By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Jen Talty

Gabe Underwood will do whatever it takes to protect his family and the woman he’s destined to love, even if that means spending a year with the Elite Brotherhood planning their demise.

Since the death of his adoptive mother, Gabe has known exactly who he is, and what he must do, but it comes at a price. In order to save his brothers and the Raven sisters to ensure the Collective Order will reunite and restore balance to the paranormal world, Gabe must play a deadly game of cat and mouse. He must betray those he loves in order to prevent the Elite Brotherhood from destroying the future.

If he fails, not only will he never be able to hold his one true love in his arms, but the powers psychic realm will forever land in the wrong hands, killing, him, his brothers, and the Raven sisters.

Willow Raven has loved Gabe for as long as she can remember, but he’s broken her heart for the last time. She will stop at nothing to make him see the error of his ways and prove to him that the Elite Brotherhood only wants to channel their powers and use them for evil. However, she’s ill-prepared for the battle that Gabe has pulled her into or how she’ll have to fight to save not just the man she loves, but the future of a new order so powerful it will change the face of the universe.

Once again I’ve started a series at the end instead of the beginning, but I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I am going to go back and read the rest of the books in this series because I am now very intrigued as to how all these folks finally got together.

This book opens in the past on the day Gabe’s mother dies. He makes promises to her then even as she drops major surprises on him. She also gives him a ring to give his soul mate. Now the circumstances that follow that day have Gabe causing his soul mate Willow great pain, but there is a valid reason. Part of which is General Mallard who is also Gabe’s father.

Willow agrees to meet with Gabe to talk, he in turn sort of traps her so things can be explained. That doesn’t start out well, but eventually things start to come together for Willow. Betrayal is in the wind as Willow helps Gabe connect with his brother, they are going to have to escape and it’s not going to be easy.

This is a favorite scene.

“But we don’t really want to escape. We need to keep Caleb close. Real close. We need to find Roger. It’s the only way to end this.”

“Didn’t you say he was going to give you a few days alone with me?”

Gabe nodded. “He just went back on his word. He’s been using you from the start.”

“That’s funny,” Gabe said. “You don’t get it. I never went AWOL. I never turned on our country. Or you for that matter. I did what Mallard told me to do in order to ensure today would happen. If I hadn’t, Hunter would have never been found and his aura would be used as a weapon.”

“You really expect me to sit here and wait until Mallard comes up with a plan, or Roger and Caleb decide to show their ugly faces?”

“Yes and no.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Only Willow could turn colorful language into something beautiful.

“It means that I think it’s too dangerous to leave, but I like your plan on going to the space between. That’s doable. And I, too, can bring objects back from the virtual plane. The original plan has always been to make Roger think I was turning you against your sisters.”

“And how were you going to make them believe that?”

“I’ve been planting the seed for the last year of how vulnerable and in love with me you are and how you’ve been looking for me and are desperate to reach me.” He winked. “You’ve made that kind of easy to prove.”

“That’s a fucking lie.” She poked him in the chest.

“Perhaps I’ve embellished a little.”

“More like you’ve woven a tall tale,” she said. “But it is an ingenious plan.”

“Why, thank you.” He glanced out the window. “Get that protective shit going. I’m going to reach out to Brett.”

She nodded.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on his brothers. They’d all shared one womb for seven months, but they’d shared a common bond their entire lives. They didn’t need to know each other to understand one another.

“Hey, Brett. It’s Gabe. Can you hear me?”

“Barely, but yes,” Brett said, though it was more like a muffled whisper than anything else. “This isn’t a good idea.”

“Willow is protecting our energy,” he projected. “And she thinks it might be safe to meet in the space between.”

“Not here. Not tonight. There are too many unfriendlies out there to risk something we haven’t done before without more backup,” Brett said. “I did a remote view, and there are at least six that we can count.”

“Holy fuck. That’s not good. Caleb promised me time. This sounds more like an ambush.”

