The Last Twilight: A Dirk & Steele Romance

Marjorie M. Liu has got to be one of the best unknown paranormal authors around. Her Dirk & Steele series is simply amazing. I can't imagine why I'm not hearing her name around more. I can only figure it's because people haven't really tried her. Rikki is a CDC doctor currently working in Africa. While investigating a "Hot Zone" of viral activity, she's starting to notice that many doctors are coming up missing. The Dirk & Steele agency sends in Amiri (a cheetah shapeshifter) and Eddie (a firestarter.) While Amiri and Eddie tries to keep their secrets and protect Rikki, they bgan to realize that Rikki has her own secrets. I loved this story. The romance between Rikki and Amiri is hot, hot, hot. Fans of the series will love seeing Amiri again, as he's been in several of her previous Dirk & Steele stories. Plus, we find out more about him. Amiri has a lot of secrets of his own. And I loved getting more history on him. I've always thought that Amiri was too good, too noble. Ms. Liu really fleshed out his character by giving him faults. I loved seeing him get his HEA. What I most love about Ms. Liu's stories are her rich and diverse characters. Her characters represent what people really see in society, and aren't so one-dimensional. I look forward to reading more books in the series. I recommend her books and her stories without reservation. Although a note to newcomers: "The Last Twilight" isn't really a stand-alone read. I suggest you read all the books in the series, in order, as many references are made to previous characters, like Rictor and previous events. Trust me, it's worth it.

Dr. Rikki Kinn is a virus hunter for the CDC. She is called to a hot zone in the Congo to investigate what appears to be a new and more virulent strain of Ebola, but with various factions trying to either kill or abduct her, there's something more involved than a simple outbreak. Amiri is a cheetah shifter who has worked for Dirk & Steele since they rescued him from Consortium testing labs in Russia (see SHADOW TOUCH). Together with his psychic friend Max and his pyrokinetic friend Eddie, he has been sent to protect Rikki, but no one has been told exactly what she needs protecting from. This is a case in which strangers have to decide whom to trust in a split second, in which a firm scientific mind has to accept magic. But there are layers of trust and acceptance, and Ms. Liu is an absolute expert at peeling back the layers and getting to the true heart of the matter in vivid and tantalizing ways. Ms. Liu's descriptive imagery is superb. She made me feel like I was right there, painting a beautiful, violent, painful, and fascinating picture with her wonderfully well-chosen words. She made the setting real and she kept a multi-thread story woven without a hitch. As if the scenery and suspense weren't enough, the sheer emotionalism of the tale was gripping too: Rikki dealing with scars of her past while trying to process all the new information, and Amiri dealing with his own painful past, setting foot back in his homeland after many years away, and the sheer terror of the cheetah inside trying to protect his mate. Rictor makes an unexpected (what else?!) appearance and offers readers a glimpse into his own complicated emotions, making me even more impatient for his story. THE LAST TWILIGHT was riveting from start to finish, and is, as far as I'm concerned, Ms. Liu's best effort to date.

In this, the latest installment in Liu's Dirk and Steele Series, we are reunited with Amiri, the cheetah shapeshifter we first met in Shadow Touch. It has been two years since he escaped the Consortium with the help of Elena, Artur and Rictor. Now working for Dirk and Steele, he is called upon to play bodyguard to a doctor currently in Africa. Dr. Rikki Kinn is one of the world's foremost virus chasers and she is currently attempting to discover the cause of a particularly lethal outbreak in the heart of Africa. Soon after arriving to protect Rikki, the camp is attacked and they run into the jungle to escape. What follows is a heart pounding adventure, full of intrigue and visits by characters from previous books. Once again, Liu demonstrates her ability to transport her reader into the scene she writes. Her opening chapter is chilling. Liu doesn't provide us with a romanticized Africa, content to ignore the very real problems occurring on that continent. Instead, she embraces the dangers, bringing them to the characters, even as she continues to unveil the deadly plot of the Consortium. The Last Twilight is a fine addition to the Dirk and Steele series, showing once again that Liu has yet to lose her touch in creating memorable characters and interesting plot lines.

Another winner from Ms. Liu. The Last Twilight, the 7th book in the Dirk & Steele series, centers around the developing relationship between, Amiri, a shapeshifting cheetah, and Dr. Rikki Kinn, a virus hunter for the CDC. While trying to locate the source of a virus that wiped out an entire village in Africa almost overnight, Rikki finds herself being hunted by the Consortium. Its up to Amiri, with the help of Max, Eddie, and Rictor to keep her safe, and out of the hands of Broker. We learn more about Amiri's life before he began working for Dirk & Steele. And there are hints of things to come for Max, Eddie, and Rictor as well. Brief appearances are put in by Blue, Elena, and Artur. The book has a lot of action, fleeing the rebels looking to kidnap Rikki. Help in saving her after Broker catches her comes from two unexpected sources. All in all, I really enjoyed the fast paced action of this book, and am anxiously waiting the next installment of this series.

Marjorie M. Liu delivers again. The Last Twilight is the 7th instalment in the Dirk & Steele series. It is about a virus hunter Doctor Rikki Kinn who is investigating a new plague that overnight has decimated a village. Amiri a shape shifter who was in Shadow Touch, has been asked by Dirk & Steele to protect the Doctor. To do this he has to go back to his homeland, Africa. He hasn't been back since he was kidnapped and experimented on by the Consortium. The Last Twilight is a great jungle romp and keeps you going to the end. I can't wait till the next one. Marjorie M. Liu keeps getting better and better.