In His Keeping
is an ADULT titleSlow Burn #2
By: Maya Banks
Releasing January 27th, 2015
Avon Romance
Blurb
#1 bestselling author Maya Banks continues her suspenseful and steamy Slow Burn trilogy with this second book-a twisting tale featuring a strong yet vulnerable heroine in danger and the sexy alpha hero who must save her.
Abandoned as a baby to a young wealthy couple and raised in a world of privilege, Arial has no hint of her past or who she belonged to. Her only link lies in the one thing that sets her apart from everyone else—telekinetic powers. Protected by her adoptive parents and hidden from the public to keep her gift secret, Ari is raised in the lap of luxury, and isolation. That is, until someone begins threatening her life.
Beau Devereaux is no stranger to the strange. As the head of Deveraux Security, he’s more than familiar with the realities of physic powers. So when a family friend approaches him about protecting his daughter, he’s more than ready to jump on board. What Beau isn’t prepared for is the extent of his attraction to his beautiful and powerful client. What began as a simple assignment, just another job, quickly turns personal as Beau discovers he’ll do anything at all to protect Ari. Even if it costs him his life.
Excerpt:
Gavin had always had an understanding for what money and power could achieve, but it wasn’t until Arial, the name they’d chosen for their precious baby girl, that he fully appreciated or felt there was a purpose for the wealth he’d accumulated his entire adult life. As though he’d always been preparing for something so important. In the moment that innocent baby girl had arrived on their doorstep, he’d known that his wealth would finally serve a greater purpose.
It had all come down to this and to what he had been able to provide his wife—and now his daughter.
Ari was theirs. There was a paper trail he’d meticulously crafted documenting his wife’s pregnancy and the fact that after so many miscarriages he’d taken her away and kept her in com- plete isolation and privacy to give birth to their daughter.
A birth certificate listing date of birth, his and Ginger’s names as the parents, even the small clinic he funded where she’d been “born.”
Now, for the first time, they were returning to the United States with their daughter, assured that Ari’s past was airtight. That all the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed. All they had to do was resume their lives, but even with the confidence that Ari’s past was unshakable, Gavin wasn’t fool enough to ever even think about relaxing his guard. Their lives would be forever al- tered, and he didn’t have a single regret for the changing course of their destinies. He had all a man could ever hope for—wish for. It was all finally his, a fact he gave thanks for every single day since that snowy Christmas night when Ari had entered their lives.
He’d carefully explained to Ginger the changes to their lives that would occur, that they would have to exercise complete caution in every aspect of their day-to-day lives. He’d worried that Ginger would feel imprisoned, that she’d grow tired of liv- ing such an isolated existence, but he should have known that his wife—like him—would do anything at all to protect their daughter.
An unbreakable bond had been formed that night when Ari had been left on their doorstep. It was inexplicable and instantaneous, as if she’d always been meant to be theirs. And that bond had only strengthened until neither of them could remember their lives before Ari was a part of their family.
The very first thing Gavin had done in his preparation to return to the United States was to quietly sell his house in Con- necticut, because he wanted no trace of their past before Ari. No chance of Ari’s mother showing back up at the same place she’d left her baby, asking for her back.
He’d systematically worked during the months they were out of the country to remove them from the public eye. He’d sold off several of his businesses and invested the proceeds so that his family would always be secure.
He’d bought a huge home under a dummy corporation that could never be traced back to him and made sure that the secu- rity was impenetrable. And then he’d worked to turn it into Gin- ger’s dream home. A place she would love and wouldn’t be upset over being confined to so much.
She laughingly told him that she had everything she could possibly ever want. A husband she loved and a daughter she adored. No sacrifice was too great for her if it meant keeping her family.
Seeing Ginger so happy for these last months had given Gavin a sense of purpose he’d never before experienced. After so much sorrow and loss, the woman he loved sparkled with life, love and laughter. Every day she delighted in discovering some- thing new about motherhood and their precious baby girl.
Gavin knew in his heart that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect them both. No price was too high to pay. No, he hadn’t done it cleanly or by the book. He should have notified the police and social services. And pursued adoption through the proper channels.
But he only had to look into his wife’s eyes as she stared at that tiny baby girl and he knew he could never risk losing their daughter by doing things the “right” way. He could live with his conscience and even live with his soul forever being damned just as long as Ginger was happy. He’d brave the fires of hell and the devil himself before ever being the cause of her eyes losing their shine.
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Author Info
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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My review:
4 out of 5 stars
In His Keeping
by Maya Banks is part of the ‘Slow Burn’ series that combines exotic paranormal powers and thrilling romantic suspense. This particular story centers around Arial (Ari) Rochester, who suddenly needs to utilize the remarkable psychic powers that she has had minimal experience developing. Danger results in her contacting Beau Devereaux, and enlisting the help of his security agency, but has the unexpected result of her discovering ties to the Devereaux family that neither realized existed. Unfortunately, since threats escalate and threaten both of their respective families, they may not have the time or luxury of exploring the relationship and seeing where it can lead, unless Ari learns to harness her abilities in a hurry and survives long enough to do so.This imaginative tale combines wondrous concepts of the potential use of extraordinary mental abilities with an exciting suspenseful story that follows the age-old struggle between good and evil. Although the opening is a little slow and the writing not quite as crisp as I have come to expect due to the exciting ‘KGI’ series , the action eventually begins to intensify and develops into the delicious combination of sizzling intimacy and exciting fight scenes that characterize this author’s works. The heroine was a bit irksome to me at first, as I prefer proactive and capable females, but she grew nicely during the course of the story. I was able to read this work as a stand-alone, although I am sure that it would be helpful to learn the story behind the events alluded to that center around a couple of the secondary characters, who have a cameo in this book. The villains are a little nebulous, but definitely evil, and I suspect that there is an underlying threat that will tie the entire series together. I am always fascinated by the concept of psychic phenomena, and the differing abilities described add a nice twist to this fun read which celebrates romance and adventure, and I look forward to reading more about the Devereaux family and the mates who change their lives.
A copy of this title was provided to me for an honest review
