Sandy M’s review of In His Keeping (Slow Burn, Book 2) by Maya Banks
Paranormal Romance published by Avon 27 Jan 15

This is the second series I’m reading that uses the psychic concept as a backdrop, and I’m thoroughly enjoy both of them. Thus, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on In His Keeping by Maya Banks. I really liked the first book, Keep Me Safe, so I knew this one would be just as good. I’d like to tell you I was right about that thought. I can’t, though. Because this book is even better.

Arial has kept her psychic gift hidden all her life. Her parents have kept her safe from anyone who would use her and her abilities for gain. She’s finally on her own, though she’s still pretty sheltered by her father’s power and wealth. The day they’ve all feared comes to pass when Ari is attacked in the school parking lot as she leaves work. Instinct kicks in, her abilities keep her alive, and then it’s up to her father to make sure no one really knows what happened. But it’s always the unexpected, the unknown element that makes all good intentions and perfect planning go awry. In this case it’s the age of modern conveniences – a smartphone. A video of the attack surfaces and that’s when Ari’s family’s nightmare begins.

With her parents’ disappearance, Ari must put into motion the plan her father has had in place for years – seek out either Caleb or Beau Devereaux. Trusting her father as she trusts no one else, she makes her way to Devereaux Security and it’s Beau who hears her incredible story. Promising to find her parents, Beau’s plans begin to change the second they walk out of the building and gunfire erupts. Trusting only his brother and their security teams, Beau takes Ari home with him so they can plan further, but even more issues crop up when Caleb goes ballistic after he discovers Ari would like Ramie, a fellow psychic and Caleb’s wife, to help locate her parents with her gift. Can anything else go wrong?

You betcha. It seems no matter how they plan, how they execute those plans, or how secure they think they are, the enemy is always one step ahead of them. It’s during all this planning and re-planning and the fighting and arguing that Beau and Ari begin to act on their growing feelings. Beau tries to keep it professional. Ari tries to focus only on finding her parents. But the adrenaline, the unknown, and their closeness only fuels the fire between them. Then there’s Ari’s psychic ability. Since she’s always kept it hidden, she has no idea how powerful she truly is. She gets them out of plenty of scrapes as time marches on with no answers and evil at their door. When Beau and the team realize they’ve been fed a distraction, it’s too late – Ari is in enemy hands.

And those who take her have no idea who and what they’ve brought into their midst. Surprise! Every time you think you’ve seen all that Ari can do with that incredible mind of hers, Ms. Banks hits the gas and you’re thrown backward from the acceleration of Ari amping up the odds on success and survival. Even when Beau is there to help, she knows she has to take revenge on her own. And, boy, does she. It’s scenes like these that really make me appreciate an author’s imagination, and Ms. Banks does not let me down. Then there’s the Devereaux twist amid it all. Both Caleb and Beau are still taken by surprise when they find out what their father did so many years ago. They didn’t think the man could keep surprising them from the grave anymore, but how wrong they are.

I’m glad there’s going to more than just the Devereaux family who will have their stories told. As long as Ms. Banks can keep the paranormal aspect fresh and unique, I’m in for reading every book, even the members of the security teams. We get to know them well as they work cases, so it will be interesting to see how each is somehow connected to the psychic world. It’s Zach who’s up next, that book due out in June.

Plenty of action, lots of romance, and the paranormal aspects fly every which way. Just my kind of book.

[Ed. The publisher has generously offered a copy of In His Keeping for us to give away today. So leave us a meaningful comment and we’ll draw a name in about a week or so!]

Grade: A

Summary:

Arial knows the rules that keep her safe. She’s been following them since she was a little girl: Do not tell. Do not show. But in a moment of terror, facing an attacker intent on taking more than just her life, Ari has no choice but to unleash the psychic powers she’s been hiding since childhood.

Now, with her abilities revealed, a bigger threat looms—something that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her parents and her secretive upbringing. But this isn’t a fight she can face on her own.

As the head of Devereaux Security, Beau Devereaux is no stranger to the strange. But when he takes on a new client—a beautiful young woman with an extraordinary gift—Beau isn’t prepared for the extent of his attraction to her. What began as a simple assignment, just another job, quickly turns personal as Beau discovers he’ll do anything at all to protect Ari. No matter what it costs him personally. Even his heart and soul.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series: