Flashback Friday: Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started on Bookshelf Fantasies. It's focus is on showcasing a book from at least 5 years ago that holds a special place in your heart and on your shelf.

The year was 2000. It was the of year of J-Lo's Green Grammy dress, Mad Cow disease ravaging Europe and Charles Schulz of Peanuts fame dying. Angelina was married to Billy Bob and Brad was married to Jennifer. Gladiator took the Oscar for best picture and Brad Pitt was People's Sexiest Man Alive, for the second time. Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child and Matchbox Twenty were all chart toppers for the year.

**********

This book was originally published by Berkley in September of 2000. But has been translated into many languages and even was reprinted a couple of times in various formats.

From the back of the book:

When a cop killer cuts loose in a club called Purgatory, New York detective Eve Dallas descends into an underground criminal hell...

In an uptown strip joint, a cop is found bludgeoned to death. The weapon's a baseball bat. The motive's a mystery. It's a case of serious overkill that pushes Eve Dallas straight into overdrive. Her investigation uncovers a private club that's more than a hot spot. Purgatory's a last chance for atonement where everyone is judged. Where your ultimate fate depends on your most intimate sins. And where one cop's hidden secrets are about to plunge innocent souls into vice-ridden damnation...

I have read and read many of the books in this series, but this one continues to be one of my favorites. There is something about this book that just speaks to me and I can reread it over and over. Maybe its that we get to really see some of the darker side of Roarke for the first time. Maybe its that we finally get some background on Eve during her early days in the department. There is also some really great scenes between Eve and Roarke as well as Eve and Dr. Mira.  The following is one of my favorites and really shows how much Mira has become more of a mother figure to Eve.

"I can't talk about it."

"Of course you can. If it's not your past, it's your present. If it's personal... it's Roarke. Have you had a disagreement?"

The term, so tame, so civilized, caused a reaction Eve never expected. She laughed, laughed until her sides ached and she realized to her utter shock the sound was coming perilously close to sobs. "I don't know what we had. He's not speaking to me, basically."

"Eve." Mira reached for her hand, clasped it. The gesture snapped the last lock.

It poured out of her, everything from the time she'd walked into the bedroom and seen Summerset staggering under the weight of the flowers.

"I went to see Mavis," Eve continued. "And got drunk. That sounds stupid, but -- "

"On the contrary, it sounds perfectly sensible. You went to a trusted friend, one who knows both of you and is herself in a committed, monogamous, and loving relationship. Getting drunk was a release valve, but talking it over with her was an avenue."

"She said I should..." Eve couldn't quite bring herself to repeat Mavis's descriptive phrase. "Seduce him."

"Again, sensible. Sex opens doors to communication and relieves tension. It didn't work?"

"I didn't really get the chance to try it out. There was an individual, I can't give you the name, who has a connection with the case and an older one with me, who was waiting outside. I brought him up to my office to discuss the case, and... Jesus... I don't know what got into him. I guess you could say he made a move on me, which I was about to repel, with some violence, when Roarke..."

"Oh dear. I imagine he was seriously displeased."

Eve simply stared for a minute, stunned by the phrase. She was afraid to laugh again. Afraid she wouldn't stop. "You could say that. Words were exchanged, and then they went at each other. The worst is, for a minute, I just stood there with my mouth open. They're breaking furniture, and blood's flying and I stand there, stupid."

"Not for long, I take it."

"No, but still. Anyway, I drew my weapon."

"Good God, Eve."

"It was on stun." She made a defensive move with her shoulders. "I fired a warning, which Roarke ignored. Unfortunately for... for the other individual, he didn't and Roarke cold-cocked him. Summerset got the guy out, and I'm telling Roarke to calm his ass down or I'll stun him. I meant it."

"I'm sure you did."

"He didn't seem to care. He sort of backed me into a corner, and I couldn't seem to... Then he, hmmm, he..."

"Oh." Mira felt something flutter in her belly. "I see."

"No, no, he didn't punch me or anything."

"That's not what I thought. He... made love to you."

"No. That's not the way it was. He just took me over. I wasn't going to stand for it. I told myself I wouldn't, but I was... Damn it, I was aroused, and he knew it, and he was ripping my clothes and we were sort of struggling a little, then we were on the floor and I was ripping his clothes and we were on each other like animals or something. I couldn't stop him, or myself, or any of it, and I didn't want to because, God, I was so hot I'd have let him eat me alive."

"Oh my," Mira managed.

"I shouldn't have told you." Mortified, Eve squeezed her eyes shut. "What was I thinking?"

"No, no, sweetheart, that was a very unprofessional reaction, and I apologize. But it was a very female one." And she thought her husband was going to be quite delighted with the aftereffects of this heart-to-heart with Eve.

"I didn't just let him take me, I helped him. I enjoyed it." She looked down, miserably, at her empty hands. "That's got to be sick."

"Not enjoying what you just described to me might be. Enjoying it was completely healthy. Extremely healthy, if I might say so. Eve, you love each other. Passionate sex -- "

"It went over the top of passionate."

"Please, my system can only handle so much." And now Mira laughed. "You and Roarke are two strong, stubborn, physical people who are wildly in love. He was angry with you for your attempt to protect him at your own risk. As you would be if he did the same."

"But -- "

"You know that's true. As much as you know you'd do the same thing again, just as he would. You dented his ego, always a tricky proposition with a man, particularly a man like him. Then, before he could come to full terms with it, he walks in on you being hit on by another man."

"He had to know that I wouldn't have -- "

"He did, of course. But he wouldn't stand for two slaps at his ego. Think a moment, and answer honestly. Would you really want him to stand for it?"

"I... maybe not," she admitted, grudgingly. Then she blew out a breath, surprised that she felt considerably better. "No, I wouldn't want him to stand for it."

"Of course not. And his reaction was, given who he is, physical. The fight reasserted his ego. Territoriality, Eve. This woman is mine."

"That's what he said," she muttered.

"Naturally enough. You are. Just as he's yours. Then you stand there, holding your weapon on him. Oh, what a sight that would have been. So he, metaphorically speaking, drew one of his own."

Eve's lips quivered. "Dr. Mira, I think that's crude."

"Nonetheless. Both of you reacted as natural for you, engaged in a bout of rough, sweaty sex that no doubt satisfied you."

"You'd have thought so, but we hadn't even cooled off when he picked me up off the floor and carried me into bed and did it all over again."

Mira stared, rather blankly. "Does he have a particular diet? Vitamins?"

When a cop killer cuts loose in a club called Purgatory, New York detective Eve Dallas descends into an underground criminal hell...

In an uptown strip joint, a cop is found bludgeoned to death. The weapon's a baseball bat. The motive's a mystery. It's a case of serious overkill that pushes Eve Dallas straight into overdrive. Her investigation uncovers a private club that's more than a hot spot. Purgatory's a last chance for atonement where everyone is judged. Where your ultimate fate depends on your most intimate sins. And where one cop's hidden secrets are about to plunge innocent souls into vice-ridden damnation...

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     OmniLit

Flashback Friday: Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started on Bookshelf Fantasies. It's focus is on showcasing a book from at least 5 years ago that holds a special place in your heart and on your shelf.

The year was 2004. It was the of year of a tsunamis in India and the Statue of Liberty reopening. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King took the Oscar for best picture and Jude Law was People's Sexiest Man Alive. Usher, Alicia Keys and OutKast were all chart toppers for the year.

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This book was originally published by Berkley  in March of 2004. But has been translated into many languages and even was reprinted in 2011.

From the back of the book:

It's been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises, with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet.

Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries -- a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no?

But a collection of Ferragamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair -- a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart ...

When I first came across this series, I was looking for other MaryJanice Davidson books to read. I had read some of her stuff in a Secret's anthology and then read Thief of Hearts, and was totally digging her snarky, wise cracking heroines. So when I saw this book, it looked like an absolute hoot.  And I was so right.  Elizabeth, call me Betsy, Taylor is a self-centered, shoe obsessed blonde who I couldn't help but adore. She doesn't take herself or anyone seriously and she says those all those things that the rest of us think, but never actually say. Most people would jump at the chance for a seriously hunky husband and to rule for a thousand years as Queen of the Vampires, but not Betsy. There are currently 13 books in the series and numerous novellas and tie ins to two of her other series, and I have read almost all of them.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Justine's mom was in my arms, reeking of fear and Dune perfume. She was clutching me with not-inconsiderable strength and babbling into my hair. I wriggled, trying to extricate myself without hurting her. "Ohmygod I thought they were going to rape me kill me hurt Justine kill Justine thank you thank you thank you!"

"Err...that's fine, Miss—uh, miss. Leggo now, there's a nice hysteric."

She let go of me, still babbling, staggered a few feet away, knelt, and started picking up the items that had fallen from her purse. I instantly wanted to grab her back.

Something about her—the blood, the—she had scraped herself, or one of the men had cut her, and she was bleeding, the blood was flowing beneath her shirt, on the inside of her upper arm, and it trickled steadily and suddenly I was so thirsty I couldn't breathe.

Justine was staring up at me. Her tears had dried, making her cheeks shine in the moonlight. She looked very, very thoughtful. And about five years older than she'd looked five minutes ago. She pointed. "Doesn't that hurt like crazy?"

I looked down, then jerked the knife out of my side. Very little blood. "No. Thanks. Uh...don't be scared. Anymore, I mean."

"Why'd you ask them to kill you?"

Normally I wouldn't share unpleasant confidences with a strange child, but what could I say? It had been one of those nights. Plus, she had pointed out the knife sticking out of my ribs; I felt obliged to give her an honest answer. "I'm a zombie," I explained, except I was having trouble talking, all of a sudden. "I'm trying to thtay dead."

"You're not a zombie." She pointed at my mouth. "You're a vampire. A good one, so that's all right," she added.

My hand came up so quickly I actually bit myself. I felt the sharp tips of new fangs, fangs that had come out when I'd smelled her mother's blood, fangs that seemed to be taking up half my mouth.

"A vampire? How ith that pothible? I died in a car ackthident, for God'th thake! Aw, thon of a bith!"

"Are you going to suck our blood?" Justine asked curiously.

"Blood maketh me throw up. Even the thight of it—ugh."

"Not anymore, I bet," she said. This was the most level-headed first-grader I'd ever met. I was tempted to make her my evil sidekick. "It's okay. You can if you want to. You saved us. My mom," she said, her tone dropping; it was low, confidential, "was really scared."

She's not the only one, sugar...and by the way, I bet you'd taste like electricity, all that youth and energy coursing through your bloodstream.

I clapped both hands over my mouth and started backing away. "Run," I said, but I didn't have to bother; Justine's mama had finished gathering up her things, taken one look at my new dentition, picked up her daughter, and run in the opposite direction.

"There'th a gath thtathion at the end of this block!" I yelled after her. "You can call triple A!" I stuck my fingers in my mouth. My lisp was going away, and so were my fangs. "And what were you thinking, having your daughter out at four o'clock in the morning?" I shouted after her, freshly annoyed. "Dope!"

People think because Minneapolis was in the Midwest, rapes and murders and burglaries didn't happen there. They do, just not as often as, say, in Washington D.C. I'd bet a thousand bucks the car that had broken down on them was a rental.

Well, the mystery was solved. I was a vampire. How, I had no idea. Car accident victims did not rise from the dead. So I'd always thought, anyway.

It'a been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet.

Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries - a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no? But a collection of Ferragamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair - a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart...

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     ARe     Paperbackswap

Flashback Friday: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started on Bookshelf Fantasies. It's focus is on showcasing a book from at least 5 years ago that holds a special place in your heart and on your shelf.

The year was 2005. It was the of year of Hurricane Katrina and the H5N1 strain of Avian Flu. Lance Armstrong wins a record seventh straight Tours de France, Million Dollar Baby took the Oscar for best picture and Matthew McConaughey was People's Sexiest Man Alive. Kelly Clarkson, 50 Cent and Gwen Stefani were all chart toppers for the year.

**********

This book was originally published by Signet  in September of 2005. But has been translated into many languages and even was reprinted in 2014.

From the back of the book:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood…

The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both....

Why do I like the book so much that it has earned a spot on my keeper shelf? This was a book that my sister insisted that I read. I had it in my desk drawer at work for over 6 months before I finally took a chance and read it. I fell in love with the store almost immediately. It was raw and gritty, and I hadn't read anything like it before. Ward's take on Vampires was inventive and addictive. I fell immediately in love with the series. Below is one of my favorite scenes from the book.

The instant she appeared in the doorway, all talk ceased. Heads turned; eyes stared. Hard-core rap expanded to fill the silence, bass thumping, lyrics chanting.

My God. She'd never seen so many big men in leather before in her life.

She took a step backward just as Wrath shot to his feet from the head of the table. He came at her, looking intense. No doubt she'd interrupted some kind of sacred guy time.

She tried to think of something to say to him. He was probably going to want to play it cool in front of his brothers, do that whole I'm-a-tough-guy, this-broad-is-just-a—

Wrath wrapped his whole body around hers, putting his face in her hair.

"My leelan," he whispered in her ear. He ran his hands up and down her back. "My beautiful leelan." He pulled away and kissed her on the lips. His smile was tender as he smoothed her hair. Beth grinned. Evidently, her man didn't have a problem with public displays of affection. Good to know.

She tilted her head, looking around his shoulder.

And they were definitely in public. The men were gaping. Positively gaping.

She nearly laughed. Seeing a bunch of guys who looked like violent offenders sitting around a table set with silver and china was incongruous enough. But having them be so totally flabbergasted seemed downright absurd.

"You want to introduce me?" she said, nodding at the group.

Wrath put his arm around her shoulders, tucking her against him.

"This is the Black Dagger Brotherhood. My fellow war-riors. My brothers." He nodded to the blindingly handsome one. "Rhage, you know. Tohr also. The one with the goatee and the Sox hat is Vishous. The Rapunzel over there is Phury." Wrath's voice dropped to a snarl. "And Zsadist has already introduced himself."

The two she'd spent some time with smiled at her. The others nodded, except for the scarred one. He just stared.

That guy had a twin, she recalled. But she'd have been hard-pressed to pick out his real brother. Though the one with the absolutely delicious hair and the fantastic yellow eyes did look a little like him.

"Gentlemen," Wrath said. "This is Beth."

And then he switched over to that language she didn't understand.

When he ended, there was an audible gasp.

He looked down, smiling. "Do you need anything? Are you hungry, leelan?"

She put her hand on her stomach. "You know, I am. I have the weirdest craving for bacon and chocolate. Go figure."

"I will serve you. Sit down." He indicated his chair and then headed off through a swinging door. She eyed the men.

Great. Here she was, naked in a bathrobe, alone with well over a thousand pounds of vampire. Pulling off the nonchalant thing was impossible, so she just headed over for Wrath's seat. She didn't get far.

There was a loud scraping noise as five chairs slid backward. The men rose as a unit. And started coming for her.

She looked to the faces of the two she knew, but their grave expressions weren't encouraging.

And then the knives came out.

With a metallic whoosh, five black daggers were unsheathed.

She backed up frantically, hands in front of herself. She slammed into a wall and was about to scream for Wrath when the men dropped down on bended knees in a circle around her. In a single movement, as if they'd been choreographed, they buried the daggers into the floor at her feet and bowed their heads. The great whoomp of sound as steel met wood seemed both a pledge and a battle cry.

The handles of the knives vibrated.

The rap music continued to pound.

They seemed to be waiting for some kind of response from her.

"Umm. Thank you," she said.

The men's heads lifted. Etched into the harsh planes of their faces was total reverence. Even the scarred one had a respectful expression.

And then Wrath came in with a squeeze bottle of Hershey's syrup.

"Bacon's on the way." He smiled. "Hey, they like you."

"And thank God for that," she murmured, looking down at the daggers.

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     ARe

Flashback Friday: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started on Bookshelf Fantasies. It's focus is on showcasing a book from at least 5 years ago that holds a special place in your heart and on your shelf.

The year was 2006. It was the year Suddam Hussein is found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death, while Barry Bonds breaks Babe Ruth's home run record. The 1 billionth song is purchased from Apple iTunes, Nintendo releases the Wii in North America and Google purchases YouTube. In entertainment Katie Curic anchors the CBS Evening News, The Departed took the Oscar for best picture and George Clooney was People's Sexiest Man Alive (for the second time). Meanwhile Rhianna, The Pussycat Dolls and T-Pain are all over the air waves.

**********

This book was originally published by Berkley Sensation in September of 2006. It has been reissued in many different languages around the world and even reissued in 2010 with a new paperback cover. I got my copy from Paperbackswap after listening to my sister go on and on about great the series was.

From the back of the book:

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was…

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

Why do I like the book so much that it has earned a spot on my keeper shelf? First off, the world building was fantastic. Nalini Singh did an outstanding job of creating this alternate reality where Psy, Changlings and Humans all live in a strained and imbalanced world. The Psy think they are superior due to their capacity for intellectual endeavors, but practice a brutal policy of allowing no emotion into their lives, called Silence. Those who can't or won't maintain Silence are "rehabilitated" effectively turning them into human vegetables. Changlings are more physically strong and especially the predatory groups, tend to dominate in a particular city or region. However, for all their "bestial nature", they live in packs and care greatly for one another.   Human appear to be caught somewhere between the two groups.

The following is a passage that really expresses the differences that exists between the groups and highlight the dichotomy of the two protagonists of the book.

He was beginning to expect her in his dreams. When she touched his shoulder, he rolled away to look up at her. His intention had been to tell her that he had no heart to play with her tonight, but when he saw her, he stopped. Wearing what looked like old cotton pajamas, her hair in two simple braids, she appeared about sixteen.

