Daddy Darkest

by Ellery Kane

This book was like two stories, one in the present and one in the past, that didn't merge together very well. We start in the present with two teenagers taking a little weekend getaway, with a lot of talk in the background about an escaped convict. When one of the girls goes missing, the other is left reeling with possible connections to this escaped murderer.

The story set in the past is more developed and I believe is given more attention. In it we have Clare, a prison psychiatrist with so many mental issues of her own that I'm not sure how she ever believed she could help someone else. Clare becomes intrigued by one of the inmates there, Clive "Cutthroat" Cullen, and soon falls in love with him. He's the one she really loves but that doesn't stop her from using her body to get what she needs from other men as well, an influence from her abusive past.

I didn't much like Clare as a character because so many of her decisions were so messed up that I couldn't relate to her, but I will say that she was a fairly well-developed character by the author. There was a lot less attention given to the young people in the present story, who mostly just flew from one scene to the other, and it could be difficult to understand what was going on sometimes. It was certainly a psychological thriller, though I pretty much saw all the twists coming.

Skin & Bones (The Ever Chace Chronicles #1)

by Susan Harris

Skin & Bones follows a werewolf paranormal investigator, Derrick, and a human consultant who was brought up in the supernatural world, Ever. Someone is brutally murdering supernatural teenagers who are about to come into their own powers and its up to the whole investigating team to find whoever is doing it and stop them. Then there is also an instant attraction between Derrick and Ever and strange dreams that seem more like memories for Ever.

While the romance is typical for this type of book (think mates instantly in love after two days), the story line was a little different and interesting. All different species of supernaturals are represented together and for once, there are actual differences in how they act and live as well as different maturing rates that becomes significant in the story. It kept the story engaging and the characters diverse. There is a big cliffhanger at the end, though, so beware of that.

Baby for the Soldier Cougar (Special Ops Shifters #1)

by Meg Ripley

Vance and Delilah are two cougar shifters that prefer to be alone because that's what cats do. After a single night of passion, both are happy to go there separate ways but Delilah gets pregnant so now they're stuck together. It takes some work but they are figuring it out when both their jobs bring them in sight of a neighboring shifter president with plans to rule the country and now all their lives are in danger.

This was a good, if typical paranormal romance. The solitary nature of cougars provided the discord with getting two shifters to mate and the bad guy being evil and crazy kept the story going towards the end. Overall, a decent and quick read for fans of paranormal romances.