Julie Leto, Phantom's Touch

Phantom's Touch

Julie Leto

Signet, Dec 2008, $6.99

ISBN: 0451224906

Action movie star Lauren Cole wants to be taken seriously as an actress, but is contractually trapped to perform one more thriller as Athena for her ex-husband Ross. She is especially angry with her former spouse because he refused to give her an antique sword he purchased in Germany for her. Lauren steals the weapon.

As Lauren practices with the ancient sword, she liberates warrior Aiden Forsyth from his entrapment inside the weapon. However to his disappointment he is not totally free of the curse that first incarcerated him in 1747 when he tried to rescue his sister from gypsy abduction; he remains a phantom during the day but a human able touch others at night. Neither is prepared for unknown adversaries to covet her sword and attempt to murder those in possession of it.

The second Phantom urban romantic fantasy (see 'Phantom Pleasures') is an engaging tale in which Hollywood collides with real magic. The storyline is fast-paced and filled with action as Lauren tries to prove her skills on the silver screen are genuine in real life. Readers will relish Julie Leto's outstanding touch; especially with a bewildered Aiden. He struggles with understanding a world that makes no sense as he has seen moving pictures of Lauren in action performing incredible feats of daring do that he could never do; yet though competent she is nowhere near that super level of expertise. This is a exhilarating paranormal thriller starring a strong lead couple and a diabolically vile villain.

Harriet Klausner.