Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Apr09

Yippee! Something new in the paranormal genre to read about--by yet another author who’s making the jump from small-press to mainstream publishing. Rhyannon Byrd’s first HQN Paranormal release is “Edge of Hunger” and after reading it, I’m just hungry for more.

Molly is a woman who is used to protecting herself from the scorn and disbelief of the rest of the world. When her latest ‘case’ won’t let her be, she accepts her ghostly task…find the ghost’s oldest son and convince him to listen to her because someone he cares for is in danger. Molly knew the job would be difficult. She also knew it might be dangerous. But she had no idea it would involve sex, blood, erotic dreams, and bite marks!!

Ian is a man who uses his imposing physical appearance to keep himself apart. He uses physical labor and ‘sex-only’ encounters to try and bury the hunger inside him. But lately, that’s not working so well and his dreams are becoming darker and even frighten him. So when his dreams suddenly incorporate the wacko psychic who won’t leave him alone, he’s not sure how to contain the feelings she seems to awaken in him. And when she shows up sporting the marks he put on her while dreaming…well, even Ian can admit this situation might just be a bit more than unusual.

I’ve been a big fan of Byrd’s erotic novels for a couple of years now. I can almost feel my fingers tingling as the passion transfers from the page to my brain. She’s done a great job here of portraying that passion with the growing sense of caring and love that’s a must for mainstream press. The story flew so smoothly I was almost surprised to realize I was nearing the end…and I didn’t want it to end! Another mark of a talented writer...and her characters?

Ah me, I came to care for Molly and her incredible patience, and Ian with his incredible stubbornness! I swear there were times I wanted to jump into the book and smack Ian upside the head! That was my only complaint with the book…Ian and his bullheaded determination to fight the obvious. Of course, without that the book would have been much shorter so I’ll mark that down as a needed plot contrivance; but I hope this doesn’t become a trademark for her heroes now.

The paranormal elements in this story are interesting and different from the normal werewolves, vampires, witches, etc available en masse today. Rhyannon Byrd hooked me with just enough information to make this tale work, yet it’s easy to tell there’s more new data to come. So I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next two scheduled releases in May and June where she continues this series with books about Ian’s sister and brother, respectively. If you’re looking for something new and hot in the paranormal romance genre, try “Edge of Hunger” in April 2009. I’m glad I did. ( )