I picked up this trilogy hoping it would fill the Nora Roberts magical ladies trilogy space in my heart. It did not. Which, really, who but Nora is Nora, so there's that. The thing about books like this is that you have to like the tropes they're filled with, and you have to expect the pattern to be followed from book to book. I do and I do. But I also expect the author to do it well. This sounds like I'm condemning the entire trilogy and I'm not, nor am I insulting [a: Lori Handeland|17060|Lori Handeland|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1436902765p2/17060.jpg], an author I've read before and enjoyed quite a bit.

The first book [b: In the Air Tonight|9577671|In the Air Tonight (Shadow Force, #3)|Stephanie Tyler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1288223365s/9577671.jpg|14464548] is about Raye, who can see and talk to ghosts. The main plot is about witches being murdered across the country, and Raye now being specifically targeted. The romance plot is with the out of town detective who has been investigating these murders. And the entertaining subplot is about the ghosts who need to move on. Raye's father and best friend play fairly big roles, and the out of town detective has connections to some of Handeland's other characters. This felt like a big, sprawling universe. It was entertaining and fun.

The second book [b: Heat of the Moment|6612675|In the Heat of the Moment|Kim Dare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1247485009s/6612675.jpg|6806699] (and don't think I don't love these titles) is about Becca, another small town girl, this time a veterinarian who can communicate with animals. The main plot remains that of the murdered witches. The romance plot is with her teenaged boyfriend Owen who has returned, injured, from his military job along with his MWD Reggie. (Owen left because he "wasn't good enough" for Becca and still thinks that. I eat up that sort of plot with a spoon. Loved it.) The subplot was less distinct than the first book, having more to do with the main plot as it involves Owen's mother. But there's also some darling moments with Reggie and Becca being able to understand him, which made the book fun. There were, again, plenty of secondary characters involved, some good, some bad.

The third book [b: Smoke on the Water|1915401|Smoke on the Water|Brian Daley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434561190s/1915401.jpg|1917429] is about the third sister, Willow. When it opens she's a patient in a mental health facility, there because she had a vision of a man killing her, branding her, then setting her body on fire (as the witch killers have been doing) and when she saw that man she killed him first. Her only friend is Mary, the mother of Owen from book 2. The first half of this book overlapped book 2 and explained a lot; I enjoyed it even if it didn't seem to move the plot forward at all. The second half had Willow meeting her sisters and almost instantly accepting everything she'd been told about witches. The romance plot was with Sebastian--her psychologist--and see below for how much I hated that. There was no subplot. There were few other characters, so it was simple to know which ones were the witch hunters.

[Note: At 25% through the book the male protagonist (the love interest)--who is a practicing psychologist and administrator of a mental health facility--has more than once referred to his patients as "cuckoo" or some variation. He also has sexual and romantic feelings that he is slowly acting upon toward the main female character who happens to be a patient in that facility and a personal patient of his. So right now all I think is that he's skeevy and ableist and I kind of hate him. Not a great way to put forward a love interest.]

The second half of this book rushed to the ending, cramming as much sex, love, and happily ever after as it could. We're talking marriages, insta-babies, and ghost-wolf love reunions. To be honest, I started wondering if this book was finished by a different author, that's how bad it was.

So while I can recommend books 1 and 2 I cannot recommend book 3 unless you are a completist and absolutely must know what happens.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.] ( )

They started out as childhood friends before turning into teenage lovers. They had a bond so strong and deep that they thought nothing could come between them. But when the heroines father threatens the hero with a nasty lie, the hero gets it into his head that he had to leave. He joined the army and vowed to stay away but no matter how far he ran he could never forget the girl he left behind. Now he's back. He's been severely wounded and is in denial about healing and returning to active duty-his injuries have left him with a pronounced limp and it's heartbreaking to read about how much of a failure he think is it. He's convinced that he's useless without full use of his body and hides his pain and embarrassment from those around him. The heroine was divested when he left her behind but it never changed how she felt about him. She loved him and still loves him more than life itself. Now, the hero has returned to a run down shack of a house, a crazy mother who abandon him as a child and a pretty low self esteem. On top of all that, there's someone experimenting with animals and shooting wolves with silver bullets as the story about witch hunters continues in the 2 installment to the series. I absolutely loved the hero. He was such a good man and his love for the heroine was so great that he would be willing to break her heart for her own good. At times in certain novels the hero can come off as a martyr and a drama queen but this hero was truly tortured without being over dramatic. The threat the heroines father made to him that caused him to leave all those years ago was a horrible one but he never truly felt good enough for her in the first place. He was always the troubled one. He would fight and steal things but he was kind at heart-something people didn't see because of the stain of having such a mother. There was times of comedy and there were times of sadness but the story was a healthy mix of both. This author has a gift for making a balanced plot with heartfelt characters and very real situations twisted up in some surreal ones. I really liked this story, just as I really liked the first in the series. The passion between the two characters was real and genuine and that's something I love. I can't wait until the next in the series. ( )

Received via NetGalley from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest and completely unbiased review.

Also posted on Silk & Serif


Heat of the Moment is the second installment of the Sisters of the Craft series.

Owen, a recently gravely injured soldier from Afghanistan, returns home to face his past and the increasing likelihood he may never be healthy enough for active duty. He struggles with returning to a town where he was little more than a trouble maker. It doesn't help he will see the girl he abandoned once he went away for training.

Becca never expected to see Owen again. She tries to forget what happened between them and moved on with her life as best she can. A chance meeting brings all those memories to the forefront and reminders of history long buried arise.

The ex lovers come together just in time for the bad guys to find Becca and attempt her life. They know who she is, what she is and wish he dead. Life long secrets will be revealed, betrayal will cut deep and lives will be ruined. Can Owen and Becca set aside their past to keep her safe, or will she succumb to the fate Raye was able to escape from?

That scent of lemons overshadowed the scent of death, and Owen breathed in, out and in again. From the moment he’d met her, she’d cleansed him, healed him, elevated him. He’d become so much more while he’d been with her. He’d become so much more because of her. She had loved him. She had saved him. He’d always wanted to tell her that, but he’d never been quite sure how. What he saw in her gaze made Owen tighten his fingers—to push her away, or pull her closer. He never knew, because she leaned over—so quick he had time to do nothing but say her name. A whisper. A plea. A prayer. And then she was kissing him; he was kissing her. The years fell away. It was their first kiss. Their last. That first one had been tentative—soft, a little afraid, yet so full of hope. The last had been shocked, a little tearful and full of despair. This one tasted of both. How strange. What did she hope for? What did she fear? Why did she despair?

I enjoyed Heat of the Moment because much like In The Air Tonight the paranormal and witchcraft elements were light threaded throughout the story. We see characters return and the larger picture becomes more clear. There are huge plot developments that I can't really get into without spoilers - but it's really exciting!

Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the characters except for the dog Reggie. Slode! I didn't understand Owen because he was very committed to being a solider. I feel like readers with a military background or pro-military stance would click more with his character. I didn't even believe in Owen's reasons for joining the military were legitimate.

I also disliked Becca. I didn't really make any emotional links with her because she was so different. I personally couldn't find a common thread to work with. Her reactions to some of the huge revelations about her past bothered me. She's a very selfish character, but to Handeland's credit a completely different character from Raye.

Handeland weaves a beautiful story but unfortunately for me this wasn't a winner. I felt empathy during Owen and Becca's father's discussion and I felt concern for Reggie's health.

I felt this book was filler to introduce sister number two and set up meet if sister three. I couldn't enjoy the characters, but the story was just as well written as book one. The massive development at the end of the book has made book three look like one that will have tons of action. The end is nigh and I am so excited!

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy paranormal, romance, books involving witches and stories about finding lost familial connections. ( )

Becca is a veterinarian who animals have always been drawn to. She’s always been able to hear their thoughts and had conversations with them, but due to others thinking she was nuts, even lies to herself that she’s actually doing it. Owen, the only man Becca ever loved, is a K-9 handler and both he and his dog Reggie were injured in Afghanistan and are currently recovering. He’d broken her heart when joining the Marines ten years earlier and she isn’t sure she wants to see him now. But when someone attempts to kill her, there’s no keeping him away.

The focus is now on the second sister, but her sister Raye and the people we met in the first book do show up for intel and planning, including Cassandra and Edward. It’s obvious to the reader who one of the bad guys is, but another one is actually shocking.

I absolutely loved both Reggie (the dog) and Pru, the girls’ natural mother who is now a wolf. Raye is able to see and speak with their father’s ghost. Becca can communicate with their mother. The characters are easily likeable, including Becca’s family and the boy that works for her. Hope to see him again.

What I didn’t like were a couple of repeats from the first book: the father that raised the girls each telling the boyfriends to stay away, and how the boyfriends react when told who and what the girls are. But those are fairly minor issues. ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Sometimes when I read two books in the same series within a short time, I start to see the writing patterns and the series becomes repetitive. That’s not the case with Lori Handeland, and I’m looking forward to reading the third. Though clearly building to a bigger climax for the series, Heat of the Moment is about a different place and focuses on different people than In the Air Tonight (the first book).

Becca and Owen have a history that’s a mess of good times and bad. He left ten years before, in part to free her from the consequences of his upbringing, but now he’s back. The connection is as strong as ever between them despite both wishing it weren’t at first.

Unlike the first book, I felt this love story was firmly integrated into the fantasy, though the whole series still reads more urban fantasy than paranormal romance to me (not a problem, though, because it’s a great series). Like the first, it had a couple scenes of explicit sex (contemporary romance level) but mostly the story is about two people who have loved each other since childhood trying to deny the connection while being forced together by bizarre circumstance.

It’s the last bit that makes their love story tied more closely into the urban fantasy story line. Owen knew she could hear animals when they were young, though he’s since dismissed that as imagination. He also grew up with a mentally unstable mother who was in and out of a mental hospital so he’s quick to dismiss odd events as a result of mental issues rather than accept the presence of magic. Crazy is his first impression, something Becca knows all too well. This makes her reluctant to explain even when pressed.

I also felt the fear and tension better in this one as things got dark and dangerous. What starts out as a curious event soon becomes worse and the suspense is tangible. In other words, while I had some small issues despite enjoying the first book, Heat of the Moment resolves all of those issues without reducing the strength of characters and story. The blending of magic with the world is smooth in a way that’s uncomfortably plausible as well.

There is only one twist I didn’t see the grounding for, and it saddened me for reasons I can’t explain without spoilers. However, it also proved something important in the world so I’ll give the weaker seeding a pass.

This is a series I don’t want to put down. I want to know the story of the last sister, and I want to know what’s going on with the overall arc as well. It’s not perfect, but it’s right in all the right ways with characters who become real as soon as they walk out on the page, especially Reggie, Owen’s bomb-sniffing military dog.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )