Chosen Prey by Cheyenne McCray

Title: Chosen Prey
Author: Cheyenne McCray

My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis: When former cop turned private investigator, Dare Lancaster accidentally leads a fanatical cult straight to Lyra Collins, he realizes that he has placed her in danger and is determined to save her at all costs. An escapee from a cult, Lyra finds it difficult to trust anyone but will have to work with Dare in order to thwart the plans of a fanatical cult leader convinced that Lyra is the foretold mother of the new Messiah.

Review: A well-written, suspenseful and engrossing plot with just the right mix of action and romance.

The love scenes are steamy but not overly explicit, and the main characters are engaging. Dare is a strong, honorable and surprisingly forgiving hero – I’m not sure I would be as accepting of someone who sprayed pepper spray in my face. Lyra is independent, intelligent and courageous, and is able to get out of some seriously sticky situations using her wits alone. One problematic issue with their relationship is that, given Lyra’s past, it progresses for too quickly to be completely believable but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

The secondary characters are also well-developed, especially Dare’s partner (hopefully he will get his own book) and the cult leader, whose disgusting depravity is enough to make your skin crawl.

The writing is well-paced and the dialogue flows. There are one or two incidents that had me shaking my head in disbelief but these do not ruin the overall reading experience.  

McCray is another first time author for me and I will definitely be reading more of her books.