Fire Within Guardian Witch Book 2
Urban Fantasy
Etopia Press
March 6, 2013
300
Guardian Witch Book Two
A hidden evil stalks the city...
Ari Calin refuses to believe her human friend Eddie murdered a vampire—in spite of his confession. Her human partner Ryan thinks the case is a slam dunk, even though there’s no weapon and no witnesses, but Ari's not about to let her friend take the rap without finding out more.
When Ari attends a charity event on the arm of a handsome werewolf, she finds someone she never expected to see again—Andreas De Luca, the charismatic vampire she used to date. When their eyes meet across the room, memories come rushing back. His kiss, his touch, a savage death...and a terrifying magical bond. A reconnection is the last thing she wants. Only by staying away and forgetting Andreas can she hope to avoid the Legend of Ramora.
But when vampires keep dying, one thing becomes clear: Riverdale has a serial killer on its hands, and Andreas could be next. Ari begins to fear there's more to it, though. Something truly evil is stalking the city, waiting to take control...
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
Ari Calin, the Guardian for Olde Towne, witch and supernatural cop finds herself once again with a murder case to solve. This case involves a good friend of hers, Eddie West, a crime reporter for the Clarion. A vampire, Jules has been murdered and Eddie has confessed to the crime, a crime Ari is convinced he didn’t do. What would cause a man to confess to murder? His motive is that his sister Lorraine bonded with Jules enraging both Eddie and his mother, but was murdering him the solution? Since vampires determine punishment when one of their own is murdered, Ari knows Eddie will suffer in ways unimaginable, so she is determined to find out what happened.
Once again working with her human partner, Lt. Ryan Foster, they try to solve the crime. Ryan is convinced Eddie is guilty; of course Ari is convinced he is innocent. Everything changes when another vampire is murdered, this time a young woman who was dating a human male. The murder was exactly like the first one and Eddie could not be the guilty party since he was behind bars. Now Ari’s belief proves to be true, he was innocent all along. The problem now is they dealing with a serial killer.
Ari has not seen Andreas in eight months, but due to the nature of the killings it was inevitable he would be involved. Vampires are being murdered, and it is his responsibility to try to help solve the crime. In spite of her unwillingness to reconnect with Andrea, Ari has no choice. Her biggest fear where Andreas is concerned is the fact that there is a magical link between them. She was able to awaken him, and he was able to see into her mind. And now, for five nights, he has appeared in her dreams. Is he the prophesied soul mate that legend predicts? Her family history states that when one dreams of a man, it is that man who will be her eternal mate. But how can her soul mate be a vampire? She is responsible for bringing children into the family to continue their legacy, but as a vampire Andreas cannot have children.
While working to solve this mystery, Andreas and Ari once again begin to see each other. They cannot hide from the fact that there is a deep bond between them, only time will tell how far it will go. But their relationship takes a back seat when a third vampire is found beheaded. Is this a case of bigotry, humans destroying vampires? Both Ari and Andreas sense something is different about these cases only neither of them can put their finger on what it is. The only connection to the first two victims is Shale & Associates, a counseling center owned and run by Harold Shale. The first two couples went there for counseling to learn to adjust to being human and vampire, only both vampires are now dead leaving behind their grieving human mates. Is the center somehow responsible? Is Andreas at risk since he is a vampire?
Once again Ms. Shields has written a wonderful story. This is the second book in the series and in this case, they should be read in order. This book is more than just a story about various paranormal beings but, is a true mystery. I had no idea who was responsible until the very end; that is good story telling. What about Andreas and Ari? Well that is something you would have to find out by reading the book. I hope that the third book in the series comes out soon because I can’t wait to see what happens next.