Review: Tempted By Fate by Kate Perry

Tempted By Fate (Guardians of Destiny, Book 3)
by Kate Perry
Release Date: December 1, 2010
2010 Forever Books
Paperback Edition: 338 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-446-56462-5
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
Willow Tarata is a Guardian who trusts no one. She hunts those who prey on the vulnerable. And she's driven by a vengeful goal-find the man who murdered her mother. Yet suddenly Willow's quarry now has her on the run . . . straight into the sights of San Francisco's most dangerous detective.


Three bizarre murders have Inspector Rick Ramirez baffled-and determined to uncover the truth. But to catch the real killer, he needs the help of his prime suspect, Willow Tarata, even though this fierce and sexy blonde is challenging his professional cool. And now, unless they believe in each other and trust their deepest instincts, a relentless evil will end both Willow's and Rick's life-and claim this Guardian's extraordinary powers forever . . .

My Thoughts
One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel is that I never felt confused about the events that were happening or about the characters that were introduced. This is the first novel in this series I have read, and typically, entering in the middle of a series is not always beneficial, as you always feel like you are missing something important, something that may have already been discussed in another book. While many things are assumed, the really important factors, like the Guardians and who they were, were explained succintly and in such a way that I always felt like I knew what was going on. And although all of the characters were new to me, I never felt confused and bewildered because comments were made about obscure things that happened in previous novels. Naturally, there were things that did occur in previous novels that were being alluded to, but it wasn’t frustrating, and all it did was make me more interested in picking up the first two books in the series.


I thought Willow was a fantastic female character and I really enjoyed her kick-butt attitude. She was strong physically, but at the same time she was presented as being vulnerable and caring. While she could be ruthless when she wanted to be, there were moments when her vulnerability really shone through and you got a glimpse of the real Willow. She was continuing to deal with the mental anguish of losing a mother at ten years of age as well as the responsibilities of being a Guardian of Wood without having someone to guide her and teach her properly. I find Rick to be even more interesting than Willow and would have liked to know more of his thoughts as he slowly deviated from the straight and narrow and started breaking some of the rules by which he lives his life. It’s interesting how he breaks away from the norm because of a woman, and the struggles he goes through as he realizes that life is more than just black and white. He often wonders how he could fall for a woman who tests the law and its rules so much; he sometimes looks on it as a joke upon himself, a twist of fate.

Verdict
If you like paranormal romance, then I highly recommend Tempted by Fate. With romance, action, suspense, ascerbic wit, and plenty of mystery to keep the pages turning, it is another good addition to this series, but can also be read as a stand-alone if you prefer.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series and look forward to meeting the next Guardian, the Guardian of Water.