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The Visitor
Lightning split the night
A land of make-believe
As she drove through Klausberg, Germany, vivid images jarred Delanie Morgen's concentration. Visions of sinister fairy tales invaded her senses as the dense, barren forest came alive.
A dark prince
Through the blinding rain, he stood stranded on the deserted road. A dashing prince waiting for his lady. His name was Rondel Marcos and as Delanie looked into his eyes, every nerve ending in her body went on red alert.
Who was this man who appeared out of nowhere? And, trapped in a land of ancient folklore, what would Delanie do when she found out?
A land of make-believe
As she drove through Klausberg, Germany, vivid images jarred Delanie Morgen's concentration. Visions of sinister fairy tales invaded her senses as the dense, barren forest came alive.
A dark prince
Through the blinding rain, he stood stranded on the deserted road. A dashing prince waiting for his lady. His name was Rondel Marcos and as Delanie looked into his eyes, every nerve ending in her body went on red alert.
Who was this man who appeared out of nowhere? And, trapped in a land of ancient folklore, what would Delanie do when she found out?
- GenresRomance
248 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
15 people want to read
About the author
Jenna Ryan
105 books129 followersJenna Ryan was born in Victoria, British Columbia. After long stints in different cities across Canada, she returned home to Vancouver Island where she has lived ever since. She has had thirty-one books published in the Harlequin Intrigue series. Her ideas come from real life, and she is helped in her writing by her sister Kathy.
She enjoys reading and is a big fan of women's fiction, psychological suspense and mystery novels. She also enjoys watching classic suspense movies. She loves strong heroines, heroes with character, romance stories and a good whodunit by the fire on a rainy night.
Her heritage is a blend of English and Irish — which is probably where the gift of blarney comes from. She is unmarried, but involved with a wonderful man. She also has a little white cat named Sheena.
Whenever she is not writing, she travels as much as time and finances will allow. After North America, Europe is her favorite continent to explore, because it was in those countries that many of the myths and legends she drew upon in her early years of writing were born.
Growing up, she considered various careers and dabbled in several of them, including, after university, the travel industry, tourism, sales and modeling. Work in the fashion industry in Toronto and Montreal gave her an interesting peek into various aspects of that world. She learned that where money, power and people come together, there will always be unpredictability — an element she feels is essential to a strong mystery. Add a healthy measure of personal conflict, an intriguing setting and a spicy romance into the mix, and you have the ingredients for what she believes to be the best of all possible stories — a great romantic suspense.
She enjoys reading and is a big fan of women's fiction, psychological suspense and mystery novels. She also enjoys watching classic suspense movies. She loves strong heroines, heroes with character, romance stories and a good whodunit by the fire on a rainy night.
Her heritage is a blend of English and Irish — which is probably where the gift of blarney comes from. She is unmarried, but involved with a wonderful man. She also has a little white cat named Sheena.
Whenever she is not writing, she travels as much as time and finances will allow. After North America, Europe is her favorite continent to explore, because it was in those countries that many of the myths and legends she drew upon in her early years of writing were born.
Growing up, she considered various careers and dabbled in several of them, including, after university, the travel industry, tourism, sales and modeling. Work in the fashion industry in Toronto and Montreal gave her an interesting peek into various aspects of that world. She learned that where money, power and people come together, there will always be unpredictability — an element she feels is essential to a strong mystery. Add a healthy measure of personal conflict, an intriguing setting and a spicy romance into the mix, and you have the ingredients for what she believes to be the best of all possible stories — a great romantic suspense.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 28, 2017
Delanie Morgen and Professor Gerald Nagel are in the forest of the Harz Mountains, in Germany. The professor believes in the Story of The Visitor (a fairy tale-folklore myth told by people in the mountains of Germany which may have to do with the devil himself.) The professor has been looking into a series of murders that happened recently that are similar to the pattern of The Visitor. Is it a serial killer, or Satan himself commanding his demons to kill? Along the way Delanie and the professor meet handsome Rondel Marcos (an acquaintance of the professor). He agrees to help them out. Then the professor disappears…
This was a fun and crazy read but the storyline was confusing at times. I liked Delanie. She was a radiologist from Portland, Maine, who was bored with her job. She met the professor who offered her a job as his assistant and she has been working for him for half a year. She also “feels” things, (which is why the professor wanted her help). The professor tells her she is “a sensitive”. Delanie can touch something and feelings/words come into her mind. I also liked Rondel. He was handsome, mysterious. And he also has psychic abilities. A relative of his in the village is an old and powerful witch. (It was hinted at a few times in the book that Delanie and Rondel may also be witches, or have witches' powers.) They made a good couple but the romance was in the background, this book was more focused on the suspense. The rest of the cast of characters/suspects were interesting. I really enjoyed the Game/tests Delanie and Rondel had to do near the end of the book to free the “angel” (professor).
Another unusual, strange, and unique read by Jenna Ryan with demons, dark castles, chanting witches, and great atmosphere.
This was a fun and crazy read but the storyline was confusing at times. I liked Delanie. She was a radiologist from Portland, Maine, who was bored with her job. She met the professor who offered her a job as his assistant and she has been working for him for half a year. She also “feels” things, (which is why the professor wanted her help). The professor tells her she is “a sensitive”. Delanie can touch something and feelings/words come into her mind. I also liked Rondel. He was handsome, mysterious. And he also has psychic abilities. A relative of his in the village is an old and powerful witch. (It was hinted at a few times in the book that Delanie and Rondel may also be witches, or have witches' powers.) They made a good couple but the romance was in the background, this book was more focused on the suspense. The rest of the cast of characters/suspects were interesting. I really enjoyed the Game/tests Delanie and Rondel had to do near the end of the book to free the “angel” (professor).
