Judith Ann McDowell

Masterful storytelling! This book was a surprise for me. I was expecting a paranormal romance with some untidy bits. What I got was a compelling, exciting, tension filled, terrorizing, atmospheric paranormal horror, romance thriller. Hot biscuits! How did the author manages to pull this off?
Well she thought up a story that grips you from the start, locates it in an area steep with mystery and adds a cast of characters that are well written. Then adds surprises.
First surprise two of the main characters, (Jack and Donovan), are male friends/partners who aren't gay. I really love how the author portrayed this friendship between partners. The banter and love between them was exactly the type I see and hear between my brothers and their best friends. Second surprise she was able to make me sympathetic to the rougarou. Since he viciously murders a child, (actually two), as well as a dog, (I am a dog lover), I would not think it possible for me to feel any sympathy for him. Yet I did. Kudos Judith Ann Mcdowell. Along with the rougarou is Chandra. The woman who is the center of the romance in this book. The mixed feelings that Jack had were, in my opinion, accurate. As was the grief experienced by the murdered girls parents. Each of these characters are well written as are the supporting characters.
The author painted scenery with her words. You can feel the heat from the Bayou and picture the creepy mansion as well as the cave. You feel the eyes watching you as you venture into the mansion.
Though the story flips from now to flashbacks, back to now and off again and a few times scenes changed abruptly I felt the author kept the story flowing at the perfect pace.
Due to language, graphic violence and sex I would recommend the book to adults.… (mehr)

Amazing sequel. The father of the rougarou, (werewolf), arrives with family members to seek revenge for his son. He turns his grandson into a rougarou. His son plans to come back by taking over the soul of the unborn child of the detective who killed him. Will the rougarou family win? Or will the good spirits be able to stop the plans and bind the rougarous to await their return to God? I was glued to this story! The author weaves a story of romance and horror. She has the amazing ability of making you feel the pain of those you want to hate. The tension does not let up as the horror builds and the body count rises.

Graphic violence, adult themes and rough language makes this a book I recommend to adults who are not opposed to reading books containing these.… (mehr)

I have been making my way through this author's books. Judith Ann McDowell is one talented writer. I have read 5 of 6 books and not been disappointed. This book takes me back to my childhood where tales of haunted houses and supernatural beings were common. My aunts used to gather up all the kids and take us on a haunted drive. We would be huddled in the back seat scared out of our minds yet determined to see a haunt. When we would get close to a haunting and my aunts would start screaming which set us off. We never really saw anything but we went home terrified and happy. That is the experience of this story. I think most adult readers will find it reminiscent of childhood tales of haunts and bad witches. Younger readers, (might be too much for children), will enjoy being scared by this tale of a haunting.
I was told the author wrote this based off of actual events that happened to her family. Now don't go thinking Amityville. It is not like that. I think that it coming from a real event made it more like the stories of haunted places I grew up around. It is a familiar feeling of terror mixed with the strength of love and family. The author mixes real horror with imagination and you come away feeling satisfied. You had a good time.
There is a mature subject matter involved that would make me hesitate to read it to a child, (jars of deformed fetuses, abortion and children experimented on for the purpose of medical advancement). So please take that into consideration when looking for the YA and below crowd. The main characters, though, are in high school so teens will be able to relate to them. In this age of electronics and every space being filled, children, I fear, are missing out on a wonderful part of childhood...haunts. It is difficult to find a neighborhood haunted house. It is not so common to hear whispers of strange happenings in our communities. The Hay Fort has it waiting for them to experience. So come along, huddled around a campfire and read this aloud. It is guaranteed to bring about some chills, terror and loads of fun.

Mature subject matter and language.… (mehr)

This book was an emotional one. I was all over the board reading it. At times I wanted to spank Jessie at other times I wanted to wrap my arms around her. The story stays true to young love which can be a very selfish love. It was something I found immensely intriguing. It is set back in time when young people married early. So many romance books have it set with a more mature type love that I had never really given thought to what it really may have been like. Teens are selfish even in the best of times. Many are possessive. Many believe the world wraps around them. This is why they can meltdown quicker than ice cream in hell and why they act rashly. The author does not sugar coat that. I thought it was a realistic look at young, ill fated, rash love. The stuff some young girls run into and then find themselves jumping from the frying pan into the fire. I think I enjoyed this story so much more than I would have if the author had made Jessie cry about others. While Jessie acknowledged a couple of times that she knew she was wrong, just as a teen would do, she kept going. She believed her love would make everyone accept her love of a Native. That was so not going to happen back then. Her thought pattern all the way through stayed true of an immature teen who matures due to extreme circumstances. I had a hard time with really liking Jessie, maybe because the Native part of me kept screaming, "she is endangering the entire tribe!What is wrong with her!" But what was wrong with her was love and immaturity. That is a volatile combination. Which, in this story, it did explode. I read through the story fairly fast as I was invested in it early on. Meeting Jessie after she had been forced to mature let me invest in her like I would a family member who annoys me. I am hoping to read more of this story. Not only what happens with Tia but I would also like to read the story of Jessie's mom and aunt. I found them fascinating. Both of them were strong yet weak women who kind of balanced each other. I think it would be interesting to read how they came to be that way and how they chose the men and lives they did.
This is the story of teen love, pregnancy and no marriage permitted. While the subject is heavy I think teens, (13 ), would be fine reading it. Reading it with your teen could open the door to discussions of runaway feelings that left unchecked could have dire consequences. I recommend it not only for that reason but also because it is a realistic romance.… (mehr)