Red

Red starts out a little bit gruesomely--the first chapter is told from the killer's POV as he stalks and ultimately rips a woman apart in a deluded belief that she is his 'One', his 'mate'. The fact that she tears apart so easily and dies fazes him only slightly, he just figures there is someone better out there after all. The book alternates like that--we have a mostly third person POV (either from Morgan or Gina's perspective), but occasional chapters are from the killer's first person POV, especially as we get closer to learning the truth of who he is exactly. I liked that--it gave us a sense of who, or rather what, we were dealing with and later when its revealed who it is, helps to round out the character development so as not to seem like it came out of left field. Overall I had few problems with the book--it did get a little redundant with both Morgan and Gina constantly thinking about how much they wanted to have sex with the other and the list of reasons why they shouldn't or should wait. It didn't help that Gina was largely clueless about herself and her true nature while Morgan (and the entire rest of the town) was not. While Gina was being Gina, Morgan (and the other Others, or paranormals, in town) saw the subtle meaning behind certain gestures she made. Baring her neck to him, backing down in a fight, fierce protectiveness. It made for some interesting reading. Guessing who the killer is should either be really simple and a 'I knew I was right' moment or a confusing 'really? but I thought...?' moment. I had a little of both. I guessed correctly, but was left confused as to the killer's ability to remain so...not crazed. Reading the killer's POV chapters should make you think this guy was off his rocker and should be caught sooner rather then later, but not so much. Gina is the catalyst in so many ways and for so many plans and people. My one true gripe with the book is near the end when Gina goes to talk to her grandfather about a sensitive matter. I didn't recognize her at all. The strong, independent, fierce and capable chick was suddenly replaced with a juvenile trying to deny that she had been caught cheating on a test. If I could have slapped her, I would have. Hard. Then run far far away when she pulled a gun or knife on me. I realize that her world was shattering in a matter of moments, but it seemed too overdone to me. Scarlet, the Dead World Book 2, is due out June 2, 2009 (why yes I will be getting it). Crimson, Dead World Book 3 (the end of the trilogy boohoo!) is due out in November 2009. Expect reviews for both.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The story is set 150 or so years in the future and the population has depleted the forests, and the last world war has splintered the world into republics rather than the world we know now. Gina Santiago is the female lead and she's part of an elite tactical unit that makes sure the Republics stay in line and that unknowns(unregistered humans)stay in the outer boundaries. Gina makes a grisly discovery during a mission and follows the trail of the killer to a dusty boundary town. There she meets Morgan Hunter, he's sheriff of a small town with a big secret. I enjoyed the interactions between Gina and Morgan, there was plenty of chemistry and intrigue. As stated by a previous reviewer it was pretty easy to figure out the killer early on but I think that made it a better read. We as a reader had figured it out but the characters were still stymied and interacted constantly with the bad guy which made for good tension. I'm excited to read the next story in this series!

Red is a paranormal romance, but it is also a science fiction thriller, an action/adventure and a mystery. The story is told from the first person and third person point of view. And, get this; the first person voice is that of a male serial killer. So, Ms. Summers combined approximately four genres and told the story from two different points of view! How clever is that? We are immediately taken inside the mind of sociopathic serial killer who has stalked, befriended and is giving his latest prey a ride home. The killer does go through a physical metamorphosis and there is a violent death involved. There is however no rape. I thought it was brilliant the way Ms. Summers told the story from inside the killer's mind and we were able to visualize the scene through his warped perspective. The first person chapters with the scenes where the killer is scheming and immersed in his psychotic ramblings are short, they do not overtake the overall storyline. The setting for this story is in the not too distant future in a world that has been ravaged by war. Society is divided into "Republics" taking up 70% of the land mass and the rest of the world is a no mans land. There is an electromagnetic barbed boundary fence around the southern half of the North American continent to keep out `unknowns'. The world's population is divided into `pureblood knowns' that are tagged with a computer chip indicating which Republic they belong too and the `unknowns', who are essentially considered hostiles. There is also a group called the `Others', who are purported to posess special abilities, however their existence is not confirmed. The International Police Tactical Team (IPTT) was formed after the war for the purpose of patrolling the borders of the Republics for unknowns and keeping peace. Murder has been all but eliminated. We meet Gina "Red" Santiago a highly trained veteran of the elite IPTT in the middle of a firefight near an abandoned building in the desert. Her second has fallen in battle and she has called in for back up but they haven't arrived. Through a series skilled and cunning battle maneuvers Red manages to dispatch the hostiles despite being seriously outnumbered. When help does arrive it becomes evident that she is considered an `outsider' as far as the IPTT members are concerned. Her feeling of alienation has been a factor for her entire life experience. Red has heightened senses that have enhanced not only her abilities as a warrior but also as a tracker. Following the firefight she leads a skeptical team to a woman's dismembered body. The team leader, an arrogant, rude `chauvinist' type of character concludes that it was an animal attack and dismisses her death. However, Red senses this is not the case and is bent on finding out the truth for the young woman and her family's sake. So, on her own time and without back-up she sets out to the town of Nuria, a border town that is policed by Sheriff Morgan Hunter. Hunter is an Alpha male, rugged,