“I did overhear them say there would be a changing of the guard at four in the morning. I’ve been watching their walks around the perimeter, and it seems they do it every hour on the half hour, but they have holes and now that we can talk, it might be a good idea to plan an escape during one of those checks, but before the changing of the guard because I think they plan on attacking then.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be in touch.”

“Before you go, Hazel wants to know how Willow is holding up. More importantly, she wants to know if she’s removed any of your limbs.”

“If looks could kill, I’d be dead; that’s for sure.” Gabe let out a long breath. He’d crossed paths with all of his brothers at one point or another, and it had killed him not to be able to put his arms around each of them and let them know how much he cared.

And to prepare them for the hell that lay ahead.

Especially for Hunter.

But even Brett had to deal with his own torture.

“For the record, I only went to work for Caleb because Mallard said it would be the only way to save all of us in the long run.”

“We’ve been filled in. Now it’s our turn to save your ass and make sure that you and Willow don’t have to become protectors and outsiders at our table. I won’t have that.”

Gabe blinked and gasped. Willow’s eyes turned a bright orange as she glowered. “Thanks.”

“I have a message for my sister.”

“That’s interesting. I can hear you,” Hazel cut through the fog.

“This is probably too much energy, and my wrap is weakening,” Willow said. “But I think Mallard and Riley have it wrong and they shouldn’t keep us apart.”

“We were just talking about that,” Brett said. “Let’s touch base in a couple of hours. Chad and Savanah are doing some research at Perception Project. Farrah Milestone has some interesting ideas on the subject.”

“Has she been read into any of this?” Gabe projected. “I know she and Mallard have a history.”

“I believe she knows more than she lets on.”

“Time to cut this connection,” Willow said. “My wrap is deteriorating.” She waved her hand and shut it down. “Sorry. But I could feel Caleb’s men, and I didn’t want to cause too much suspicion.”

“That makes sense. They will be expecting our powers to intensify.”

“We need to get to a space where we can breathe easy for a short time so we can explore exactly what our skill set is going to be, and I don’t think it should be in Baltimore. I’m thinking we should head north. Maybe to Lake George, New York. Do you remember that awesome little cabin we rented?”

“How could I forget.” Boy, had that been a week for the sexual record books.

“You know, my car is by the entrance to the park.” Willow hooked her ankles behind his knees.

He rested his hands on her shoulders. It felt as if he’d come home to be in her arms again. He’d missed her so much that he almost told Mallard to go fuck himself. There were many times he nearly went AWOL, but every time he even thought about it, his mind’s eye was bombarded with all the horrible outcomes for himself, but more importantly, for innocent lives.

And he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he allowed that kind of loss to happen on his watch.

But he could live with a broken heart and so could Willow. If she knew the choice he’d made, she’d be okay with it, only he didn’t want to have to use that to make her understand and have her come back to him and love him again.

He wanted her to love him for who he was, not what he’d done because any decent man with half a soul would do what he’d done for the sake of mankind.

“Mine is right out front,” he said. “And it’s filled with two AK-15 assault rifles, a couple of machine guns, three handguns, and a few grenades.”

“Next thing you’re going to tell me is that you have a bulk box of condoms in your nightstand,” she said with a laugh.

“Not a bulk box, but I do have a couple, in case you’re interested.” He waggled his brows. He knew her words were tongue in cheek, but if she pushed, he wouldn’t shove back.

Nope.
Jen Talty. The Lost Connection: The Raven Sisters (Kindle Locations 517-574).

As Gabe works on rebuilding the lost trust with Willow they also realize they are missing a major piece they will need to win the coming battle.

As they all converge at a cabin in Lake George, some things start to come together as their visions merge and they see two possible futures or is it really only one…

Fast-paced with interesting powers, a unexpected ally, lots of surprises and some sizzling heat.

I wish I had started this series from the beginning, but I loved this outcome. I’m going back to read the others now.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.