Grand Fernandino Island ~~ Present Day

Hoping to escape the sense of foreboding that has plagued her since she left Denver, Anna Ridgeway is earning her keep on a beautiful island as a psychic. Dubbed "Magic Anna," she uses her rare talents to provide amusement for the local tourists. But her ability to touch an object and know where it's been has gotten her into more hot water than she would care to remember, so Grand Fernandino seemed like the perfect place to run to. The darkness that hounded her in the States, though, seems to have found her once again, and Anna isn't sure whom to trust. Until Zachary Robinson shows up at one of her shows, and the two immediately share a strong psychic connection.

A treasure hunter who has come to the island on assignment, Zach can't help but feel that someone, or something, is conspiring against him. Ever since that first dive to find a businessman's missing boat and brother, weird things have been happening to Zach, including a supposed vision by one of his divers of the feared god of war. Now no one will come near him. When he sees a poster for "Magic Anna" he figures that he might as well give it a try. But what he gets instead is one out-of-this world bond with the beautiful Anna. How is it possible to be telepathically linked to someone he doesn't even know?

With their newfound attachment, Anna and Zach will have to use every means necessary to find out just what mysteries this exotic isle holds, before it's too late for both of them.

There are a lot of really good things to be said about Rebecca York's latest, but let's get the not-so-good out of the way first. One of the main problems that BEYOND FEARLESS struggles with is the fact that there are way too many key characters involved that needed to be introduced in about four short chapters. One minute, Anna is thinking about her mysterious past in Denver, and then whoosh! off to a former assassin in Maryland who's plotting his own little agenda. The way the transitions are made from character to character is choppy and disorienting. Also, because Anna has psychic abilities, her conversations with Zach are sometimes through dreams, and it is unclear as to whether the dialogue was really taking place until the very end of that particular scene.

That being said, Ms. York has created a suspenseful tale where everyone has his or her own ulterior motive, and no one is sure what side the other is on. Anna is a very private woman who has had few romances in her life due to her ability, and so she is very skeptical of her immediate feelings for a man she barely knows. Thankfully, she has finally found her perfect match in Zach, a man who has always felt that there was something a bit different about him, and is proven right when Anna enters his life. I also enjoyed the use of the island's religion, Vadiana, in the book, as one character in particular uses it as a means for his fanaticism.

So, once you get past all those perplexing, but necessary character introductions, BEYOND FEARLESS is actually an enjoyable paranormal romance from the pen of Rebecca York.

Courtney Michelle