Crux [Kindle Edition]

In a perfect world, there would be a clear divide--a mile wide one, at that--between "urban fantasy" and "paranormal romance". Unfortunately, an awful lot of books from the two genres receive both tags, which muddies things terribly for readers who are shopping for one but really don't like the other.

For romance readers, this is a perfectly passable example of the genre: hot, mysterious men and beautiful, troubled women; pages and pages of sex; and, oh yeah, shape-shifters. And some magical stuff that happens, mostly so that the main characters can have sex some more.

As an urban fantasy, this book falls short. The characters are stereotypes rather than living, breathing people, as if the author broke out the old standard cookie cutters for the hero, the buddy, the damsel, and the villain. The only real dynamic character--the only character who learns & evolves as a result of the happenings in the plot--is a relatively minor one. The dialogue has some clever moments, but even then it seems to be a case of clever-for-the-sake-of-cleverness rather than contributing to character-building or plot development.

The plot, after a promising beginning, pretty quickly becomes predictable. . . and secondary to the aim of getting the two lead characters into bed. The author's world/culture building is minimal, relying instead on overused stereotypes of what a werewolf society is about. The only truly original concept Rogers brings to the table is the existence of "Seers" (misnamed, since they are apparently just shape-shifter magic users & not particularly gifted with "Sight" or any such other power); and, again, the Seer characters are either so one-dimensional (the evil villain, insert wicked laugh here) or so underdeveloped (a visiting character who makes little more than a cameo appearance) that the concept does little to distinguish Rogers' book from all the other paranormal romances out there.

Don't get me wrong, reading this wasn't a complete waste of my time, or I'd not have read it through to the predictable ending. It was an okay little piece of brain candy. I just wish other readers would not equate this and other romance novels with urban fantasy just because there's werewolves & magic & stuff.

Moira Rogers is a new author for me, or rather a new duo of authors. For some reason I went into reading this one expecting a plot heavy on the romance and was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is just as heavy on the action, plot, and character building. I love it when an author surprises me.

The story is about Mackenzie who is on the run from some crazy shifters looking to use her for her body. While on the run she falls into a web of really cool people who convince her the supernatural is real and give her an unexpected support system. Jackson Holt takes a liking to her immediately and will do whatever he needs to keep her safe.

The story arc is reminiscent of a paranormal romance.... girl is in trouble, our hero must use his super powers and super friends to save her. But, in this story our heroine isn't weak or waiting around to be saved and our hero doesn't expect her to sit back in a safe corner and wait it out. I found the characters to be honest. The dialogue between them was easy and free flowing. The relationship was realistic, a nice mix of playful flirting with sincerity. Jackson is funny and sexy, protective without being overbearing.

The plot of Crux builds quickly. The book is action packed and I had a hard time finding stopping points so I could get some much needed sleep! There is an atypical twist in the plot three quarters of the way through. After it I thought for sure we were getting an ending and the "Big Bad" would continue to haunt us in the next book, but instead the story keeps going! Because of this small twist in plot sequence, the story loses a bit of momentum and I felt the true ending was smidge anti-climatic. Not overly so, and definitely not enough for me to dislike it.

In Crux Moira Rogers has built a strong supernatural world with an exciting plot and realistic characters. With as much as I enjoyed the interactions between Mackenzie and Jackson, I am looking forward to the next books in the series! There were so many intriguing side characters introduced in this group of friends... only more good stories can come after this!

I'll say right up front that I am a fan of the writing team of Moira Rogers and so I'm not at all surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I first discovered Moira Rogers from the free reads offered on the Moira Rogers website. My favorite is Honor Bound, check it out. I also loved the Red Rock Pass series so I fully expected to like Crux and I was not disappointed.

Mackenzie Brooks has arrived in New Orleans where she has landed a job in bar. For the first time in a long time she feels like she fits in and really likes her boss and the bar regulars. However she is on the run and can't afford to settle down here. She is being hunted down by a crazy stalker who speaks of destiny and babies and she is terrified.

Mackenzie's boss is a shifter and senses that Mackenzie may be one as well. She also suspects that Mackenzie is in some kind of trouble so she asks her private investigator friend, Jackson Holt to do a little checking and see what her deal is.

Jackson discovers Mackenzie is on the run but what she's running from is far more dangerous than your average everyday stalker. He discovers that she is unaware that she is a rare cougar shifter and the people hunting her down have plans for her that could put everyone in danger.

Mackenzie and Jackson are a compliment to each other. Although Mackenzie is afraid and on the run she is a strong female lead who makes solid decisions. No sitting around and waiting for a knight in shining armor for her. Jackson is a southern gentleman, and while his focus is on protecting Mackenzie, he never crosses over into overprotective jerk mode. He is sexy, thoughtful, can cook, and best of all, southern. Yum! Their romantic relationship develops at nice pace and the chemistry between the two is hot! The interesting thing about this couple is Mackenzie is a cougar shifter which makes her physically strong. Although Jackson is a part of this paranormal world in that he's a caster--skilled in magic--he is human and breakable. Mackenzie definitely has the upper hand physically.

The secondary characters do their part in supporting this story as well. There is Nick the bar owner who is the daughter of the Alpha Wolf. She has a crush on Derek, who is considered a "second class citizen" because he wasn't born a wolf, he was changed. Although they didn't get a lot of play in Crux, their chemistry came through nicely and the authors have set a nice foundation for their developing relationship.

Although there is plenty of relationship development, Crux has a good dose of action as well. Just when when I thought I knew how it would all end, there was an unexpected twist and the story took on a second burst of momentum paving the way for a very nice ending.

I think fans of Paranormal Romance as well as Urban Fantasy will enjoy Crux. The authors have blended the two genres perfectly combining good strong world building, interesting supernatural characters with romance and sexy scenes that will make your blood run hot. I eagerly anticipate Crossroads, the next installment in the Southern Arcana series.

Sexiest quote:

"She found his ear and her breath was warm and tormenting as she whispered, "But when this is over, we are going to have the kind of insanely hot sex that takes hours to finish and days to recover from."

Characters to keep an eye on further along in the series: Marcus and Eddie. I won't go into my theories here, I'll just say read the book and draw your own conclusions. *g*