Cheyenne McCray

Chosen Prey
4 Stars

Synopsis:
When former cop turned private investigator, Dare Lancaster accidentally leads a fanatical cult straight to Lyra Collins, he realizes that he has placed her in danger and is determined to save her at all costs. An escapee from a cult, Lyra finds it difficult to trust anyone but will have to work with Dare in order to thwart the plans of a fanatical cult leader convinced that Lyra is the foretold mother of the new Messiah.

Review:
A well-written, suspenseful and show more engrossing plot with just the right mix of action and romance.

The love scenes are steamy but not overly explicit, and the main characters are engaging. Dare is a strong, honorable and surprisingly forgiving hero – I’m not sure I would be as accepting of someone who sprayed pepper spray in my face. Lyra is independent, intelligent and courageous, and is able to get out of some seriously sticky situations using her wits alone. One problematic issue with their relationship is that, given Lyra’s past, it progresses for too quickly to be completely believable but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

The secondary characters are also well-developed, especially Dare’s partner (hopefully he will get his own book) and the cult leader, whose disgusting depravity is enough to make your skin crawl.

The writing is well-paced and the dialogue flows. There are one or two incidents that had me shaking my head in disbelief but these do not ruin the overall reading experience.

McCray is another first time author for me and I will definitely be reading more of her books. show less

The storyline itself is interesting, but I didn't like the author's voice: quite a few sentences are jarring and there's far too much telling instead of showing. It almost became a dnf. The telling instead of showing is also partly the reason I don't believe in the relationship between hero and heroine. The major reason, however, is that it happens very fast, literally hours after she breaks up with her abusive fiancee (?) and leaves their home.
Rating: 4/10

Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Douglas, Arizona

Ten years ago Sky MacKenna had her heart broken by Zack Hunter who was a bad boy. Since then Sky hasn’t been able to find a man that sets her on fire the way he did. Suddenly he comes back into her life, sexier, bigger and badder than ever.

Zack Hunter works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an agent. What he never expected was to be lead back to his small hometown by that job. He also never expected to see Sky again. The stupidest show more thing he ever did was leaving her behind. This time he is determined to keep her. Zack makes his intention very clear when he sets eyes on Sky again.

Zack is investigating a case that Sky ends up entangled in which makes him take the threat personally. Their passion burns hotter than even as the danger mounts.

This is a great romantic suspense that provides plenty of suspects and will keep the reader guessing just who is behind what is going on. It is easy to get sucked into the story as the plot is well written and moves along at a fast pace. While the story starts out in the present the history between Sky and Zack are explained in such a way that the story keeps flowing very smoothly and the reader never gets lost in what is happening. The suspense doesn’t stop until the very end of the story and readers will hate that the story is done. With this story it is a good idea to keep a glass of ice cold water nearby. show less

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Nov08

What an absolutely stunning conclusion Cheyenne McCray has penned for her ‘Magic’ series. “Dark Magic” is everything I would have wished for and couldn’t have imagined! This series has everything a paranormal fan could want: Dark Elves, Light Elves, witches, familiars, warlocks, gods, goddesses, shape-shifters, demons, warriors, humans, Dryads, Mistwalkers, and monsters. I probably left something or somebody out too! And did I show more forget to mention the male versions of the previous are mostly drop dead gorgeous, arrogantly Alpha, and just mouth-watering! Oh, and they seem to have a penchant for humans…OK witches, but still. I can always dream.

“Dark Magic” is Cassia’s story. In the last book she was finally revealed as fully Elven. Now we’ll learn if she has the grit to ‘get her man’, especially since her man is the human, Jake. She’s a lot older than she looks and the time has come for her to embrace her destiny. However, the Guardian warns her that having her human would likely kill Jake, upset the balance between the worlds, and destroy Otherworld Earth. No pressure here.

Jake has always been attracted to Cassia, but now that she’s no longer hiding herself, he can’t get her off his mind. When she saves his life and takes him to her world their relationship changes forever. His Marine nickname was Bull and Cassia is about to find out just how bullheaded he can be. As far as Jake is concerned, Cassia is HIS and no force on Earth or beyond will change that. He’s positive that nothing about anyone’s life is written in stone and destiny is what you are willing to fight for. But he’ll have to convince both Cassie and the Guardian to give this human a chance.

I can’t say enough good things about this series. McCray hooked me with “Forbidden Magic” and each book after that “Seduced by Magic”, “Wicked Magic” and “Shadow Magic” just increased my fascination as she detailed more of her intricate world and the plots became deeper and more intertwined. It would be possible to read “Dark Magic” as a stand alone story, but a reader wouldn’t get the breadth and depth of the series without starting at the first book and letting McCray’s universe unfold.

The series has action, romance, suspense, love, betrayal, sacrifice, magic, and sex appeal to the nth degree! Her heroines kick butt and run the gamut from feminine to tomboy and her heroes…well, they’re all 200% grade A male. YUM! Her love scenes left me breathless (and wanting a cigarette) and I’m surprised I have any nails left after the suspense in this last book. I can’t say much because I don’t want to give anything away for those who haven’t read the series (shame on you), but I can say wholeheartedly that if you like paranormal romance, you owe it to yourself to read “Dark Magic” at the very least. I predict you’ll become as big a fan of Cheyenne McCray just like me and a host of others out there if the reader/reviewer boards are at all accurate. Her next series is ‘Armed and Dangerous’ and the first book “Zack” will be released in December 2008. I’m locked and loaded. show less