Publisher: Avon Books
Date published: June 2011
ISBN: 9780062046901
Mass Market Paperback
Paranormal Romance
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via: publisher
Karina Cooper’s second Dark Mission book, LURE OF THE WICKED, is a romantic thriller with a good helping of urban fantasy thrown in for good measure. Definitely an interesting mix.
Naomi Ishikawa West is a witch hunter for the Holy Order of St. Dominic, the organization tasked with hunting down and killing witches. Naomi has been sent to the luxurious Timeless spa on assignment to uncover a man who murdered two church officials. Phinneas Clarke runs Timeless with his two mothers and secretly keeps an underground railroad of sorts for witches on the run. So it comes as little surprise that the moment Naomi and Phinneas meet, their lives are turned upside down.
Like Karina Cooper’s first Dark Mission book, BLOOD OF THE WICKED, LURE OF THE WICKED, centers around the Holy Order and those either working for it or being hunted by it. In LURE OF THE WICKED, Naomi, our heroine, takes the assignment given her by the church even though acting the part of a rich and pampered heiress is about as far from her comfort level as she can get. But she has a job to do and is extremely determined to complete her assignment with flying colors. Phin knows there is more to Naomi than meets the eye, but she attracts him like no other. Of course, these two seemingly opposites, are bound to be intrigued by each other.
Reading LURE OF THE WICKED is like unpeeling an onion; as soon as one layer is revealed, another is discovered. While the romance between Naomi and Phin builds throughout the story, so does the mystery as the paranormal aspects of the story unfold one by one. How this story is going to end happily ever after for everyone becomes as big a question as the ones surrounding the story’s mystery. The only real problem this reader had with this story was that the romance never felt especially passionate. If at the end of the story, Phin and Naomi ended up going separate ways, the story still would have been just as enjoyable. This is not a desirable thing to have in a romance novel in this reader’s opinion.
That said, if you enjoy a paranormal romance with a kick butt heroine and a plot that’s original and surrounded in mystery, Karina Cooper and LURE OF THE WICKED are destined to find their way to your “to be read” pile.
This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.
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