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Showing posts with label FBI Psychics series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FBI Psychics series. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Book Spotlight: The Missing by Shiloh Walker
I am a big fan of Shiloh Walker's FBI Psychics series. I stared reading the series with the second book, The Departed. After reading it, I immediately added the first book, The Missing, to my TBR list.
As a teenager, Taige Branch was able to do things with her psychic gift that others couldn’t understand—except for Cullen Morgan, the boy her stole her heart. He did his best to accept her abilities, until his mother was brutally murdered—and he couldn’t forgive Taige for not preventing her death.
PASSION FOUND
Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragic event. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her.
A LOVE THAT NEVER DIED
Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can’t help but wonder whether—if they find his daughter in time—it isn’t too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them…
You can purchase The Missing at...
Amazon B&N Powells
As a teenager, Taige Branch was able to do things with her psychic gift that others couldn’t understand—except for Cullen Morgan, the boy her stole her heart. He did his best to accept her abilities, until his mother was brutally murdered—and he couldn’t forgive Taige for not preventing her death.
PASSION FOUND
Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragic event. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her.
A LOVE THAT NEVER DIED
Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can’t help but wonder whether—if they find his daughter in time—it isn’t too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them…
You can purchase The Missing at...
Amazon B&N Powells
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Thursday, January 31, 2013
Review: The Reunited by Shiloh Walker
The Reunited
Author: Shiloh Walker
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Publisher: Berkley Trade
The FBI Psychics #3
ISBN: #978-0425246979
Genre: Suspense Romance, Paranormal
Format(s): Paperback (384 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher/ NetGalley
About the book:
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AN ETERNAL DESIRE
With his strong psychic ability, FBI Agent Joss Crawford longs for the woman he loved in a past life. But after years of searching, a new case is drawing him into the last place he'd ever want to find her: an underground slave ring. Going undercover to infiltrate the network, he meets Drucella Chapman--the mastermind's fiancee. Joss has every reason to believe she's evil. So why is he irresistibly drawn to her?
A DANGEROUS GAME
Drucella has made it her personal mission to bring the slave ring down. But the sadistic ring leader is even more careful than he is cruel. In order to gain information, Dru has had to get close to the very man she wishes to kill, psychically reading his memories bit by bit. she'd do anything to finish the job, but agreeing to marry him may have been a step too far--even for her.
A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER
Though Joss and Dru are both undercover, nothing can disguise the sense of deja vu they experience when they meet. Neither can afford to be distracted from the mission at hand, but perhaps their reunion is exactly what this mission needs.
What I’m talking about:
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Joss Crawford is finally getting some time off, but is called in by his boss, Taylor Jones, to help work the difficult case trying to bring down the powerful human trafficker, Patrick Whitmore. Joss is one of a handful of psychically talented FBI agents, and his speciality is being a “mirror.” He can “absorb” other agents gifts and use them as his own until he gets rebooted. (It made me think of Rogue from X-men.)
Meanwhile, Drucella (Dru) Chapman is already on the case. Working uncover for no one but herself, Dru has posed as Ella, Patrick Whitmore’s love interest and fiancee, for the past two years. Dru has sold her soul to be the perfect woman for a man she vehemently despises and plans to kill. With no way out and only one friend who knows the truth, Dru has committed to see this through until either Patrick or she dies.
With such a heavy topic as human trafficking, I was worried that The Reunited would be a gruesome read. However, Ms. Walker handled a very horrible topic with decorum. She didn't try to shock the reader with graphic details and images, but brought to light the horrors of the situation. She gave the seriousness of the topic respect and did not sensationalize the problems.
I also want to mention that although The Reunited can be read stand alone, there are several characters from the first two books that are prominent in this storyline. I did not read the first book, The Missing, and I really wish I had. I think that would have helped me follow what was happening with some of the minor characters (Taiga and Cullen) better. They played a fairly significant part in the storyline, and I had a hard time connecting with them.
One thing I really liked about this case was knowing who the target was the entire time. I enjoyed the thrill of trying to take down scum and worrying about how it would all play out and if everyone would survive rather than trying to figure out who the bad guy was. The “case” part of the storyline was well done - keeping me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. Ms. Walker has a talent for suspenseful storytelling!
Another piece to the story (other than capturing the bad guy) that added a lot is the fact that both Joss and Dru experience memories of a past life. The flashbacks were confusing at first, but as the book moved on, the repressed memories added a lot to Joss and Dru’s relationship. It was a way for them to connect and fall in love, even though they were surrounded by such horrible circumstances. It also made Joss’ immediately intense feelings understandable and believable.
Joss and Dru were both extremely sensual and hot together, but also aggravatingly frustrating. Dru was in a bad place - undercover for two years. But her constant flip-flop of emotions from fearful and whiny to determined was overwhelming sometimes. And Joss was a difficult character to follow during parts of the story. He had a lot going on in his head - being “sync’d” with two agents - one that sees/hears ghosts and another who had the memories of the captive girls and Patrick himself. In addition, he kept having flashbacks... it was a lot to follow at times. When Dru and Joss were in sync with one another, they were great; however, when they were not in sync, things were awkward and not as fun to read. For example, I got frustrated when as expected, each mistakenly believes the other is actually the undercover roll they are playing rather than their true selves. Each immediately assumed the worse about the other regardless of the bonds they had formed.
Overall, another enjoyable story from Ms. Walker. Even with the bumps I experienced along the way, The Departed is an exciting journey, full of suspense, personal growth, drama, and romance. Plus, the reader was introduced to new characters, a few that I think we’ll be reading more of in the next book, The Protected, coming September 2013!
My Rating:
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Liked it - recommend (B+)
Reviews in the Series:
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Author Interview: Shiloh Walker
Today I have the honor of bringing to you paranormal and suspense romance author Shiloh Walker. Shiloh has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more...ah...serious works of fiction. She loves reading and writing anything paranormal, anything fantasy, and nearly every kind of romance.
Once upon a time she worked as a nurse, but now she writes full time and lives with her family in the Midwest. She writes paranormal and contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense. Please help me welcome Shiloh toThat’s What I’m Talking About.
Twimom: Shiloh, welcome and thank you for stopping by.
Shiloh: Thanks so much for having me...!
Twimom: I’m very excited to have this chance to chat. I’ve been a twitter follower for a couple years, but just recently read my first Shiloh Walker book, The Departed. I LOVED the story and started adding some of your books to my TBR pile. You have an EXTENSIVE backlist, do you have a favorite book or series? Can you pick one of your series and tell my readers a bit more about it?
Shiloh: Oh, that's hard...I'm partial to my Grimm series...I bastardize fairy tales in that one, but I know not everybody loves paranormal like I do. The Departed is one my FBI Psychic books and that's a good series to start with, I guess...it's more of a reality-based paranormal, the characters are psychics who work for a special task force for the FBI. So far, there are just two stories, The Missing and The Departed but there's a novella due out this summer in the Hot in Handcuffs anthology and then another full-length book due out next year, I believe.
Twimom: During this month is the release of one of your Hunters Series books, Hunter's Rise. Can you share more about the book and this paranormal series? Is there a place for a “newbie” to jump into the series?
Shiloh: Actually, almost any of them...I try to write them to work on their own and Hunter's Rise would work completely fine as a stand-alone. The only ones that aren't quite as easy to follow without some idea of what's going on would be the ones involving the storyline about Nessa, a slightly crazy witch. There are some older stories that I'm reissuing digitally if somebody wants to get in at the very beginning, although those stories are hotter and the focus was a little different than what it is now.
Twimom: Review team member, B, has a review of Hunter’s Rise later today (4 Stars), and agrees that you can read it as a stand alone.
Your books include paranormal, contemporary and suspense romance. Do you prefer writing one genre over another? Is one easier to write from a technical or research side?
Shiloh: Suspense is a little harder because you want to keep the 'feel' of it more real, but I enjoy writing all of it. I get bored easy and writing everything feeds into my need for changing things up.
Twimom: What’s up next for Shiloh?
Shiloh: Who knows...I'm hoping to sell another romantic suspense trilogy and I've got another idea for some FBI psychics, but we'll just have to wait and see!
Twimom: I look forward to find out! I always like to ask authors about their reading habits... What types of books do you enjoy reading? What is your favorite read of 2011 or so far in 2012?
Shiloh: I tend to stick with romance and urban fantasy. Some of my favorite authors are SL Viehl/Lynn Viehl, Nora Roberts/JD Robb, Stacia Kane, Ilona Andrews... favorite reads? I've really loved Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison and Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane. There are a couple of others I really loved but I don't know if I'm supposed to mention that I've read them yet!
Twimom: Oh Man! Now I’m dying to know what books you’ve gotten your hands on already! ;-) What upcoming 2012 releases are you most excited to read?
Shiloh: Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane, Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
Twimom: Oh! Gunmetal Magic is at the top of my list, too!
Shiloh, once again thank you so much for taking the time to tell my readers a little bit about yourself and your writing. It was wonderful chatting with you.
Shiloh: Thanks for having me!
You can find Shiloh Walker on line at
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Review: The Departed
The Departed
Author: Shiloh Walker
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Trade
FBI Psychics Book 2
ISBN: #978-0425245217
Genre: Suspense Romance
Format(s): Paperback (336 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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A LIFELONG OBSESSION
FBI Special Agent Taylor Jones has made it his mission to save those in harm’s way by any means necessary—including employing psychic agents like Desiree “Dez” Lincoln, who can communicate with the disembodied spirits of the dead. Taylor is haunted by his own ghost, his kid sister, gone missing at age six. For a quarter of a century he has been tortured by her loss and the mystery of her disappearance.
A NIGHT’S INDISCRETION
When Dez is seriously wounded, Taylor can no longer hide his feelings for her. Getting involved could spell disaster for both of them—not to mention those who rely on them for help—but once Dez lays her hands on him, he can’t resist the fierce attraction. But after giving in to his desires, Taylor pulls back, and Dez strikes out on her own.
AN INESCAPABLE PASSION
Responding to the call of another anguished spirit, Dez is led to Taylor’s old hometown. As the two are forced to come together to save a girl in peril, Dez may be able to help Taylor finally find the answers he’s been looking for…
What I’m talking about:
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When Dez Lincoln is seriously injured while saving a child from a horrible predator, her boss, Taylor Jones cannot get the gruesome images out of his mind. Although he is as cold as they come, inside Taylor is a wreck - trying to control a situation that is beyond his reach. The fear of losing Dez pushes Taylor to act out his inner-most desires and makes Dez’s fantasies come true. Until the next day... When Taylor does the unthinkable and orders Dez on a mandatory leave of absence. Dez knows that he’s doing it to put distance between the two so Taylor can rebuild his walls. But Dez isn’t going to take it and walks.
Fast forward fourteen months. Dez is working free-lance and overwhelmed with the spirits of those that have passed. Taylor is making his annual visit home to pay tribute to his baby sister, who was abducted when she was six. Both individuals are near their breaking points when they find each other again. Now they have to work together to unscramble cryptic clues left by the ghosts of French Lick, Indiana before someone else is murdered.
The Departed is a gripping, suspenseful story. I was immediately drawn in by Ms. Walker’s talented storytelling and could not put the book down until the very last stone was turned. There were several twists and turns, but never did the volume of clues or characters become overwhelming. Nothing felt contrived. I was guessing what would come next, who was behind what, and how the story would be resolved though out the story.
Although this story is about solving a series of crimes, there is much more at stake than the lives of the citizens of French Lick. At the heart of this story is the fragile existence of two fiercely independent and strong individuals. Both Dez and Taylor are flawed, and doing the best that they can, even when confronted with horrible situations. Both are close to the end of their respective ropes, and in Taylor’s case, maybe even close to taking his own life.
Dez and Taylor fit together perfectly. Ms. Walker creates a couple that needed each other, but were not needy. They are able to get past the rough edges (and there are a lot) to find a way to heal and be whole. They complement one another so well. I was cheering whole-heartedly for Dez and Taylor, and they held my heart in their hands. I cheered their successes and I shed tears in their pain. I love a story that can evoke a wide range of emotions within me.
Although this book is the second in the FBI Psychics Series, I did not read the first, and it is not necessary. This book can be read and appreciated as a stand alone. However, after enjoying this book so very much, I’m adding more of Ms. Walker’s books to my wish list. The Departed has that perfect mix of spectacular plot line, engaging characters and a wide-ranging emotional impact.
My Rating:
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Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
Purchase Info:
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