In Deveraux's previous novels (The Summerhouse;A Knight in Shining Armor; etc.), she has proven herself a master of stories mixing mystic mystery and history, time-travel and timeless love. This beguiling paranormal romance also has roots in the past, but it is much darker in tone, forgoing playful time-travel plots for scarier, supernatural evil. The protagonists are Darci Monroe, an attractive yet insecure young woman who can get anyone to do whatever she wants using her powers of "True Persuasion," and Adam Montgomery, a gorgeous yet grim guy obsessed with uncovering the secrets of his past, including his parents' mysterious disappearance. Darci and Adam meet when she answers an ad to be his personal assistant, but it isn't until they travel to the creepy town of Camwell, Conn., that she learns the particulars of her position—he wants her to assist him in bringing down a sinister coven of witches. The task will not be easy. The coven's elusive leader possesses a future-forecasting mirror, and she will stop at nothing to increase her powers. Irresistibly eerie, yet decidedly a love (rather than horror) story, Deveraux's offering bursts with high-spirited repartee and bizarre but bewitching characters. A hasty conclusion wraps loose ends up a little too neatly but, overall, this is a noteworthy addition to the genre. (Oct. 1)
Forecast:Cash registers will ring simply because Deveraux is a household name, but once word gets around that this book is essentially a continuation of The Montgomery Annals, the series of historical romances (
The Velvet Promise, etc.) that earned Deveraux recognition in the '80s, sales will soar.
