Thursday, April 21, 2011

Review: Crux (Southern Arcana #1) by Moira Rogers

Synopsis (Goodreads):
Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn't crack...until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn't explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

Warning: This book contains devious schemes, epic battles, forbidden love between a shapeshifter and a spellcaster, nosy secondary characters, furniture-endangering sex and a woman fighting to choose her own destiny.
My Thoughts:  I originally read this book back in 2010 and this re-read made a few things jump out at me.  First off, it's just as fun the second time around.  Jackson is such a gentleman.  He and Mackenzie spark off each other from the first.  Sure, she's trying to smother her attraction to him because she doesn't want to endanger him but she's still contemplating jumping him and molesting him in a most delightful way.

The second thing is that those two ladies who are collectively known as Moira Rogers can lay out some FABULOUS groundwork for later books.  For the love of Pete!  The Werewolf council, Michelle's whole freaking life, Derek and Nick, Kat and Andrew, Alec and his issues... the amount of planning that went into this series boggles me.  Bree, Donna, I salute you and your long term plans for this series.  It's wonderfully well done, ladies.  Wonderfully.

I love the overall feel of this world.  It's big and grand and in the plans of its villains you can see how the world of the shifters and other supernatural beings is affected across the country.  Oh, that bad guy is a Really Bad Guy, too.  The type that kills easily and has fanaticism burning in his eyes.  You love to hate him because he's so damn creepy.

How about our heroes? you wonder.  What's not to love about a gorgeous Southern gentleman who wants to keep a beautiful lady safe from a stalker that won't quit?  Jackson is quick-witted, smart and he doesn't take advantage of Mackenzie when she's crawling out of her skin.  Mackenzie copes remarkably well with the revelation that magic, shifters and psychics are more than just stories.

The secondary characters are absolutely fabulous as well.  If you don't fall in love with all of them and wonder how long it'll be before each of them has their story told, I'll be shocked.

All in all, it's a well-written, superbly plotted story that I wasn't able to put down.  Even the second time around.

Other reviews in this series:
Short Story 2.5: A Peyton Family Christmas
Book 3: Deadlock

More books by Moira Rogers

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