Sandy M’s review of Tapestry of the Past by Alvania Scarborough
Contemporary paranormal erotic romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 24 Sep 08

I’ve had a rash of erotica books lately that just haven’t worked for me for one reason or another, mostly because there’s not really a storyline, let alone a good one, or the characters are very lackluster.  I’m happy to say this book is a very nice and pleasant surprise.  I liked the characters and the storyline is quite interesting with a paranormal twist to it all.  I just love it when I find a little pearl like this.

Kaleisa has had visions of murder for most of her life.  Of course, no one believes her when she tries to tell anyone about them, especially the police.  So she learned to keep these moments to herself.  Until her latest vision, however, in which it is her face she sees on a body by the lake she frequents for some quality downtime.  She braves taking her story to the police one more time, but once again she’s told there’s nothing they can do without evidence, and they don’t believe her, but she’s at least given the name and address of a man who maybe can help.

But Gabriel Steele covets his peace and solitude.  He has tortured secrets of his own and having a nut case interrupt his life is not what he needs.  He scares her off originally, but when he learns her home has been broken into, her situation takes on a whole new look.  He brings Kaleisa to his home where he can better protect her, calls in some favors from friends he trusts, and they begin to ferret out evidence to find the man responsible for not only terrorizing Kalesia but the one also responsible for several other deaths.

With her visions still occurring on a regular basis during the investigation and their feelings for one another becoming stronger day by day, Gabriel is learning to open up and trust Kalesia, something he hasn’t done in years.  But the villain they’re chasing is always one step ahead of them and causes Kalesia to doubt the man Gabriel is, which is something he should have expected.  His past is full of things he’s not proud of and having others find out about it closes him down faster than anything else.  He can’t even pull forth enough hope that Kalesia will see through the misinformation she’s seen to give them a chance at a life together.

From their first meeting there’s an instant attraction that sparks between Gabriel and Kalesia.  Though he wants nothing to do with her at their first meeting, we get a great look at how good it can be between them in the future.  And it definitely is good.  The love scenes are all well written and hot.  The storyline is very interesting and we’re kept in the dark as to the identity of the villain until near the very end, and it is a little bit of twist when he’s finally revealed.  I really enjoyed Gabriel’s friends who show up to help out.  They have a good camaraderie among them and they take to Kalesia early on.

I liked this book enough that I wanted to read more by this author, but unfortunately her website and blog have not been updated for several years.  That’s too bad.  I think she’d have a great following if folks could find out about her.

Grade: B+

Summary:
Visions of murder have always haunted Kalesia Brannigan’s nights. But this time it is her own face that stares back at her. Her only chance to stop a vicious killer before he makes her his next victim is to convince a sexy, cynical former CIA agent that what she sees are not just dreams.

Gabriel Steele is intimately acquainted with dreams that slide through the night like a sharp knife through flesh. Hell, he spent twenty years creating them…and losing a bit of his soul at the same time. When Kalesia turns up on his doorstep with her tale of murder yet to happen, she unleashes the past into the present. Gabriel is determined to protect the woman who’s brought warmth and light into his life, but can he keep her safe from a killer who stalks from the shadows? Because someone is watching…and waiting.

Read an excerpt.