Series: California Malcolms (Book 1)
Her voice was a curse...
When Dylan "Oz" Oswin's son is kidnapped, the
high-powered producer will do anything to get him back. Desperately following
an anonymous tip, he seeks help from a former child singing sensation called
Syrene, only to find she's vowed never to sing again. Immune to her voice but
not her charm, Oz is convinced she holds the key to his son's disappearance-and
he'll stop at nothing to make her break her vow.
Only he can make her sing ...
She knows the devastation her talent can bring. There's
more than a child's life at stake, but Syrene cannot unleash her dangerous
siren's voice upon the world, even for a man who is impossible to deny...
Good book with an intriguing storyline. Oz is determined to find his son, who has been gone for a year. Everyone else seems to have given up on finding him. Oz begins receiving mysterious text messages from someone called "The Librarian", sending him on a search for a former teen singing star named Syrene, implying that she's the key to finding his son. He wants to make her the star of his new children's show and use that to find his son. Syrene has left that world completely behind after the death of her young husband and a very public meltdown. She has begun a new life as children's author Pippa James and living in a small town. She wants nothing to do with Oz and his quest.
These two have quite a combustible relationship. Both of them have some serious issues to overcome. Oz is used to getting his way in everything and isn't going to give up now. He's carrying a boatload of guilt because he holds himself responsible for his wife's death and the later disappearance of his son. Pippa is determined to protect her privacy and her sanity. When she sings it brings out extreme emotions in people and she is afraid to use it again. When Oz forces his way into her life she is surprised to discover that, not only is he sceptical of her abilities, her Voice seems to have no effect on him. Oz is equally surprised to discover that Pippa has no problem standing up to his steamroller tactics.
There's definite chemistry between them from the beginning. It's obvious in the intensity of their encounters. I loved their verbal battles, their snarky comments sometimes leading into more physical encounters. As they begin to give in to their attraction, they also begin to get to know each other on a deeper level. I loved seeing Oz start to accept the idea of her abilities even as he works to bring her out of her protective shell. Pippa's fear of causing more harm begins to lessen just a little thanks to Oz's presence in her life. I loved seeing the way that they so quickly became important to each other, though they resisted the idea of a relationship between them.
The mystery that ran throughout the story was very well done. The more they got into the search, the more connections between the kidnapping and Pippa's search for her family appeared. There were some very intriguing twists and turns that kept the journey to the conclusion interesting. The addition of some secondary characters added to the fun. The mysterious "Librarian" is one who is ambiguous at the beginning, as we don't know if he is a good guy or a bad guy. Oz's brother Conan, a computer whiz, was terrific. His occasional geeky obliviousness is offset by his attention to detail in his searches. I enjoyed his verbal battles with Oz. His discovery of the links between Oz's son and Pippa solve part of the mystery, but leave enough unknown for future books to pursue.
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