Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters)

Also recommended: Dark Destiny by none other than Christine Feehan and Fire In The Ice by Katlyn Stewart


Next instalment of the Drake Sisters story   July 1, 2005
 25 out of 27 found this review helpful

The third daughter in the magical Drake family, Abigail, has an affinity with things of the sea and travels the world, studying dolphins. Her other stronger magical ability is to have people admit their secrets and she can detect the truth in what they say. This hasn't made her many friends over her lifetime, but it has been the linchpin in her relationship with Alexsandr Volstov, whom she met and loved in Russia 4 years before the opening of this book. Alexsandr is an agent investigating a series of international thefts from Russia, which Abbey senses, is not all he is in America for. And she is right - Alexsandr has long realised that he cannot live without her, and while he hates the danger that Abbey is in when she witnesses a murder at the opening of the tale, he cannot but help take advantage of the opportunity to be with her again.

The novel is filled with magic, sisterhood and a good thumping suspense / adventure. The action scenes are strongly drawn, and I especially enjoyed the catching up with the baddies at the end of the tale. I am a long admirer of Feehan, and especially enjoy her 'Dark' series. So far for me the Drake Sisters have not quite measured up to them, and in these tales Feehan's affinity for the dramatic sometimes leads to over flowery prose. It lacks the vitality of all characters that I've found in the dark series - in the Drake Sisters the focus is on the sisters relationship and that of the central male and female - the men from the previous 2 stories are omitted entirely, although the women are not. I'm also pretty sure that a hardened agent wouldn't speak so openly of his emotions and feelings, nor would the male sheriff be as openly affectionate and forthcoming to the sisters. This is necessary to forward the plot, as mostly it is the two men that have knowledge of the events to carry the story forward. That said, the strong female characters, bonding between the sisters, magic and steamy scenes make up in some way for these niggles.


Same old, same old!   June 25, 2005
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

I have been a Christine Feehan fan ever since I read "Dark Prince," the first novel in the "Carpathian" series. Over the last few years, I read every one of those books and found them to be way above average - some are really outstanding. Thus, I was disappointed by the mediocre quality of "Oceans of Fire," the third book in the Drake Sister series. I have not read the first two, nor do I plan to do so now. This one lacks the depth, drama and intensity of Ms. Feehan's "Dark" novels, and while some of the characters are quirky and fun, they lack the complexity and originality I have come to expect from the author's personages. Also, I fear that she is becoming formulaic in her approach to fiction. This is a much lighter work than the Dark novels, but it still has much in common with them, and reminds me a bit of Nora Roberts' "Three Sisters Island Trilogy."

The Drake sisters number seven, and all have unique magical powers. "Oceans of Fire" features sister number three, Abigail Drake, a more introspective young woman than her siblings. She is most at home in the ocean and has always had an affinity for the water, sea life, and dolphins in particular. She has dedicated herself and her work, (a Ph.D. in marine biology), to the study of these small cetaceans. Abigail also has the ability to detect lies. This is her magical gift. She is not comfortable with her special talents, however, and is also quite insecure, partially because she had her heart broken by a Russian Interpol-type, covert agent, Alexsandr Volstov, four years before.

One day, swimming along the coast of her home in Sea Haven, California, Abigail, and her dolphin friends, witness a murder. She attempts to rescue a second man, a friend of hers who is an innocent bystander. He is shot and wounded, apparently because he was a witness to the crime. As Abbey goes to his aid, she is spotted by the bad guys and becomes a target for hungry sharks, both human and fish. She doesn't know this, but the perpetrators are members of the Russian mafia who are being pursued by Alexsandr Volstov. Small world! So there's some excitement, the damsel is rescued by her hero, who has never stopped loving her, etc.. Same old, same old.

This is not a bad book. If you are a die hard Christine Feehan fan, you will probably like it. And that's OK. For me there's nothing here that has not already been written many, many times before by this author and others. I have to go with a 2 Star rating = below average for redundancy. The least I can hope for in a new book is well written original material.
JANA