Cate Culpepper is an automatic read for me. I don't even need to check the synopsis. :) I love the way she does paranormal romances. And her fantasy series Tristaine is my all-time favorite.

This book features two couples from her past books (both are favorites of mine) and introduces a third couple. If you have not read [b:River Walker|7908231|River Walker|Cate Culpepper|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328743829s/7908231.jpg|11177946] and [b:A Question of Ghosts|12921353|A Question of Ghosts|Cate Culpepper|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328743885s/12921353.jpg|18076601], read those first, to better appreciate the peculiar quirks of the two couples here. Both are excellent introductions to the author's style.

Ms. Culpepper has always dabbled in the paranormal in all her books. But in this one, she goes all-out horror. The book is very well written. And I like the author's dry wit. But I'm not a big fan of horror stories. I also thought the romance could have been better developed. The two new ladies could have been such fascinating characters with their colorful back stories. They deserved their own book, with the other couples as extras rather than equals. Not that I'm complaining about Jo/Becca and Elena/Grady. I loved their encores here. What's another hundred pages in length? I'd have loved for the chance to fall in love with the new couple too. It also didn't help that for long stretches of the book, they're all cooped up in a cabin with not much to do but wait for things to happen. The author managed to sustain the tension and suspense and had me turning pages over fast, but horror just works better in a visual/aural medium.

Still and all, I love the theme of women's kinship that run in all of Culpepper's books, and will eagerly await her next one.

P.S. I think BSB dropped the ball on the cover this time. :)


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