In His Keeping was the second book in the Slow Burn series. It was very similar to the first book in that it contained psychic elements which I enjoy in a romance book. Some of the scenes in this book were a bit melodramatic and far-fetched, but that was to be expected when the female protagonist, Ali, had the power of telekinesis. Beau, the male protagonist, was a typically romantic alpha hero. There wasn't really a single antagonist - just a mysterious organization that was using adoption as an excuse to do experimental fetus research. Despite these issues I liked the book overall and am looking forward to Safe at Last. ( )

She's gifted and has been protected all her life, hiding her powers. After her parents go missing she seeks Beau's help in finding them and protecting her. I would have liked more time before their claims of love but it was a captivating story and I read it straight through.
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In His Keeping is the second book in the Slow Burn series. Before you even start this book, I would suggest that you strap in, take a deep breath and hold on for your lives; as In His Keeping is full on from the first chapter.
Ari grew up with loving parents and she thought she had a charmed life, with just one little hiccup, Ari has telekinetic powers. Ari has no idea why she has these powers, but on a day that she is attacked, they manage to save her life. But there is much that Ari does not know about herself and now that her parents have been kidnapped, she is on the run. She decides to go to the two people that her father said would always keep her safe; Beau and Caleb Devereaux.
Beau Deveraux is the brooding one of the Devereaux children, he never gets close to a client, and he is cold and efficient and gets the job done. That is until Ari comes to him for help and she stirs up all these feelings inside him. Beau vows to protect Ari and find her parents, even if it means going up against his own brother.
WOW! What a book! Maya Banks continues to amaze me! Her talent and skill at writing such amazingly detail and exciting books truly does overwhelm me. The writing is smooth, no plot holes, just my constant desire for more and more of this amazing series. I love the characters in this book, Ari and Beau are amazing together, but boy do I want to know more about Zack! With this series I am truly becoming more and more of a romantic suspense fan!
I give In His Keeping a solid 10 out of 10. ( )

If you follow my reviews, you may have saw that I started this series in audiobook format, but I felt the narrator was better suited to horror/thrillers than a book with romance. So I switched back to reading for this book, and I am so glad that I did. I liked this one much better and felt much more engaged and connected to the story than I did in [b:Keep Me Safe|20910177|Keep Me Safe (Slow Burn, #1)|Maya Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412532771s/20910177.jpg|27807579]. So if you are like me and thrown off easily by narrators, I highly recommend reading this series instead of listening.

Interestingly, I hated Beau in the first book, but I loved him in this book and hated Caleb instead! I think the characters are written that way on purpose to help show how protective of their women these alpha males are. I just don't like to see that protective nature turn to downright abuse of anyone (man or woman) who even looks at their lady in an obscure way. But, that's the pattern, so we'll go with it. Beau was a typical alpha male in a suspense series, and pretty much the mirror of Caleb from [b:Keep Me Safe|20910177|Keep Me Safe (Slow Burn, #1)|Maya Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412532771s/20910177.jpg|27807579]. Nothing to complain about - he was a good character, I just don't have much to say about him. (Partially b/c I got delayed in writing this review and my memory is already fading, as tends to happen.)

Arial was a cool character, she is telekinetic and very powerful. She has also been extremely sheltered because of her powers. I really liked Arial. She was not a whiny foolhardy heroine, one who was always running off on her own hare-brained scheme that endangers everyone much more than if she would have listened to the professional security people. Instead, Arial lets Beau handle it for the most part, listened to what he said and followed his directions.

This was a very interesting plot, so much so that I was more interested in the suspense than the romance. The story behind Arial's adoption was unique, and I loved the family dynamic, especially the relationship between her parents. We learn alot about one of the employees, Zack, in this book. I really really liked his character so I am super stoked that he will be the subject of the next installment, [b:Safe at Last|21900560|Safe at Last (Slow Burn, #3)|Maya Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397374083s/21900560.jpg|41194522].

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars / 3 flames. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A rushed timeline makes the love story very hard to believe in this second book in the Slow Burn series.

Opening Sentence: Gavin Rochester stood in the doorway of his enormous living room watching as his wife carefully examined a Christmas ornament before quietly replacing it in the box and tucking it back into the plastic basin they used to store Christmas decorations.

The Review:

Arial has always known she was different. From the time she was a baby, she displayed unimaginable telekinetic powers, and her parents taught her to never show them in public, afraid of the attention it would draw to her. Now, at 24, her secret is finally out. Arial is caught on video using her powers to defend herself against an attacker, and the video goes viral. Then, her parents disappear, and the men they had hired to guard Arial instead attack her. Not knowing where else to turn, Arial goes to Beau Devereaux, a man her father had said she could trust. She enlists Beau’s services to help her find her parents. Thus begins a week that will change both of their lives forever. They will have to dodge numerous attacks, all while trying to deal with the almost overwhelming attraction they have for each other. Will they be able to find Arial’s parents, or will these mysterious attackers get their hands on Arial as well?

I’ve heard many good things about Maya Banks and her work, so I was looking forward to giving this book a try. Unfortunately, making my way through the book became a very arduous process, and I had an extremely hard time finishing it. What makes this even more disappointing is that the book had such a strong start. The first few chapters are from Arial’s father’s point of view, and they immediately hooked me. I began to get really excited about the book – and then it switched to Arial’s point of view and all momentum stopped. Everything started feeling very stilted, and I couldn’t get a good grasp on either Arial or Beau as characters. Dialogue felt forced and awkward. The plot just slowed to a crawl.

Another big issue I had was the romance in conjunction with the timeframe of the book. The entire book takes place literally over just a few days, and here we have this couple falling in love and wanting to spend their lives together in that same amount of time. It was just incredibly hard to suspend my disbelief. All I kept thinking was “you just met this person yesterday.”

Because I was having such a hard time with the book, it made me notice little details that might not otherwise have bothered me. Sentence structure was sometimes really awkward, making me have to read a sentence a couple times to grasp what was being said. If I’m loving a book, I can usually look past stuff like that, but it really stuck out to me here.

All in all, this book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the characters, the timeframe felt really rushed, and the love story just wasn’t gripping. Needless to say, I won’t be going back to read book one in this series.

Notable Scene:

“Imagine my parents’ shock,” she said dryly. “They had to come to terms when I wasn’t even a year old yet that I was different, and as such, I wouldn’t be able to lead a ‘normal’ life. And it altered their lives as well. They made many sacrifices for me, adjusting their own lives to revolve around mine and my needs. I always came first with them, which is why I have to find them. I owe it to them. To myself. To do whatever is necessary, even if it means sacrificing my own life to get them back.”

His expression immediately blackened, his hold on her hand nearly crushing now.

“You will not die,” he said harshly, but vulnerability had flashed in his eyes before he could call it back.

“I don’t want to die,” she said softly, to reassure him. “I have so much to live for. I’m only saying that if it ever came to that – and I trust you and DSS to ensure that it never comes to that – for me it is an easy choice. One I wouldn’t have to ponder, consider or have to talk myself into. They’re too important to me and I can’t imagine my world without them in it.”

“You need to realize that they feel the same about you. Imagine how they’d feel, knowing that you sacrificed your life so they could live. Do you think they’d be grateful? Do you think they could possibly live with themselves? It’s not something they’d ever recover from and get over, Ari. It would devastate them.”

There was a long pause, his breath coming in long bursts after his impassioned statement. Then he looked her directly in the eye.

FTC Advisory: Avon/HarperCollins provided me with a copy of In His Keeping. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )