Kay Hudson

Lark Brennan’s Dangerously Yours is a very entertaining read, but a bit difficult to categorize: romantic suspense, certainly; paranormal elements, definitely; even a touch of science fiction, all in a fascinating Caribbean island setting.

To outside eyes, Lex Durand is a marine biologist studying whales and dolphins. Only her close relatives in the large and powerful Durand clan know that she is an animal telepath, and that some of her study subjects have gone mysteriously missing.

Her brother sends Lex to ask for assistance from Bodie Flynn, a near-recluse scientist studying newly discovered forms of energy which may just hold the clue to the disappearances. But Bodie used to be someone else entirely, and he blames Lex’s family for his current situation.

The scientific puzzles are too much for either to resist (and pretty soon they’re having trouble resisting one another, as well). Off they go, via sailboat and seaplane, to one small island after another in pursuit of missing whales, reappearing, and possibly insane, dolphins, mysterious energy, psychic powers, and the occasional explosion.

This is the first entry in Brennan’s Durand Chronicles series; the next one, Irresistibly Yours, releases June 21.

Rachel Grant’s Cold Evidence combines steamy romance with taut suspense. It’s the latest in her evidence series, stand-alone thrillers loosely connected by a circle of characters. In Cold Evidence, set in the northwestern corner of Washington state, the action revolves around a small submarine sunk under mysterious circumstances in 1962. Undine Gray, diving on the wreck, is the sole survivor when an explosion destroys the dive boat above her and the people on board. Weeks later, unnerved by the accident but determined to dive again, she asks Luke Sevick, the most accomplished diver she knows, to dive with her.

But Undine and Luke have history, going back twelve years, when a lie and one night ruined Luke’s plans for a career in marine biology. Now an ex-seal, Luke is a commissioned officer with NOAA, still angry at the Undine of the past, but drawn to the Undine of the present. In spite of their past, Luke understands Undine’s need to reenter the deep, and agrees be her partner for one dive.

Diving rekindles their old attraction, although they both agree it can’t lead to anything—their lives have diverged too much. But what they discover on the bottom of the Salish Sea draws them together into a world of sabotage, espionage, and possible catastrophe.

Grant combines archeological and military technology with high emotion and thrilling suspense to produce a roller coaster of a novel. Romantic suspense at its best.