Telepath Tezra Campbell walks a fine line between her investigative work with the Special Crimes Unit and spending her free time hunting down the rogue vampire who murdered her parents and put her sister Katie in a mental hospital when she was sixteen. The Hunter Council fears she might turn rogue, becoming an uncontrollable hunter just as dangerous as the rogue vampire she hunts. The night Tezra agrees to meet a police officer who has vital information for her, she finds the policeman dead, his throat ripped out by the same rogue who'd killed her parents. His name is Krustalus, an ancient smarter and more lethal than any criminal vamp she's ever faced. He's taunted Tezra for ten years, managing to stay one step ahead of her as he waited for her to grow up. Now that she has, he can carry out his plans for her.

Krustalus wants Tezra for his mate, but Prince Daemon, head of all American vampire clans, isn't about to let that happen. Daemon has been drawn to the enchanting huntress from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Considering her a danger to herself and his people, he takes her into his custody to protect her from both the killer and the SCU, who believes she's gone rogue and have issued an arrest warrant for her. Although becoming lovers is inevitable, Daemon has sworn never to take another mate, and if Tezra has been taught anything, it is to revile vampires. Yet, they can't resist one another, no matter how hard they try.

As Krustalus leads them on an elaborate chase, a running battle erupts between his rogue faction and Daemon's faithful. Allegiances are tested. A previously disgraced hunter finds redemption, and new light is shed on the deaths of Tezra's parents. When Daemon suggests a way to bring Katie out of her darkness, Tezra must choose between spending her life as a human or spending immortality as a vampire. Ultimately, she uses herself as bait to lure Krustalus in for the kill. Will it mean her death...or his?

With its non-stop action and interwoven network of twists and turns, Terry Spear has written a tremendously gripping story in Deadly Liaisons. I was pulled instantly in on page one and held spellbound to the very end. Ms. Spear's writing is tight and compelling. The plot is fully fleshed out, and the characters, including numerous supporting characters, are strong and engaging.

There are some pretty hot love scenes between Tezra and Daemon, but their emotionally-charged love story, woven as it is throughout the suspense-filled action, is the best part of this book. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good suspense-filled mystery spiked with enough action and romance to get your blood pumping. Well done, Ms. Spear! I'm looking forward to your sequel for Katie and Atreides, Daemon's twin? If I don't miss my guess, you hinted at one.

Reviewed by: Merrylee