Book Description
In the fourth book of the Cape Refuge Series, a teenage girl is found murdered, and the scene matches one in a book by a famous mystery writer who just moved to the island. This murder has a connection to Hanover House, and the residents there might never be the same.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-02-18
Great book and easy read...I couldn't put it down! I love her entire collection.
Mystery.......2007-02-16
This is the fourth book in the Cape Refuge mystery series and completes the story in a satisfactory and fulfilling way. Terri Blackstock is true to her readers, she doesn't "fool" any of us while at the same being able to slip in that quirk or surprise fact toward the ending that keeps the reader turning pages. The Cape Refuge characters are warm, smart and human!!! I have read all four of the Cape Refuge series and recommend them highly; they have a Christian slant that is light and does not preach or come on heavy-handed but is very today.
Breaker's Reef.......2006-11-10
This book was one of the best books that I have read in awhile. The whole series by Terri Blackstock is excellent. This is the kind of book you can't wait to find out the end but, you hate to finish reading it.
My 14 year old daughter also read it too and loved it. If you are a fan of mysteries and also of romance you should pick this one and the whole series up.
Absolutely loved it!.......2006-09-07
I read this entire series and I absolutely loved it. Moved at a perfect pace and I enjoyed the characters. I am a big fan of Terri's novels.
Bethany K. Scanlon
Author of Where's my mate? and Born of the Spirit
Bring on the Red Herrings!.......2006-06-21
I think this is the most satisfying mystery from Teri Blackstock yet. Without giving away the ending let me just hint that I was totally fooled by the Red Herrings in this mystery. As good as the story line is I agree with other reviewers that the characters drive this story (as in all good novels). The thread of restoration is strong throughout the story and the bond of parent and child is powerful. This is an excellent ending to a very good series.
Average customer rating:
|
Breaker's Reef
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQE0NG |
Average customer rating:
- Growing Up Is Hard To Do
- A worthy sequel
- Excellent sequel to DUN LADY'S JESS
- :^(
|
Changespell
Doranna Durgin
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Durgin, Doranna | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
Similar Items:
-
Changespell Legacy (Baen Fantasy)
-
Barrenlands
-
Wolf Justice
-
Seer's Blood
-
Feral Darkness
ASIN: 0671877658 |
Customer Reviews:
Growing Up Is Hard To Do.......2002-11-25
Changespell (1997) is the second in a series about a horse, Dun Lady's Jess, who has been transformed into a human and can be either woman or mare. Jess now wears spellstones in her hair, and mane, that can change her into either form. She can trigger the spellstone to change her into a mare, but cannot change back to a woman by herself.
Jess is training horses and testing riders for Kymmet Stables when she receives an urgent message from Arlen. He has found a man who may be a transformed horse. Jess and Ander, a friend, ride to Anfeald to assist Arlen. Upon arrival, Jess quickly determines that the man had actually been transformed from a mule. No one knows who changed him, how he was changed, or why. Although the wizards know that two people are performing major wizardry in the area, none recognize the magical signature.
Unknown to Jess, Ander is highly attracted to her and intends to compete with Carey for her attention. While Jess remains totally oblivious of the situation, the resulting tension between the two men complicates the plot.
Soon Jaime arrives from Ohio to testify at a hearing to free Willand, an apprentice wizard who is presently being confined in a null magic zone due to her misdeeds during Jaime's initial visit to Camelon. After Jaime testifies how Willand had gleefully tortured Arlen and herself, the Wizards Council denies her release, but she escapes shortly thereafter. And then another changespell victim is found nearby, this time a pursan, a large feline, transformed into a woman.
Since the Anfeald couriers are overworked, Jess transforms to Lady and rides out with a message to the local peacekeepers, but is ambushed along the route and tranquilized with a narcotic dart. When Carey learns that Lady is overdue, he rides out with Ander, discovers the ambush scene, and recovers several darts. They bring the darts back to Arlen, who finds a tag spell placed therein which has already caught Carey and Ander. While not bearing the signature of Willand, Arlen suspects that she designed the trap and immediately destroys the darts.
Lady wakes up within a stall in an unknown barn. Other animals, including predators, are also confined in the barn. Eventually the changespell wizards, lead by Willand, come to examine her. They intend to use her transformation ability as a guide to improve their changespell. The situation does not look good.
This novel provides an opportunity for Jess to further comprehend humans, particularly her beloved Carey, and for the humans to further understand her. It also vividly underscores the unusual circumstances that allowed Jess to adapt after her transformation, which has not been successfully replicated. This work most realistically portrays the various animals and, in some ways, attends more to the animals than to the humans. Nevertheless, the good guys are never neglected and are well drawn, but the bad guys get very little time on stage. Tough!
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves animals, mysteries, and magic.
-Arthur W. Jordin
A worthy sequel.......2000-04-05
I really liked this book, and I think it was a good sequel to its predecessor, Dun Lady's Jess. There's adventure, romance (a bunch), and a lot of character development that made this book really great. I enjoy Doranna Durgin's style of writing and the fantasy universe of Camolen that she has created. Another book in this series would be welcome, and I recommend this one highly.
Excellent sequel to DUN LADY'S JESS.......1999-09-05
Doranna Durgin has created a wonderful sequel to DUN LADY'S JESS with CHANGESPELL. In this novel, someone is changing animals into human slaves, with some not so nice results. Jess is struggling with both human and equine thoughts and feelings about the man she has come to love, her rider, Carey. And Camelon is coming under attack by a rogue magic-user who is trying to take control of were-magic for his own evil gain.
This is a book not only about magic but also about love as Jess fights to come to terms with the feelings she has for Carey. There is plenty of action and adventure as Jess and her frineds come under attack and as the Council of Wizards tried to find the rogue magic user and put him out of commission before all is lost.
Highly recommended, especially for those who loved DUN LADY'S JESS.
:^(.......1999-06-27
I can describe this book in two words: MAJOR LETDOWN. It had the potential to be great; a werehorse, evil wizard on the rampage seeking revenge... I mean, COME ON! Doranna Durgin REALLY blew this one!
Customer Reviews:
An Uncommon Wisdom.......2002-11-18
Changespell Legacy (2002) is the third in a series about a horse, Dun Lady's Jess, who has been transformed into a human and now has the ability to be either women or mare. Along the way she has made friends with Jaime, Mark, Dayna, and Arlen and has become the lover of Carey, her former owner.
The present story starts with Arlen of Anfeald away from home while the Wizards Council of Camolen investigates a strange new phenomenon near Secondary Siccawei. Something happens to cause wild magic to flare up and the investigating wizards are all killed. Arlen is presumed to be dead and the only known survivor is a palomino stallion.
The Secondary Council moves its operation to Secondary Siccawei to be near the phenomenon and then shuts down the transfer booths. The Mage Dispatch service begins to bog down under the load and running the Anfeald courier service is keeping Carey and Jess very busy.
Jaime shows up for a scheduled visit and discovers Arlen is not there. Although grieving for Arlen, she assumes some of the burden of running the courier service. Jess and Suliya, a new courier rider, go to Secondary Siccawei in response to a message from Dayna. When she tells them that the council have rejected her recommendations and are essentially wasting time, the three women take Rumble, the palomino stallion, and return to Anfeald.
Dispatch reports begin to indicate that the strange phenomenon has started to grow and has appear elsewhere. Without any help form the council and unable to gain reliable information in any other way, Carey decides to interrogate the palomino by turning the horse into a man. Jess, remembering her own transformation, tries to talk Carey out of this idea, but hesitantly agrees when all other sources have failed.
Jess, Carey, Dayna, Suliyu, and Rumble tranfer back to Earth and, in the process, Rumble is transformed into a man. They gather at the Dancing Equine farm -- Jaime's home -- with Mark and try to plumb Rumble's memories.
