Crux Southern Arcana-Book 1
by Moira Rogers
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Available: January 5, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1605043296
Genre: Romantic Urban Fantasy 
(I purchased this book myself)

Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn't crack...until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn't explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

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*

Purchase a copy Crux

Other books in the series:

Crossroads Southern Arcana Book 2

Available February 2010 (ebook), November 2010 (print)

Add Crux to your GoodReads shelf

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