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Sandy M’s review of Unexpected Risk (Phoenix Agency, Book 7) by Desiree Holt
Paranormal Romance published by Desiree Holt 28 Feb 20

It’s been ages since I’ve read Desiree Holt. So when this book just happened to pop up for me somewhere, and not realizing it’s part of a series, I thought why not try her again after so long. I like the dynamics of the Phoenix Agency, men brought together by their stint in several branches of the US Armed Services and the fact their wives they’ve found in their stories are all psychic in one way or another; thus, offering help to them on cases when the need arises. This time it’s attorney and former Marine J.T., who is not part of the agency, and Janet, who still struggles with her “gift” who are front and center.

Janet has recently changed jobs, now teaching a young girl who is homebound after an accident. Being an empath who can tell if someone is lying, especially if their prevarication is evil on a grand scale, Janet makes a run for it when suddenly her employer begins to exhibit such tendencies. Not knowing where to turn, she calls a new friend who is married to a Phoenix Agency partner. Help is on its way in the form of J.T., who is closest to her and can keep her safe in his home.

When they meet this time around, they realize they’ve met before when Janet literally bumped into J.T. at a restaurant, and they’ve not been able to get each other out of their respective minds. So the sizzle starts early and carries on throughout the book, even when they don’t know each other at all. J.T. is stalwart and charming, just what Janet needs. They’re actually pretty perfect together, and things move very quickly between them once they are in the same locale.

Darkman is an emotionally stunted man who has been an assassin for hire for years. When he realizes Janet has begun to figure out his activities, he goes after her with abandon, knowing the only way to save his life from imploding totally is to get rid of her and anyone else she’s confided in. He is a very credible villain, and you can only hope he gets exactly what he deserves.

I’ve been trying to get back to reading paranormal romance, and this book has sent me in the right direction. I enjoyed all the characters and would like to eventually pick up their books from the beginning. My only nitpick is the errors here and there throughout. More and more authors are going to self-publishing and I hope more and more of them take a bit more care in getting their books on the shelves.  This book definitely would have benefited from that.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Her so-called gift put her in perilous situations…
Janet Rodman barely controlled her psi ability as an empath to teach school and hang with a few friends. She never knew when a wave of unsuitable emotions from others would assault her. She had learned to build walls to live her life but evil could break them down. A job as a private tutor kept her safe from assault…or so she thought.

He wasn’t looking for a woman in his life…
Former Marine and top tier attorney J. T. Fitzpatrick A bitter divorce took care of that. But when his friends at The Phoenix Agency called on his help to rescue a woman in danger, how could he say no? He’s unprepared for the instant attraction to Janet rodman, but he’s not looking for a relationship and tis is supposed to be a strictly business deal.

The Darkman isn‘t about to let some woman interrupt his mission in life…
His plan is working perfectly, and the bodies are piling up. He can’t let Janet Rodman screw them up. But when she disappears, he pulls out all stops to find and eliminate her. Ad he’ll kill anyone who gets in the way. With the chemistry exploding between them, can the former Marine keep Janet safe and destroy the killer before he destroys them?

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series: