I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In The Air Tonight by Lori Handeland Series: Sisters of the Craft #1
Published by St Martin's Press on June 2nd 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Four centuries ago, in a small Scottish village, three baby girls escaped the wrath of a witch hunter. Today, one young woman will learn about her secret history,?her heart's destiny,?and the sisters she never knew she had...With her blue-black hair and dark eyes, Raye Larsen has never fit in with the Scandinavian community of New Bergin, Wisconsin. Being adopted is part of the reason she feels like an outsider, but what really sets Raye apart is her ability to see dead people. Everywhere. She's learned to keep her visions to herself...until she stumbles onto the ghost of a murder victim who needs Raye's help. Enter Bobby Doucet, a distractingly handsome homicide detective who has been tracking a killer all the way from New Orleans. Could this be the break in his case he's been looking for all along? Meanwhile, the deeper Raye gets involved with the case--and with Bobby--the closer she comes to unlocking the mystery of her own origins. What she discovers about herself could destroy everything she knows...and everyone she loves. Is finding the truth worth the risk??Filled with dark magic, dazzling romance, and dire suspense, In the Air Tonight is the first book in a thrilling new series by New York Times bestselling author Lori Handeland.
I don’t even know where to start. I have a long history as a teenager with an interest in occult literature, folklore and YA Novels. I at one time adored witch books because it was a world where magic was real and dreary, mundane world could melt away to give birth to one where anything was possible. In The Air Tonight surprisingly transported me to a world where magic existed on a smaller, more realistic scale. The main characters were people I could identify with regardless the fact that we live in completely different worlds. I work in a boring office or a fast food joint on the daily, I am in no way a cop or a kindergarten teacher. I am a chunky white girl who has absolutely no Haitian ancestry or adoration for children (seriously, put me in a small room with kids for an hour and bad things happen), yet the characters were ones I could relate to like old friends.
I want to include here that I adored the fact that the main character did not have parents. She didn’t complain, victimize herself or place blame on others. She said “so I was abandoned and unwanted, but that doesn’t make me worthless”. She moved on with her life: bad ass!
Obviously, as a romance book, there were sex scenes. I was a bit leery of sex scenes concerning magic. Would it be like A Discovery of Witches where her powers go amok? Or would it get over the top like The Trouble Maker Next Door? Would I be skipping up to fifty pages of sex in this book to get back the story line? Nope! The scenes were tasteful, realistic and to the minimum. Once the main character and the hero get together it doesn’t take over the book, and we still have concentration on the mysterious killer who marks his victims with a brand.
The crime mystery portion of the book is fantastic as well. I don’t want to spoil it for readers, but it includes an ancient order and prejudices. Handeland keeps most of the huge breakthroughs until midway or near the end of the book with breadcrumbs for the readers to lead themselves to the killer. I love a romance with a bit of real mystery writing.
Finally, I want to include that although this is a book about a woman who finds her heritage as a witch, there is only sprinkles of “witchery” throughout. Refreshing! Bobby and Raye must figure out who is killing witches the old-fashioned way. No need for crazy spells, incantations or telekinesis! Raye also must hide her ability to see ghosts from Bobby, who has his own dark past with psychics.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy paranormal romance, witch or occult novels, fun novels and simple mystery novels. Well worth the read if you want something paranormal without too much saturation.
About Lori Handeland
Lori Handeland has written over fifty novels, novellas and short stories in several genres–historical, contemporary, series and paranormal romance, as well as urban fantasy–for such publishers as: Dorchester, Kensington, Harlequin, St. Martin’s Press, Harper-Collins, Simon and Schuster and Penguin/Putnam
She is a New York Times, USA Today, Waldenbooks and Bookscan Bestselling Author and the recipient of many industry awards, including two RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America for Best Paranormal and Best Long Contemporary Romance, a Romantic Times Award for Best Harlequin Superromance, the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, the Write Touch Readers Award, the National Readers Choice Award and the Prism Award.
Published world wide and known for her popular and highly acclaimed Nightcreature paranormal series, as well as the Urban Fantasy series – The Phoenix Chronicles, and the historical fantasy series, Shakespeare Undead, Lori also writes gritty, sexy western historical romance under the name Lori Austin. Look for her Once Upon a Time in the West series.
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