I haven't been able to get through an Anne Rice book in years. I was so swept away by the dark worlds of "Interview with a Vampire", "Vampire Lestat", "Queen of the Damned" "Witching Hour", and her erotica under the pen name Ann Roquelaire. But there were many others I started and could not get through. (Violin, Pandora, Black and Gold) She needs to let someone edit her books!

Happily, "Blackwood Farm" has been my re-introduction to this wonderful writer. It is a ghost story, but so much more, with appearances by Lestat, and the Mayfair witches.  It may at times, lack a certain poetry in the writing that she is so adept at, but that is more than made up for by the pacing of the story, and the tale told is a fascinating one, that had me excited to see what would happen next.

There are three books in this series so far, and they are all wonderful.  Debbie Macomber is great at writing, and I use her books for a model in my own writing.  I have never seen more well-developed characters.  It's as if they are living and breathing in Cedar Cove, Washington.  Take a look, they are a good read!

I bought this book for my husband for Christmas, but I also wanted to read it.  It is a tale written in 3 parts.  Part 1 is briefly about the life of the 15th Duke of Darnley.  Into his life steps Meridith, who claims he knows a secret about the 13th Duke of Darnley.  They meet later and he briefly tells him a tale and then hands him a journal.  The 3rd part is the journal of the 13th Duke who has been transformed into a werewolf.  Darnley at first is overjoyed at being a werewolf and his "human" days are spent as eccentric as his once-a-month transformation.  He does everything he can to ensure that he does not hurt anyone but still...there are human deaths.  The thrid part of the story is about how Meridith let Darnley into his home BEOFRE he knew about the werewolf status.  Darnley freaks out because the full moon will occur that night.  He sends Meridith to get his journal, delays and a long trip cause Meridith to not get back until the moon has risen.  He reads the journal on the way and even before he sees the destruction he knows what caused the commotion at his house while he was away.  Only a servant is dead, but Meridith now has to hunt his friend.  His wife had gotten scratched that night by either Darnley or a knife she used to defend her and her baby.  Meridith gets scratched by Darnley days later during a fight and is not sure if the werewolf disease can be transferred while Darnley is in human form.  There is a very poignant moment, and very tense, in waiting for the next full moon as Meridith and his wife sit and face each other waiting to see who will change.  They sit across from each with shotguns knowing that they have to shoot each other if a transformation occurs.

 

Very intense read!  It is interesting to read the werewolf's point of view instead the view of a hunter or non-werewolf.