about, it also has a good stopping place. Linda Winstead Jones has written a remarkable story and I am looking forward to the conclusion by Beverly Barton.

Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones is the second book in the Raintree trilogy, begun by Linda Howard's Raintree: Inferno. I enjoyed this book much more than its predecessor. The plot as a whole is tighter and more complete -- no choppy, unfinished quality to the ending, as was the case for me with Raintree: Inferno. As expected, the ending is definitely a cliffhanger, as Gideon must speed west toward the Raintree Homeplace and whatever havoc is about to be unleashed there by their enemies, but there is real resolution to Gideon's story (as told in the 2nd book) and to his relationship with Hope Mallory. Gideon is a Wilmington, NC homocide detective with an exemplary record. He's called in to investigate the murder of a young woman believed to be his (Raintree) cousin, Echo. Arriving on the scene is Hope Mallory, a detective newly transplanted from Raleigh and Gideon's new partner. Hope has read Gideon's file and finds it difficult to believe that he could possibly be as good as his record would suggest. There's got to be a catch, and when she sees his fancy-digs house on the beach, she assumes he must be dirty. Gideon tells her he has family money and even announces that he sees dead people -- a handy trick when it comes to investigating murder, as who can be a better witness than the victim? -- but although Hope is willing to buy the first explanation, she's not about to believe the second one. Still, almost despite herself, she's drawn to Gideon. As they race to stop the murderer, Gideon and Hope draw ever closer and Gideon discloses his personal secrets. Only at the end, however, does Gideon realize that the murderer was just a diversion and that the Homeplace is in grave jeopardy, and he must leave Hope and their newly won relationship and race to save his sister, his home, and his people. This was my first introduction to this author, and she did a great job of creating likable characters and a tense, taut story. I would imagine that going second in the series freed the author up quite a bit, for Linda Howard had had the heavy job of laying the groundwork for the trilogy as a whole and establishing the Raintre mythology. But none of the things that bothered me in Raintree: Inferno, Dante and Lorna's story, is present here, and Winstead Jones tells a story that is fluid and complete and adds to the anticipation for the third and final book.