BLACK MAGIC by Cherry Adair

Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1439153819
Paranormal/Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via personal purchase


In BLACK MAGIC, romantic adventure writer Cherry Adair takes readers into a world of magic and wizards, trickery and suspense. Once upon a time, there were two kinds of wizards, the good or Aequitas wizards and the evil Omnivatics, who often lived as snakes. The Omnivatics were thought to have been wiped out long ago.

Jackson Slater, geologist and Aequitas wizard, is researching ley lines in the jungles of Venezuela when he hears the psychic call of his ex-fiance Sara Temple, also an Aequitas wizard who chooses to use her powers as little as possible. Against his better judgment, Jackson teleports to her and ends up saving her from a wizard gone crazy. Together they discover an evil force targeting the Aequitas, making them go crazy and then eventually killing them. The evidence points to their long extinct enemies, the Omnivatics.

Because their breakup was a bad one, Jackson and Sara are more than reluctant to team up, but since they are given little choice, they find themselves on the hunt to unearth the evil snake wizard and destroy him before he can destroy the world.

Cherry Adair is one of those authors that makes writing look easy. Whether her characters are fighting terrorists or using magic to save the day, her stories are fun, sexy and filled with adventure. BLACK MAGIC is paranormal fantasy at its most entertaining.

The main characters are terrific. Jackson is a wizard and comfortable with his powers. He is down to earth and enjoys spending his time with his ley line research. Sara is just about the perfect foil for Jackson. She doesn’t trust her magic and rarely uses it. She has trust issues and is somewhat tightly wound. When these two are thrust together to save the world from the snake wizards, the resulting fireworks are spectacular. The mystery of just who the mysterious snake wizard is continues throughout the story and keeps the excitement level high. The pace of the story is frantic and the danger level high.

For fans of fantasy, paranormal, romance and adventure, Cherry Adair’s BLACK MAGIC is spot on and definitely worth the read. This reader is, as always, really looking forward to seeing where Ms. Adair’s imagination will take her next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

UNDERTOW by Cherry Adair

Publisher: St. Martins
Date published: December 28, 2010
ISBN: 978-0312371920
Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Library


Youngest Cutter brother, Zane, is determined to win this year’s bet with his brothers to bring in the largest sunken ship salvage. With his top mechanic ill and fading fast, he hopes the next best person will keep his boat, The Decrepit, afloat. If his mechanic’s daughter, Teal, can’t do it, no one can. And the best thing about Teal—he’s not remotely attracted to her.

Along with a carefree attitude toward life, Zane has never met a woman he didn’t like or, that liked him just fine back. Teal wants nothing to do with him, his boat and his latest salvage project. Not until she hears that it was her dying father who recommended her.

Teal’s life hasn’t exactly been sunshine and roses. In fact, it’s been pretty difficult. Her father never married her mother, a drug addict who spent every dime on her next fix. There was one man in her past she never forgot, not from her first visit to Cutter Cay as a child and when she marries, she is pretty certain Denny is a close replica of Zane. She quickly learns he was not. When a life changing moment opens her eyes to what she needs to do, Teal changes her life and the trip to Cutter Cay is part of that package. She would do anything to gain her father’s love. Anything. Including setting out to sea with the man she never quite got over.

While the pair start off with nothing more between them than the fact that Zane needs Teal in his engine room and Teal needs to find a way to make her father love her, it isn’t long before the attraction between them grows. But others want the treasure below Zane’s ship and they will stop at nothing to gain it.

UNDERTOW is a fantastic trip back to the original Cherry Adair books I read such as OUT OF SIGHT and the other Wright/T-FLAC stories. Action, adventure, characters you get to know really well and like a whole bunch, guys you want to take home and to bed (and not necessarily in that order) and a great love story.

I loved the diving sequences and had some great chuckles with Teal’s view of her engine room. Sailing with them would have been a hoot. I never really got why Zane needed a mechanic he wasn’t attracted to although he does tell us often enough. There were times I felt the story was rushed—that a thread was dealt with as expeditiously as possible and we moved on to the next one. I didn’t see that in Ms. Adair’s earlier books and in some ways this shift jarred me out of the book. Despite their small part in the story I wanted to know just what happened to the little old ladies. And perhaps a bit more about the red headed siren on the Sea Witch that dogs the Cutter brothers.

The story could have ended just fine after the horrific storm and the last fifty pages or so which began with a plane crash seemed rushed and convoluted. The story would have read better if we weren’t rushed into those scenes and maybe an incident or two popped up earlier on. Despite that, as I said, UNDERTOW is fabulous, vintage Adair and not to be missed I’m looking forward to RIPTIDE and the next Cutter brother’s story.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

NIGHT SHADOW by Cherry Adair

Publisher: Ballantine
Date published: November 2008
ISBN 978-0-345-49973-8
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Hardcover
Reviewed by Gina



Alexis Stone has finally gotten her wish and been promoted as it were from T-FLAC researcher to operative. Her first assignment, from Internal Affairs, is to figure out if T-FLAC/psi operative, Alex Stone—no relation—has gone rogue. She’s on her first op in Russia where she’s been sent to observe a terror attack.

