February 17, 2014
RITA winner Owens, best known for her Celta’s HeartMates futuristic romance series, is gunning hard to broaden her audience with the first Ghost Seer paranormal contemporary, featuring cowboys, cops, and outlaws. It’s a notably successful experiment, combining much-loved character types with touches of humor and sizzle. Montana deputy sheriff Zach Slade has been injured and embittered in a shooting and needs a fresh start. Clare Cermak, a buttoned-up Denver accountant, has just inherited the estate of her psychic great-aunt, along with the ability to see ghosts herself. The ghosts want Clare to solve their mysteries so they can pass on; Zach just happens to have the necessary skill set, along with a job offer from a Denver private investigation firm. The blend of history and investigation makes the mystery persuasive, and the chemistry between Clare and Zach is well scripted. Owens knows just how to press her readers’ buttons, and they’ll love every minute of it. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency.
Starred review from April 15, 2014
Owens leaves her HeartMate Celta world and tumbles back to Earth, Denver to be exact, in a whole new paranormal series. This time the setting is Western, the protagonists are psychically gifted, the action and banter are lively, and the mystery and danger--and the ghosts--are real. Zach Slade has never thought his crow-related "hunches" were anything special, and rational accountant Clare Cermac has never believed in ghosts. When Clare inherits her Great Aunt Sandra's fortune and starts seeing spirits (and they talk to her!) and Zach sees them as well, the two are forced to reconsider and with the help of a clever older woman and a lovable ghostly dog begin to accept their unearthly gifts. VERDICT A practical CPA and a sheriff-turned-reluctant PI struggle to come to terms with their new talents as they are swept up in a nonstop romantic whirl. A spectacular start to what promises to be a terrific series. Owens ("Heart Fortune") lives in the Denver area.
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