Aimee Thurlo, Council of Fire

Council of Fire

Aimee Thurlo

Harlequin Intrigue, May 2007, $4.99

ISBN: 0373692552

Navaho warrior Hunter Blueeyes belongs to the Brotherhood of Warriors a society whose main goal is to protect the tribe. They work in the shadows and have a network of operatives and safe houses second to none. Hunter is tagged with finding the obsidian dagger that is said to have power that can revive the person who is involved in a battle.

Lisa Garza's father who was in charge of keeping the artifact safe returns to the tribe a fake one. Word got out that he was a thief and that was why he committed suicide. Lisa believed her father was murdered and is determined to find the person who stole the dagger and destroyed her father's name, and to keep their company from collapsing. Before he died, Lisa's father told her to contact Hunter if anything happened to him. Together they're besieged by a series of clues that will lead them to the dagger and during the journey they fall in love. However, the Brotherhood of Warriors has first claim on his loyalties and he fears he will betray Lisa when he returns the dagger without the publicity she needs to exonerate her father. While dodging enemies and relying on the Brotherhood to help them, Hunter vows to himself somehow to honor the Council and Lisa without betraying either.

Aimee Thurlo has written an exciting and enthralling romantic suspense that gives insight into the Navaho culture. The protagonists are two sides of the same coin; they are loyal, honorable and strong-willed yet each brings out tenderness in their counterpart that is touching. COUNCIL OF FIRE is full of action but it is the romance that holds the storyline together.

Harriet Klausner