That was when he realized that he was dressed in a pair of dark gray sweatpants identical to his favorite pair. "What's the matter, kitten?"

A kind of confused vulnerability swirled in her eyes. "I don't know." She wrapped her arms around herself.

Opening his own arms, he said, "Come here."

After a small hesitation, she laid her head down on his chest and stretched her legs out along his side. "I feel so... heavy." One fine-boned hand rested beside her head, palm-down on his skin.

"Me, too." The rock that sat on his heart would be gone by morning but its memory would linger.

Her hand stroked over his heartbeat. "Why are you sad?"

"Sometimes I remember that I can't always protect those I love." Under his fingers, her hair was soft and silky.

She didn't try to tell him that he wasn't God, that he couldn't protect everyone. He knew that. But knowing and believing were two different things. What she did say succeeded in stopping his heart. "I wish you'd love me."

"Why?"

"Because then maybe you could protect me, too." Haunting sorrow whispered through her tone.

"Why do you need protecting?" His male instincts were rising past the dark burden of memory.

She cuddled closer and he wrapped his arms tight. "Because I'm broken." Her hand kept smoothing over his heart and he could feel a melting warmth invade his body. "And the Psy don't allow broken creatures to live."

"You feel perfect to me."

No answer. Only that smoothing hand over his chest. With each stroke he felt more at peace. A different form of heaviness infiltrated his bones. It felt strangely as if he was going to sleep again. As darkness closed over him, her quiet statement circled his mind like an endless river.

Because I'm broken.

And the Psy don't allow broken creatures to live.



Sascha was waiting for him when he arrived at the office the next day. Troubled by the disquieting intensity of the dream, he tried to draw her into conversation but hit a brick wall. It was as if she'd retreated deep within herself, so deep that she'd almost ceased to exist.

"Are you all right?" He could feel the shadows around her, feel her... as if she were Pack.

"I'd like to suggest some alternatives to the materials you're planning to use," she said, instead of answering. "My research tells me this type of wood will weather better in the site environment." She slid across a sample and an accompanying inch-thick report.

Frustrated by her intransigence, he fingered the sample. "This stuff is cheaper."

"That doesn't mean it's no good. Please read the report."

"I will." He put it aside. "You look like hell, Sascha darling." No way was he going to let her push him away, not after last night. She was Psy and he'd been dreaming some pretty odd dreams. He could do the math.

Her hands tightened on her organizer before she got herself under control. "I've been having trouble sleeping."

Every instinct he had told him it was time to press hard. "Dreams keeping you awake?"

"I've told you, the Psy don't dream." She refused to meet his gaze.

"But you do, don't you, Sascha?" he said softly. "What does that make you?"

Her head jerked up and he glimpsed something very lost in her eyes in the second's window before her computerized security-blanket chimed. "Excuse me." She walked out of the room and he knew it was because of him, not the call. He'd finally reached her. If that call hadn't interrupted them...

"Damn it." His claws sliced out of his hands, an indication of just how much control he'd lost. Forcing them back in, he went to hunt down his elusive prey.

She was gone.

Ria, his administrative assistant, gave him the message. "Said she had to leave to take care of something but that she'd be back for the two o'clock with Zara."

Lucas took the message with an ill-hidden frown. "Thanks." His tone said otherwise.

"Sorry. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to let her go." Ria screwed up her pretty human face into a scowl. "You're supposed to warn me about things like that." Mated to a DarkRiver leopard for the past seven years, she had no problem talking her mind with Lucas.

"Don't worry about it. She'll be back." Where else could she go? If he was right about her, then her very uniqueness might get her rejected by her own people.

What worried him was that rather than calculating how he could use her weakness to further his own goals, he was concerned for her. The unexpected development was enough to disturb both man and beast - how had one of the enemy gained a slice of his loyalty?

This book, and the rest of the series, remain on my Keeper Shelf.  I don't know how many times I have gone back and reread passages. Watching the byplay between Sascha and Lucas, especially in the last half of the book, still has the power to make me giggle and sigh.

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was…

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     ARe     Paperbackswap

Flashback Friday: Defying Gravity by Rachel Lee

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started on Bookshelf Fantasies. It's focus is on showcasing a book from at least 5 years ago that holds a special place in your heart and on your shelf.

