Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 18 Jan 22
Olivia’s experiments with speed dating haven’t exactly been what the dating agency promised. The first guy turned out to be a serial killer who followed her home. The second one promised to walk through hell for her, but he’s the mysterious Harlan Rancourt, heir to the foundation. And what’s the mysterious music on a dark night that seems to want to take over Olivia’s senses?
Harlan Rancourt is a chaos talent. He disappeared after his father was killed in a mysterious fire but has shown up again at Victor Araganbright and Luke Pine’s door in search of the Oracle. Convinced that Olivia is the Oracle, he makes the journey to Seattle, having paved the way to her through her biggest employer, the Foundation. He arrives in time to interrupt her speed dating event and then is in a position to save her from a group of teenagers who appear to want to harm her.
Soon they’re uneasy allies as they chase down the secrets behind a camera that Olivia obtained from Swan Antiques. Hot on their trail are the folks from the dark night in Seattle. Trying to stay one step ahead of the danger stalking them, they make it to Fogg Lake. Olivia, of course, is in denial that she might have Oracle talents, despite a couple of displays of the same. Harlan has his own talents that he keeps under the wraps and, before they know it, they’re doing the horizontal tango – in her car of all places.
Piper is an assassin character who’s been using a hidden vortex lab to boost his talents. With things going wrong with the machine he’s using, he desperately needs Olivia to recalibrate it. Turns out he’s also her mother’s and grandmother’s murderer who Olivia has been searching for. From a reader’s perspective, the suspense is not intense since the author keeps the reader in the loop with regard to what’s going on with the various characters, though, of course, there are well-chosen moments when things come together surprisingly well.
There are a lot of threads left dangling, which, I’m guessing, will be picked up in new books in this universe, even through this book marks the end of the original trilogy. All in all, a good story that could have been superb.
Grade: B
Summary:
Olivia LeClair’s experiment with speed dating is not going well. First there was the nasty encounter with the date from hell who tried to murder her and now the mysterious Harlan Rancourt—long believed dead—sits down at her table and tells her she’s the only one who can help him locate the legendary Vortex lab.
This is not what Olivia had in mind when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed package offered by the dating agency. She doesn’t have much choice, though, because her psychic investigation firm works for the mysterious Foundation and Victor Arganbright, the director, is adamant that she assist Harlan. There’s just one problem—no one knows Harlan’s real agenda. His father once ran the Foundation like a mob organization, and Harlan was destined to be his heir. There’s a real possibility Harlan has returned to claim his inheritance.
For now, however, it’s a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend because others are after the secrets of the long-lost lab. Unfortunately for Olivia, the one thing friend and foe have in common is that everyone is convinced she is the key. Her unique psychic talent is required to defuse the ticking time bomb that is Vortex.
Neither trusts the other but Olivia and Harlan soon realize they must work together to survive and unlock the Bluestone Project’s most dangerous secrets before more innocent people die.
No excerpt available.
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