Immortal Bride

by Lisa Childs

For generations, local residents have whispered about an evil menace lurking near the shore of the Lake of Tears. The recent murder of landowner Damien Gray's bride, Olivia, confirms the worst. Now, confused and heartbroken, Olivia's spirit survives death and seeks vengeance upon the man she desired more than life itself, the man she now suspects was her killer—Damien.

But an angry shaman has his own vicious agenda, one that will bring Damien to understand his Native ancestry. Steamy passion and ancient vendettas will draw them ever deeper into a drama of a family's legacy, murder and a love so strong it can withstand even death.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Nocturne, Paranormal

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2010

About the author

Born one dark and stormy Halloween night, Lisa Childs was predestined to write suspense novels. She loves spinning dark and twisty stories that keep readers awake because they’re either too busy turning pages or too scared to sleep. Lisa Childs is the prolific author of more than seventy published novels. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance.

Lisa loves to hear from readers who can contact her on Facebook or through her website.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

well , someone has to tell the female writers there is a way difference between the romantic stories and the fantasia or fiction stories , and even when collect them in one idea must have a fantasia as much a romantic .
so far this person will be me , because this a Stereotyped romantic story with a happy end , no characters , no plot , no real happening and of course no fantasia .
bad book in my opinion .

[Elexis Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was tedious and predictable, packed with stereotypes and dialogue that would never really be spoken by anyone. But it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read.
The Native American legend at the heart of it is interesting, in and of itself, but it was repeated far too often by so many characters with the exact same words.
And the debate over who would chase down the bad guy and who would stay with the wounded dragged out so fucking long that the bad guy 100% would have escaped.
Not to mention the absolute nightmare the court system and medical professionals would face at the end trying to figure out what the fuck happened so they could proceed accordingly. But I guess that's to be expected when spirits get involved.
The characters were pretty consistent, though. Other than the dialogue, they conducted themselves about like real people would, flaws and personal biases included.

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great premise for a book and could have been a bit better than it was. Olivia is dead and seeking revenge for her death. Her mysterious husband may or may not be the killer. The scenes and writing were erotic/sensuous, the flashbacks of their relationship and interactions very good. The rest of the book fell a bit flat. There were some inelegant jumps in the narrative and plotting (like when Damien who is arrested arrives at the right moment to save Olivia's mother, ect) that are cheesy. The crime/mystery aspect is weaker. There is a subplot of Damien's first wife who also died under mysterious circumstances which I would have liked to have fleshed out more. Child is good at atmosphere though, that's the strongest part of the book.

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars
My main problem with this book was the ending so it ruined the book for me

[Sandy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve not read Lisa Childs before and because she writes Nocturnes, which is my favorite Silhouette line, and I have several of her books in the TBR pile, I opted for this one first since I haven’t read a ghost story in a while. I’m very pleasantly surprised. We get two ghosts, a love of a lifetime, and a twist at the end that keeps you guessing. Just my kind of book.

Damien is still grieving over the loss of his wife during their honeymoon. Her body has never been found, for she rests at the bottom of the Lake of Tears. He doesn’t come back to their lakeside home that often, but when he does he’s drawn to the shore where Olivia died.

And that is where his loving wife is waiting for him, waiting to make him pay for taking her life. Confused as to why her husband would want her dead, she makes her way into their home to take care of her unfinished business, but what she sees and hears makes her question Damien’s guilt.

As these two become aware of each other again, Damien finally seeing his ghostly wife and Olivia seeing Damien as a wife should, they have a very different spirit working against them. An angry, ancient shaman of Damien’s people is out for his own revenge for what he believes he lost to Damien’s ancestor. They must work together to defeat the specter’s evil and finally let Olivia rest in peace.

I like how Ms. Childs slowly works Olivia back into Damien’s life, a flash here, a movement there, a feeling once or twice, until he finally convinces himself she truly is with him. And then his disbelief when he learns Olivia blames him for her demise is also well done. Though Olivia does come close to exacting her revenge, once she spends more time with Damien she realizes he really did and does love her. I think she’s able to see it so clearly so quickly because she always believed it, death just got in the way for a while.

The ending came as a surprise, but when all is said and done, not much else could have happened in unraveling the mystery surrounding the Lake of Tears and the shaman. And there’s also an extra surprise just because this is a paranormal story and romance at its best when it comes to HEA. A solid, enjoyable read, and I’m ready to find the rest of Ms. Childs’ books in that old TBR pile.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com

[Les Chroniques Aléatoires · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dans la collection Nocturne chez Harlequin, il y a vraiment de tout et pour tous les goûts. Là pour le coup, je suis tombée au hasard dessus et au final j’ai été agréablement surprise. Le résumé étant banal, il ne donnait pas vraiment envie de lire. Le tour de force de Lisa Childs, c’est qu’elle arrive à nous faire continuer la lecture même si on trouve rapidement l’identité du tueur et que l’histoire est du vu et revu.

Damien est un des derniers indiens de sa tribu et surtout descendant de sorciers puissants ! Il a par conséquent des pouvoirs surnaturels bien qu’il les renie et qu’il reste très terre à terre. Cependant lorsqu’il pense voir sa femme sur les bords du lac, il est heureux d’avoir ces pouvoirs. C’est un homme sûr de lui, qui a réussit en partant de rien et qui au final a presque tout perdu lorsque sa femme est morte. Il s’est replié sur lui-même et est devenu une personne amère et solitaire.

Olivia avait pas mal de secret et elle n’est pas la seule héroïne du livre mais si j’en dis plus là-dessus, ça gâche toute l’histoire. L’intérêt du livre est justement ce soit disant fantôme et tout ce qui tourne autour de sa mort. Les personnages secondaires sont intéressants et permettent d’étayer un peu l’intrigue. Le récit est plein de rebondissements et le rythme élevé des actions permet de ne pas s’ennuyer et d’avoir une lecture agréable.

C’est sûr que ce n’est pas le livre de l’année, mais ça reste tout de même une bonne petite romance ésotérique, avec une touche de mythologie indienne. Ça change pas mal de ce qu’on lit habituellement et ça permet de passer une petite après-midi sympathiquement !

[Sandra Dagg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I've written this review....rural wi-fi sucks big time folks...sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't! Anyhow, I started this book this afternoon and finished this evening, so a quick read, not only because of the number of pages, but because it was too good to put down! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and would definitely read it again. I really liked the two main characters, and the Native American legend woven through the story was very cool! Would recommend to anyone who likes Paranormal Romance, with some suspense thrown in as well...great book!

[Amelia in PDX · Rating 4 out of 5]

His wife has been dead for 6 months, but she now seems more real than when she was alive. But whomever killed her, his second wife, is now trying to kill him. Not only was she his second bride to be kiiled, but she was also pregnant, as was his first wife. Someone doesn't want him to be happy or to have a family.... see if you can figure who it is.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book and sighed, the love was fantastic but the defeat of the bad guy was so not what I was looking for. This story was sad overall with a happy ending tacked on but overall a really good read.

[Stacie]

Damien Grays bride is murdered but he keeps seeing her spirit. Olivia's spirit survives death and wants vengeance on Damien because she believes that he was the one to kill her.

[WereVamps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my review at: http://werevampsromance.blogspot.com/

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could figure out who done it within 3 chapters and I'm not very good at guessing mysteries.