The first real case femme fatale turned private eye, Eva Thorne, has had in months may be more than she can handle. King Rutgard has been kidnapped, only he's not entirely alive, which makes finding him difficult. What's more, dwarf men are joining the suffragist movement in droves to win freedom from the matriarchy, and there's a werewolf terrorist in town causing chaos. Eva needs a case like this to make her reputation, but she has problems of her own. Dark magic is rising in her, the Thorne legacy, and she can't control it. She has to find a way or risk imprisonment by the jackbooted elf soldiers who are cracking down on illegal necromancy and worship of the Dead God. Worse, the God of Death wants her soul, as does her twin sister, so Eva denies her magic and hides from her family. But some things are impossible to hide from, like the tax collector … and love.
NEW RELEASE.... Tobias is a fox-shifter, stolen in childhood from his home-world. Now he works as an agent for the secretive and powerful sentinels, trying to bring an end to the interworld slave trade. Etty is a street-smart spitfire from the wrong side of the tracks. She harbors untrained magical abilities and a deep longing for a better life. Can she channel these into working as Tobias’ assistant? Will they survive a life-changing mission where love and danger are only a heartbeat away, and the fate of rift worlds hangs in the balance?
"The way Ms. Green weaves romance into this fascinating situation of rift travel and the amazing settings along the way, is delightful. I appreciate how the various story aspects are artfully combined to make my introduction to “rifting” purely satisfying. I’m SO ready for the next one." - review from Amazon
"Yet another good book by Diana Green. I love how you went a little Sci-fi with the portals and alternate worlds mixed in." - review from Amazon
"The plot moves at a steady pace and grabs you in right from the start." - review from Goodreads
My review: I love this story, and can hardly wait to get my hands on the next one in the series! Tobias and Etty make a great team, and their adventures are compelling. There is romance involved, but in this book, at least, it didn't overpower the adventure and suspense. I can only hope that will continue to be true in the rest of the series as well.
There is so much to recommend about this book. If you like steampunk, suspense, fantasy, magic, or sci-fi, you'll find a little of all of it here. The two main characters have amazing backstories which I hope will continue to be fleshed out as the series continues. With the idea of portal travel to other worlds, there are infinite possibilities for the types of adventures and the supporting characters to come.
Since her childhood, growing up in New Zealand, Diana has been an avid storyteller. For years she enjoyed teaching art and special education, while continuing to write as a hobby. After she developed an auto-immune disorder, a career change was necessary, but happily this led her to become a professional author. Diana's books are mostly paranormal romance, in the fantasy and science fiction sub-genres. She has been a finalist for the CRW Award of Excellence and the Aspen Gold Published Novel Contest. At present, she self-publishes and writes for the Wild Rose Press.
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Synopsis: Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point.
Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.
When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.
That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .
Is that what she’s supposed to do?
Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened? Thoughts: While I enjoy Rowell's Young Adult books, this foray into adult fiction was not as interesting a read for me. I spent most of the book wanting to shake one or another of the main characters and tell them to GROW UP. I feel that way enough in my real life, I don't need it in my reading material as well. My rating: Three stars