Back on Camelon, Arlen has been delayed in reaching the council and perceives their death as it occurs. Realizing that he is now the only senior wizard remaining, he is trying to return to Anfeald, but has to travel slowly by coach and horse now that the transfer booths are shut down. He tries to performs as little magic as possible to prevent other sensitives from recognizing his signature while he lies low and tries to find out what is going on. In his travel, he encounters other instances of the strange phenomenon and learns that it is excited and grows whenever magic is used nearby. Then he is recognized and attacked, but overcomes his attacker. Now knowing that he is being hunted, Arlen avoids the main roads and public means of travel, but still heads toward Anfeald.
Jaime also begins to recognize a pattern. She is visited by two strangers who claim to come from Chesba to learn the truth about recent events, but later inquiries disprove these claims. Then the Secondary Council sends an investigator to determine who has used forbidden spells in the vicinity of Anfeald. Jaime knows that one of the usages would have been Jess and her party, but the other may have been the imposters. Are they following Jess and company with intent to cause harm? Things get rather tense thereafter.
Durgin has wrought a complex and suspenseful plot as a background to the continuing humanization of Jess. While she has not been an innocent regarding humanity -- after all, horses soon learn that there are good humans and bad humans -- Jess has been naive about the perversity of human nature. Now she is confronted by Carey's inability -- or unwillingness -- to generalize from Jess to all other horses.
After I read the first two novels in this series, I brought the books to the attention of my youngest daughter. She is a horse person, currently attending a course to prepare her as a horse trainer, and she does not like to read anything that is not required by her teachers. However, she became intrigued by my synopsis of these novel and has read and enjoyed both prequels. Now she is eagerly waiting for me to pass this book on to her. Overall, I think she is impressed by Durgin's grasp of equine matters and ways.
If you like animals, try Doranna Durgin's novels. She has a way with words as well as a good knowledge of animals and their owners. In this novel, she beautifully portrays a personality that is a blend of horse and human, with an uncommon wisdom from both sides.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-04
A pretty straight adventure tale. Super enhanced Russian noble bastard, in the wedlock sense, escapes, and is on the lam.
However, he is caught, in a brothel, no less, while being pursued by kabuki porn stars and laser shuriken armed ninjas, while swimming in a sake vat!
A shafted conspiracy sends him on a mission to save a living goddess in a vast Himalayan mystical invisible fortress full of monks.
He is, of course, pursued by his sadistic bastard-in-the-adjectival-sense war enemy and his book titled regiment.
There is a decent twist at the end involving the head female ninja, and the second in command of the Imperial Black.
A ROUSING COMEDY ADVENTURE!.......2006-03-31
"Imperial Black" features the further exploits of Russian rogue and adventurer Nikolai Dante. I think the best way I could describe Dante for those who have not read his tales is being a cross between the swashbuckling adventurism of Errol Flynn and the wise-cracking Bruce Willis of the "Die Hard" films. Dante is of the noble Romanov family but he's only a half brother and has renounced his family's name. Nikolai's body is embedded with cybernetic weapons but his most interesting feature may be his weapon crest. The weapon crest is also embedded inside his body and is an intelligent onboard computer with a personality all her... or its own. The pair often fight like an old married couple.
The story begins sometime after Dante's forces at the town/stronghold of Rudinshtein were routed by the overwhelming forces of the Tsar. The Imperial Black, the Tsar's elite soldier led the route along with their sadistic leader General Ivanov. Dante and his co-forts Flintlock and the disgusting Spatchcock escape the fray and end up as fugitives with prices on their heads. While hiding out under assumed names at a floating island brother, they are attacked by a mysterious group of Ninja and are eventually captured. They are brought before a group calling themselves the Parliament of Shadows led by Lord Zhukov who is leading a rebellion to overthrow the Tsar. Zhukov wants Dante to travel to the Himalayas to find the legendary Forbidden Citadel that is supposed to hide a powerful weapon, hidden by the Romanov family, than can be used against the Tsar. Leading them will be the beautiful female ninja Mai Tsai who has the ability to read Dante's mind because of his weapon crest...which leads to several slaps to his face due to inappropriate thoughts. Little do they know, however, that the Tsar is also seeking the Forbidden Citadel and sends Ivanov and his Imperial Black troops in pursuit of the prize. But Dante will have an even more sinister threat to worry about. Lord Zhukov may not quite be exactly what he seems.
