Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Guardians of the Haunted Moor
SERIES: The Tyack and Frayne Mysteries #5
AUTHOR: Harper Fox
PUBLISHER: FoxTales Publications
LENGTH: 147 pages
BLURB:
The wedding is just the beginning…
Gideon and Lee have spent a year in chaotic married bliss, with all the trimmings – a dog, tricky in-laws, and a baby girl they both adore. But even the best of lives can be fragile, and a shocking family loss hits their new world like a demolition ball.
Gideon has little energy left to investigate a murder that’s taken place in the fields outside Dark. He still has his duties to his community, though, and with Lee at his side, he begins to unfold the mysterious death of Farmer John Bowe. It’s harvest time, ancient West Country magic in the air, and rumours are flying through the village of an enemy Gideon thought he’d left behind long ago.
Can the beast of Bodmin possibly be real? Everything in Gideon’s stoical police-sergeant’s nature says no. But Lee has taught him to see the world differently, and now they must pool their resources to unmask a killer before more lives are lost – and somehow find a way to mend their shattered family, too.
REVIEW:
Gideon and Lee…. How I love these two!
This is a great addition to the series that started with Once Upon A Haunted Moor, and stars Gideon Frayne and Lee Tyack. Gideon is a policeman in a little town in Cornwall called Dark. Gideon is looking for a missing child when Lee is called in to help find her, using his psychic powers. Gideon is pretty skeptical, until he sees first hand how amazing Lee is. This brings the two together, gets Gideon out of the closet, freaks out his family, and gets us a fantastic series. Each book is a mystery, solved by the combined talents of Gideon the cop, and Lee the Psychic. The stories just walk the line of creepy and scary, but the relationship between the two men softens the creepiness.
So the last book ended with Gideon and Lee getting married, and about to adopt a baby. This book starts with a look at the ending of one life and the beginning of another, then hops to six months later, where some big drama comes to the small family. While dealing with a huge personal catastrophe, Gideon and Lee are drawn in to another mystery when a local farmer is found in pieces in his field. We get another creepy mystery on the moors of Cornwall, echoing the first book a bit. We also get to see Gideon’s mom and brother, who are quite nice by this point, after some drama in past books. A new character is introduced, one who questions Lee’s ability as Gideon did, until he sees proof.
I love this book, and I love this series! Gideon is so calm and cool, a bit dour, due to his upbringing. He’s the son of a cold man, and has some issues with his family. But Lee is the perfect counter to him. Light and sweet, open and happy. With some odd talents that cause him physical and emotional turmoil. Gideon is Lee’s touchstone, his anchor, while Lee brings joy and lightness to Gideon’s life. I love the town and people of Dark, who are dark in some ways, but prove their acceptance of not only the love between the two men, but also Lee’s odd skills. Both men truly are guardians of Dark and it’s residents.
Harper is just a fantastic writer. I can see these men and this town, I can feel the wind on the moors, and hear the sound of the beast… Each book is like that. Not only a creative story, but a lesson on Cornwall and it’s people. I love that. She’s so smooth, so descriptive. Then there is the connection she’s created between Lee and Gideon. So lovely. Not just the physical connection, but the emotional one. This book in particular was special on the emotional level dealing with the family drama that happens. See how I’m not saying what happens?? But damn, it broke my heart. Then stapled it back together! The bad thing brings Gideon and Lee even closer together, actually it brings the whole family together. Oh so sweet!
So yes, I loved this book! It’s not a standalone though, you need to read the others in the series to know what is going on. I highly recommend everyone read the series, they are all fantastic. Really anything by Harper Fox is fantastic.
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I’m on my hols but still can’t believe I missed this one coming out! One of my fave series and couples!!
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