Touch of Smoke

After three years of running, Rikki Albemarle returns home with hopes of finding answers and ensuring that the killer responsible for her friend’s death is held accountable. She’s convinced that the man who once claimed her heart, Owen Amir, is the key to unlocking the secrets, but she’s torn between her heart and her memories of that night. By digging deeper, Rikki lands at the feet of an ancient and powerful evil and in order to survive she’ll have to make a decision: continue to believe that Owen is the monster or trust him enough to stay and fight for a second chance at love. 

This story is a sweet, first-love romance with some very suspenseful elements that will keep readers intrigued throughout. The plot of the story starts off on the slow side and flips between the past where Rikki first meets Owen and the events that lead to the night that caused Rikki to flee to what is happening in the present. This continues until about the last quarter of the book where the story picks up the pace. The characters of the story are compelling although the heroine is a bit closed minded in regards to most things including her family. Readers will find that they can’t put the book down once they reach the final chapters of the book as some unexpected twists brings the conflict between Rikki, Owen and the powerful evil to a unique end and also gives this couple a second change at love.

E.L. Hurley