"Imperial Black" is a fantastic adventure. The trio of Dante, Flintlock and Spatchcock are bawdy, brawling, drinking buddies...very much similar to Robin Hood and his Merrymen of film. The intelligent weapon crest lightens things up even more as she often takes Dante down a couple of notches with biting sarcasm. The sadistic Ivanov is a masochist and a bit two dimensional character wise, but he's still the kind of nasty villain you expect in a story like this. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
Customer Reviews:
Helping the Home Chef Take It to the Next Level.......2007-08-31
This book fills an important niche. My rating is predicated on understanding just what that niche is. If you don't understand the niche, then you may not like the book.
There is a genre of "gourmet cookbooks" by the likes of Charlie Trotter, Craig von Foerester, Thomas Keller, etc. that discuss how to make the food that is actually served in their world-class restaurants, using the finest ingredients and having a fully-equipped restaurant kitchen at one's disposal. These books appeal to what I would call "chef hobbyists" -- people with an extraordinary interest in cooking, and have the equipment and access to ingredients that this kind of cooking requires.
Then there is the niche filled by the Cooks Illustrated series of cookbooks, focusing on more-or-less everyday meals, but analyzing all the ingredients and techniques in depth, and explaining to the reader what works, what does not, and why.
This book fits squarely in the middle of these two genres - the book gives clear explanations of ingredients and techniques, and discusses how the recipe differs from the original restaurant recipe and why, but the focus is clearly on the fine dining experience rather than everyday dinner preparation. It is essentially a bridge between ordinary food preparation, and the vastly more ambitious preparations of the celeberty chefs.
The clear explanations enable the aspiring chef to move the recipes back in the restaurant direction when availability of ingredients so inspires. This book might recommend substituting canned diced tomatoes for the original tomato concasse, and this substitution is certainly reasonable if all you have is off-season supermarket tomatoes, but if you have fresh tomatoes in your garden, hey, start choppin'. If you understand why the substitutions were made you can also understand when to substitute the other way.
All the recipes are thoroughly researched and edited, and there are few if any mistakes. Therefore, you don't need a huge experience base to spot things that just won't work, like sometimes happens with the celeberty chef gourmet books. If you just follow the recipe, you'll get good results, and because things are very well explained, you'll start building up that experience base.
Most of the celeberty gourmet cookbooks have extensive high-quality professional photography to help you get the presentation ideas right. This book does not have very much in that area, and leaves you more to your own devices. This is probably OK, since I think most chef hobbyists get interested in fancy presentation when they reach more advanced levels.
Just as you would expect from Cooks Illustrated, there are frequent sidebars discussing things like "what's the best brand of truffle oil" or tests of different mandolines.
Like all the Cook's Illustrated books, this book offers the opportunity for a great learning experience. If you want to start moving up from just making dinner to impressing your friends and family with a fine dining experience, this book is definitely the reference that you're looking for.
Almost perfect.......2007-08-25
I waited a long time for this book. I toyed with the thought that I'd never want to make restaurant dishes because they were too complicated. I read some of the reviews and figured I didn't need the book. In the end, I'm glad I own it.
This book does a great job of adapting a wide range of upscale (I live in Chicago and I'm praying a media rep will take me to Tru so I won't have to pay for it) recipes for home use. This book gives you less of the classic Cooks Illustrated methodology. However, the pre-recipe info is dedicated to how great the original recipe is and how the new recipe was adapted from the original.
