Masked Desire

by Alana Delacroix

[kimbacaffeinate]

Michaela Chui is the security chief of the supernaturals’ ruling council. As a Masquerada she takes her role in this secret council seriously. When one of the councilmen turns up butchered in her office, she sets out to solve the case and protect the rest of the council members. Cormac, an exile from the court of the Fairy Queen, needs to know why the councilmen were killed and if it is because of a deal, he was working. Needing to be closer to the investigations he recommends himself as Watcher much to the chagrin of Michaela.

I find the idea of the Masquerada intriguing. While they have strict rules, they can take the form of different people. They spend years honing these "masks," in fact, Michaela is a mask. They also have incredible insight, organizational skills, and analytical minds. Michaela didn't have a pleasant childhood and because of that, she chooses to wear her current mask. 

Ah, the Fey. Of all the supernatural creatures they scare me the most. LOL Cormac was once a military leader but was exiled when the Queen took power. He carries a secret, and a heavy burden. When we meet him he is looking for a way to appease the Queen. Cormac is smart, sexy and unnerves poor Michaela.

The tale is equal parts murder-mystery and romance. As these two characters work together, they begin to let down their guard and open up. Michaela accidentally bonds them and from there, things got quite interesting. Intense action scenes, monsters, danger and heated scenes kept me flipping the pages. We even get to travel to the Fey world which was both beautiful and terrifying. Delacroix tests our couple, and it was beautiful watching them move from co-workers to lovers.

The romance wraps up in this tale as does the murder-mystery but the danger to the council and the supernatural world continues. The author has a vivid imagination, and I appreciated the different takes on the supernatural, their gods and hierarchies. There is an overall arc thread to this series that continues, and for that reason I recommend these stories be read in order of release.  This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer