The Beast Within

by Lisa Renee Jones

Book Overview

ONLY PASSION CAN SOOTHE THE BEAST WITHIN... Known only as Jag, he leads the Knights of White against the soulless Darkland Beasts who took his wife and his life. Jag is immortal, destined to live with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373617755
• ISBN13: 9780373617753
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Steamy romance with a paranormal flair

Jag is the leader of the Knights of White, a group of immortals who fight against the Darkland Beasts. Jag has a personal vendetta against the beasts that killed his wife and ultimately took his soul. He chose to fight for good over evil, so his soul was restored thus he became a Knight. He is practically fearless; however, a dream woman has him questioning himself. She tempts THE BEAST WITHIN like no one has before. When he meets her in real life, he knows he is going to be tested to his limits. Who is this woman and what power does she have over him? Will she bring out his beast and take his soul? Karen Gibson always on the move trying to find the place where she belongs. When tragedy strikes, she hurries home to her sister, Eva. Eva appears to have been attacked by some kind of beast. Karen has heard the stories of the Darkland Beasts, but knows that those are just myths. When she is told that the only person able to help her sister resides at the Jaguar Ranch, she remembers the stories said that the warriors who fought the beasts lived there. If her sister was truly attacked by a beast, then this ranch might be her only salvation. Upon their arrival at the ranch, she meets a man that she has seen before in her dreams. Is she going crazy? Do beasts exist or is it just the evil in men? Lisa Renee Jones has taken a unique spin on the fight between good and evil. The Knights of White were men who were hunted and killed by the Darkland Beasts, but were given a second chance at proving their worth. The story is filled with sensual romance and intense action. THE BEAST WITHIN is a captivating paranormal romance, and a wonderful start to a new series.

Excellent romantic fantasy

When her brother-in-law Mike dies in a car accident, travel writer Karen Gibson leaves her Caribbean tour to run home to Brownsville, Texas to be there for her grieving sister Eva. However, instead of deep mourning, Karen finds her sibling suffering from some odd ailment. Knowing she is out of her league, Karen takes Eva to the neighboring ranch seeking help. There she meets Jag. They are attracted to one another immediately, but besides not trusting one another, Jag fears for anyone he shows an interest in because of his enemies, the evil Darkland Beasts, who killed his wife years ago. Jag leads the Knights of White in the millennia old civil war for species control against the Darkland Beasts. Karen would be a pawn to these malevolent beings, but he cannot stop himself from falling in love for the second time in his long lifetime as he learns just who she truly is. The fascination that the romantic fantasy crowd will have with Lisa Renee Jones delightful The Beast Within resides with the Knights of White who are no that different from their adversaries as heroes like Jag suppress the evil within them or join the other side. Readers will appreciate this engaging thriller as Jag and Karen battle love and much more. Harriet Klausner

An excellent read!

When Jag lost everything he loved hundreds of years ago at the hands of the Darkland Beasts, he is saved and given immortality by a man known only as Salvador. Present day, Jag begins to have erotic yet disturbing dreams about a beautiful stranger, and he is torn as to their meaning. Salvador can only tell him that the woman is important to his future and that he must find the answers for himself, which frustrates him even more. When travel photographer Karen Gibson receives word that her brother-in-law has been killed and her sister injured, she rushes home to Texas to be with her sister, Eva. Karen has a strange run-in at the airport with a man (Jag) who is inexplicably familiar to her. She doesn't understand the angry accusations he flings at her, but is too concerned about her sister to dwell on it. The woman Karen finds in the hospital isn't the Eva she knows; something very mysterious is happening to Eva and she continues to fail, appearing to be near death. The search for answers suddenly turns just as frightening as not knowing anything. When a hospital nurse secretly suggests that Karen take Eva to the Jaguar Ranch for help, she immediately heads there, thinking she has nothing to lose. Karen doesn't realize that Jag has been having the same bizarre, sensual dreams as her; imagine her shock when she arrives at Jaguar Ranch and immediately runs into him. Jag and all of the other residents of Jaguar Ranch have their hands full when the very evil that nearly destroyed him all those years ago appears, determined to take Eva away. There is no doubt that they will fight to keep Eva and Karen safe, but Jag has some important decisions to make - the most important being whether he's willing to risk his heart in order to save his soul. Lisa Renee Jones has written yet another excellent story with THE BEAST WITHIN. Jag comes off as forceful and intimidating at first, but for good reason, given his past. Karen is a very strong heroine, full of independence and unselfishly dedicated to helping her sister. While Karen and Jag neither understand the familiarity or the attraction between them, they are seemingly helpless against it. This will not be my last read from this series - BEAST OF DESIRE is next from Ms. Jones and I have no doubt that it will be just as satisfying.

Five Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies!

