Saturday, April 26, 2008
Parallel Desire
***** Parallel Desire by Deidre Knight. Contemporary paranormal romance.
This is the 4th book in the Midnight Warriors series. In order, the first three are Parallel Attraction, Parallel Heat, and Parallel Seduction. And this is one series that I think is pretty important to read in order. Between the time traveling and the ongoing series overstory, I think you'd miss a lot by reading out of order.
In particular, you'd need to read Parallel Seduction, because Parallel Desire follows directly from events in the previous book.
Don't read any further, by the way, unless you haven't read Parallel Seduction or don't care about being spoiled about it.
In a parallel timeline, Scott Dillon was married to Hope, who is killed by Jacob Tierney. Scott then killed him and, in the ultimate violation, takes over his body (he's half-Antousian--this ability is one of the reasons the Antousians are so hated and feared). He then returns to the past to save Hope, but now Hope is happily married to the Scott of the current timeline, while this Scott is stuck in the body of the enemy he's still looking for, in order to kill him again.
He's still in love with Hope, and trying to reconcile the fact that she's married... to another version of him, and that he'll never be more than a good friend to this Hope. Meanwhile, he teams up with Refarian medic Shelby Tyler, and what starts out as a physical relationship quickly turns into something more.
Shelby's been sent to enlist Jake/Scott's help in ending the war, and she has her own traumatic past involving Antousians, and her own unusual abilities. So there's the conflict between desire and duty, and more fundamental conflicts for each of them with their own natures. Shelby has to reconcile her fear and disgust of Jake's Antousian side, and Jake has to come to terms with that and with his altered identity. He can hold on to his past and his dreams of vengeance, or he can move ahead with his new life, his new identity.
It's an intensely emotional story, and the external story of the war is a fitting backdrop, providing both the atmosphere and events that drive the characters.
As I've said about the other books in this series, I absolutely love the science fiction/romantic adventure blend, and I particularly enjoy how the series melds together. Although each book has a different primary romantic couple, the characters from previous books aren't neglected or ignored, and it's still the same overstory. For example, Kelsey and Jared from the first book are expecting a child, and because of its dual nature, both Kelsey and the child are endangered--a circumstance that's not simply mentioned as an update but as an important plot thread.
It appears that Parallel Desire is the last of the series, and while I hate to see it go, I'm satisfied. We don't see the end of the war, and everything's not tied up in a neat little bow, but by the end of the book, those final acts have been set in motion, and we're left with the feeling that the world--that time--is now on the right track, that there might be a few minor obstacles yet to overcome, but everything will eventually turn out all right. For me, this is a much more satisfying ending than the baby-census epilogue. I'll be overjoyed if there's another book in the series, but I'm okay with it if there isn't.
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to Red Fire in October--I can't wait to see what this talented author comes up with next!
Categories: Books, 5stars, ParanormalRomance
Labels: 5 stars, books, ParanormalRomance
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Heard lot of good rave about Deidre Knight, although I yet to try her. Please tell me it not vamps lol
Sound like you enjoy these series though :)
By the way, you are tagged! It easy this time, I promise :)
Sound like you enjoy these series though :)
By the way, you are tagged! It easy this time, I promise :)
No, Julia--it's aliens and time travel, not vampires. :)
Actually, Melody, this might be a good series to have waited until you have all the books before reading it--it's a fairly complex series, with all the time travel, and it always took me a chapter or two to get back into it whenever I got a new book.
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Actually, Melody, this might be a good series to have waited until you have all the books before reading it--it's a fairly complex series, with all the time travel, and it always took me a chapter or two to get back into it whenever I got a new book.
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