Review: The Unseen

Reviewed by Jen
 

Heather Graham is kicking off a spin-off series to her Krewe of Hunters books, with this romantic-suspense, peppered with paranormal elements. As someone who has never read the original series, I can tell you that this is a great place for new readers to jump in, since a crew of all-new characters are introduced. And I never felt lost at any time.

Jackson Crow is the leader of a paranormal law enforcement group and he is putting together the second team of its kind to help investigate crimes. To lead the Krewe, he chooses Logan Raintree, a Texas Ranger whose wife was killed by a perp three years ago. For an investigative partner, he chooses Kelsey O'Brien, a US Marshal from Florida. Both Logan and Kelsey can see ghosts and communicate with the dead in their own ways, and Jackson hopes they will use their gifts to solve a string of murders that seem to have very little in common.

Over the course of the story, we find that the murders are tied to the history of the Alamo and the mysterious disappearance of an ancient diamond. Somehow, a haunted hotel plays into it all, as well. Logan and Kelsey work together with other members of the new team to figure out what their victims have in common and who killed them.

It doesn't take long before our hero and heroine are inexplicably drawn to one another. And they fall in love while working the case. The romance was just OK. I never really felt gripping emotions from these two and the love scenes felt kind of uninspiring. Let me give you an example:

There was something about her. It began with her eyes, the emerald green that seemed so pure and untainted, even with the world around them so ugly and cruel and torn. She was lithe and beautifully golden with a fading tan; against that, her hair was like fire, a fire of temptation and seduction. She was vital in her passion, eyes flashing, whispers ever more erotic, and she moved with the fluidity of water. She could tease and excite and arouse with a sweep of that lustrous burning hair. Making love with her was like a sea of sensation. All encompassing.

Shower and then bed. Making love in a stream of water, then making love in the softness of a mattress and pillows. Afterward, he lay spent in a way he barely remembered, his mind telling him that sex was just physical heat and desire shared by a man and a woman, and yet somewhere in his soul another voice was telling him there was a difference and he should know it well. The difference between sex and making love.

It just... didn't do it for me. And it wasn't my only problem with the book.  There were way too many history lessons wrapped up in the story. I'm not looking to learn the history of the Alamo when I read a romance novel.  And yet, I learned as much about it here as I did in my 7th grade American history class.  Plus, I figured out who the main killer was about 100 pages before it was revealed.  Not cool.

I guess my biggest complaint is that the book didn't inspire much passion in me, either with the mystery or the romance.  Overall, the whole thing was just kind of so-so.  3 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Unseen

by Heather Graham

Release Date: March 27, 2012

Publisher: Mira