Familiar Stranger

Jack Harris works for a P-Cell an undercover branch of MI-5 which is the equivalent of a paranormal SWAT team. He had become a demon hunter after watching helplessly as his partner had been brutally murdered by a particularly nasty specimen. Now he sought revenge, for Monica and for the end to the possibilities he'd been too afraid to explore with her. The world would be a better place without paranormal entities in it. Or so he thought until he met Mersey Bane. As a Cadre initiate, Mersey works for the opposition. The Cadre is a hermetic order, initiated by the first Earl of St. Yves, whose mission is to keep the balance between the dark realm and the mortal one. Their members trap demons rather than destroying them like the P-Cell death merchants. They then interrogated them and either returned them to the dark realm or cataloged them if they were too dangerous to release. Jack's approach to the job is black and white, it's either kill or be killed. He is totally unaware of the collateral damage caused by his methods until the two meet while tracking the same demon. The attraction between them is undeniable, but Mersey had been told by her mother that there was only one man for her, her chosen mate. A barbaric death merchant could never be "the one". Or could he? Following their encounter Jack is assigned to follow Mercy and discover the whereabouts of the Cadre. Although he is an expert tracker she always manages to give him the slip until she decides to use their attraction to teach Jack the error of his ways. The truth seems the best way to begin but Jack is totally taken aback to discover that this beguiling woman is not quite human. Watching her transform takes Jack back to his childhood and a memory he had tried hard to forget. She was one of them, a paranormal entity but she was also so much more. She believed in him, thought he was a hero, and trusted him enough to lead him, the enemy, to her home in the hopes of making a believer out of him. If this first offering is any indication the series is rightfully named Dark Enchantments. Mersey and Jack are an enchanting together and as individuals, each fighting the darkness to bring the other light. Willing to sacrifice their very lives for the other, these two personify what true love is all about. And what a love it is to survive a powerful demon, a fairy's enchantment, and the price demanded to leave the Cadre. It is a love that dwells in the heart, for they are soulmates, they are destined to be together. The ending is only unusual in that it is just the beginning. Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch for PNR Reviews

When he was a child, Jack Harris received a glass gazing ball filled with magic; next he saw a cat turn into a pregnant woman who was about to be killed by a demon. Finally he threw the ball at the demon saving the woman. Twenty-four years later he works in M-15. Recently a demon murdered his partner; Jack stopped believing demons existed years ago; now he knows first hand the truth. He is recruited by P-Cell, a division of M-15, to kill demons. While on a hunt, he meets Mersey Banes, a demon hunter too. However, unlike Jack she incarcerates them instead of slaying them as her organization, the Cadre, wants to know what and why this species is crossing into the human plane. They agree about many things, but neither wants to admit how much they care about the other although Jack feels queasy when he learns Mercy is a familiar, a bridge that enables the demons to enter our world and can shapeshift into a cat. One demon has dark plans for Jack and Mercy; however, each of his chosen ones is willing to give up eternity for the other to live. This superb romantic urban fantasy will remind readers of a paranormal modernization of the "Gift of the Magi" as the lead couple is ready to sacrifice what they hold dear so that the other lives. Michele Hauf has an inventive take on demons in which some are good and others are evil. There are many interesting characters who should have their own story, but FAMILIAR STRANGER is owned by the lead couple. Harriet Klausner

I almost didn't buy this book. After reading Hauf's Last Nocturne, From the Dark, I had crossed her off my list. But the blurb on the cover caught me and I just love shifters, so I gave her a second chance and was pleasantly surprised. The problem with her last book was that her characters were not at all likeable. That certainly isn't the case here. Both the lead characters have such charm. Jack is truly heroic, once he overcomes his ignorance and starts to see the world in shades of gray, instead of his initial black and white, And Mersey is quirky and sympathetic, looking for a place to belong, or a person to belong to. This is a great start to a new series, Dark Enchantments(Night Mischief (Silhouette Nocturne),Rising Darkness (Silhouette Nocturne),Saving Destiny (Nocturne)), coming out over the next couple of months. With Fae, Demons, Vampires and other such mystical paranormals and the competition between two rival agencies that deal with the other worldy rogues, I can hardly wait for the next installment.

Michele Hauf's Familiar Stranger is the first book in the Silhouette Nocturne paranormal romance series Dark Enchantments. The world building set up for the series by the author is carefully drawn so that the reader easily imagines the setting and the conflicts. The hero and heroine both will steal the reader's heart. Jack Harris was recruited by the P-Cell, an elite and covert paranormal section of MI-5, the British Secret Service, to hunt and destroy demons. Jack is a modern day Rambo armed with all the weapons and gadgets needed to fight demons: an M4 carbine grenade launcher complete with salt grenades, an electromagnetic-field gauge with GPS function to create maps of the ley line gates of demon entry, a flame-resistant black shirt and trousers, a Dragon Skin vest made from Kevlar, a night-vision scope, a combat knife, salt spray and a silver dagger tipped with a UV cartridge. Jack is more, so much more than the typical Rambo figure. He has heart, charisma, innocence and depth. Mersey Bane works for the Cadre, a hermetic organization that traps demons in order to study them. Mersey carries with her a crystal triangle that captures demons alive to return them to the scholars of the hidden Cadre. The Rambo tactics of the P-cell receive nothing but disdain from the Cadre. The two organizations are rivals and enemies in their methods and philosophy. Mersey not only works for the Cadre, but it was a substitute for family, a family from whom she desires independence and to which she feels loyalty. When Jack and Mersey meet on the rooftop in a battle with a demon, the attraction is is undeniable. Can the two find a way through the enmity of the these two organizations to save one another from a deadly demon and find their hearts? Can Jack and Mersey uncover their secrets and their hidden vulnerability in time? Can the love of destined mates survive the battle between warring organizations? Michele Hauf's unique vision and writing will grab the reader from beginning to end. The characters are dynamic, eclectic, independent and yet full of wonder and heart. The connection between Jack and Mersey is passionate, soulful and suspenseful---humorous, deep and wonderful. One opens the other to a new dimension. The author pays careful attention to the rules of the altered world she has created without resorting to a quick sleight of hand to resolve plot or character intricacies. Readers may take pause at the ending. Michele Hauf definitely adds a surprise or two within the context of a romance. A happy ending goes along with the romance genre as a reader expectation, but Michele Hauf makes her characters and readers work a bit harder for it rather than a simplistic ending tied up in a pretty bow. Readers may love or hate the ending once they reach the last word but upon further examination the ending may grow more and more on the reader. After contemplating the difference between the real ending and the expected but more more simplistic option, readers

This is a funny, sexy book. The hero and heroine come to life on every page. Whether spattered in demon guts or borrowing a faery's glamour, Mersey and Jack are always engaging. The author sets a breezy pace and delivers enough twists and turns to please anyone. Her world--chock-full of demons, faeries, magic rings and very odd childhood secrets--is richly imagined, but the focus is on the romance. Jack is a true hero and the love scenes are pure delight, with Mersey's feline characteristics lending a unique flavor to the action. Fans of Buffy and Charmed will love this book. This is perfect thunderstorm reading, perfect cabin reading, perfect anytime reading.