The story kept me riveted-and turning the pages

books:


	• A Stranger's Touch Cait London Avon, 2008 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

4 stars

Her life, and her sister's lives, have been dominated by the prepossessing fact of their powers. Tempest's "gift" is to be able to know all about an object by simply touching it, so she keeps her hands gloved, trying to minimize the exposure and the trauma. Sure that a brooch is key to freeing her family from a cursed destiny, Tempest has made locating it her goal in life. However, its owner is in the way. Handsome, wealthy, and suave, Marcus is every woman's dream, except perhaps Tempest's. She is able to walk away from him, rather than the reverse. That makes her VERY interesting to him. Like Tempest, Marcus is haunted by his past, specifically, by his parents' murders, and believes she can help him put those ghosts to rest. In order to do so, she will have to make herself vulnerable, in more ways than one. Though she is walking into what she knows is a dangerous situation, Tempest risks everything for those she loves; surprisingly, that list has expanded to include Marcus, not just her sisters and mother.

**** Tempest and Marcus' story is one that manages to be both incredible and credible at once. Though the description of her power will remind you, superficially, of the X-men's Rogue, she is much more than that character. This is a solid, well rounded tale that holds your attention from beginning to end. I would also love to see a novel featuring her mother, Greer, at the center. The glimpses of her showed someone who was complex and had enough of a past and secrets to rate four hundred plus pages to delve into them. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killfore for the Huntress Reviews site.

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A better than average romantic suspense

I rate this book 3.5 stars. I found this book a bit confusing at first, and it wasn't until I read 40-50 pages in that I realized this book is a part of a series about 3 triplet sisters with different psychic abilities who have inherited their powers through their mother, Greer Aisling, a world-famous psychic. I thought this was a standalone book and I wish that there had been an indication on the cover that it was part of a series.

A Stranger's Touch is about Tempest Storm Bartel, the middle triplet sister, who is a touch pyschic and can see and know a person's past and emotions by touching objects they have handled.

Tempest is hunting for a particular ancient Viking brooch that belonged to an ancestor that is key to answering who or what the evil power is that attacked the youngest sister, Claire. (A Stranger's Touch is the 2nd book in this romantic suspense series, and I assume the first book was about Claire, and there will be a third book about the eldest sister, Leona.). She finds to her dismay that a former lover, Marcus Greystone, is in possession of this brooch and he'll give it to her only if she helps him solve the murder of his parents 21 years before. Tempest agrees to the bargain reluctantly and leaves with him to go to the site of his parents' death near Lake Michigan.

While I enjoyed reading this book, and the mystery and suspense surrounding what menace is following the Aisling-Bartel family and the questions about who killed Marcus' parents, I think anyone interested in reading this book should read the first book prior to this one. One could still read this book by itself, but it's probably more helpful to understand what's going on in the bigger picture of what's occurring to the sisters. This book did drop a few clues regarding the brooch and "someone" following the sisters, and the ending leaves that portion of the plot dangling, which will more than likely be answered in the last book.

I think the author did a good job of heightening tension and suspense surrounding the murder of Marcus' parents, keeping me engaged in the story, but I grew exasperated with Tempest's challenging and stand-offish behavior toward Marcus. I don't mind the hero and heroine being reluctant to be with one another and throwing up a challenge, but it got somewhat tiring to read over and over again. There was a lot of sexual tension and attraction between the two main characters, but there was little for me to believe that these characters fell in love in the entire time they were investigating the death of Marcus' parents. It seemed too far-fetched and not very believable. Their shared past included a one night stand 9 months before, and then suddenly they are jumping into bed as soon as they lay eyes on one another again in the midst of searching for answers about the killer, and we're to believe it's love?

I agree with another reviewer that stated there isn't really any "romance" in this story, it's mostly passion and then the hero and heroine closing up to one another and trying to stay distant afterwards. As a mystery/suspense, I found it adequate and I kept reading to find out who was the killer. As a romance, I think it didn't come up to par. Yet, A Stranger's Touch was not a bad read and it's actually one of the better romantic suspense books I've recently read.

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fun paranormal romantic suspense

The Aisling triplets (Claire, Tempest, and Leona) all have strong psychic abilities. Tempest has the ability to know the history of any object she touches. Currently she seeks an ancient brooch but following the clues takes her to Marcus Greystone.

They shared one night of bliss not too long ago and both would not mind more. However, Marcus pleads with Tempest to help him investigate the murders of his parents. She reluctantly agrees even as a former lover stalks her. However, as her touch brings them closer to the truth, they fall in love, but she knows things about him that even he does not know and fears if she tells him he will not feel safe with his secrets.

The second Aisling paranormal romantic suspense is an enjoyable tale that brings some clarity to the stalking malevolence and augments key subplots left dangling in the first story (see AT THE EDGE, Claire's tale), which should wrap up in Leona's entry. Tempest is a wonderful lead character whose power is appealing but also can be sort of like that of King Midas, which adds to the readers awe and fascination with her. On the other hand readers will not like the demanding Marcus until he turns heroic. Romantic fantasy fans will enjoy the saga of the Aisling triplets.

Harriet Klausner

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Strong mystery with passion.

My rating is more like a 3.5 or 3.75. I enjoyed the story line which is the second book of a continuing puzzle begun in the book "At The Edge" (May07). The series will complete in Sep 08 with the release of "For Her Eyes Only".

Claire, Tempest, and Leona are triplets, their mother a famous psychic...and they have each inherited a part of her powers and an unbreakable connection to each other. Claire's story was the first, but this book was Tempest's story. Tempest is a touch-psychic, she can pick up information from people and objects by touch. She's spent most of her life shielding herself with gloves and trying to keep a lid on her power. She's also a sculptor and she met and 'conquered' Marcus at one of her successful showings. Unfortuantely for her, Marcus isn't quite willing to leave it at that, so he sets a trap for her. He will be the one to walk away, not her.

As I mentioned, I really enjoyed the overall story. The triplets are being pursued by an evil, an ancient curse, and each book reveals a little more about who/what is after them and what it wants. What didn't click with me was the relationship between the heroine and hero. They seemed to spend their time turning away from each other immediately after having some fairly passionate sex! By 3/4 into the book, I could script their actions pretty well. The book also had a mystery involving Marcus and the author did a great job of keeping my guessing til the end. Will I pick up the 3rd book? You bet. I just hope the hero and heroine have some more pleasing feelings for each other rather than almost constant strife. I would categorize these books as stories that contain elements of passion rather than love stories.

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The story kept me riveted-and turning the pages

After meeting Tempest in the first book, At The Edge, we've come to expect what she is like. Honestly, we get a whole different view of her in this book. It all begins with her playing a cat burglar-and gets more and more intense. Marcus, a one night stand, has set up an intricate plot to get Tempest to help him figure out who killed his parents years ago. Once Tempest begins delving into everyone's background and asking questions, strange accidents start happening. A past that everyone would like left behind, except for Marcus, begins to surface and no one is happy about it.

In the meantime Tempest has to come to terms with her own past and what it may mean for her future.

In the background we have the mystery still running of who's trying to harm the Aisling triplets. In the first book, someone attacks Claire. In this book, Tempest is the one on the receiving end of the attacks. All three of them, along with their mother, Greer, are trying their best to figure out who or what is after them. We also get to learn more history of the Aisling ancestors and exactly what the wolf's head brooch means.

This is the second book in the Aisling triplets series, and I was as riveted as I was with the first. At first I was a tad disappointed because I was looking for the Tempest I fell in love with in the first book, but she soon resurfaced and her fiery spirit had me shooting through pages. The best part of this book for me was that I could not figure out who was responsible for the murders! There are so many plausible parties responsible, that it's really tough to determine ahead of time what the ending will be.

Thankfully the third book will be coming out in October 2008, because I have to know what happens next! The third book will be featuring Leona, the eldest.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

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reviews: page 1, 2

Tempest, Claire, and Leona: triplets blessed—or cursed—with a special extra sense they would each deny, given the chance . . .

Tempest was born with the uncanny ability to learn everything about an object—or even a person—just by the touch of her naked hands. But she knows this gift comes at a price, so she protects herself by keeping those she loves at a distance, But when a sinister enemy threatens all that she holds dear, Tempest is forced to reach out to Marcus Greystone, who she once touched willingly . . . and with passionate abandon.

Marcus has never forgotten the sensuous night he and Tempest shared—before she left his bed without a word. Now that she needs his help, Marcus isn't letting her go easily. It's his chance to show Tempest that his touch can also electrify. But a gathering storm of violence is following Tempest, and a killer waits to get his hands on her . . .

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