The Temptation

Gr 9 Up—The plot of this supernatural romance may seem a little too familiar to some readers. Mysterious boy rescues girl. She is irresistibly attracted to him; he feels likewise, but will not allow her to kiss him because it's too dangerous. And, finally, the girl makes poor decisions in order to be with him. Shane is driving to a violin concert when her car goes off the road in a deserted stretch of the New Mexico highway. She is saved and mysteriously healed by a handsome cowboy, Travis, who also protects her from coyotes. It turns out that he is a revenant who can heal and also become corporeal. Things really become complicated once Shane and Travis realize that Travis's enemy, a demon, is after her. The teens also come to understand that their attraction is something more powerful: they are Kindred, aka soul mates. Travis is stuck in limbo for something he did when he was alive, and when he saves Shane's life a second time, he is banished to the Underworld and she must now try to save him. As the first book in a trilogy, there are plenty of plotlines left dangling. With pedestrian writing that reads more like a TV script than a novel, a derivative plot, and minimal character development, this book is only for libraries that must have every supernatural romance that comes along.—Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada