Christine Feehan – Samurai Game

The tenth book in the GhostWalker series, published July 3, 2012.
Genre: paranormal romance.



In a world so dark and seductive, expect nothing less than a triple-cross in the explosive all-new Ghostwalker novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan...

In an underground club, a high-ranking public official spends his secret nights indulging in fantasies as exciting as they are depraved. For a seductive employee of the Dungeon, it's her job to fulfill them. But she's playing a far more dangerous game -- one of blackmail, politics, and murder that reaches into the shadow world of the Ghostwalkers, and the creation of a spectacular, one-of-a-kind new weapon of defense.
But when a dictator makes his own catastrophic moves, the Ghostwalkers have no choice but to bring in two major players -- a man and woman both driven by passion and revenge. Both expendable. Both with nothing left to lose.

(Well, I am glad I did not read that blurb before starting to read the book, as it makes no sense at all).

I’ve been looking forward to the new Ghostwalker book for a long time, it is a series I absolutely love and count among my favourites. The mad and evil but very brilliant and patriotic scientist Dr. Whitney has experimented on soldiers with traces of psychic abilities, enhancing them. They were volunteers for the project, but they certainly did not volunteer for the other enhancements he gave them: mixing their DNA with animals, and mating them to one specific female.
Dr. Whitney also experimented on young girls he “acquired” as orphans, not worth anything to anyone. What he did to them, was even more horrible. Some have escaped, some he let go, and others he still has under his control, doing whatever he wishes them to do.

His own brilliant daughter, Lily, was one of them. Until she broke free from his influence with the help of Ryland, one of the soldiers, their Captain. Together they tried to expose Whitney, for the inhumane experimenting he has done and is still doing to men and women. But unfortunately, Whitney has very influential friends and allies in high places, especially the government and the militairy, meaning he can come and go as he pleases all over the world. He still has secret laboratories.
There are 4 units of GhostWalker soldiers working for the US Government, taking care of those assignments the “normal” black ops soldiers, the seals, the barets, can’t do. But now the stakes are higher for some of them, as they have found their mates. Whitney always wanted to breed with them, and he will do anything to get his hands on their children. So they have moved to a secured and protected enclave high in the mountains, where they live together, but still in their own homes. Still fighting for the government, and trying to find Whitney.

Ghost Walker team 1 has decided to buy the latest satellite from Japan, from the Yoshii family, Samurai Telecommunications. What the Ghost Walkers don’t know, even after their extensive research, is that the daughter of the family once was one of Whitney’s victims. Until he threw her carelessly away in the streets of a city in Japan. He believed that all his experimenting on her, operating without anaesthesia, would make her heart give in shortly. But Thorn, or Azami Yoshii, still lives. She was found by an honourable man, who adopted her like he did his two sons, Daiki en Eijii, and brought up to be a Samurai. They all know how to fight with all kinds of weapons, they are extremely smart, and their personnel is very loyal to them. They don’t sell their satellite to just anybody or any country, they want to meet that person first. Which means, they said no to Whitney. And now Whitney’s daughter want to buy one?

Azami has been secretly killing Whitney’s known associates, trying to put a stop to his support, giving him trouble, and hoping their contact will lead her to Whitney so she can put a permanent stop to him as well. She knows everything about the Ghostwalkers, including what their next orders will be, and that Sam “Knight” Johnson will be sacrificed to General Ezekial Ekabela of the Congo. One of the Ghostwalkers killed his brother on a mission, and in exchange for a very important diamond, Ekabela will get his revenge on a Ghostwalker.
But before Azami will tell them anything, she needs to find out if Whitney’s daughter is as bad as her father, and how her young son is treated.

What Azami does not count upon, is the instant attraction between her and Sam. Especially when on the way to the compound, they are attacked by Mexican and Irakian soldiers and mercenaries. Are they after her brother, who is supposed to be the brains behind the satellite? Sam and Azami will have to work close together to escape the trap set for them, and to kill their enemy. And while doing that, they admire the others’ skills with weapons and discover they have the same abilities. But how could Whitney have paired them off, when Azami was discarded by him long before Sam was in the program? Of course he would have had plenty of her DNA to work with. When Sam gets seriously injured, it is up to Azami to safe him.

Step by step they will find all the traitors and bring them down.


A really great book, it started and ended with some nice action scenes, which I always enjoy. The middle was kind of slow, with lots of thinking and talking and repeating again and again. Due to her background and the enormous amount of scars Azami has, she has not even been kissed before, and now Sam has fallen for her, and she for him. Being in each other’s mind really speeds up the process of getting to know each other. But Sam wants to do it the correct way, asking her brothers for permission first. Of course his friends are not so happy about it at all, they don’t really know anything about Azami. And how did she come into contact with little Daniel? Can she be trusted or not?

I liked both Azami and Sam a lot. They do work very well together, and just understand where the other has come from. Sam also did not have a great childhood, until he was taken under the wing of General Ranier when he tried to steal his car at 16. Sam doesn’t mind her scars, he loves her tattoos, and the fact that she is just as brilliant as he is, and a warrior to boot. He never went looking for a woman, never felt lacking in his life, but now that he has found her, he will not let her get away from him. And they will find a way to be together, here in the US or in Japan.
I liked it that Sam did not just dictate to Azami, or that she was fine with everything.

The only thing I thoroughly dislike about her books, is the continuing repeating of things. She is a warrior, a sumarai. I think that has been mentioned dozens of times. She was operated upon, discarded, not worthy of love, etc. I know that when you tell me once, or perhaps twice, please don’t keep telling me!

For the rest, I love the story, the characters, the plot, the humor. All the familiar characters who make a new appearance in the new book, finding out what happened after their own story was finished. Yes, there are some lengthy and hot love scenes as well.

I do recommend this series to lovers of paranormal romance, and am already looking forward to the next book, and finding out what horrible things Whitney is doing in the name of patriotism and science.

9 stars.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian