SEDUCED BY THE STORM

Author: Sydney Croft ISBN: 9780385340823 8/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: DELTA

DANGER IS THE ULTIMATE APHRODISIAC. They met in a steamy Florida bar—then spent a night of mind-bending passion. Two secret agents who each possess unique telekinetic gifts—and whose combined sexual powers leave neither of them unscathed. For ex–Navy SEAL Wyatt Kennedy, assigned by the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives to the most treacherous mission of his career, the woman in black leather and lace has just become more than a one-night stand. Because Faith Black is the sole barrier to the success of his mission—and not even Wyatt’s legendary seduction skills can penetrate her deep cover. Faith’s psychic gifts make her one of the world’s most dangerous women—but she hides a secret pain she shares with no one. Until Wyatt. And Faith has an agenda of her own: using her unique powers to save someone close to her—a move that pits her against a man she thought she’d never see again. For as a deadly hurricane is unleashed across the eastern seaboard, desire reignites between Faith and Wyatt, exposing secrets that thrust them both into harm’s way. With the hurricane sweeping closer—and their erotic hunger for each other growing—these two wary hearts must come together to heal, to trust . . . and to harness the power of a storm that could consume everything in its path.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Sydney Croft continues to heat things up with her latest entry in the ACRO series, SEDUCED BY THE STORM.

One night during a cat and mouse game against a secret agent that wants to kill her, Faith Black uses "roughneck" Wyatt Kennedy to distract said agent. But she gets a lot more than she bargained for when a powerful attraction flares between her and Wyatt. The two spend an explosive night together, one that Faith is not supposed to remember. But when the two are thrown together, unbeknownst to either one, they find that the attraction still burns hot. The only problem is they are also agents, working on different teams and each needing the same thing for different reasons.

Wyatt Kennedy, a former Navy SEAL, is now an agent for ACRO, the Agency for Cover Rare Operatives. He has been "killed" off by ACRO so he can go undercover to find and destroy a weather machine that Itor, ACRO's enemy and essentially the bad guys, has built. With said weather machine, Itor plans to produce a hurricane that will wipe out New York City. But while he is undercover, Wyatt meets the beautiful and dangerous Faith Black who also wants the weather machine.

Faith was separated from her twin sister at a young age and has been searching for her ever since. When Faith is given the chance to find and release her captive sister in exchange for the weather machine, the agent for the British government will stop at nothing to do so. Only Sean Stowe, an old friend and lover of Faith's turned bad guy and operative for Itor, stands in both Wyatt and Faith's way.

Added into the mix are the superhuman powers that these individuals all possess, the main reason why they each work for their respective agencies. Wyatt has strong powers of seduction; Faith can inflict pain or heal with her mind; and Sean can drain another person's energy. As the power struggle begins between all parties, it is a race to the finish. They all want to win but know only one person can come out on top. But as the connection between Faith and Wyatt grows ever stronger, they must learn to trust each other if there is any hope for a future between them.

Croft has penned a hot and sexy, action-filled novel with SEDUCED BY THE STORM. The book starts out with an explosive punch and keeps up the fast pace throughout. This novel is H-O-T-T hot and I would categorize it as an erotic romance as the main characters, and even some supporting ones, spend a lot of them getting each other all hot and bothered. But the romantic elements are very much present as well as we see Faith and Wyatt dealing with serious issues that stand in the way of them being together, the foremost of which I think was simple trust in each other. Each of them has demons from their past that have carried into their present lives, separate from their extraordinary powers. But as they start to build a relationship, they find themselves being able to put those issues to rest.

There is a secondary story between two other agents for ACRO, Creed and Annika, that burns just as hot as that of the main characters. I found myself totally caught up in SEDUCED BY THE STORM and wishing the story would never end. The previous novels in Sydney Croft's ACRO series are RIDING THE STORM and UNLEASHING THE STORM. Though neither is necessary to be read in order to follow SEDUCED BY THE STORM, I think readers will have a better understanding of ACRO and the storyline if they have read them. Lovers of erotic romance should definitely not miss any of these novels as they some of the hottest stories I have ever read. The paranormal twist of superhuman good guys and bad guys only adds to the enjoyment of this series for its readers. Do not miss SEDUCED BY THE STORM!

Maame Kanbi