The Perfect Gift (Avon Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jared is an interesting character, and though I feel the tortured, modern warrior who suffers some calamity and must rise above it (the ex-special agent, ex-cop, ex-army/marine, ex-fed, etc), is over written about, this story works. Maybe it is the touch of the paranormal that adds a different slant, maybe it is just my desire to see a successful Draycott series. Our heroine must also work through some problems of her own, but she has a wonderful support system with her cousins and new friends.

I liked the way the plot twists and turns, interweaving all of our characters. Everything and everyone fit in well together (unfortunately there is a "but" coming), but I thought the actual "evil" in this story was a bit corney and unbelievable. Ms. Skye gets us to believe in ghosts, witches, reincarnation and the paranormal, but I couldn't swallow the bad guys and their evil empire. I felt like I was in a bad "B" movie when this part of the story unfolded. All in all though, this is definitely a book worth reading, and I feel the best in the series

Our hero, Commander Jared MacNeill, is connected to the abbey through an association of having served in the Royal Marines and having had his life saved by Nicolas Draycott. So, when a personal favor was requested by Nicolas to ask Jared to `check out' a proposed artist he and his wife were planning to commission for a specific venture they would be sponsoring - Jared felt compelled to grant this one last favor - before he died. Through a special `sixth-sense gift' Jared, had seen his own death and by touch, he can read another persons thoughts.

Highly independent since her father's supposed death and jewel theft, Maggie Kincade's life had left her vulnerable and wary of anything and anyone that smacked of `reporters'. She was attempting to carry on with her life relying solely on herself when this Scotsman, Jared, invades her mind and sends signals to her body that are quite unsettling. Arriving at the Abbey, she has no idea why it somehow feels familiar and why she has the feeling that someone is always watching her.

What follows is the highly sensual attraction that our two main characters have with Jared quite vocal with his admiration and Maggie not quite understanding or believing her feelings. The fact that Jared knows what she is thinking drives her crazy! Then of course you have the mystery of why someone is trying to harm Maggie and whether her father is really dead.

As always, you get to see Adrian and Gideon, the abbey's guardian ghosts - who help out when the going gets tough and you get to visit other characters from previous novels who you have come to know and love. This is not to say that you need to read the previous Draycott books as this does stand entirely on it's own plot although your sense of `family' will be more than satisfied as you do get to find out how `old friends' are doing. Great entry - lots of suspense and hot sensual scenes.