Kirby’s life has just collapsed around her – after a life
of constantly running from the threats her best friend Helen can see in the
future, those threats have finally found them. Helen, the one person she had in
her life is dead – and whatever dark force killed her is now hunting Kirby.
The Damask Circle are aware that there are magical
slayings going on and Camille, Russell and Doyle have been sent to investigate;
Doyle to guard Kirby while they figure out what is going on. Of course
insta-attraction hits.
The force threatening them is far closer tied to Kirby
than they imagined – but to fight it they need to dig into her mysterious, and
painful past.
I love the Damask Circle world's potential. It’s crammed full of
supernaturals, vividly described and handled powers and lots of cunning
nefarious plots around the world that need uncovering and foiling. It’s
International rescue, with vampires and werewolves.
You could tell so many awesome stories with this world – and I can kind of see them. But they’re obscured so much by a very very dull romance. And that dull romance completely overwhelms any kind of world building (can anyone explain the telepathy between the main characters in this book? Anyone?) so more sexy times can be crammed in
The problem is that things are feeling a little formulaic
– both in terms of Keri Arthur’s books and in terms of the Urban
Fantasy/Paranormal Romance genre in general
The female protagonist is vulnerable and uncertain (in
this book, newly shaken by a murder) – she has had an unhappy and/or outright
tragic childhood (in this book, she’s an orphan with an abusive past) which has
left her with few family ties or support (orphan) and those either dubious or
soon to be uprooted.
She is sexually highly inexperienced (in this book her
trauma makes her too uncertain with men), having few past lovers and those
being extremely dissatisfactory or outright abusive.
She has some deep, powerful woo-woo but doesn’t understand its full potential and is probably afraid of it and runs from it or avoids it. But with the male hero’s reassurance and guidance she gains more confidence in her power
Despite having deep and powerful woo-woo she is
completely ignorant of the supernatural world until the male hero arrives to
open her eyes and then play guide (despite every other child in her foster home
having woo-woo, she was still ignorant). Her woo-woo will be magic, his woo-woo
is more likely to be related to physical prowess (she’s a witch, he’s a
werepanther).