Hundreds of years ago everything Jag held dear was taken from him by the Darkland Beasts. When his beloved wife was killed by these evil creatures Jag lost his mind and his identity. What was once a man named Victor became an immortal and ruthless hunter and killer called Jag. Trained by Salvador and hell bent on vengeance, Jag spends his days and nights patrolling the Jaguar Ranch in Brownsville keeping the Darkland Beasts at bay. His dreams are filled with hauntingly beautiful and seductive images of a woman familiar to him. So disturbing are these dreams that Jag breaks down and goes to Salvador for answers - answers that Salvador grudgingly provides in the form of riddles. Jag must decipher these riddles on his own. But one thing is certain. The woman of his dreams is his destiny and while Jag desires her with his entire being, he refuses to give in and become the terrifying beast of his dreams. Karen Gibson is a travel magazine photographer. While on her latest assignment she is notified that her sister Eva has been injured in an accident and Eva's husband has been killed. Rushing back to Brownsville , Karen encounters a man at the airport who is eerily familiar to her. When he accuses her of playing games with him, Karen becomes angry and demands answers. Answers he isn't willing to give. In the rush to get to her sister, Karen puts the man out of her mind until she is face to face with him once more. It seems that the only help for her sister is for Karen to take her to the Jaguar Ranch and Jag. He is the only man that can protect them. The Darkland Beasts want to destroy Jag and his Knights of White. However, Jag refuses to go down without a fight. What was once loneliness and sadness in Jag's life becomes so much more with Karen. Now if he can only keep her safe from the beasts that threaten them. If I had to describe THE BEAST WITHIN with just one adjective, I would use the word, "astonishing". From the first word to the last, this book held me spellbound. Taking place in modern times, I loved the paranormal aspects of THE BEAST WITHIN. Good versus evil is always a gripping read in my opinion and Lisa Renee Jones dazzled me with her world of Darkland Beasts and The Knights of White. Add in reunited lovers and I was thoroughly engaged. Jag's characterization is perfect. Scared of becoming the beast from the dreams that haunt him, he is so afraid of harming Karen that he is willing to give up so very much to keep her safe. Thank goodness Karen is more stubborn than he. She does not ask to be thrown into the battle between good and evil, but her fortitude and tenacity shine. I really enjoyed watching her come to grips with her power - especially her power over Jag. The chemistry between these two characters is simply stunning. Lisa Renee Jones has outdone herself on this one. THE BEAST WITHIN is the first book of a new series called The Knights of White. Of course, having read THE BEAST WITHIN, I am now dying for th

5 Klovers - Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques

Under the guidance of the Archangel Raphael, the Knights of White were created to protect humankind against the evil Darkland Beasts. But the good knights carry their own beast, and must fight the dark instincts that come with it, else they lose their souls forever. They have one hope of truly harnessing that darkness - through acceptance and love of their true mates. Only then can they hold the beast at bay and come into their full powers. Jag is the leader of this band of guardians, and has kept control of The Beast Within for centuries. Now a recurring dream of a strangely familiar beauty threatens to break his control in a way that would destroy him forever. Karen has unknowingly shared Jag's dreams for some time, but it isn't until this human meets the imposing knight that she begins to remember them upon waking. How could two people have the same dream? Jag isn't certain whether Karen is setting him up or being used as bait, but as the attraction between them grows stronger, he knows he has already lost both his heart and his soul - to her. Once again, Lisa Renee Jones show her fans how talented an author she is - no matter the genre. Equally adept with contemporary, paranormal, or anything else she puts her mind to, the common thread is this writer's fantastic imagination that continuously creates worlds rich with realism (yes, even the paranormal) and characters you not only believe, but who you want to know. OK, maybe I just mean the good guys, because those bad guys - well, she can create some doozies! Never is that more evident than in The Beast Within. A tale of good versus evil, this book definitely packs a wallop in the villain department. Just as we have a team of good guys, we have a whole army of baddies, with the dastardly Adrian leading them all. This demon is enough to make you cringe time and again as his evil deeds and plots escalate throughout the story. Jag, however, is a whole other story. Jag personifies everything you need in a classic hero. He is tortured, noble, long-suffering, and loves with everything in him. As a leader, he cares about every knight under his command and every human under his protection. He puts everyone else's needs before his own - even at his own detriment. Believing his love for Karen doomed, he agonizes over her safety - both from the demons bent on destroying them and from himself. Karen is the embodiment of goodness and light. Altruistic to a fault, and full of purity and grace, she's not above [...] when she needs to - especially when that [...] belongs to the man she loves. She is the perfect heroine for Jag, who finds Karen under his skin before he knows it. The Beast Within launches Lisa Renee Jones' new The Knights of White series, and this book kicks off the saga with a bang! Not only does Jones create a beautiful romance between Jag and Karen, but she deftly spins interest in many supporting characters who are bound to find themselves the star of their own