cover image Burned

Burned

J. Nichole Parkins. J. Nichole Parkins, , $2.99 ISBN 978-1-5089-6156-7

Parkins’s breezy urban fantasy romance, the first in a series, centers on strong, confident Kyra Richards, a polyamorous private investigator who can change shape into a jaguar. When not intimidating cheating husbands in Tampa, Fla., Kyra parties at the Phoenix, a nightclub for preternaturals. Kyra works alone, keeping her distance from humans to protect them from her barely controllable power of pyrokinesis. But after six human bodies are discovered with all their bones missing, Kyra reluctantly joins an investigation led by agent Spencer Reeves of the FBI’s preternatural unit. To infiltrate the local vampire House, Kyra seduces Daniel, the human “walking snack” of its centuries-old leader, Alejandro. As Alejandro temps Kyra with knowledge of what she truly is, he forces her to use her pyrokinesis for unspeakable acts. Emotionally conflicted, Kyra enjoys the power but struggles to keep her inner beast on a leash. Parkins (Ancient Enemies) all but abandons the murder mystery after the first third of the book, focusing more on the romance as the appearance of Kyra’s ex-fiancé from Wyoming creates a steamy love triangle. The supernatural crime is unsatisfying, but the romantic story line is appealing. [em](BookLife) [/em]