First Review of the New Year

My review of this book is a bit overdue, as I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The book was released last month, but December was a bit of a blur, and reading fell to the wayside amidst all the holiday hubbub.

Find Me if You Dare is the sequel to Catch Me When I Fall. Kayla's father is an evil warlock named Tamesis who wants nothing more than watching the world burn.  Her boyfriend, Daniel, is a Protector, a holy avenger that fights Nightmares and demons to keep humans safe. His love for Kayla has eclipsed everything else and he will stop at nothing to keep her safe, especially from her own father.

Tamesis plans to unleash an apocalypse on Earth, purging it of human life so supernatural beings can come out of hiding. He needs four magus to act as the horseman of the apocalypse. He has three of them, but Kayla is the fourth and most powerful.  In an effort to bring Daniel and Kayla out of hiding, Tamesis begins releasing the horsemen.  Pestilence is first, in the form of a plague that sends any of those it infects into a coma.  Some wake in three days and continue their lives as if nothing ever happened.  Most of the infected never wake. Those that survive become carriers, their blood lethally infectious to any who haven't been exposed. The second horseman is War, and Tamesis has more than just the magus and Nightmares on his side this time.  Other supernatural creatures, like vampires, join him and ravage human cities and towns, laying waste to much of the world.

Daniel is torn with indecision. He wants so desperately to keep Kayla safe, but he'll never forgive himself if he stands by while Tamesis destroys the rest of humanity.  The decision is ultimately Kayla's.  She chooses to train with another magus as well as the protectors, honing her battle skills with magic as well as physical weapons in case her father somehow saps her magical abilities. As she grows stronger, Daniel begins to worry that he's going to lose her.  Either her father will force her to fulfill the dark destiny he has planned and then kill her once she's no longer useful, or Kayla's magic will grow so strong that she's able to defeat Tamesis, but she loses herself to the dark power needed to make victory possible.  It's possible that if Daniel can be a strong enough for her that she won't succumb to the darkness, but his love might not be strong enough to save her. For the world's sake, he hopes it is.

The second novel in Vicki Leigh's series keeps the action moving at a quick pace.  Daniel's english is of the British variety, so there may be some bits that have awkward wording, but it doesn't effect the reader's enjoyment of the story. I'm interested to see where the final installment of the trilogy leads Daniel and Kayla.

Three and half out of five stars.