Flint refuses to sit idly by. He launches his
own investigation with no backup and
very little ammunition, while Maggie
fights for her life and struggles to come to
terms with her kidnapper’s motivation.
Daniels successfully resolves a cliff-hanger
from a previous book and uncovers a lot of
secrets. This fast-paced whodunit has a
wealth of subplots, but fans of romance
will be disappointed that the story doesn’t
focus on the relationship; Daniels keeps
the lovers apart for most of the book and
tacks on a weak ending. (Dec.)
Mr. Ridley
Delilah Marvelle. Delilah Marvelle, $3.99
e-book (400p) ASIN B06XBQ8ZWT
The first book in Marvelle’s Whipping
Society trilogy melds the delight of a his-
torical romance in 1830 London with an
intriguing mystery and just a touch of
BDSM. Evan Oswald Ridley was present
for his father’s vicious murder, and he’s
spent 20 years hoping to bring down the
killer. In the meantime, jaded and coca-
addicted, he solves mysteries. His latest
case involves 18-year-old Jemdanee, a
mixed-race botanist from India. She just
arrived in London with her guardian,
doctor Peter Watkins, and was almost
immediately accused of poisoning
someone. Knowing Jemdanee’s sterling
reputation as a scientist, Ridley engineers
her escape from prison and promises to
clear her name. He fights his inappro-
priate attraction for the vulnerable young
Jemdanee, whose humor and survivor’s
spirit are evident as she falls head over
heels in love with him. Soon the two
develop a sensual power-exchange rela-
tionship with Evan in the dominant role.
Marvelle (Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson)
focuses on exploring the dom-sub ele-
ments and showing off her historical
research, sometimes to the detriment of
the rest of the story, but the excitement of
mystery and taboo keep the story moving.
Book one ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger,
with Ridley and Jemdanee’s story con-
tinuing in the remaining two install-
ments. (BookLife)
Dragon Heat: Dragon Heat, Vol. 1
Ella J. Phoenix. Ella J. Phoenix, 99¢ e-book
(229p) ASIN B00W8UDDTU
Phoenix’s overstuffed debut, an erotic
paranormal, finds vampire king Tardieh
reconnecting with draconian demigoddess
and shape-changer Zoricah in present-day
New York, 200 years after she saved him
from a torturer in Romania. She seeks his
help in rescuing kidnapped women who
are slated to be tortured and killed by
an immortal sociopath. The team-up is
stormy; their steamy attraction to each
other clashes with Tardieh’s distrust of
Zoricah’s motives and her impatience
with his unfounded suspicion that she’s
setting him up for a fall. Meanwhile, a
sizable supporting cast, including the
players in a secondary romance, is thor-
oughly introduced then mostly ignored.
Though readers might enjoy the wide
range of paranormal entities and their
complex backstories (dropped in lumps
of text throughout), the erotic tension and
subsequent sex scenes mesh awkwardly
with the horrors inflicted upon the cap-
tive women, whose deaths are too soon
forgotten in favor of the protagonists’
rapprochement and a melodramatic
climax that feels unearned. (BookLife)
Inspirational
★ Isaiah’s Daughter:
A Novel of Prophets and Kings
Mesu Andrews. Waterbrook, $14.99 trade
paper (400p) ISBN 978-0-7352-9025-9
Andrews (Miriam) continues her mission to explore the lives of lesser-known
women of the Bible in this thrilling
account of Hephzibah, the wife of King
Hezekiah of Judah. She begins her life as
Ishma and is orphaned as a girl when her
family is killed by Israelite soldiers. After
a treacherous flight, she is welcomed into
the prophet Isaiah’s home. There she
meets the young prince Hezekiah, who
has also suffered: he watched his brother
be sacrificed to a pagan god. The two
children form a friendship rooted in their
shared pain that develops over the years
into a lasting love. Isaiah adopts Ishma
and bestows on her a new name given by
Yahweh: Hephzibah, which means
“delight of the Lord.” Together, she and
the newly crowned King Hezekiah face
many challenges as they strive to be obedient to Yahweh, aided (and sometimes
constrained) by the prophecies of her biological father that she and “the king of
Judah” will end up together. Andrews’s
excellent tale invites readers to have a new
appreciation for the time of the prophets
and to reconsider what trust in God truly
means. (Jan.)
★ Moonlight over Manhattan
Sarah Morgan. HQN, $7.99 mass market (400p) ISBN 978-0-373-80403-0
At the start of this endearing holiday romance, the sixth in Morgan’s From Manhattan with Love series (after Holiday in the Hamptons), shy dog-walker Harriett Knight winds up in the ER with a
twisted ankle, sustained while escaping a date gone
awry. Dr. Ethan Black is used to argumentative patients
who threaten to sue him, so he’s pleasantly surprised by
Harriett’s easy acceptance of his advice. When Ethan
becomes guardian to his sister’s dog, he hires Harriett to
move in and calm the constantly howling pet, who’s
causing complaints from the neighbors. Harriett’s
mellow demeanor and nurturing ways—in a nice bit of
turnabout, she nurses Ethan through the flu—enhance Ethan’s appreciation of her
natural physical beauty, and the usually workaholic Ethan starts spending more
time at home as their relationship morphs into romance. Ethan blames himself for
the end of his first marriage, believing his wife left because his profession requires
him to shut down his feelings; Harriett, unloved as a child, now refuses to settle
for less than full emotional commitment. With the help of kind family and
friends, they come to terms with their pasts. There’s a dash of action, a sprinkle of
cheer, and a lot of love to warm up this sweet, sexy wintertime tale. (Dec.)
