Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
StarCrossed 3: Objects in the Mirror takes us back to the town of Salem, Massachusetts, where the populace is busy making up for its witch-burning reputation by letting all manner of unusual folks live there. Jace and Konnor are demon twins grabbing a second chance at life, but trouble starts when local clergy are brutally murdered, and the Salem Special Council is asked to investigate.

Twenty years should be enough to leave their past behind, but it comes charging after the brothers with an unholy vengeance. When one falls under suspicion for the murders, it shatters the heart of the other. Only an unlikely alliance of angels, vampires, were-creatures, and humans can help the brothers and keep the secret of supernatural beings living in Salem safe from the outside world. The clock is ticking.

Authors' Note: This dark urban fantasy contains graphic violence and a consensual sexual relationship between non-human twin brothers.

BOOK REVIEW:
StarCrossed is a series of short stories, novellas, and novels that revolve around supernatural creatures in various combinations seeking life and love amidst the human population of modern-day Salem, Massachusetts. All of the stories stand alone nicely, but once you get a taste of the series, if you enjoy beautifully written, internally consistent, darkly erotic stories set in an otherworld that doesn't conform to human standards, I guarantee you will want to read them all. However, it's okay to start with StarCrossed 3, even if you haven't read the others. Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine have such a coherent writing style that you will be drawn into their world in just a few paragraphs.

If you have read the other StarCrossed stories, you'll love that this book not only introduces new characters, but also fills in the background on characters from the other tales. It is, in some ways, the most completely filled-out of the stories, and is, so far, my personal favorite. The delicate touches of humor and the sensitive edgy relationships are more than memorable. The backstory is cleverly injected just where it needs to be to elaborate on motives and rationales in the current-day story.

One of the things that intrigues me about the StarCrossed series is that it is written from a non-human standpoint. Human moral standards are not the norm. You, the reader, have to release your mind from preconceptions about 'right/wrong' or 'acceptable/not-acceptable' behavior and allow the writers to re-set your expectations based on their radically exotic worldview. The characters are demons, vampires, witches, angels and weres, and they just don't think or act like humans.

What is the definition of civilized? In many paranormal books, human attitudes are imposed on supernatural creatures; in this series, not so much. The context of human civility is there, but the nature of the character predicates its actions. Demons are made to eat people; they think they are tasty. Vampires survive by drinking blood; if you work for a vampire, you can expect to be a snack. Written against the backdrop of the human world, MacLeod and Valentine's characters stand out as if they were the only figures in color in a black and white comic strip. The fascination lies in how the different creatures - humans and other-creatures - can cooperate, can learn to live and love despite their differences.

Twin brother demons, Jace and Konnor Barton, the primary characters, had a horrid childhood, which has formed and influenced their lives in many ways, not the least of which is that they completely love each other. They depend on each other perhaps a bit more than they realize. They have managed to escape the evils of their past to establish themselves within the structure of the society in Salem, but in StarCrossed 3, it all comes roaring viciously back to haunt them. Jace is in terrible trouble, accused of human murders that only a demon like him could or would have committed, and, for once, he's innocent. His adoptive father, vampire Gennady Zaitzev, calls in his formidable resources to defend Jace, but before things can get better, Jace disappears. Why would Jace leave? What motivation would take him away from home and Konnor? And the murders keep happening. The residents of Salem are ready to rescue Jace, but every grisly dead body makes things more perilous for everyone. How long can they keep the secret of the other-creatures out of the press and away from human law enforcement?

And that's just the beginning of this intricately-plotted, beautifully-developed exotic dark fantasy. This book is not just another romance, though the relationship between Jace and Konnor is an integral part of the story (I will never think about tails quite the same way again!). It's not erotica, though there are scorching hot scenes (those tails!). It's a fantasy, a totally-believable otherworld, that rings true, that touches your senses, visually and emotionally. It appeals because it fires your imagination; there's never a wrong note to drag you back into real life. That's the joy of reading anything by these authors. They are secure in their premise, they know where they've been and they know where they are going, and they will carry you along for the ride in an exciting fantasy world that will rock you back on your heels.

StarCrossed 3: Objects in the Mirror is the kind of book that you just hate to end. I read it once, and then went back and read it again, and liked it even better the second time. I highly recommend that you do the same.

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