This story picks up right where Calypso’s Heart left off, following KEENA and RHYKER’s love story.
After Keena’s last abusive relationship with LIAM, she’d sworn off men but she can’t seem to forget about the kiss with Rhyker the night they’d met.
Keena unknowingly gets caught up in the silent war building between THE MASTERMIND and Rhyker’s pack. Unbeknownst to her, The Mastermind infects her mind and so he can use her as a secret spy by collecting information from her memories.
Meanwhile, Liam won’t let her go and is furious to find out she is dating Rhyker. She tells Liam the relationship is over but he won’t take no for an answer. After she reports Liam and his anger issues to the council, he confronts her and loses his temper and control of his fire abilities.
Rhyker saves her and kills Liam. Rhyker discovers she is his mate after he’d shifted and killed Liam out of instinct.
While all of this is going down, Rhyker’s pack is investigating a murder. They were specifically hired by CECILLE, Rhyker’s ex. Cecille is trying to get back together with Rhyker but he hates her for playing him and cheating on him and he only has eyes for Keena. His pack solves the murder by discovering it was caused by Cecille’s cheating ways.
Meanwhile, The Mastermind takes the last of Keena’s memories and infects her mind with the intention to kill her. As she’s dying, the pack discovers her mind’s been compromised.
Through the use of a specialized mind healer, Rhyker “melds minds” with Keena and has to fight past her mental barriers to get to her. He goes through a series of obstacles and when he finally makes it to her, he finds out he is too late.
Miraculously, Keena wakes up, only to find out that Rhyker is in a coma because he tried to save her. Through the magical power of the life mate bond, Rhyker wakes from the coma and claims her as his mate in the way of jaguar shifters.
The story ends with Rhyker and Keena’s happy ever after but the next story is set up as The Mastermind captured Rhyker’s pack mate.
Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: Neither uneerily perceptive and gentle mind and spirit healer Keena Oliver, nor predatory jaguar shifter Rhyker Kingsley can deny – or control – the attraction between them. But their pasts, and the lovers they had there, as well as the evil plans of the Mastermind, threaten to derail their evolving relationship. Although Rhyker’s Key does have some elements of a mystery, it is primarily about the very sexy encounters between Keena and Rhyker.
Prose/Style: As is common in this genre, not much is left to the imagination, so there is a great deal of detailed description to keep the reader engaged in this 700-page novel.
Originality: The inter-species paranormal world of Rhyker’s Key, Book 2 in the Orion’s Order trilogy, leaves plenty of room for lots of surprising events and inventive characters, and Solari uses these opportunities to the fullest, adding vampires and other supernatural beings to the plot. Her pacing is on point, and she gives the reader plenty of time to integrate new voices and added complexities into the narrative. The story is told from different points of view, which adds dimension to the sex scenes, of which there are many, and depth to the story. They also support a variety of storylines, at least one of which the author will develop in Book 3 as she ends this one not with a cliffhanger but with enough loose threads to leave the reader wanting more.
Character Development/Execution: This novel is definitely character-driven, as readers see Keena and Rhyker explore their relationship and, perhaps most notably, engage is a lot of steamy, described-in-every-detail, sex.
Date Submitted: August 11, 2021
