Kristal Lee

Raine Spenser is on a mission to find and kill the Kraven who murdered her sister. Raine, herself, had recently been their captive, until the Watchman--Seth McConnell, set her free. 

Sneaking away from the Watchmen compound where Seth had taken her to recover, Raine sets her plan of vengeance in motion. After saving her once, Seth is determined not to let Raine enter harm’s way again. Not without him. He tracks her to Paris where he finds her fighting two Kraven—and losing. 

Seth kills Raine’s attackers, thereby rescuing her, again. Adamant about Raine not putting herself in danger, Seth offers to hunt and kill the remaining Kraven for her. He knows from experience how revenge contorts the soul and he doesn’t want it twisting hers.

 However, Raine refuses his bargain. She needs to follow her plan to completion so that she will regain control of her life. When it becomes clear that Seth will follow her all over the world if he has to, Raine allows him accompany her on the hunt.

While they track down the Kraven, one by one, and destroy them, Seton—the mastermind behind Raine’s initial capture, enacts a plan to trick Sean and Raine into freeing the Casus from the Merridian. If he succeeds, an unimaginable reign of evil will begin.

Raine and Seth have a volatile relationship from the get -go: fighting over Raine’s reckless behavior, fighting over Seth’s over-protectiveness, and fighting to deny their irrepressible attraction.  

Seth fights his attraction because he doesn’t want to hurt Raine. She’s been used and abused by men for her powers and he doesn’t want her to think of him that way. Raine fights her attraction because the hatred growing inside her makes her strong. If she opens her heart to Seth and love, she will lose the dark edge she’s gained and her sister’s death will go unpunished.   

Although the couple can’t deny their mutual attraction, neither is willing to trust the other. As a child, Seth survived a brutal vampire attack that left his entire family dead and prompted him to become a slayer. Raine is a vampire and can’t forgive Seth for hunting and killing her kind. Their inability to be honest with one another leads to mistakes that Seton exploits to his greatest advantage.

But love builds bridges; and, Seth and Raine do find the courage to reach across the great divide and unite to save the world, all the while, falling in love.

Rush of Darkness is the 7^th book in the Primal Instinct series. The plot is character driven, tightly written, and a fast read. I found it more focused that the last Primal Instinct installment.

Raine and Seth’s characters are mirror images. Both are traumatized, scarred, and utterly empty without each other. Following along while they learn to trust is a gut-clenching thrill. There are a number of secondary characters that aren’t fully fleshed out, if you’re new to the series. However, fans will recognize the recurrent cast members and understand the connection without being overwhelmed with backstory. 

Rush of Darkness definitely held my attention. Each time I thought Raine and Seth had finally reached an understanding, something came along to push them back; but, their back-pedaling wasn’t simply a diversionary tool. The misunderstandings, the actions/reactions, were very much in character with Raine and Seth’s personality. Especially in light of their emotional hang-ups. 

Rush of Darkness has increased my appetite and I’m looking forward to more servings from the Primal Instinct series . Fans of Angela Knight’s Mageverse series and Jessa Slade’s Marked Souls series might enjoy Rush of Darkness. For those new to the Primal Instinct series, the glossary of terms provided at the end of the book is a good introduction to the world of the Watchmen.

Gold Coin Rating:     4

Heat Level:  Between Campfire and Bonfire

Reviewed for The Season

Vowed in Shadows is an urban fantasy romance where repentant demons are the good guys. Their world is dark, decadent, and dangerous. The plot is fairly straight-forward without any unexpected twists, but it is by no means boring. A few intense action scenes were a bit difficult to follow, forcing me to re-read or skim over those parts. Otherwise, the pacing was good and the story held my interest.

 I love that the hero is a former missionary and that his heroine is an exotic stripper. Their conflict brews and builds from the opening scenes forecasting an explosive relationship. However, for me, I was a little disappointed that their HEA journey was less than stellar. Simply put, the emotional development between the pair didn’t meet my expectation. 

