by Keri Arthur
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Paperback: 352 Pages
Publication: April 1, 2014
by Dell
A TEMPTING FATE
Two children have been found dead, their souls torn from their bodies. Two more are missing, and Ethan Morgan’s niece is one of them. A dedicated cop, Ethan has every intention not only of bringing her back alive but of catching the monster behind these kidnappings. And he will use anyone and everyone to achieve those aims—even a crazy woman who claims to be a witch. But time is ticking. The victims rarely stay alive for more than seven days. Four of those days have already passed.
In ten years of working for the Damask Circle, shapeshifter Katherine Tanner has never come across anything that goes after kids the way this monster does. The last thing Kat needs is interference from a cop who has no idea what he’s up against. But the greatest threat to Kat may come not from the forces of darkness, but from the man she is beginning to love. Because Ethan is a werewolf… and the full moon is rising.
Circle of Desire is a quick easy read. I picked this up while I was at the airport on a stopover and in need of some light reading. While the beginning wasn’t as enthralling as the previous books in the series, the book gradually captivated me and magically glued my eyes to my Kindle.
The romance dominated the foreground in Circle of Desire, more so than I remember from the earlier books. In fact, Kat and Ethan’s meetings often lead into steamy scenes narrated in excrutiating details that cross into erotica. While the romance focus caused the last book to fall flat for me, somehow it worked in this book. Maybe it’s because I had more accurate expectations for the book or maybe the chemistry between Kat and Ethan really worked for me. Or maybe this book didn’t try to compromise the action and the romance and instead focused on the budding relationship between the two shifters.
At the same time, the details do fall flat in other areas. Though Kat and Ethan are shown to feel each other’s emotions, the story doesn’t really get around to explaining the empathy shifters feel in their relationships, and information on the Damask Circle and its greater operations has also been withheld from us. Furthermore, the crime portions of the novel were lacking. While the crime scenes are described in gruesome detail, I never did feel afraid for the kidnapped children or their would-be saviors. The big bad guy just never felt as dangerous as everyone keeps saying she is. As nice as the romance is in the book, it would have been nice to see more action.
This is a great read for those looking for a steamy paranormal romance with some crime and action mixed in. If you’re looking for a larger crime focus, then I’d recommend something like Hannah Jayne’s Underworld Detection Agency series.
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Christina Fiorelli says
LOVE the world and the magic! Totally different 🙂
Lovely review 🙂
Crystal says
It's a great book 🙂
Thanks, Christina!
Cali Willette says
Good review. I am still reading the first one. 😉
Crystal says
Thanks, Cali. I hope you enjoy Circle of Fire! 🙂
Brandi Kosiner says
Quick and easy plus a dominating romance for the plot sounds like a lovely escape!
Crystal says
It is, Brandi 🙂
Librarian Lavender says
I'm currently reading this series and even though I've only read a third of the first book I've already fallen in love with it. Great review!
Crystal says
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of the series 🙂