Devotees of CI are used to in-depth explanations of the problems with a particular dish, why those problems occur and the food science of a perfect solution. I think the former is a valid approach for a restaurant book. I guess the thought is that if you're tackling this book, you're more than a novice cook and have an understanding of the food science basics.
The range of recipes in this book is fantastic! Kudos to the team for the effort. There are 150 recipes divided among:
-appetizers, soups & salads
-main courses (my complaint here is that the poultry section is very light -- only four recipes. However there is a decent number of vegetarian, fish and seafood recipes.)
-side dishes (divided into stand-alone sides and those that accompany the main courses)
-desserts
My second complaint, and truly why I'm giving this four instead of five stars, is the small number of photos. To be fair, this is characteristic of Cooks Illustrated. With presentation being integral to a good restaurant experience, I expected more color photos of the finished dishes. Including the cover, there are 17 color photos. To be honest, I wanted a photo of every dish.
Great for upscale recipes.......2007-02-06
I was really hoping this book would have recipes that would be restaurant classics that I enjoy. I was hoping for how to make a fabulous French Dip, how to make baked potatoes incased in salt. This book contains recipes from high end restaurants that I do not typically visit on a daily basis.
While high end restaurant recipes is not all bad, it really doesn't cover the dining that we typically do everyday. Now, with that being said, the recipes that are in the book are good, and very original. These aren't the type of recipes that you are going to cook when you are coming home from work, but these are the recipes that you want to spend time with on the weekend and serve with a bottle of wine.
Some additional benefits of this book is that is shows you how to make perfect pan-seared tuna steaks. Cook's Illustrated also spends time talking about ingredients, and helps you make better choices. I do appreciate these tips, because if I am purchasing higher end ingredients, I want my results to turn out well. Overall I found this book to be a bit disappointing in the direction that was chosen, I was hoping for a book that had more accessible and familiar recipes.
Bring out your inner chef.......2006-11-12
Somehow, I feel this book has not received its due credit or attention. As someone who is very familiar with Cook's Illustrated, I am very surprised that this book did not become one of their top sellers. Perhaps because it is somewhat of a departure from what Cook's Illustrated normally does that people have not been able to truly embrace its concept? I must say that even I was surprised that they set out on such an undertaking with this book, especially since their founder, Christopher Kimball, is a self-proclaimed loather of all foods fancy. But after the tremendous success I have had with the amazing recipes from this book, I am so thankful they ventured into restaurant quality territory.
Before I go on, let me first say that this is probably not a book for the uninitiated. If you are a beginner cook, I strongly urge you to start out with Cook's Illustrated "The New Best Recipe" cookbook. There is a wealth of information and techniques to be learned from this all-encompassing cookbook (the "Bible" to us Cook's Illustrated fans) and you will be better served to learn the fundamentals of cooking and baking before you try most of the recipes from "Restaurant Favorites". However, if you are a seasoned cook looking for delicious, foolproof recipes with the wow factor of a four star restaurant, then you have hit the jackpot with this book!
How CI approached this venture is they contacted scores of food editors from all over the country and asked them what dishes from their favorite restaurants they would most like to recreate at home. They then asked the chefs of those restaurants to share their recipes. In typical CI fashion, they took those recipes into the test kitchen and exhaustively tested them until they came up with a version that would translate into the home kitchen. Most high end restaurants use hard to obtain ingredients, difficult techniques, and have expensive equipment not normally found in home kitchens. They also have sous chefs on hand to help with lengthy preparation and dishwashers to clean their mountains of dishes. We home cooks are not afforded these luxuries. With this in mind, CI set out to transform these recipes into something the home cook could feasibly do at home, while still maintaining the integrity of the original dishes. They substituted expensive, hard to find ingredients with ones available to most home cooks, they simplified techniques, and they streamlined recipes to shorten preparation and cooking times. But all the while, they maintained the genius and drama of four star restaurant cooking. For those of us looking for ways to add new flavors and flair to our dishes without having to take expensive cooking classes, this book is like a gift from heaven!
There is a diverse array of recipes contained within, from the striking beauty and flavor of their "Crab Towers with Avocado and Gazpacho Salsas" to the homey flavors of their "Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta". You will most likely find something to prepare for whichever occasion you choose. The recipes included run the gamut from first courses (appetizers, soups and salads), main courses (vegetarian, poultry, meat and seafood), side dishes and desserts. While this book may be a departure from what Cook's Illustrated normally does, you can still find elements that you have come to expect from them. Like product and equipment ratings, illustrations of techniques, and helpful tidbits that are scattered throughout the book. And like all other CI cookbooks, every recipe comes with a detailed write-up of their experiences in the test kitchen...how they arrived at the final version of the recipes, what lessons were learned in their undertaking, etc. As always, the good people at CI are not only recipe writers, but educators as well.
I cannot recommend this book enough to people who are looking for new and exciting recipes to wow their family and friends. You will be surprised at how doable all these recipes are, and you will be taking your cooking and entertaining to a whole new level. I do admit that I tend to use this cookbook more for entertaining than I do for every day cooking. While there are certainly recipes that you can make for weeknight meals (Tortilla Soup, Greek Salad, Jambalaya, German Pot Roast), more of them have that restaurant flair that seems more appropriate for dinner parties, holidays and special occasions than a Tuesday night in front of the television. But one thing's for certain, every recipe that I tried not only looked beautiful but tasted as good as or better than anything I've ever had in a high end restaurant. I can't thank Cook's Illustrated enough for this book. I've never thought I would be able to cook like this with such minimal effort!
If you are looking to elevate your cooking to an all new high, then you will definitely want this book on your shelf. You owe it to your inner chef to give it a try. :-)
Is Charles Holcomb actually Douglas Hensley (and Pattie Hensley's husband)?.......2006-01-07
A reviewer, "Charles Holcomb", has reviewed all the books written by Douglas Hensley and Pattie Hensley. He has also reviewed several competing books -- such as this one -- and used those reviews as an opportunity to mention the "superior quality" of the book written by Douglas Hensley or Pattie Hensley. The Hensley titles are as follows:
- "Lost Stories From Hell" by Douglas Hensley
- "Magic Voodoo Spells" by Douglas Hensley
- "Hell's Gate: Terror at Bobby Mackey's Music World" by Douglas Hensley
- "Automobile Sales Training and Tips From The Pros" by Douglas Hensley
- "Book of Dreams & Dream Interpretations" by Douglas Hensley
- "Bloody Bones" by Douglas Hensley
- "Grandma's Cook Book and Recipes" by Pattie Hensley
- "Grandma's Country Recipes" by Pattie Hensley
- "Copycat Restaurant and Bakery Recipes" by Pattie Hensley
Books:
- Cat Breaking Free: A Joe Grey Mystery (Joe Grey Mysteries)
- Chasing the Dime
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
- Chosen Prey
- Crisscross: A Repairman Jack Novel (Repairman Jack)
- Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, Book 1)
- Dark Room: A Novel
- Darkly Dreaming Dexter
- DC Noir (Akashic Noir)
- Dead Days of Summer (Death on Demand)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers
- Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare
- Mediterranean Color: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Greece
- Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture
- Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Visual Mapping
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Not Quite Kosher: An Abe Lieberman Mystery
- Biltmore Estate: The Most Distinguished Private Place
- Landscape Architect's Portable Handbook
- Angela Thirkell's World: A Complete Guide to the People and Places of Baretshire
River's Edge (Cape Refuge Series #3)
Southern Storm (Cape Refuge, No. 2)
Cape Refuge (Cape Refuge, No. 1)
Private Justice (Newpointe 911 Series #1)
Line of Duty (Newpointe 911 Series #5)