When a grisly murder occurs in her jurisdiction, Gina "Red" Santiago is determined to ferret out the killer. Only one problem - the powers that be deemed it an attack by an animal and closed the case. If Gina wants justice for the victim, she must work outside the system. The best place to do that? The fringe town where one hunky Morgan Hunter happens to be sheriff. The lawman does things to her long-dormant libido that she doesn't quite understand, but cannot deny. Good news? Morgan has equal difficulty resisting Gina... Meanwhile, the killer strikes in Morgan's town under their noses. Worse, the villain makes it clear he has targeted Gina next. I first discovered Jordan Summers' talent through eBook publisher Ellora's Cave. When the request to review her upcoming Tor Paranormal Romance book came to me, I jumped at the chance, having loved the stories I've previously read by this author. I wasn't disappointed. RED is a fantastic paranormal romance that is all at once dark, hopeful, and sexy. Our kick-butt heroine has no trouble protecting herself, putting her on a more than equal footing with the hero. The result is a stimulating courtship in which Morgan finds himself constantly challenged by Gina, who easily keeps him on his toes. Of course, Morgan is no slouch either. The reigning Alpha of the region, Morgan takes his role as leader of his pack of shape shifters very seriously. He is the epitome of a good Alpha shape shifter - sexy, tough, noble, and empathetic. He may not be perfect, but that just makes him more realistic. There is no doubt, however, that he is the perfect mate for Gina. Watching him convince her of that is only half the fun... I mentioned earlier the story is dark, and I want to stress that there are indeed some very dark passages in the story. We are reading about a serial killer, after all. The parts of the story told from the murderer's perspective are written in first person point of view, putting you inside his head, showing the reader in no uncertain terms how demented the villain is. I also need to point out for the squeamish that these scenes do include some sexual contact while in shape shifted form while the killer is attacking his victims. There is NO intercourse in these scenes, however, simply some contact designed to demonstrate the twisted way this man views his victims. He believes they are in love, but ultimately his lust always turns into blood lust rather than the sexual kind, leaving a trail brutalized of bodies in his wake. These scenes will make the reader very appropriately uncomfortable, but they definitely add to the story. And really, should anyone BE comfortable while reading a murder scene? In RED, Jordan Summers gives her readers an intense story with compelling characters who effortlessly endear themselves to the reader from page one. With a suspenseful plot as important to the story as the romance, the author has crafted a complex story that is easy to love.

It's been some time since I've read a paranormal romance that I thought was worthy of a five star rating, but Red is just that. It's the start of a new series and it's definitely written in a more gritty style. The main voice of the story is Red, Gina Santiago, a member of an elite tactical team whose job is to enforce the rules in the new and different world 150 years from now. Gina's reputation is rather uncomfortable as her nickname 'Red' has come from the large amount of deaths when she's investigating. It's not that she's a murderess, rather more that she's trigger happy, but her colleagues don't connect with her and she feels alone. The second point of view of the story is that of Morgan Hunter, Sheriff of the town of Nuria. Morgan, and most of the others in his town, have a secret - they're slightly more than human. The 'Others', as these are known, are thought to have been a fairy story or at least a species that died out long ago. Morgan wants to keep the reality a secret and as Alpha of the Nuria Werewolves he is in a position of responsibility. When a woman turns up dead, apparently savaged by a wolf, he realises that one of his group may have gone rogue, but knows he has to deal with it himself, without outside authorities, as then they may find out that the Others do indeed exist. There's a third narrator to parts of this story - the murderer themself. It's rather creepy reading these passages and those who dislike blood and gore won't get on with this part of the book. However the three different views enable the story to move along at a good pace. When Gina discovers a dead body that appears to have been mauled by animals she has a hunch there's more to it than just animals and decides to investigate, in her holiday time, the nearest town, that of Nuria. Once she arrives she meets Morgan Hunter and there's an instant attraction. But there is more to it than that, as Gina and Morgan investigate together Gina may find out rather more than she wants about both Morgan and herself. This book was a very enjoyable read. Despite the fact that I guessed the identity of the murderer by halfway through, it was still gripping to watch as events unfolded and as Gina began to realise what she was dealing with. Although Gina becomes the killer's prey I wasn't ever really afraid for her safety as a reader but was interested in the different layers as more and more people lined her up in their sights. Although the book is clearly the start of a series, most of the loose ends were tied up. My one criticism was that I didn't really understand the motivations of the killer, or of another significant 'baddie' in the book, and how the killer and this other baddie ever connected initially. There were some interesting plot directions involving a vampire or two and, although the characterisation wasn't always that in depth, the story felt well-rounded. Overall this is a great start for a new series. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book