Alex Stone, one of three wizards mentored by full and powerful wizard Mason Knight, has been assigned a new operative—Alexis Stone—on her maiden assignment. He’s none too happy about the circumstances and when Alexis shows up in the Russian safe house, absent her lock-out suit, he’s even less happy. With his powers flickering on and off and strange occurrences happening around him, the last thing he needs is a brand new wet behind the ears operative. Well, actually the last thing he needs is a woman who makes his mouth water and other body parts stand at attention with just the thought of her.

Unable to reach Mason, odd communications from his life long friends Lucas and Simon, powers flickering and a strange feeling haunting the area of his heart, Alex is facing perhaps the most difficult mission of his life. In a race across the globe, terror threats being carried out, he himself begins to wonder if he is turning rogue. Not that he wants to, something or someone is manipulating him and time is running out to find out who.

In this the third book of the NIGHT series, NIGHT SHADOW and is the culmination of the story that is Simon Blackthorne, Lucas Fox and Alex Stone, characters Ms. Adair tantalized her readers with in several of the preceding T-FLAC books. Alex definitely delivers the goods! Of all of the T-FLAC operatives, both “normal” and psi, Alex is perhaps one of the most dimensional of all of them. Almost akin to the wounded hero readers saw early on in Jake Dolan in KISS AND TELL. Alex is perhaps the most humanly vulnerable and very appealing.

The version I read for this review was an ARC and therefore hopefully the typos, and inconsistencies such as the new moon glistening on the water when it would have been a full moon, would have been caught before the final print. Overall they did not detract from the story although the beginning where Alex was expecting Alexis in Paris and she didn't know he was coming to Moscow but they both knew they’d be working together, even though he didn't know she was no longer in research, made it a tad hard to follow. Once past the initial chapters, Ms. Adair hits her stride and tells one of her best tales. The loose ends that made NIGHT SECRETS a difficult story to follow are cleared up in style and well done. The dangling ends make it almost impossible for the last two books in the series to be read out of order or as stand alones and had I only picked up NIGHT SECRETS to read I probably would have stopped there and not gone on because so much was left hanging. The “happily ever after” was there for Lucas, but the crime solving portions left too many questions. The issue of the twin sisters was resolved in a few paragraphs in NIGHT SHADOW, but not really addressed regarding Lucas’ sister and his feelings around that. Of course NIGHT SHADOW is Alex’s story so of course the focus should be on him.

One thing I really enjoyed in NIGHT SHADOW is Simon, Lucas and Alex confront their own mortality as well as the possibility of life without being a wizard. They learn that they are defined by themselves and their actions, not by magical powers. This one is a do not miss.

NIGHT SECRETS by Cherry Adair

Publisher: Ballantine
Date published: October 2008
ISBN: 978-0345499912
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina



On the trail of a Half wizard who’s up to something less than savory, Lucas Fox suddenly finds himself naked on the beach in Brazil with his powers on the fritz. As a wizard he’s generally able to pop in and out of whatever situation is brewing and with his special skill of empathic perception, he can make memories fade so that only what he wants done or remembered remains.

On the road to career recovery, Sydney McBride has just had some “work” done and is writing about her experiences in the “body makeover” business. Nose jobs, lipo-suction, breast enhancement, you name it, the exclusive Novos Comecos Spa does it all. Following her own “hands on work” she’s got carte blanche to talk to the other guests be they Hollywood hotties or the otherwise rich and famous. Her working vacation is suddenly disrupted by the appearance of several nasty looking helicopters and cammie wearing bad guys with big guns. As if they weren’t surprise enough, she gets the real shock of a lifetime when the very naked, very potent Lucas Fox ends up in her room.

Not one to miss out on the chance of a good story, Sydney begins to piece together a whopper of a good one when she meets Lucas – a counter terrorist, spy who’s hotter than a white sandy beach at high noon in the summer time. Lucas needs her, and has no issues using her figuring he can wipe her memory at any time. The problem is, Lucas soon doesn’t want Sydney to forget him. Not for anything. What’s going on at Novos Comecos is a lot more than simple cosmetic enhancements. Lucas soon discovers that one of the most powerful wizards he’s ever encountered is running a combination illegal transplant and biochemical plant. What’s worse, is there’s something keeping him from using his powers in the most important of the spas buildings.

I’m not sure what to make out of NIGHT SECRETS. Aside from some oddities in continuity, which I felt should have been caught in editing, the story seems to have a bit of a problem deciding what it wanted to say. After NIGHT FALL, the first book in Ms. Adair’s latest trilogy of the men of T-FLAC, I expected much more of NIGHT SECRETS. NIGHT FALL was up there with KISS AND TELL and ON THIN ICE. NIGHT SECRETS disappointing. The co-mingled stories of the body farm and bio-terrorism plant I think took away from each other. The whole scenario of the illegal transplants and organ sales is creepy and alarming, especially since it is so very possible. The story line was reminiscent of Tess Gerritsen’s heart stopping HARVEST and was equally as chilling. The bio-terrorism felt like an after thought, as if to make the evil wizard even more evil. I could have been it’s own story.

There were any number of loose ends making me wonder if perhaps an unrealistic deadline had been set—what happened to Lucas’ team? How did Mike get settled in Montana less than 24 hours after rescue? What was the outcome of those chemical bombings around the world—if they were to set the stage for the final book, NIGHT SHADOWS, something needed to be said to link it. Is Mason dead or being held hostage? Why does Lucas’ powers amp up around Sydney? The long forgotten sister at the end felt like a red herring that detracted from the story. It felt like Ms. Adair had all these great ideas and was in a mad rush to include them all. Those loose ends, coupled with continuity issues such as on one page the Atlantic being too cold to swim in and a few pages later the water being nice and warm, I’m not sure Brazil has a highway patrol like we do in the United States, and liver disease doesn’t equate with renal failure –they are two different diseases. The discrepancies happened often enough that it was hard to stick with what is otherwise a highly suspenseful read.

NIGHT FALL by Cherry Adair

Publisher: Ballantine
Date published: September 2008
ISBN: 978-0-345-49990-5
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina



Simon Blackthorne, that is Blackthorne with an “e”, is on a vacation, of sorts in the African county of Mallaruza where his long time friend Abi Bongani is running for re-election as his country’s president. With his wizard powers a bit on the fritz, some R&R in the seaside country may be the ticket he needs. Then again, maybe not.

After losing her public relationships job in Atlanta, Kess Goodall has traveled to Mallaruza to help Abi with his campaign. In Kess’ eyes, Abi is practically a saint with all he is doing to try to help the impoverished country survive. With the election just around the corner the outbreak of an unknown virus that is killing people by the thousands is causing a PR nightmare for Kess. Yet, she wouldn’t be at the top of her PR game if she didn't see a silver lining in Abi’s tireless work to find a cure. While Abi waits day after day for relief supplies and aide, Kess travels with the doctors to the outlying villages to help as best she can. It is during one quick stop in the capitol that Kess encounters Simon and despite her best intentions she falls under his spell. And it’s not a wizard’s spell. It’s the kind of spell we’d all like to fall under when we meet the person of our dreams.

Kess, however, is not the woman of Simon’s dreams. No. Simon’s some day woman is tall, dark haired, the picture of perfection and he’s going to live with her in his cozy house in Montana. Kess is a fiery red head with an impulsive nature. Not at all what he wants in his life. So why does he want her with every fiber of his being? It isn’t long before Kess is his every waking thought and he’ll risk anything to keep her safe, even laying his life on the line with a wizard more powerful than any he has known before.

Cherry Adair is back and in seconds hits her stride in NIGHT FALL, the first of the T-FLAC psi Fall series. While I am not a fan of wizards, Simon has long piqued my interest. His special skill is intriguing and one I wouldn’t mind having—he has a second self, called Nomis, who can stand in for him when he needs to be in two places at once. This story was well considered, with minute details thoughout and I could feel the pangs of insecurity Kess felt every time Simon encountered a woman who sure fit his “one day woman” image.

There were a few times that I had to go back and see what I missed because of what seemed to be a gap in the story. They are small and don’t detract from the telling, just there teasing me. For instance, when Simon is fighting Jobert, the really bad, really powerful wizard, there is a moment when Kess pulled the bad guy’s power. Nothing is said after the fact. When someone close to Simon is killed, he’s dead and that’s that. No remorse, no thinking back on where the wrong turn happened. He just moves on to the next scene.

I kept expecting one of the other Psi operatives to make an appearance and it was great when Simon holds his own. What I liked was how when his powers are failing he remembers what Kess had asked him about who would he be if he didn't have them. He would still be a T-FLAC operative and he’d still have those skills. What was so good about this story is that it could have been the paranormal it is or a really super romantic suspense. It’s a story that pleases both sides of the fence and then some. I look forward to digging into NIGHT SECRETS, book 2 of this new series.

WHITE HEAT by Cherry Adair

Publisher Ballantine
Date published January 2008
ISBN 978-0345476456
Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina





A year after using her and leaving her in her bed, T-FLAC agent Max Aries is forced to respond to a series of telephone calls from Emily Greene. She wasn’t calling to entice him back into her life. No, she was calling to tell him his father, Daniel Aries was dead after committing suicide. With no love lost between he and his father, Max was in no particular hurry to reach Emily’s side. After all, the man was dead and Emily was just another woman. Right?

Wrong.

Max arrives to find an unconscious intruder in Emily’s house along with a vial of unknown origin and purpose. With the intruder not willing and then unable to talk and no idea what could have been let loose in her home, Max bundles Emily up and takes her to his father’s former estate. Just when he thinks she’s safe, Emily gives him the slip and runs to her current boyfriend’s house only to find that he and his entire family have been killed. Suddenly Max’s personal life is on a dangerous collision course with his career as a T-FLAC operative.

As different holy sites are bombed and art restorers mysteriously die, Max watches as a chilling pattern unfolds—each site contains an original painting restored by his father. A frightening series of events unfold that almost leaves Emily dead before she can tell Max exactly what she feels about him.

WHITE HEAT was eagerly anticipated by this reviewer and Ms. Adair did not disappoint! With her return to mainstream romantic suspense, WHITE HEAT is Cherry Adair at her absolute best. Max is reminiscent of Jake Dolan from KISS AND TELL, book 2 of the T-FLAC series in how the loner in him makes him so touchingly vulnerable, yet he has carefully constructed his emotional armor that you believe no one will ever cut through those self-imposed chains. He’s calm, controlled, smart and Emily Greene is his perfect foil. While a bit more detail to the historical sites they pass through would be appreciated, the fast pace keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed. This is not a book you can pick up and put down for a leisurely read. Instead you want to keep reading until the very end so be prepared for a long night with little sleep once you enter Max’s world.

Along with the return to the mainstream T-FLAC series comes Kane Wright’s wife and fellow operative AJ Cooper. I didn't particularly care for AJ in OUT OF SITE because I felt she as careless and over the top in her need to prove she could hold her own among the testosterone laced male cadre of T-FLAC. She was a very hard character to like. In WHITE HEAT she is more likeable and I would have liked to have seen Kane make a cameo in the story as more than just a reference.

Like all of Ms. Adair’s heroes, Max is a brunette making this reviewer wonder if that is a criteria for a male to enter into service with T-FLAC. That aside, the story is an enthralling wild ride that brings Ms. Adair’s talent to push her operatives to the limit with flair.

Each of the T-FLAC books is a stand alone that does not have to be read in order. That said, each one gets better and better. I look forward to the next mission and learning more about the mysterious new flower Ms. Adair has set before her readers.

A RETROSPECTIVE OF CHERRY ADAIR’S EARLY WORK

Written by Gina

Rita winner Cherry Adair exploded on the romantic suspense scene in 2000 with KISS AND TELL, the second book in the T-FLAC series. Book one is a 1994 Harlequin entitled THE MERCENARY which this reviewer was unable to find at a comfortable price. While each book in the series is a stand alone, the references to the preceding stories give the reader the feeling of being an insider as each story unfolds.


In KISS AND TELL (2000 Ballentine/Ivy ISBN 978-0449006832), Marnie Wright has decided it is time to make some decisions for herself about her life. After a lifetime under the watchful eye of her four testosterone laced brothers and adoring father, she is more than ready to strike out on her own. She just didn't expect it to come in the nicely wrapped but out of reach package of Jake Dolan. Following the death of her beloved grandmother, Marnie, along with her dog Duchess (who really does deserve more appearances in the books) heads up to the mountains to her grandmother’s cabin. Indulging in her passion for drawing, she ventures to a nearby cabin and settles in to do what she most enjoys. Jake Dolan isn’t having any of the gorgeous blond in his yard but try as he might, he can’t scare her off. When weather and unknown tangos show up on his doorstep, he’s forced to take Marnie in and it’s not in his bare bones cabin, but in his state of the art hideaway. The storm outside is nothing compared to the one inside between Jake and Marnie.

For a long time KISS AND TELL was this reviewer’s favorite book in the series. It was however, passed by when she read ON THIN ICE, which made KISS AND TELL a close second that will be read again and again. Even if readers have never been in the Sierras or driven down the street in Sunnyvale, California, Ms. Adair describes the venues so you feel you have been there with her. Ms. Adair has a unique and refreshing way of describing every day things that brings a distinctive touch to each book. When she describes Jake’s feet as seen through Marnie’s eyes, they aren’t just nice feet, there is something so sensual about what the reader is shown that he or she will never look at their lover’s feet quite the same way again. The shower scene between Marnie and Jake gives new meaning to the word “hot.” The reader knows the sheer terror flowing through Marnie when she and Jake are trapped in an unrelenting cascade of water where only fingertips keep them from certain death. It is at the end of KISS AND TELL readers are introduced to the rest of the Wright…or are the “right?” brothers. 5 Hearts.



HIDE AND SEEK, (2001 Ballantine/Ivy ISBN 978-0449006849), takes readers to the jungles of South America and into the lair of one of the most deadly terrorists of all time. Delanie Eastman is a woman on a mission—she’s determined to find her missing sister and bring her home. But her sister has a history of not always doing the right thing and when she met up with Ramon Montero, even if she wanted to, it wasn’t going to happen. T-FLAC operate Kyle Wright has been in deep cover on Montero’s tail for the past four years. Just when things are about to come together and blow Montero’s sick world to the great beyond, he runs into the one woman he never thought to see again—Delanie. What she’s doing with Montero he has no idea. He does know this is the one woman he didn't want to get away. It is in HIDE AND SEEK readers see just how much a person can convey in a simple look when Ms. Adair takes you into a character’s mind. She has this incredible talent of using a few choice adjectives to show a world of emotion in one simple look. Her writing moves into the realm of dark suspense when readers join Kyle and Delanie at Montero’s special pond, stocked with piranhas or the anaconda that shares his pool. But the sickest creature of all walks on two legs and it’s the last person you will expect. 4 Hearts



IN TOO DEEP, (2002, Ballantine/Ivy ISBN 0-8041-2991-3) is Michael Wright’s story. Michael’s story is unique in that he is a physically and emotionally wounded hero from the outset of the story. He’s gorgeous, yes, but he has been damaged in a past encounter. Now he’s going after the man who irrevocably changed his life, destroyed his career as a Navy SEAL and killed his best friend. When his nemesis’ daughter, Tally, happens on the scene, Michael is delighted because he will use his enemy’s most treasured possession to exact his revenge. Neither T-FLAC nor the Wright brothers figure into the story until the end making it delightfully character driven. Tally Church is awesome to read. She’s funny, smart and the kind of woman you’d like to have for a friends. 4 Hearts.



OUT OF SIGHT, (2003 Ballantine/Ivy ISBN 978-0804120029 ) takes reader into Kane Wright’s world. As a photograph, the T-FLAC operator easily gains entre to situations and venues others would find hard to traverse. In OUT OF SIGHT, his team is sent to take out renowed terrorist Fazur Raazaq. Much to Kane’s chagrin, former beauty queen and just out of the academy AJ Cooper is sent to do the job. When the expert, top of her class sniper can’t take Raazaq out at a distance, she is sent in to do the job. He doesn’t trust the rookie and more than anything wants to send her home, but headquarters doesn’t want to hear it. Before she can complete her mission, Kane receives word Raazaq is up to something much bigger than they ever suspected and they need to follow him and find out just what he plans to do. OUT OF SIGHT was a huge disappointment for this reviewer. Perhaps because every other book was so incredible that the expectation was for the same caliber throughout. AJ was annoying from the get go. Unwilling to follow orders unless they went along with her personal agenda, she doesn’t seem to think chain of command applies to her. That Kane comes over to her side is surprising and just not believable, even given him getting to know her. This reviewer got it that she hated being on the pageant circuit the first time, got it again the second time it came up—after that it was just over done. There are a few scenes that seem to jump from out of nowhere and oblique references to her brother, teasing about a future story could have been better done. What was particularly annoying were the references to Savage and that she had something else going on, but it’s never clear what. Some back story would have fleshed it out and made the story more compelling. Still, it is a do not miss book if for no other reason than the way Ms. Adair can make a story come alive. 3 Hearts

THE MERCENARY by Cherry Adair

Publisher HQN
Date published February 2008
ISBN 978-0373772483
Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina





Marc Savin is retired. After the death of the woman he loved, killed by his own hand, he left his life as a T-FLAC operative behind and buried himself on his Montana ranch. It’s fine there. No women, no reason to feel, in fact he’s even done without a major drinking bout for quite some time. Life is so calm and controlled that even when the man he mentored and trained to be a T-FLAC operative, Alex Stone, shows up to ask his help on a mission he says no. That answer stays a firm no even when drab looking Victoria “Tory” Jones shows up on his doorstep and asks for help freeing Alex from some of the nastiest bad guys walking around.

His resounding “no” doesn’t last long when he realizes that Tory is telling him the truth not only about her being Alex’s twin sister, but that Alex isn’t dead as Marc was led to believe, but a prisoner of those very nasty bad guys. Marc has no plans to bring Tory with him to rescue Alex, that is until he discovers her telepathic link with his friend. Together they embark on the mission to save Alex. But will they arrive before it is too late?

THE MERCENARY, the first of the T-FLAC series, was originally published in 1994. This 2008 update and re-release is a most welcome event. Indeed, after becoming hooked on Ms. Adair’s incomparable writing, this reviewer went in search of this first book. Selling for over $100 on Ebay and Amazon, it was clearly out of most book buying budgets. When THE MERCENARY was re-released I was at my local bookstore the day it arrived, happily walked off with my copy and delighted in the read. In her comments, Ms. Adair speaks about how a first always has a special place for us and for THE MERCENARY is one of those times. When given the opportunity change aspects of the story she says she jumped at the chance. Without the opportunity to have read the original, but having read all of Ms. Adair’s books to date, I can only say this version is true “Adair”. It is drama, intrigue, mystery and an oh so hot love story. Of all Ms. Adair’s heroes, Marc is perhaps the most compelling because he has twice been wounded by the same woman. While her later books have more depth, intrigue, and plot twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats, THE MERCENARY is a clear demonstration of this talented author’s creative mind.

While the reprint of THE MERCENARY may have been a special opportunity for Ms. Adair, it is one of the best gifts she could ever give her readers. If you missed THE MERCENARY the first time, don’t miss it now.

ON THIN ICE: The Men of T-FLAC, Book 6

Publisher Ballantine
Date published August 2004
ISBN 0-345-47579-8
Romantic Suspense
Hardcover
Reviewed by Gina





Rancher Derek Wright has a secret life. One his partner, Dr. Lily Munroe has no idea about. Rather Lily views him as a playboy with the flavor of the month bimbo. She views his frequent trips to unknown locales as flaunting his wealth and part of his inability to make a commitment and grow up.

Despite her feelings for him, both the attraction and the desire to shake him, she has indulged him, teaching Derek how to train his sled dogs and training for Alaska’s famed Iditarod. This year, however, Lily doesn’t want Derek to compete in the race. The death of her husband, coupled with finding out his infidelities went beyond cheating on her, has Lily wanting time alone to think and decide on some changes in her life. The changes she anticipates do not include Derek.

Six years ago Derek met Lily for the first time. His friend, Sean, moved in on Lily and swept her off her feet, or so she said, and married her. He cheated on her the first time on their honeymoon, but before Lily could leave him he was diagnosed with cancer. Now, six months after Sean’s death, Derek is determined to win Lily’s heart and he will do whatever it takes to do so. First, however, he needs to tell her about that secret life of his, the secret life that may save their lives in the wilds of Alaska, because Sean had a secret too. One that could get Lily killed.

For several years this reviewer thought Ms. Adair’s Kiss And Tell was THE best of the T-Flac series. ON THIN ICE moved into “best ever read” in the first few pages and quickly remained at the top of the list.

Taking place primarily in Alaska during the famed Iditarod, Ms. Adair brings the race and all its excitement to life. Through her unique descriptive language, reader can feel the chill of the snow, the warmth of the fire, the passion that arcs from Derek to Lily by merely reading the words on the page. As an author, she can evoke a myriad of emotions in the reader, bringing incredible highs as she describes the vistas of the Alaskan wilderness to the intense sexuality that oozes of Derek to the utter fear of drowning in an icy grave when Lily’s stalker causes a crack in a frozen lake. As Lily first fights to pull herself out of the arctic water, chunks of thin ice breaking off into her hands this reviewer soon realized how hard she was gripping the edges of the book. When Lily slips under the water, destined for the watery grave readers will hold their breath. Ms. Adair captures with incredible vivid descriptions of what hypothermia feels like. Derek’s fear that he will lose her is palpable as he fights himself to keep from rushing head long into the frozen water to save her, thereby killing both of them.

In a brilliant twist, rather than have Derek’s job as a T-FLAC agent center stage, it is the love story between Lily and Derek and the celebrated race combined with the attacks on Lily that are in the forefront. Ms. Adair does a fantastic job of showing how Lily fights for her life and overcoming life long fears such as flying in a plane. Among several intriguing twists and turns, the heat between Derek and Lily could melt the ice on that lake, bringing it to a boiling point.

A bit of Ms. Adair’s humor and personal compassion comes through in the scenes with the sled dogs with Lily calling them the “kids” and always keeping their needs in the forefront.

Each book in the T-FLAC series is a stand alone. While they flow from one to the other introducing the brother’s wives, they can be read out of order with no gaps for the reader. ON THIN ICE though is the one you cannot miss. Truly an adventure.

HOT ICE: Book 6 of the T-FLAC SERIES by Cherry Adair

Publisher Ballantine
Date published July 2005
ISBN 0-345-47642-5
Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina






Taylor Kincaid is perhaps the best jewel thief the world has ever seen. She’s in, she’s out and nary a clue as to who absconded with some of the most valuable gems and artworks in creation. Unique to Taylor is she is a bit like Robin Hood in that she takes from those who would be thieves themselves and returns the goods to the true owners. Her victims can’t do much about her pilfering their treasures simply because they themselves did not obtain them by legitimate means. She has slipped through the cracks of both law enforcement and her victims because of skill and the fact no one has, to date, realized she is a woman. With everyone looking for a man, she is able to stand beside her target with impunity. That is about to change when she meets T-FLAC operative Huntington St. John.

Hunt has long prided himself on being able to maintain a solid emotional distance. While he enjoys a good tumble in the hay, bed or other nearby venue, he’s never given his heart. Like other members of the T-FLAC team, he believes “love” is the curse that will be his undoing. When he meets Taylor, without design on her part, or even desire to do so, she works her way into his heart.

The problem is that Hunt is one of the good guys and she’s a thief and as soon as T-FLAC’s latest mission is completed, she’ll be on her way to a long stay in a “gray bar inn”, i.e., jail. Their mission: stop not one, but two groups of terrorists from unleashing their sick ideals on an unsuspecting Las Vegas. Jose Morales rules his group, Mano del Dios with the firm believe that God has sent him a mission to obliterate all that is wrong with the world. Slowly, painstakingly, for years he has amassed all manner of weapons and is now set to strike. Seeking to eliminate Mano del Dios and gain all his weapons for themselves is the Black Rose. As T-FLAC, Mano del Dios and Black Rose descend on the location of the weapons, only one group will prevail.

While this reviewer’s favorite T-FLAC book is still On Thin Ice, HOT ICE has quickly moved into second place, just about edging the prior book out of first. HOT ICE takes readers on a fast paced journey to San Cristobol, South America to Europe and ultimately Africa. As Hunt first tracks Taylor and then brings her along on the mission to eliminate Mano del Dios, readers feel and see what the characters see. From the dank and dirty jail in San Cristobol to the tony condo in Zurich to the wilds of Africa the reader knows what each climate feels like. Most enjoyable was Taylor’s enthusiasm as the team trekked through Africa and hoped for glimpses of the native animals. Her thrill at seeing a pride of lions was akin to being there with her.

Hunt is enigmatic and with his character Ms. Adair opens the door for readers to decide just what is going on with him when his British accent comes so solidly to the fore. Is it him feeling emotion? If so, which? Or is it frustration that he is losing control of his oh so well regulated life? Taylor is gorgeous, intelligent, accomplished and deep inside is a little girl wanting to be loved. While readers see what drives Taylor, they have the opportunity to determine for themselves was compels Hunt. You come away from the story wanting to make Hunt your own.

Especially enjoyable was Ms. Adair’s interweaving of Dante’s INFERNO in Morales’ African mine. She presents the levels in vivid detail and makes them tangible for today’s reader.

When the last of the Wright Brother’s tale was told this reviewer had that feeling of sadness series fans have when it appears a series has ended and no more tales will be told. With HOT ICE, storyteller Cherry Adair breathes continued life into the series by giving stories to the secondary characters, making them heroes on their own merit. For fans, such as this reviewer, the possibilities for T-FLAC to continue saving the world and delighting readers will continue as long as Ms. Adair puts pen to paper. Here’s hoping she wishes to do so long into the future.

EDGE OF FEAR:The Men of T-FLAC, book 9 by Cherry Adair

Publisher Ballantine
Date published July 2006
ISBN 978-0345485212
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina






Caleb Edge thought his worst nightmare was being laid up in the hospital following knee surgery for several months. He quickly finds out that wasn’t quite it when Lark, his T-FLAC control, sends him to find out a teeny piece of information from a woman named Hannah Smith.

Actually, her name isn’t really Hannah Smith, it’s Heather Shaw and she is the only daughter of terrorist banker, Brian Shaw. The mission isn’t really a mission. At least not in Caleb’s view. How hard can it be? Walk up to the woman and ask her where her daddy is. As it turns out, it’s actually pretty difficult and Caleb manages to botch it up pretty bad. This shouldn’t be that big of a deal because Caleb is a wizard and his particular talent is time manipulation. Talk about a handy guy to know, he can Tivo you back before you made a mistake. When he blows it with Heather, he goes back in time and figures out how to do it right. There is, however, a problem.

Actually there are two problems. The first started about 500 years ago when his great-great-great whatever grandfather broke his engagement to a woman he really loved and married the woman his father wanted for him. The woman who he left behind was a witch and forever cursed him and his sons and son’s sons. Caleb’s second problem? Neither he nor Heather can help themselves and three months later, Caleb off on another assignment, he learns Heather is pregnant. Still on the hunt for her father, a man of honor, he marries her and decides that to save her life he will send her off to be cared for by one of his brothers. That would be after he learns where her father is.

Unfortunately, as Caleb soon learns, the heart and mind do not always agree.

EDGE OF FEAR is book two in Cherry Adair’s paranormal T-FLAC series and features middle brother Caleb. EDGE OF FEAR is a bit different than Ms. Adair’s other books in that readers are treated to a bit of her humor through her characters, most notably Lark, Caleb’s control. This reviewer had to smile every time Lark called Caleb “Middle Edge” and his baby, named Bean while in Heathers womb, “mini-edge” Through all of the other T-FLAC series there is a lot of action, great drama and sizzling sex, but little of what can only be Ms. Adair’s own brand of humor. It flows naturally through Lark’s character, adding another dimension to this outstanding author’s writing. It also comes through when Caleb refers to his skill of time manipulation as Tivoing through time. Through Caleb’s descriptions, readers are included in the hows, whys and wherefores of time manipulation and just what the rules are. Clearly the author thought out how each of the time jumps would work. Fascinating is how once Heather is carrying Bean, she can see through quite a bit of Caleb’s smoke and mirrors. Partly from the pregnancy, partly from being his lifemate, Caleb soon learns there is little he can keep from Heather.

There are a couple of scenes, such as in the hospital when Caleb is hunting for Heather where some of the violence inflicted on the characters seems a bit gratuitous. Reading the descriptions it seemed as if they were forced. The story could have stood on its own and been Ms. Adair’s special brand of action without them. In fact, they tended to slow the story down.

As stated in this reviewer’s comments in Edge of Danger, book 1 of this trilogy, Ms. Adair’s foray into the paranormal is an interesting one and a fun addition to the T-FLAC series.

EDGE OF DARKNESS:The Men of T-FLAC, Book 10 by Cherry Adair

Publisher Ballantine
Date published August 2006
ISBN 0-345-48522-X
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina






In the third, and last, of the Edge Brothers trilogy of Cherry Adair’s T-FLAC series readers meet Duncan Edge. With his particular talent of fire, he is the perfect foil for a female wizard Serena whose gift is that of water. When the two are in each other’s sites, they are, in a word, explosive.

Serena Campbell married for love. Despite the press, and her husband’s sons by his first marriage’s protestations, she really did marry Ian Campbell who was fifty years older than her for love. They shared a passion for doing the right thing for the down trodden of the world and with Ian’s death, Serena has done all she can to carry on his good works. Her latest endeavor is a thermal blanket that will help to feed the masses.

When Duncan first met Serena in Wizard School, he fell for her and fell hard. Aside from a kiss at sixteen, he hasn’t romantically pursued Serena. Duncan is an Edge, a descent of Magnus Edridge who about 500 years ago broke his engagement to a woman he really loved and married the woman his father wanted for him. Narine, who he left behind, was a witch and forever cursed him and his family line. They will fall in love, but they will never have full and complete marriages because their wives will die. When Serena’s godfather suddenly takes ill and ends up in a coma coupled with a rogue wizard killing other wizards and the fact that one of Serena’s employee’s son is kidnapped, Duncan and Serena are thrown together to, literally, save the world. Oh! And then there’s the not-so-small issue of Narine’s curse. What’s a couple of lifemates to do?

EDGE OF DARKNESS is book three of Cherry Adair’s paranormal T-FLAC series and features youngest brother Duncan. While billed as part of the T-FLAC series, this story, of all the Edge trilogy, really has little to do with T-FLAC. While an interesting concept, this paranormal series could have easily and in this reviewer’s opinion, would have been better as a stand alone without the T-FLAC aspects. Indeed, in EDGE OF DARKNESS, there is nothing of the true excitement and page gripping thrills of the mainstream T-FLAC books. While many authors do not do as well when they try to make the switch to writing romantic suspense instead of another genre, such as paranormal, Ms. Adair’s forte is clearly romantic suspense. Her innate talent for language is nothing short of amazing. Ms. Adair can turn a phrase like few other authors can.

This reviewer struggled with a few aspects of Duncan’s story—for instance, if he and Serena truly love her step-father, Henry, why did it take so long to go to his side? Yes, there were wizard tests, Serena’s job and Duncan dealing with his brothers, but if you care for someone as much as they purported to care for Henry, why not just teleport to his side for even just a few minutes?

The other major issue this reviewer had was the feeling that they just leaped to the conclusion of the guilty party without strong enough supporting facts. Even at the conclusion of the story, this reviewer wonders if they really go the right wizard or, is there a book four lurking out there where more is learned.

The final twist of the story is a slice of the Ms. Adair that this reviewer enjoys reading so much. The foray into the paranormal was interesting, but nothing near as compelling as Ms. Adair’s full romantic suspense and other T-FLAC books.

EDGE OF DANGER by Cherry Adair

Publisher Ballantine
Date published June 2006
ISBN 978-0345485205
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina





There is more to T-FLAC operative Gabriel Edge than meets the eye and it’s not just his authentic, totally for real Scottish castle plunk dab in the middle of Montana. Nor is it his amazing skill with a claymore. Gabriel is a member of a very special division of T-Flac, perhaps even more secret than its regular teams. Gabriel and his two brothers, Duncan and Caleb are members of T-FLACs psi team. Wizards battling terror in a world that needs their special skills more each day.

Dr. Eden Cahill isn’t just a pretty woman with a genius IQ. She also has a photographic memory, down to the most minute detail. Despite the fact that Eden always gave credit for her robot creation, Rex, to her mentor, she is pursued with one goal in mind: to be killed. And it’s not just the terrorist who killed her mentor and stole Rex who will kill her. No, it could be Gabriel himself who is the cause of her death.

Despite changing their name from Edridge to Edge and doing everything possible to do right by the world, the curse placed on a long ago ancestor by a jilted lover plagues each generation: they will each have three sons, but will never know love. Not content to simply create a robot that can go into a war zone and rescue wounded soldiers, Eden took him a bit further by making him indestructible. T-FLAC fears those in possession of Rex will use him for more nefarious purposes. The only way to stop him is to construct another robot of equal skill. The race is on with one hitch—in order for Gabriel to read Eden’s mind, he needs to have sex with her. There’s one problem with that. As his lifemate, if he falls in love with Eden, she will die.

The EDGE trilogy is an interesting paranormal element in the T-FLAC series. In Out of Sight, there are oblique references to AJ Cooper having a brother named Gabe, but it isn’t clear if Gabriel is Gabe. In Out of Sight, it seemed as if Gabe was also a T-FLAC operative and that his story was perhaps in the works. Since no reference is made to AJ, or for that matter, any of the other non-psi operatives, there is still hope for Gabe’s story.

EDGE OF DANGER is vastly different from the earlier books in the series in that rather than traveling to other countries with rapid fire action, most of the story takes place inside Edridge castle and between Eden and Gabriel. The first third of the book tantalizes the reader with the rising sexual heat between Gabriel and Eden. Like all of Ms. Adair’s heroes so far in the series, Gabriel is dark haired and in a word, hot. Ms. Adair certainly can…inspire…a reader and his or her partner. Other than the sexual tension between the two, much of the emotion felt in the other stories, especially On Thin Ice seems to be missing. It is an interesting story about a wizard living with a curse he knows will kill the one he loves. What he does to avoid Eden and falling in love with her has a level of humor not seen in Ms. Adair’s other books and is refreshing. Given his powers, how he handles certain situations is enjoyable to read. T-FLACs resources are on the periphery and come into play only when other wizards are needed, which is fine. There are unanswered questions at the end which are an excellent lead in to the other two books of this trilogy. Hopefully just who wanted Rex and why, aside from terrorizing and killing will be revealed in the other stories.

Ms. Adair’s foray into the paranormal is an interesting one and a fun addition to the T-FLAC series.