"Think DaVinci Code meets X Files: suspense, sex, mystery, theological issues"

When Kyla is rescued from being run over by a handsome stranger named Joe Connor, she thinks he's just a nice, sexy guy who happened to be on the spot a the right moment. But Joe is much more than that. A mysterious woman named Gram has hired him to watch Kyla's every move and protect her with his life if necessary. So for weeks he has observed her through cameras and bugs, and has become more than a little intrigued by the striking redhead who is at the center of a prophecy that has made her the target of a team of assassins working for a Catholic archbishop — and another team of unknown origin. Joe knows that Kyla has psychic powers of some sort, that she loves her Dad but cannot stand her bitchy, spiteful mother who spends her life denigrating Kyla (to the point where Kyla has begun to block any phone number she calls from), and that she is a lonely woman with no man in her life. When Kyla invited him to dinner, he breaks the rules and agrees — but can't bring himself to make love, though he wants to desperately, because his partner is watching.

Kyla's clever scheme to annoy her mother backfires when Brianna goes to her priest and complains abut her "demonic" daughter. The Catholic hit team realizes they failed to kill the child of prophecy when she was a newborn. They send Harris, a legendary assassin and spy, to take her out — but Joe foils the attempt. At Gram's orders, he has to kidnap and bring Kyla to a safe house in the country, where he and Gram and the other members of their ecumenical squad of guardians — they range from an atheist to a Catholic — have to keep her safe until Kyla agrees to work with them to bring about the Prophecy that she will influence one important person.

Of course, that's easier said than done, because Kyla has no desire to be Joan of Arc and she really hates being cooped up and ordered about. She is furious to learn that Joe has been watching her but she has to fight her strong attraction to him. And she has to come to terms with being a child of destiny, something very difficult for feisty, strong-willed Kyla to accept. After that, the REAL fun begins, because Harris is still out there, and there are secrets to be revealed, powers to learn to control, traitors to unmask, and battles to be fought.

This is a marvelously intricate book, posing hard questions about the nature of religion (Is there only One True Way? Is organized religion the best path to God? Is violence justified to safeguard a faith?) and the reason things happen that aren't answered completely. Kyla is an endearingly flawed heroine, who sometimes disobeys just because she is sick of being a pawn of fate. She's sassy and sharp and a real fighter. Joe is her foil, a man who lost his way after a bad marriage failed and he fell into alcoholism. Kyla is his chance at redemption and he doesn't plan to waste this second chance. Their love story is complex and complicated, as these two prickly people find their way through the maze of secrets and lies and danger to each other's arms. And Gram, the pagan priestess, is a pure delight, exactly what every pagan wishes they had leading them. Heather, the ghost in Kyla's head, has a wonderful personality, as does Molly, her five-year-old psychic niece, who is a terrifically realistic child, and not the usual gaggingly cute tyke.

Nail-biting suspense and a good love story are hard to combine but Lyons has also tossed in hard issues to ponder. If you've been looking for a book which satisfies your heart and your mind, this is it. Forget the DaVinci Code and download the Prophecy series.

Sensuality rating: steamy monogamous heterosexual sex, including oral.

Reviewed by Gillian Fitzgerald
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted July 22, 2004

Summary

Kyla has a great job, a quiet life, and a new boyfriend. Life can't get better, but what she doesn't know might kill her. Caught between rival religious groups, each following the same prophecies, Kyla has to find her imaginary playmate and unravel the mystery of her past to have a future.

Joe finds the perfect woman for him, but their relationship may not survive the truth. Joe hasn't met Kyla by chance. Hired as her bodyguard, he kidnaps Kyla to save her life. Pursued by killers, the only way home is fulfilling a prophecy neither of them believes in.