Kathleen Nance

Daniel Champlain is an agent for the National Security Agency (NSA) and a computer specialist in cryptography. He is working on a case involving terrorists when he intercepts a message from Lokus, a sort of evil super-hacker, when he comes across a familiar name (Isabella Q). Daniel and Isabella Quintera (Bella) were lovers four years ago. He betrayed her when he exposed her father for falsifying records thereby ruining her career and he hasn't seen her since. Daniel is a dark, intelligent show more character and I liked the way Nance avoided depicting him as some stereotypical nerd. He heads to Michigan to check on Bella suspecting that she may have something to do with Lokus.

Bella is driving home on extremely icy roads when she is deliberately run off the road by a dark SUV and Daniel rescues her from hypothermia. Because of his past betrayal Bella does not trust him and conceals her AI computer, named 'Fran', that she created from her father's design. She is rightly afraid that Daniel will take Fran away from her for national security reasons. Bella does not want anyone to know about Fran before the Turing Competition where she hopes to redeem her reputation in the eyes of the academic world.

The initial setup of the characters and plot was a bit slow and convoluted but after that ... fasten your seat belts, ladies. The non-stop action kept me on the edge of my seat and I read late into the night because I couldn't put it down. The story was complex, and only a little confusing at times, so you have to pay attention. There were also a couple of good sizzling sex scenes with Bella and Daniel.

I especially enjoyed reading the interactions of h/h with Fran, the A.I. computer with an attitude, and she steals the show in all her scenes. Remember Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey? She was sort of like that only with more personality. Her naivete and humor were well done and she was a great character.

Nance's descriptions of the frigid Northern Michigan weather were so vivid and realistic that, seriously, I had to get out an extra lap blanket and turn up the heat a notch. The computer terminology was not too overwhelming and can be safely ignored if you know nothing about AI or computers. If you like techno thrillers, give this one a try. It was a fun ride and I found it thoroughly entertaining. (Grade: B) show less

The heroine is in the swamp of New Orleans for a story about aliens for her article when she stumbles upon an exotic bird snuggling ring and the sexy hero vet who there to stop them. The hero, having lost his powers after defeating a nasty and powerful enemy, is suddenly surprised to find that the heroine gives his strength again. They've met before after an argument which had the heroine pissed drunk after the death of her estranged husband and the hero escorting her out of the party. Words show more were exchanged and things have been awkward ever since. But now, they realize that they must work together to stop the suffering of the animals. In the middle of all this the heroine is desperately searching for her lost brother and when it's revealed that he's somehow involved in both the smuggling and the magic world, the hero and heroine are put to the test. This is a romantic suspense and as such the actual romance in these types of stories tend to take a back seat to the action but I was pleasantly surprised with the connection between the two characters. The heroine was raped but her power hungry husband before he was murdered so as a result she distrusts and even despises magic users. The hero is a very powerful magic user, more powerful than her husband was so she really should want nothing to do with him but it's the complete opposite. They are drawn together sexually but as a point, the heroine doesn't trust the hero and conceals a lot of information from him even up until the end of the book. But in turn, the hero denies being a magic user (though it's stupidly obvious he is and knows that the heroine knows) and hides his secret Mage world from her as much as possible. He has a tendency to be short tempered and impatient and the heroine was your typical thousand freaking questions reporter but somehow they meshed. There was a lot going on in this story but throughout it was the growing bond between them. The animal cruelty was so hard to read about and absolutely makes me sick how people can hurt innocent creatures. Honestly, I would take a murdered or injured human to a dog any day. show less

A talented magician who is driven by ambition and a desire to be the best, the heroine has no time for dating, or marriage or kids. She dedicated to her career-a free spirit who travels the country, a woman without any ties holding her down. Then her sister runs off to some god forsaken jungle leaving her 4 kids with the heroine. Having zero clue as to how to deal with teenagers, she instead tries to hire a private detective to track her sister down and get her back to the states. She met show more the hero previously at a friends wedding and they shared an instant and passionate attraction. She's heard that he's the best at finding people so she goes to him for aid. The hero however has vowed to retire and prevent the pain he experiences with the disappointment regarding his missing powers. Always he had the ability of psychometry but lately it's fizzled out. He couldn't help the heroine even if he tried. But that doesn't stop him from desiring her, or asking her out. They go on a few dates, he gets to know her nieces and nephews and they get hot and heavy every free chance they get. But the relationship between them is not so easy. The heroine is being blackmailed by a rich and powerful woman who duped her into unwittingly stealing the hero's jewel. When the heroine finds out that the man she loves is the victim, she's even more disgusted with herself. And when the hero finds out that not only is one of his priceless jewels missing but the woman he loves was the one to take it he's devastated and feeling betrayed. But regardless of the lack of trust between them, he can't let her go. For her he feels a soul deep attraction that burns like a fire within him. And when she tells him the whole story, he comes up with the plan to trick the other woman into taking that fall for the thief. While this is happening, mythological gods are waging a secret war for the fate of the hero and heroine's love. The story plays heavily around the Greek Myths and the hero himself is deeply involved in a world he never truly imagined to be real, even though his life has been filled with the supernatural. And the heroine must find the courage to trust him and to search herself to figure out what she truly wants in life. I thought this book was well written with clever dialogue and an interested plotline. I found the heroine a healthy mix of strong and vulnerable which is something I love in all my characters. Her hypocrisy to make a living during magic yet to be completely against the idea that anyone could possess magical powers was frustrating at times and she was also stubbornly against the idea of a life where she had ties to one place. Though she eventually realized that she lived a lonely and unfulfilling life, she truly was passionate about her career and her joy when doing magic came through the pages. The hero was great. It was heartbreaking to read about him keeping a box of objects to missing people and to touch them everyday with the hope of his ability returning only to be disappointed. He was so in love with the heroine even from the jump that he was willing to just be near her, to have her on her terms yet he was no push over. He fought for what he wanted and he did it without making an ass of himself or coming across as a demanding alpha male. Nice book with great chemistry between the characters. show less

It is Canada in 2176 and the country is almost out of quarantine after years of fighting viral epidemics. When Mountie Day Daniels discovers her partner murdered while investigating the violent fringe of the No-Borders movement she begins her investigation with that group. But before she has a chance to really begin she happens on a smuggling operation that goes violent. She is assisted by the bartender, Lian Firebird, who turns out to be assigned as her new partner. However, he is a 'plague show more hunter' from the Health Canada agency who is involved because of trace viral cells found on her partner's hat. The agencies don't usually work well together, but they must cooperate to find the murderer and the source of this new viral threat. Both of the main characters have very interesting back stories that impact their views. Another great volume in this series. show less