When your mate becomes a plague carrier
When Passion Lies is the first book I’ve read by author J.K. Beck, and I appear to have started some way through the
Shadow Keepers series. However, the author delivers enough background information that I could follow what was going on, and the large cast of characters was never overwhelming.
In a world of vampire politics, Tiberius is the big cheese. He’s working to become
Chairman of the Alliance (i.e. the President of the vampires) with his mate, Caris, working alongside him.
Something goes horribly wrong, and she is somehow turned into a werewolf. Unfortunately, these vampire/werewolf ‘hybrids’--when they exist--release toxic plague when they turn into werewolves. Tiberius has to banish her to keep vampires and humans safe.
Fast-forward twenty years, and Tiberius bumps into Caris when she assassinates a human. Her reasons become clear, but unfortunately a different vampire
has been looking for the same man. Soon they realize that someone may have another hybrid and may be looking to use her to cause devastation among humans. Tiberius and Caris have to work together
once more to locate this hybrid and stop the evil vampire--aware the whole time that Caris is lethal to vampires around her if she changes.
This story has an interesting premise--that a person could be a weapon of mass destruction--and I enjoyed a lot of the scenes between Tiberius and Caris as they try to work through their history and find themselves unable to relinquish their love. The politics side
is less interesting, and some of the subplots (such as the Zermatt police force investigating the murder) seem to peter out to nothing.
A few loose ends aren’t quite tied up, but that is to be expected in a series.
When Passion Lies is much stronger on action than characterization. I didn’t know either of the main characters that well by the end, but hero and heroine
are strong, interesting people, which makes them good to watch.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading another in this series that is lying on my bedside table.