New Reviews to Start Your Day

Kept
Shawntelle Madison
Ballantine, $7.99
ISBN: 9780345529176

Once an outcast due to her compulsive obsessive behavior, exiled Natalya Stravinsky looks forward to rejoining her South Toms River, New Jersey werewolf pack. However, before she can come home, the Russian Mafia werewolf pack abducts her father. Putting aside her OCD to hoard holiday ornaments, Nat plans to rescue her dad.

Her ex-lover Thorn Grantham insists on helping her while her current boyfriend Nick the wizard wants to be there for her too. They head to Atlantic City on her quest while a who’s who of the supernatural stalk Nat for the mysterious goods she needs to deliver.

The second Natalya Stravinsky suburban romantic fantasy (See Coveted) is an amusing thriller due to a cast of neurotic and psychotic paranormal from several species. Nat remains a terrific, unique protagonist suffering from OCD, which can just as easily subtract or enhance her kick butt skills. The road trip with Thorn is fun as Nat the hoarder fights her attraction to two males and a sicko paranormal horde. Harriet Klausner

Enslaved
Elisabeth Naughton
Sourcebooks, $7.99
ISBN: 9781402262159

His hybrid daemon-Argonaut twin Orpheus the Eternal Guardian and Skyla of the Siren Order rescued Gryphon from the Underworld (see Enraptured). However they may have saved him physically from the hell of Tartarus, but can do little to help Gryph cope with the persistent voice of Atalanta in his head sweetly asking him to come back to her with the orb she craves. Gryph believes he must kill Atalanta if he is to mute the voice driving him crazy. He knows that the voice is real as Eternal Guardian Titus can hear anyone’s thoughts.

Malea, the daughter of Zeus and Persephone, wants to go home, but must persuade her father that she merits residing in Mt. Olympus. She and Gryph meet to his euphoria because somehow when he stands at her side, the voice vanishes. They team up as they traverse tunnels filled with hellhounds, daemons and much worse as his former brothers in arms including his twin try to prevent Gryph and Malea from completing their quest.

The latest Eternal Guardians romantic fantasy (see Marked and Tempted) is an exhilarating thriller that stars two troubled protagonists fearing but falling in love. The awesome Naughton Greek mythology continues its deep deadly vividness as two wary warriors seek salvation but find love instead. Harriet Klausner

Apollo’s Outcast
Allen Steele
PYR, $16.95
ISBN: 9781616146863

In Burtonsville, Maryland, because of relative gravity, born on the moon Jamey Barlowe is wheelchair bound. In 2097 an assassination of President Wilford as part of a coup in the United States led by Vice President Shapar leaves his widower father concerned for the safety of his three children as the VEEP named him an enemy of the state. As such he sends his teenage son Jamey, his two older daughters and other youngsters to live at the Apollo mining town on the moon.

Jamey begins to learn to walk to achieve his objective to become a Lunar Search and Rescue Ranger. As Jamey achieves his goal, the new American leader plans to invade the moon when Apollo stops sending shipments of valuable Helium-3. Jamey and Rangers prepare for a Luna landing assault.

Apollo’s Outcast is an engaging political science fiction thriller in which the coup and the moon colony seem plausible. Ironically the big picture political-military machinations come across less fascinating than Jamey’s coming of age subplot. Not an easy read, as the geo-political military industrial complex is extremely complex, fans will enjoy Jamey Barlowe’s life on the moon. Harriet Klausner