The year was 1992. It was the year of the Rodney King beatings and Clinton being elected to president. CDs are outselling cassettes for the first time, Windows 3.1 and Microsoft Works are released by Microsoft. In entertainment Johnny Carson is retiring, The Silence of the Lambs wins the Oscar for best picture and Nick Nolte was People's Sexiest Man Alive, while Pearl Jam and Nirvana are burning up the air waves.

**********

This book was originally published by Silhouette Intimate Moments, #430 all the way back in May of 1992. It was then reissued in May of 1998 as part of the Tall, Dark and Smart - Men at Work series. I purchased my copy at a used bookstore probably about a year or so after it was originally released.

From the back of the book:

"Stop Disturbing the Gravity... Or I'll Kill You."

Shaken, Liz Pennington ignored the anonymous call. But when someone ransacked her office, infiltrating the computer system she and partner Tim O'Shaughnessy had carefully designed for top-secret government work, alarm set in.

Knowing they were in danger, she didn't protest when Tim moved in with her for protection. But glimpses of taut glistening muscles whenever he worked out reminded her all too clearly that her fellow computer whiz was drop-dead gorgeous.

As threats from the "Gravity Man" continued, Liz's fears took a new direction. Investigating with Tim she could handle, but living with him? If the case wasn't solved - and quickly! - she knew her control would snap. And the explosion was bound to know Tim right out of his gym shorts...

Why did I like this book so much that even 20 years later it is still sitting on my keeper shelf?  This book was one of my first introductions to the unapologetic Alpha man. This guy is ex military, smart, buff and not afraid of being a guy.  There is one particular passage that I really enjoyed and I have continued to think about years later:


"It's all right, Liz," Donna said soothingly. "Don't be mad at Tim. He's just being a  man, and there are few enough around anymore who know how to act like one."

"You know why men aren't men anymore?" Tim asked Donna. "It's all this women's lib stuff. Now don't get me wrong, I think women are just as competent, capable and smart as men. hell, I've got a woman for a business partner, right? I couldn't possibly be a male chauvinist."

"Absolutely not, " Donna agree. "Not a hint of it anywhere in your makeup, Tim."

"Certainly not. The problem with men today, Donna is that women's lib has forbidden us to be men.  Think about it. We get turned on by pretty women. Women are sex objects to men. That doesn't mean we can't admire their other qualities, but hell's bells, the last thing a man is allowed to do these days admit that a woman does turn him on. We're born to be sexual aggressors, but the minute you make a pass some woman is calling you an M.C.P."

"I never though of that, " Donna said.

"It's true. Men love to look at women. These days if you watch a woman's buns as she walks down the street, she's apt to call the cops.  And forget taking in an eyeful in the workplace. That's sexual harassment. So men can't look, they can't talk, they can't make a pass, and before they can uh ... get friendly, they have to prove they're sensitive and that they really admire her mind. So here we are, unable to be men. Is it any wonder that we've turned into such a bunch of wimps?"

"You'll never be a wimp," Donna assured him.

Liz was seething, but before she could marshal a suitably cutting comment, Tim plunged on.

"That's only because I refuse to believe that being a male is a crime of some kind. You know, it's really awful when you think about it. Biologically the entire race has evolved to give women attributes that turn men on, and make men turn on when they see a woman. All this so the species can survive.  Whether women want to admit it or not, survival of the human race depends on them being sexy and us being horny."

Donna sounded suddenly stifled. "I never thought of it quite that way, Tim."

"Of course you didn't," he said kindly. "You're a woman. Women don't think in those terms. They prefer things being all gauzy and soft. They want romance all tied up in a great big bow of love. Than't natural. After all, they bear the children and want to ensure that those children will be fed, sheltered and cared for.  I'm not arguing that there's anything wrong with the way women think and feel about these things. I'm just saying that there's nothing really wrong with the way men feel about these things, either. Believe me, no guy was ever attracted to a woman's mind first, but that doesn't mean he can't come to admire it later."

I will warn you that the technology in the book is dated. (20 years!) But at the time, my geeky little heart flipped over a book that had a woman being a computer wiz. Here was a great role model for someone like myself.  She was a business partner and techno geek, not just in some subservient job such as nurse, secretary or nanny. This was a woman who was the man's equal, both intellectually and financially. Plus the brainy girl scores the hot brainy alpha guy in the end. Woot!  This is one of my 5 star reads.

Tim O'Shaughnessy is involved in top-secret computer work for the government. He's dedicated to protecting his latest software program--and his beautiful business partner, Liz Pennington. They had never worked quite this closely before, and Tim couldn't deny that as the danger of their assignment became more intense, so did their passion! Could they ever return to business as usual?

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