Reviews

Midnight’s Captive
Donna Grant
St. Martin's, $7.99
ISBN: 9781250017277

In Ferness, Scotland two years ago Laura Black entered an inn owned by Charon Bruce. Immediately attracted to her, Charon hired her as his assistant so that he could see her all the time but also knows he will never tell her how he feels. As a six century old Warrior fighting the evil of Deirdre; her incarceration turned him into a monster who is now in love. She stares at him with love in her eyes but believes he suffers from PTSD though she does not know why and that he does not share her feelings.

Charon’s enemy Jason Wallace the druid plots his death; Dreagan Distillery informs a euphoric Laura that the pub can sell their scotch. However, as eerie events occur in Ferness, malevolent Jason, his wicked lover and dark Drough target Laura as the means to get to Charon who would risk death to keep the love of his life safe.

The latest Dark Warriors romantic Scottish fantasy (see Midnight’s Kiss and Midnight’s Temptation) is an exhilarating thriller starring an emotionally wounded warrior and a seemingly innocent mortal. The engaging storyline takes several surprising spins as secrets are revealed and brave Laura stands by her man and his allies against evil that she only recently learned existed. Harriet Klausner

The Seven-Petaled Shield
Deborah J. Ross
DAW, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756406219

The powerful Gelon army has Meklavar under siege. Severely wounded King Maharrad understands the invaders King Ar Cinnath Gelon will not negotiate as he needs the Meklavar monarch’s corpse to frighten the other small kingdoms into surrender. Maharrad tells his wife Queen Tsorreh she is the guardian who must flee with their fourteen year old son Zevaron and protect the te-Ketav heart stone of the legendary The Seven-Petaled Shield that must never fall into the hands of their adversary.

The city is overrun and her husband dead amidst the slaughter. The heir Prince Shorren tries to kill the Ar-King son in a suicide rush. As Shorren dies, Tsorreh and Zevaron flee with the te-Ketav praying they reach her home kingdom. However, the fall of Meklavar releases the Fire and Ice chaos that ancient King Khored and his six siblings defeated so many eons ago when they deployed the Seven-Petaled Shield.

The first tale of a new fantasy, the Seven-Petaled Shield is an exciting tale from the opening fall of the city though the adventures of the mother and son who are separated during their journey. Readers will appreciate this entertaining opening gamut as a critical inventive spin brings an exciting uniqueness to the good and evil quest theme. Harriet Klausner

Avenging Angel
Cynthia Eden
Kensington Brava, $14.00
ISBN: 9780758267658

In New Orleans, the Angel of Death Marna awakened in fear and pain as the shifter ripped off her wings. She tells the face that stares at her that she will kill him once she recovers; her rage is unbound against the shifters who tore off her wings. Police Detective shifter Tanner Chance knows Marna could kill with a touch, but is unafraid of her as he has faced many monsters in his life.

Two months after their first encounter, he arrests her for multiple brutal murders, but she persuades him she is not a vicious serial killer. They team up seeking the real predator who cleverly frames the wingless Angel of Death and turns panther shifter Tanner into a fallen rogue cop in trouble with NOPD. On the run and simultaneously in pursuit, Tanner and Marna fall in love.

The latest Fallen angel romantic urban fantasy (see Angel of Darkness and Angel in Chains) is a terrific paranormal thriller as Cynthia Eden’s supernatural Big Easy seems real. Although the overarching premise is a gender changing of the Angel Betrayed theme, the fabulous protagonists make this an engaging storyline as they go from vulnerable and distrusting to confident and loving. Tanner and fans will sing the Tavares’ song Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” while playing cat and mouse with a diabolical adversary. Harriet Klausner