Waking up in a motel room with no memories and surrounded by dead bodies, the woman knows only to run. She does, and that night she tries to break into the hero's car but he finds her convinces her, almost extremely reluctantly, to come back with him she we can care for her wounds. The hero lives his life in complete disguise. He's actually a gargoyle and to hide his true form he wears a mask of magic and keeps his wings tightly bound. Together they go on the road to discover who the woman is and on the way learn to trust each other and confront their mutual loneliness. The hero is kindhearted to a fault and it resulted in his capture and imprisonment but a witch years ago. Though he escaped, he's still traumatized y his ordeal but it doesn't stop him from helping the woman. He's very in tune with how the woman thinks and why she thinks the way she does, so when it takes some time and a lot of effort to get her to trust him, he's patient and allows it. The heroine is possessed by a spirit who's on a murderous rage of revenge but other than that, has zero memories of her own life. She's resourceful and strong in her survival and slowly she starts to truly care for the hero even though he isn't human. When he's her and she tends to him, she isn't disguised when she discovers his wings. This is a traditional Marjorie M Liu book, meaning it has the same plot of having two strangers go on an adventure together while struggling to trust and love each other. Though I didn't feel as much love for this story as for her other books, you can't fault Mrs. Liu's writing as anything other than poetic. ( )

I can tell that I missed a book or two in between. I'm thinking that there is a book out there about Charlie, it might even be the one I have still to be read. This was a library book and it came in faster than expected in my queue. It was able to stand on its on despite these clues. Mystery was interesting, romance a little lacking, more tidbits about Dirk & Steele added. I have forgotten though if there are things I should know about Riktor. ( )

Done 3.3 stars-
A woman, wakes up to find herself in a room, filled with smoke, she is covered in blood and there are three dead men on the floor, she has a gun and a note pinned to her shirt that says 'RUN". She does and on her run she meets a man, who is not exactly like other men, he is a gargoyle, with a damaged soul. She does not remember anything before the moment she woke, but somebody is hunting her. These two lost people start a journey of death, fear, mystery and discovery.
More story based than romantic, the sex was earned not instant, the female was not an idiot, and the Gargoyle was hot, overall enjoyable. I still will not search out books by this author, she just doesn't excite my senses with her writing, but if one falls in my hands I'll probably read it someday. ( )

A good story but it was a bit long and there seemed to be some questions left unanswered or maybe I just didn't understand. ( )

I had forgotten just how much I love Marjorie M. Liu's books. This is a great addition to her Dirk and Steele series. The storyline is fast paced and the characters are enjoyable. Even the amnesia sub-plot is done well. ( )

A good story but it was a bit long and there seemed to be some questions left unanswered or maybe I just didn't understand. ( )

Amazon preorder

While the plot was interesting, it seemed to be a bit out of place with the over all flow of things in the series. Lannes may be one of my favorite Dirk & Steele heros to date. "I read a lot", indeed. ( )

Total fluff, but it passed the time while I was waiting for the tax workshop to open this morning—I mean, it's a romance novel in which the hero is a gargoyle! Can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning? Said hero—Lannes—makes the kind of deeply stupid choices that one normally expects of a heroine in a romance novel, but he's quite likeable and pretty well-adjusted despite that. (Trin: I'm sure you'll be glad to know that he drives a vintage 60s black Impala.) The plot is even more of a hot mess than is usual in Liu's books (I'm still not entirely sure how or why either the initial incident or the denouement occurred), I'm still waiting for a non-hetero couple to have an Instant Soul Bond, and the heroine seems rather a non-entity (then again, she is an amnesiac), but as mindless escapism, The Wild Road works just fine. ( )

http://rivkat.livejournal.com/222411.html#cutid1 ( )

http://totally2aymless.blogspot.com/2009/01/review-wild-road-by-marjorie-liu.htm... ( )

Really, really, really loved this book - full review at http://starfirenz.livejournal.com/468035.html ( )

Lannes is a gargoyle still dealing with trauma left over from long captivity by a witch. Claustrophobia, reluctance to be out among people, trust-issues.... But when he meets the woman with no name and no past, he feels honor-bound to help her.

Waking up bloody in a smoky hotel room with a gun and three dead men at her feet and no memory didn't leave the woman with much room for trust. But when the big man named Lannes catches her about to steal his car, she reluctantly agrees to be helped.

Now, the pair is on the run. With the help of Dirk & Steele operatives Koni & Rictor, they just might be able to elude the police - but the presence hiding in the woman's mind is bent on murder, and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop her.

Lannes is softer than Liu's usual heroes - more like a normal person, which is ironic, considering he's a gargoyle. The book's opening is intriguing, and there's certainly plenty going on, but ultimately, although more revelations are made regarding Dirk & Steele the agency, the story itself is somewhat disappointing. Well-written with good potential, the plot struggles a bit too much between suspense and romance, with too many details dependent upon other stories already told and yet to be told. I wouldn't have missed reading it, and I'll keep it, but it isn't Liu's strongest book. ( )

If you like paranormal romance and you haven't been reading Marjorie M. Liu's 'Dirk & Steele' series, you don't know what you're missing. She's created an urban fantasy/paranormal/romance series that allows her to write about everything from shapeshifters to psi-talents to gargoyles. Her latest is "The Wild Road" and once I picked it up, I just couldn't put it down...even to start "Acheron"! Now THAT'S saying something.

She wakes up with no memories, in a strange room, in a burning hotel, surrounded by three dead men and a note on her jacket reading, "RUN".

He's a gargoyle who learned to lock away his need to protect after he almost got his entire family killed by trying to help the wrong person. But something about this woman just won't let him turn away. And when his powers reveal the massive hole in her mind surrounded by a deep well of terror...he's hooked.

The action starts on page one and doesn't quit. These two are on the run and so was my heart-rate. Sexy gargoyles, nasty witches, demons, shapeshifters...what else could you possibly need? ( )