Another unusual, strange, and unique read by Jenna Ryan with demons, dark castles, chanting witches, and great atmosphere.
July 23, 2016
So you think The Visitor is just another typical, run-of-the-mill romance novel where a guy meets a girl, they fall in love, have problems that aren't too weird, and live happily ever after once they've solved the mystery-of-the-week. You could be forgiven for thinking this. After all, it's a Harlequin book and not "Gone With the Wind" or "Wuthering Heights". And maybe in the hands of a different author, the story would be just that. But this is Jenna Ryan, who adheres to the standard Harlequin formula the way NASCAR drivers adhere to the posted speed limit.
The back of the book certainly doesn't do the story any favors, implying that female lead Delanie Morgan exists solely to get swept up in the arms of Portuguese expatriate Rondel Marcos, and thoroughly fails to mention anything actually having to do with the plot. Let's correct that little issue, shall we?
Far from simply being the plaything of another man, Delanie has come to Klausberg to assist Professor Gerald Nagel, a kindly old scholar-cum-detective who's investigating serial killings. The slayings follow a ritualistic pattern established in an ancient piece of German folklore known as The Story of the Visitor. It's a dark tale involving demons and devils walking the earth under the command of the Visitor, whom we across the pond would more readily recognize as Lucifer, Satan, or the like.
But even Hell's primarch has to follow the rules, so the Visitor must kidnap an angel and put said angel's two companions to the test in a series of temptations. If the companions can overcome the six temptations, the angel will be released and the Visitor gets sent back to perdition to try again in another one hundred years. If the Visitor succeeds...well, let's not discuss depressing things like that.
Still think The Visitor sounds like your average Harlequin story?
Ryan's tale crackles with action and suspense, pitting her protagonists up against a series of mysteries and challenges that force them to question exactly what they know about reality. There's a group of crazies all hanging out in a creepy old castle, Rondel's ancestry includes a full-fledged witch who honestly believes she can perform real magic, and naturally there's all that talk of demons walking the earth and tormenting people. But for all the bluster about devils and angels and psychic powers, there's got to be a logical explanation for it, doesn't there?
I'm not saying. I will say that fans of old school Doctor Who will be in for a charming surprise, and that as long as you go with the flow and don't try to overthink the story, you'll have just as much fun reading it as I did, and maybe as much fun as Ms. Ryan obviously had writing it. It's not a Doctor Who story, but take a closer look at a certain scarf-clad professor's mannerisms and you'll see Tom Baker's teeth 'n curls all over him. :)
Long story short, this book is nothing like what comes to mind when someone says "Harlequin romance novel." It's got a great cast of characters, an exciting and unique plot, suspense, some brutal killings, and a healthy dose of the supernatural. If all you're looking for in your fiction is pregnant secretaries, Navy SEALs, cowboys or billionaire Greek tycoons with more money than sense, then Jenna Ryan probably isn't the author for you--she's far more intelligent than that. On the other hand, if you like a well-crafted story that balances humor with seriousness, the mundane with the absurd, then the Visitor would be more than happy to welcome you to the game at hand.
Are you ready to play?
The back of the book certainly doesn't do the story any favors, implying that female lead Delanie Morgan exists solely to get swept up in the arms of Portuguese expatriate Rondel Marcos, and thoroughly fails to mention anything actually having to do with the plot. Let's correct that little issue, shall we?
Far from simply being the plaything of another man, Delanie has come to Klausberg to assist Professor Gerald Nagel, a kindly old scholar-cum-detective who's investigating serial killings. The slayings follow a ritualistic pattern established in an ancient piece of German folklore known as The Story of the Visitor. It's a dark tale involving demons and devils walking the earth under the command of the Visitor, whom we across the pond would more readily recognize as Lucifer, Satan, or the like.
But even Hell's primarch has to follow the rules, so the Visitor must kidnap an angel and put said angel's two companions to the test in a series of temptations. If the companions can overcome the six temptations, the angel will be released and the Visitor gets sent back to perdition to try again in another one hundred years. If the Visitor succeeds...well, let's not discuss depressing things like that.
Still think The Visitor sounds like your average Harlequin story?
Ryan's tale crackles with action and suspense, pitting her protagonists up against a series of mysteries and challenges that force them to question exactly what they know about reality. There's a group of crazies all hanging out in a creepy old castle, Rondel's ancestry includes a full-fledged witch who honestly believes she can perform real magic, and naturally there's all that talk of demons walking the earth and tormenting people. But for all the bluster about devils and angels and psychic powers, there's got to be a logical explanation for it, doesn't there?
I'm not saying. I will say that fans of old school Doctor Who will be in for a charming surprise, and that as long as you go with the flow and don't try to overthink the story, you'll have just as much fun reading it as I did, and maybe as much fun as Ms. Ryan obviously had writing it. It's not a Doctor Who story, but take a closer look at a certain scarf-clad professor's mannerisms and you'll see Tom Baker's teeth 'n curls all over him. :)
Long story short, this book is nothing like what comes to mind when someone says "Harlequin romance novel." It's got a great cast of characters, an exciting and unique plot, suspense, some brutal killings, and a healthy dose of the supernatural. If all you're looking for in your fiction is pregnant secretaries, Navy SEALs, cowboys or billionaire Greek tycoons with more money than sense, then Jenna Ryan probably isn't the author for you--she's far more intelligent than that. On the other hand, if you like a well-crafted story that balances humor with seriousness, the mundane with the absurd, then the Visitor would be more than happy to welcome you to the game at hand.
Are you ready to play?
October 14, 2021
If your looking for a book that intrigues you this one is it. I didn't think I would like it but I couldn't put it down. However I found I got lost a few times and felt it dragged on. Still a not bad read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews