Touch of Darkness

Touch of Darkness by Christina Dodd is the second book in her Darkness Chosen series. From the back cover-Handsome, powerful Rurik Wilder battles darkness-the darkness without and the darkness within. He possesses the power to transform himself into a fierce bird of prey, and that gift has caused death and destruction. At last he is offered the chance to redeem himself and break the evil pact that has held his family in thrall for centuries. Only one woman stands in his way- Tasya Hunnicutt, a writer determined to wreak revenge on the assassins who murdered her family. Assassins, it's rumored, who have powers no human should ever possess.

Rurik knows the only way to end the curse that was placed on his family over 1000 years ago is to locate the icon, a religious symbol, and bring it home. As he works to locate the icon at his dig site in Scotland, he must also keep up with Tasya. He has no idea that she is actually trying to bring down his family, the Varinskis, which are his cousins that still reside in Europe. Tasya wants the Varinskis to suffer for killing her entire family when she was just 4 years old. Rurik must find a way to keep both Tasya and himself safe as they try to locate the icon and return to the States.

The Varinskis continue to track them as they travel and only Rurik knowing his family and Tasya's inner sense about the Varinskis keep them safe. Rurik and Tasya also are fighting their attraction to one another as they travel to safety. Rurik and Tasya must find a way to put their pasts behind them and work together to stay alive.

Dodd writes a winner with Touch of Darkness. I love books that have mystery, adventure, and romance, and Dodd delivers with all three.