In the middle of nowhere, there is a small town with a big secret. They work hard to keep this secret from getting out to the rest of the world. The death of a local man recently returned to Cambio Springs brings about not only the concern of a killer in their midst but, the fact that many inhabitants aren’t always human may become more widely known. This gives Dr. Teodora “Ted” Vasquez and Alex McCann more to deal with while also tending to family problems and their on again/off again romance.
This story has the elements that could make for a very good story. Romance, paranormal and murder mystery in a small town. For me, it’s all about the story telling and this book did that well. I liked the way the story progressed over all. It moves much as you might expect a mystery/romance to without being predictable. There are just enough red herrings and false trails to make figuring out the answer not so easy. I was introduced to a world that includes not just shapeshifters but, a small town of them. My only concern there was there were many places where I thought it slowed down too much. Some of the conversations felt a bit repetitive or better handled through narrative. Another exciting or action scene could have brought the pace back up and broken up some of the repetition. Of course, that could be just a matter of preference. I’ve always gravitated to the books that have big sword fights between romantic or quiet scenes.
Speaking of romantic scenes, this books has a few. I don’t want to give too much away but, there are a few occasions of romance and the making of love in this book. Elizabeth Hunter brings us these scenes without resorting to overly crude language or vulgar depictions. This makes the scenes descriptive yet, relatively mild. When I selected this book, I did not realize it was the second in the Cambio Spring series. When I finished, I was surprised to find out there was a book before this one. To me, that shows skill in storytelling. It’s a rare thing when a book in the middle of a series can stand on its own.
Desert Bound definitely puts a twist on the murder mystery/romance genres by adding shapeshifting to the mix. This definitely one for the paranormal romance fans out there. If you also like detective/mystery type stories, as I do, you may find this entertaining as well. Just be aware that this can get a bit more ‘R’ than ‘PG-13’ in some places.
Nice review Robert, thank you.
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