THE SHADOW RUNNERS

Author: Liz Maverick ISBN: 0505525895 6/2004 FUTURISTIC Publisher: Love Spell Action Romance

Newgate, Australia: Down Under, anything goes. In the 22nd century, history repeats itself. Part penal colony, part dumping ground for toxic waste, the land is controlled by "the Parliament", a gang of dissipated self-styled aristocrats who rule in a mockery of the English Regency. To survive here, you have to know the tricks. Like Jenny Red. She knows the score. She's been Down and made it out to tell the tale. But D'ekkar Han Valoren—the bastard son of the Emperor whom Jenny's family was accused of destroying—knows Jenny escaped, and he wants her to take him back in. Okay, maybe she'll help Decks team of rebels, his Shadow Runners, like he asks. But not because he's holding anything over her-if he tried anything that stupid, she'd give hem a taste of steel. No, she'll do it because of what was once between them. Because of the revolution of her heart.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE SHADOW RUNNERS, by Liz Maverick, is the third book in a series of five by different authors, detailing five different women's quests for freedom. The previous books are packed with action and intrigue, and this one is no different. Basically, everyone is fighting for the same revolution but are coming up against different foes and lovers.

Though Jenny Red, our heroine, is a fighter, it appears that she has a soft spot in her heart for D'ekkar Han Valoren, a bastard Prince. Once she thought he would save her from a wrongful deportation to prison, but he ended up imprisoned himself. Jenny holds quite a grudge, but cannot deny her attraction to Deck as they fight their way through some pretty strange situations.

Deck's sidekick, Raidon, reminds Jenny that she is "below" Deck's exalted status even as he protects her. This makes for quite a triangle in between all the fighting and action going on throughout the story. There is one more character, Lord Quinn, that also has an agenda for Jenny, though love for her never enters his mind.

Again, my only complaint with this series is that, to some degree, a romance isn't necessary. It's almost an afterthought that maybe the two main characters should get together during the turmoil. The story is bigger than they are and that is the attraction here. Guess that is why it's called Action-Romance. Emphasis on action!

Shannon Johnson