I really liked Nim. Feisty, independent. Selfish at the start, but as she grows to trust and love Jonah, her selfishness turns into fierce selflessness and self-sacrifice. Although I liked Jonah, his emotional revelations and insights were less tangible and shallow; therefore, I wasn’t fully engaged with his character.

There are a slew of secondary characters that fans of the series will recognize. New readers should review the excerpts from the Handbook of Possession at the back of the book that gives insights in to the cast of characters—the good guys and the bad. I would also recommend new reader peruse the Glossary of Terms since the author uses Aramaic and Greek words as well as other terms not used in everyday conversation. Followers of the series should have no problems with the vocabulary.

The plot is complex and the action is fast-pace, if not over the top at times. The setting is gritty and fantastical with a graphic novel feel. 

Jessa Slade Vowed in Shadows is book three in the Marked Souls series. I believe fans of Angela Knights’ Mageverse series and Rhyannon Byrd’s Primal Instinct series may find Vowed in Shadows enjoyable.

GOLD COIN Rating:    3

HEAT LEVEL:                Bonfire

A newly formed team of paranormal investigators take on ghosts, murders and misdirection in a state senator’s haunted New Orleans’ mansion. Known as the killing grounds for post-Civil War era serial killer, the mansion has long been associated mysterious deaths. The locals believe ghosts are the culprits in the rash of suicide jumpers from the second floor. The house’s latest victim, Regina Holloway, is thought to have killed herself following the loss of her only child in a drunk-driving accident.

         

Beloved state senator, David Holloway, refuses to believe his wife’s death was suicide. He hires a paranormal investigative team, backed by the US government, to uncover the truth. Despite the supernatural hoopla, the agents have their eyes and ears pointed toward the local Aryan group and a cultic church who are vocal opponents of the popular senator’s political views. Whatever the investigation reveals, the six member team won’t rest until they uncover the murderer.

The sequences that propel the story forward are logical and plausible. I didn’t notice any particular flaws as the team went about investigating not only paranormal phenomenon within the house but following non-supernatural leads to find a killer. There is an extensive cast of characters with six investigators, the Senator, his four member staff, a police detective, a pregnant teenager and various spectrals residing in the mansion. Some-times too many characters can overwhelm the story, but these individuals were given enough story time so that I wasn’t jerked around here, there, and everywhere by cardboard pop-up figures.

Jackson Crowe and Angela Hawkins, the lead investigators, develop a romantic relationship fairly quickly but it doesn’t seem out of place or rushed. The romance thread is a facet of the story but not the focus, so this is paranormal suspense with romantic elements.

I really like Jackson Crow. He believes in the supernatural but he also understands that what most people would call supernatural are manipulations perpetrated by contriving people. He will pursue the logical course and when that’s stripped down to the bare bone, he’ll either find a human culprit or evidence of a supernatural. No matter what, he’ll get to the truth.

Angela is a conduit to help spirits move forward and into the light. She operates more on instinct and feeling so this often put her in conflict with Jackson.  Angela trusts her “knowing” ability, but she isn’t airy or foolish. She’s a former police officer who knows how to handle a big gun, much to Jackson’s surprise.

Jackson and Angela’s temperaments are a perfect match. Their differences create enough of a conflict to keep the relationship interesting and common ground keeps them connected.

Although the mystery plot is well-developed and credible, I skimmed parts when large amounts of the house history or backstory were presented. For me, the data chunks slowed pacing and I prefer faster, smoother reads. However, those sections don’t necessarily detract from the story. In fact, they demonstrate that investigators do go about investigating, even paranormal ones.

         

Phantom Evil is not an edge of your seat thriller. However, there’s plenty of action, a slew of suspects, and enough paranormal activity to hold interest until the end.

Heather Graham is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author.  Phantom Evil is book one in her new paranormal suspense series Krewe of Hunters.

Gold Coin rating:    3.75

Heat Index:             2

Reviewed for The Season