Entangled

Kiera Stevens is a toy company CEO with a problem: industrial espionage. It's particularly worrying, because her company also deals with defense contracts. So on the advice of her best friend, she hires John Atlantis, a security expert, with the plan to pose as lovers so as not to alert the spy. Sounds like a pretty standard romantic suspense story, doesn't it? What's unusual is that this takes place in a world where magic goes hand in hand with technology, and Lantis deals with spells, not computers. And the catch is that the security spell entangles the two, with the result that the magic charge raises their sexual desire, and the excess magical energy gets grounded in sex. I have to say, I was enthralled by the world. I read a lot of urban fantasy that puts magic alongside technology, and a lot of fantasy that uses magic in lieu of technology, but this magic that's used in conjunction with technology in an otherwise contemporary world is new. I loved the spells, and how magic was integrated into everyday life. I loved how high adepts are a sort of equivalent to computer experts. Unfortunately, there's so much sex in the book that it overshadows the rest of the story. It was great in the beginning, particularly when the result of the security spell became apparent, but after a while, I was impatient to get back to the story. I'd also have liked a little more exploration of what it meant to be "entangled." Still, there is a decent romantic suspense story in a really exciting world, so I'm not complaining too much.

Kiera Stevens knows that kidTek, the company she inherited from her father, has been the victim of industrial espionage. This is more worrying than it might be for the ordinary company, since kidTek not only makes toys, but works hand-in-glove with governmental black ops developing black ops projects. Kiera's friend Dillon, a black ops agent who is like a brother to her, contacts John Lantis, himself now retired from ops, to take the job. After persuading Lantis that his own magic and ops skills make him the perfect man for the job, Lantis agrees to go in and find the traitors-under the guise of being Kiera's lover. Kathleen Dante has written a tale of industrial espionage and magic, that takes a long and pleasurable meander along the pathways that make up a growing relationship between two people intensely attracted to one another. The dynamics of the relationship form the major part of the book, though the storyline never suffers for it. The relationship between John and Kiera is deeply erotic, and satisfyingly romantic at the same time. Kiera is a strong woman, but finds pleasure beyond her imagining as she gradually relinquishes some of her control to Lantis' confident and constant care. A highly sensual journey into the universe of two lovers who slowly become far more, the book's elements of magic and corporate greed are played out well against the backdrop of the black ops exercise set up to catch the culprits. A promised sequel is in the works to further showcase this author's smooth-as-sheer-silk voice and tale-telling talents. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Lee M Copyright © 2006 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved.

When John "Lantis" Atlantis is summoned by his former partner, Dillon, he knows that it must be about something important. Lantis used to be involved in the secret black ops world, to which Dillon is still tied. Now Lantis owns his own security firm, and is the best man at security magic, keeping him in high demand. But it seems there is a problem with kidTek, a toy company that has been working with the black ops through their research and development department. Someone is suspected of providing insider information to a toy competitor. It is Lantis' new job to find out who the informant is and to see if they have compromised the black ops work. Kiera Stevens is the CEO of kidTek. Her father once ran the company, and she has recently taken it over after his death. When she learns of the information gone missing, she immediately goes to Dillon, her childhood friend, to find out what is happening and to find the spy. When she learns that she will be working closely with Lantis, Kiera has mixed feelings about it. From the first moment she hears his voice, she is enthralled with the deep sexy baritone. And finding out that the rest of him matches the voice is a complication she doesn't need right now. In order to get on the premises and not alert the spy, Lantis must go undercover pretending to be Kiera's lover. She can only too easily imagine the pretend love affair turning into something real. When Lantis attempts a spell to upgrade the security at kidTek, using Kiera as a focus, it backfires on him and he needs to find a way to funnel the excess power. What comes next is an incredible night of passion between Lantis and Kiera, complicating matters further for them both. They can feel each other now, even when they aren't touching; connected in some way through the magic they worked together. Now they have to contend with their feelings for each other in addition to the threat of the spy, and a pushy competitor convinced he can get her to sell the company. Lantis must find a way to protect both her company and herself, before it is too late. Entangled is a fantastic book, full of magic, mystery and incredibly hot sex! I loved how intertwined the magical aspects were; spells and magical security became a natural part of the story. Lantis and Kiera have incredible chemistry together, and were very appealing to read about. The foreplay leading up to the actual sex was mind-blowing in its intensity, and I found myself getting more and more wound up as the story progressed. The supporting characters added a nice dimension to Entangled and I would love to read some of their stories in the future. I highly recommend Entangled to any reader looking for a wonderful escape! Shannon Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

KidTek CEO Kiera Stevens concludes that someone from her most inner circles is selling business secrets that could ruin her and her company. She has no idea who this traitor is, as the only people with access to this top secret information are people she trusts; all have clearances since the company provides service to the military as well as selling children's toys. However, to uncover the treacherous mole who sold her out, she needs her own undercover agent. Kiera hires security expert John "Lantis" Atlantis to "join" the company in order to out the industrial spy. However to have full access they agree to pretend to be lovers, but Lantis knows it must look real. He uses his psychic abilities to learn her inner most desires, playing on her submissive fantasies. However, neither he nor his client expected the real sparks that ignite between them. Still the first necessity is to expose the traitor who is selling classified secrets then the duo can see where their attraction leads them to that goes past his spanking her. ENTANGLED is an entertaining erotic romance with a touch of the paranormal and a reasonable amount of suspense needed to justify the couple pairing off yet also enhances the relationship between the CEO and the security guru. The story line is filled with sexual encounters between the lead couple that touch on her submissive nature (being a tough powerful CEO must be caused by reaction formation) with him proving the right amount of domination to satisfy her. Not for everyone, this is a fine spanking romantic fantasy. Harriet Klausner

Kathleen Dante's first published print book is a splendid blend of intrigue, romance, and magic! Kiera Stevens, CEO of KidTek, hires Depth Security after she suspects espionage within her company. A doll has been released by another company that utilizes the same technology as the doll just released by KidTek. KidTek is one of the companies that assists with black ops R & D, making this an issue of national security. John Atlantis, the owner of Depth Security and previous black ops agent, agrees to assist his former partner, Dillon. Lantis specializes in security magic and he and Kiera pose as a couple while they set a trap for the thief. Lantis develops a firewall spell with another spell imbedded in it to entrap the thief but his energy becomes entangled with Kiera's in the process. The couple gets hot and heavy while their trap begins to work and soon ensnares the thief, but will they survive to reveal who it is? Kathleen Dante has written a steamy, suspenseful story that grabs the reader from the very introduction of the story! She creatively uses magic in her story without relying on it too heavily and thus creates an aura of believability. The attraction between Lantis and Kiera is simply sizzling and Ms. Dante cleverly intertwines the romance, magic, and investigation all together so that each part of the story is very relevant to the other pieces. Lantis and Kiera are both very strong characters, neither used to bending or giving in to another person. Both are used to their independence and so it is very interesting to watch how they handle being entangled, particularly since each loses a sense of control to the other. The sex scenes are quite spicy at times, and Ms. Dante certainly has a very fertile imagination but readers will not be offended by any of the scenes, particularly since Ms. Dane puts such an emotional impact into the relationship between Lantis and Kiera. ENTANGLED is a very welcome addition to the paranormal books out there and should appeal to a variety of readers. Kathleen Dante demonstrates a real gift for knowing her characters and helping the reader get to know them as well. From start to finish, ENTANGLED is an enthralling story that will leave readers begging for Dillon's story as well! Well done, Ms. Dante! COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES