Wren Valere is a Retriever. Using her Talent to channel “current”, she performs what an everyday joe would call magic. Usually, she can get in, retrieve what the client has requested, and get out, no strings attached. This retrieval is special. She must obtain the notes of the mad scientist who created one of her best friends–P.B., a “demon” who has saved her life more than once–before those notes are grabbed by people who would enslave him.

There are actually a couple of stories going on here. Early in the book, Wren encounters the familiar scent of her mentor and father-figure, Ebenezer, whom she had previously presumed dead. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gilman, and I enjoyed this book; however, this plot line suffered from too much tell and not enough show. I felt hammered with repetitive ruminations about Neezer and what he meant to Wren. I got it after the first couple shots, really. It seems space was wasted here that would have been better spent in the heads of the bad guys from the primary plot.

That said, this book is still some lovely stuff. I enjoyed the interstitials with Sergei in therapy. Wren and Sergei have long been a favorite fictional couple, and it’s nice to see them working on normal (relatively) relationship stuff. I always favor series with non-magical romances; nothing is forced by fate. No “I knew she was my lifemate the moment I scented her” claptrap.

The main plot, though it needed more bad-guy time, is also a keeper. We find out more about P.B.’s mysterious past, with a hint that there may be a little more Talent science in the future. In addition, a nifty new character, in the form of a curious Federal agent, is introduced.

While I wouldn’t exactly call this book a break, it is a lot less frantic than the last two, and that’s completely welcome. I expect this series is beginning to wind down after six installments, and Gilman is getting ready to hand the baton to Bonnie and the Paranormal Scene Investigations series, which begins next year with Hard Magic. ( )