Darkest Desire

Morgan McClellan, new publications officer for the Southern History Museum, is under a lot of stress these days. The Museum is mounting a new exhibit called “More Than Myths” in which they explore the factual underpinnings of mythic figures. The centerpiece of the exhibit is to be a silver torque ascribed to a Celtic god called Cernunnos, a god of the hunt ... and of sexual desire. Could this be why Morgan has begun having strange dreams of a threatening figure chasing her through a forest?

Morgan is also under orders from her boss to “make nice” with archaeologist Hunter Riley, who discovered the silver torque in Brittany, since Hunter has not yet given them the object for their collection. However, Morgan doesn’t need any orders to feel an incredible desire for Hunter, but with all that is happening in her life, she doesn’t feel ready to embark upon a relationship. Will the Museum get the torque? Will Morgan and Hunter find a way to be together?

This book is unusual in that it is a contemporary romance with a paranormal twist. Morgan and Hunter are interesting, multi-faceted characters. I liked Morgan and felt very empathetic toward her – she has many of the same problems any working woman has, including a boss who has an antiquated idea of women in the workplace. I thought she put up with it and succeeded in spite of all of the problems that arose. Hunter was a bit of an enigma, and it took me a while to warm up to his character. He seems kind of abrupt and demanding, although I suppose that could be a result of his frequent isolation on archaeological digs. The plot moved along briskly, and there was quite a bit of action to keep the reader’s interest. There are two or three very explicit love scenes, and a surprise twist at the end. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my friends.

Reviewed by: Jean