Rabid Reading

I'm a total wuss when it comes to scary stuff. I'm a hide my face/look away/leave the room sort of girl (much to the dismay of my horror movie-loving husband, lol), and sometimes, all it takes is creepy music to send me bolting to the nearest exit. Yep, total baby, right here. And yet, for some reason, I love paranormal mysteries, and ghost stories, and suspenseful novels that wind me up up chapter by chapter. Case in point? One of my favorite series of all time is a paranormal/horror romance. I ADORE those books, even when they are scaring the bejeezus out of me. So you can imagine what happened when I read the blurb for Skye Callahan's Fractured Legacy. You guessed it - I was all over that action! And when I read an excerpt, I was sold. Immediately.

The story focuses a pair of paranormal-investigating sisters, Kaylyn and Cole. It's been a while since I read a sisters book, and I gotta say, this one makes me think I need to add more to my library. They had a great dynamic and their interaction felt very authentic (I chuckled more than once, thinking to myself, "Yep, I'd say that to my sister too!"). While Cole plays more of a supporting role in this book, I suspect there's a lot more story coming her way as the series develops. For now, though, it's all about Kaylyn - and believe me, there's more than enough going on in Kaylyn's life to keep things interesting!

Kaylyn's having a tough time. Blacking out at work, experiencing things she can't explain, and now the job that means everything to her could be taken away if she steps out of line - which, Kaylyn being Kaylyn, happens all too often. Oh, and we mustn't forget that pesky, not-so-nice entity that is way too interested in her and does things like....well....things I can't tell you!

What I like most about Kaylyn is her spark. She's got it in spades, and that's a good thing, because it makes her character ridiculously easy to connect with. Even when everything is falling apart around her and she's being put through the paranormal wringer, she's still fun to read about.

But where Kaylyn really shines is in her interactions with her new boss, Jonah. I totally ate up their scenes together. They have such fantabulous chemistry, and not necessarily in a romantic way. In fact, there's no romance at all. As a romance junkie, that would normally be a deal-breaker for me, but surprisingly, it wasn't an issue. The book works just fine without all the smoochy, swoony stuff. That's not to say I'm opposed to a romance. Far from it! The potential is definitely there, it's just a matter of whether or not Skye Callahan chooses to weave one into the series (and for the record, I vote OMG YES PLEASE, DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!!).

Speaking of Jonah....LOVE. HIM. He comes off a bit hard-nosed and straight-laced at first, but with reason, and thankfully, the author doesn't waste any time giving you reasons to like him. He's just so perfect for this story, cool-headed and practical and willing to step up in small and big ways when it's necessary, and he really fits well with the sisters. He's like the balancing force, and without him, I don't think the book would have worked nearly as well as it did. And of course, he's got that whole chemistry thing with Kaylyn going on, as I mentioned earlier. That helps too ;)

My only complaint with Fractured Legacy is how brisk the pacing was. The story moves along so swiftly at times, it's like someone hit the fast forward button. I wanted the suspense and paranormal-y stuff to be drawn out a bit more, to really build the tension and put me on the edge of my seat. I craved that freaked-out, jumping-at-shadows feeling, and I came close to experiencing it several times, but I never quite got there. However, despite that, I still really enjoyed the story.

Final verdict? Fractured Legacy gave me a teasing taste of what this author can do and how awesome this series can be, and now I'm hungry for more. I will definitely be reading the next book!

4 Stars ★★★★

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.