Idaho and New York - Present Day

As an animal psychic, Kira Donovan’s life has never been usual, but, for a four-week period every year, things get really out of hand. Spring fever takes on a whole new meaning for Kira, and if she doesn’t mate -- frequently -- she will die. When new hire Tom Knight arrives at the farm, Kira knows he’ll be the perfect mate for her...until he can’t take it any more.

Tom Knight has come to Idaho on a mission: convince Kira to join the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives (ACRO) or make sure she can’t be used by Itor, an agency similar to ACRO but with motives much less altruistic. While ACRO’s people use their gifts to protect the United States and its allies, Itor leans more toward the world domination goal, and don’t care how they hurt people, not even their agents. Knowing how Itor could use Kira’s gifts convinces Devlin O’Malley, the head of ACRO, to send Tom to Idaho. Not typically the person sent to recruit new agents, Tom’s a little unhappy with the assignment -- until he meets Kira. While the fierce desire to be with her doesn’t surprise him, the protective feelings she inspires do. He’s more than happy to fulfill the needs brought on by Kira’s spring fever, but with time running out, will he be able to convince her to come with him?

UNLEASHING THE STORM is a sexy and intense story. Kira’s gifts have marked her as different, and, though she’s comfortable with who she is, she’s learned not to trust. Since her teenage years, when the heat first started coming with the spring, Kira’s had to move several times and change her identity almost as often. Her sexual needs during her heat aren’t usually able to be satisfied by only one man, and she’s had some difficulty because of that. She doesn’t trust easily, but the attraction she feels for Tom, and the life-threatening need to mate, overrides her distrust. Like many of the ACRO agents, Tom is also gifted, and because of his experiences, he is very much a loner. His orders concerning Kira are very clear, yet, for the first time in his life, he is having trouble following them.

In some aspects, this book stands very well on its own; the relationship between Kira and Tom has very little outside influence, and the fact that she’s never heard of ACRO means that explanations about both agencies are necessary. On the other hand, there are two secondary storylines, one involving a ghost-whisperer, Creed, and his rocky relationship with Annika, another operative, and another plot involving Devlin, the spirit who haunts his childhood home and the probability of a mole at ACRO. Both of these plots are carried over from Ms. Croft’s previous release, RIDING THE STORM, and it helps to have read the earlier book. I’d recommend reading them in order, both for the continuity and because Ms. Croft has created an intriguing paranormal world with hints of more stories to come. A captivating tale, pick up your copy of UNLEASHING THE STORM.

Jennifer Bishop