Review: Major Hunter shows a Wyr what she can do...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2012
"Natural Evil" by Thea Harrison is a novella that features Major Claudia Hunter, a rare female Green Beret who retired early from the Army, and Wyr Luis Alvaraz, a Peacekeeper with the Elder tribunal. Claudia is speeding across the desert in Nevada when she succumbs to an irresistible urge to come to the aid of an injured animal and becomes entangled in far more than she anticipated. A mysterious deck of Tarot cards that only seem to display the Major Arcana of the seven Elder gods indicates that Claudia will experience a life-altering event but the forty-year old woman is reluctant to believe the omens, struggling to overcome the scars to her psyche left from her tours of duty. A strong sense of duty and an inexplicable mutual attraction with the younger Luis govern her actions as she utilizes her combat skills to help him destroy an evil presence in the desert.A wonderfully creative treatment of a familiar evil that has frequently been in the news. The definition of natural evil as something other than natural disasters but rather the tendency to perform actions that cause great harm is reflected by the behavior of the villains of this tale. There are wonderful interactions between the self-reliant Claudia and the ultra-protective Luis (I particularly enjoyed her method of eliciting proof that he was a Wyr) in this great tale of two warriors who join forces. The chemistry that arises between her characters is always irresistible to my romantic side and I especially enjoyed the balance in protectiveness displayed between these two. I always enjoy the author's dexterity at creating a world that allows the fascinating Wyr to coexist with humans and look forward to future tales involving this duo. Night Owl Reviews