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Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Passion

by Donna Boyd, R. Montanari
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Overview

In finely crafted prose and lush detail, Donna Boyd weaves a spell-binding tapestry of romance and suspense set against richly imagined landscapes of sensuousness. An intense saga of love and betrayal, The Passion is a story of those who walk the fine line between man beast.

On the eve of a brutal murder in contemporary Manhattan, Alexander Devoncroix finally reveals to his son and heir a tightly guarded chapter in the family history, which is know to no outsiders.

In a world in which a superior race of werewolved holds the positions of power, human and werewolf segregation had become the norm. But for the first time, the leaders of the pack have accepted a human. In dazzling nineteenth century Paris, we meet three pivotal players: the young human Tessa LeGuerre, who falls under the spell of a very powerful, very sensual werewolf; Alexander Devoncroix, the charismatic werewolf who adores humans too well, but whose ultimate loyalty is to the pack; and Elise, the imperial pack leader who lays claim to Alexander. Beloved "pet" of select members of the pack, Tessa naively embraces all things werewolf—an ambition that results in unspeakable tragedy.

Chances are, you've met one. You've passed him on the street and looked away to avoid his mesmerizing gaze. You've hurried on to resist his aura of power, your senses weakened, your face flushed and your mind cloudy. That is the lure of his world. And for the first time, you're invited to witness the passion...

THE PASSION is an erotic and intense saga of love and betrayal; a story of those who walk the line between man and beast. On the eve of a brutal murder deep in the quiet elegance of contemporary Manhattan, Alexander Devoncroix, retired ruler of the pack, realizes he has done his son and heir a terrible disservice. He has kept a secret for far too long, and his knowledge may have resulted in death and possibly murder. To unlock the mystery surrounding the gruesome crime, Alexander must finally reveal a tightly guarded chapter in the Devoncroix family history.

We call them werewolves. And in a world in which they hold the positions of power, human and werewolf segregation had become the norm. But for the first time, a human has been accepted by the leaders of the pack. In dazzling nineteenth-century Paris, we meet three pivotal players: the young human Tessa LeGuerre, who falls under the spell of a very powerful, very sensual werewolf; Alexander Devoncroix, the charismatic werewolf who adores humans too well, but whose loyalty is to the pack; and Elise, the imperial leader of the pack who lays claim to Alexander. Beloved "pet" of select members of the pack, Tessa naively embraces all things werewolf an ambition that results in unspeakable tragedy.

Synopsis

Debut novelist Donna Boyd does for werewolves what Anne Rice did for vampires in this exciting tale of a gifted writer who has created a species of superior creatures and a richly imagined world and lifestyle that is all at once believable and absorbing and that will enthrall readers from the very first page.

Publishers Weekly

It's not easy to do for werewolves what Anne Rice did for vampires, but Boyd seems determined to try in her romantic saga about the hidden world of the loup-garou. After the violent murder of three werewolves in Manhattan, Alexander Devoncroix realizes he must tell his sonheir to his leadership of the packthe story of his own disastrous love for a human. In a flashback to 1897 Paris, 28-year-old Tessa LeGuerre attempts to kill Alexander in revenge for his having let her father die on an expedition in the American wilderness. She fails and falls in love with Alexander, while he introduces her to the world of werewolveswho, neither half-wolf nor half-human, are superior animals who designed the pyramids, live hundred of years and secretly control human civilization. As Tessa comes to appreciate werewolf arrogance toward mere humanity, Alexander introduces her to the werewolf queen Elise, and Tessa becomes enmeshed in the evil plots of Alexander's brother Deniswith terrible consequences for everyone involved. There is as much of Beauty and the Beast in this story as there is of Rice's vampire world, but the Passion itself (the werewolf's greatest pleasure and weakness) provides a strong erotic punch. (Apr.)

About the Author, Donna Boyd

Donna Boyd lives in the mountains of North Georgia.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

It's not easy to do for werewolves what Anne Rice did for vampires, but Boyd seems determined to try in her romantic saga about the hidden world of the loup-garou. After the violent murder of three werewolves in Manhattan, Alexander Devoncroix realizes he must tell his sonheir to his leadership of the packthe story of his own disastrous love for a human. In a flashback to 1897 Paris, 28-year-old Tessa LeGuerre attempts to kill Alexander in revenge for his having let her father die on an expedition in the American wilderness. She fails and falls in love with Alexander, while he introduces her to the world of werewolveswho, neither half-wolf nor half-human, are superior animals who designed the pyramids, live hundred of years and secretly control human civilization. As Tessa comes to appreciate werewolf arrogance toward mere humanity, Alexander introduces her to the werewolf queen Elise, and Tessa becomes enmeshed in the evil plots of Alexander's brother Deniswith terrible consequences for everyone involved. There is as much of Beauty and the Beast in this story as there is of Rice's vampire world, but the Passion itself (the werewolf's greatest pleasure and weakness) provides a strong erotic punch. (Apr.)

Kirkus Reviews

A horror/love story dealing with werewolves and offering some of the density of background found in the best vampire fiction. Opening with a quickly satisfying weave, this talented newcomer though never as stylish as Angela Carter (the incomparable wolf, werewolf, and Beauty and the Beast tales of Burning Your Boats, etc.), does know how to keep a tale moving. Boydþs tale begins when a massacre of three distinguished werewolves in a Fifth Avenue mansion prompts elderly, charismatic pack leader Alexander Devoncroix, now 120 years old, to tell his son, Nicholas Antonov Devoncroix, the full story behind the werewolf-owned, $30-billion financial and industrial Devoncroix Corporation. Back in the 1890s, it seems, Alexander fell in love with a human, Tessa LeGuerre, who tried to murder him in his bed but then was taken under his wing, made his ward, and eventually was brought to know the hidden werewolf society as no other human knew it. Werewolves in human form, she discovered, run much of the world, having made most of the great advances in science and technology. And they try, despite provocations, to coexist quietly with the far less intelligent human species. Tessa also learns that the act of transformation from human to werewolf—known as "the passion"þis a uniquely transcendent experience. A human-werewolf hybrid cannot exist in nature: The sex act would be too powerful for a human female to sustain, since during werewolf sex the total life-experience of each partner is exchanged in orgasm. This forbidden love, Tessa is warned, would turn her to cinders. As Boyd spins out her novel, werewolf society is split between the Devoncroix and the Siberian-based DarkBrotherhood, led by Alexander's brother Denis, who wants to rid the world entirely of pathetic, useless Homo sapiens and let werewolves rule supreme. However, human-hating Denis himself falls in love with Tessa.

Book Details

Published
September 1, 1999
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Pages
416
Format
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN
9780380790944

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