The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Edition

Out of the Dark is the 2nd romance intrigue novel in the Target of Opportunity series by Justine Davis. When Tory Flynn goes to ask for Cole Bannister’s help, she does so as a favour to her dear Uncle Hobie, because it seems that the Flying Clown, their horse breeding ranch in Summer Springs, is being sabotaged. Against his better judgement, Cole Bannister (and his cat, Rocky) agree to help out. Tory is attracted to him, but she knows first-hand that it’s a mistake to trust someone as good-looking and charming as Cole. After all, her father, Jack Flynn had looks and charm, and broke her mother, Jeanie’s heart. Cole has issues of his own, carrying a load of guilt about people he has failed to save. So perhaps he could just deliver her sex, raw, hot and out of control, and then move on? This Davis offering has characters with a bit of depth and plenty of sexual tension between them; the intrigue is not all that intriguing, and the whole novel is a bit slow until that HOT scene in the study, when the pace picks up markedly. Liked the cat’s role in the climax. An enjoyable read.