Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn't crack... until a local bar owner asks him to do a little diigging on her newest hire.
New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn't explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.
When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.
With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past—and her destiny.
Reviews for Crux
4/5 Tombstones
"...a good start to what is sure to be a great series." - Sarai, Bitten by Books
B+
"...great characters from the start, action that flies right along, and this time around we get wizards and cougar shifters. Who could ask for anything more?" - Sandy M, The Good, The Bad & The Unread
How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. Toss in a dash of whimsy and a lot of caffeine, and enjoy with a side of chocolate by the light of the full moon.
By day, Bree and Donna are mild-mannered ladies who reside in the Deep South. At night, when their husbands and children are asleep, they combine forces to unleash the product of their fevered imaginations upon the page. To learn more about this romance writing, crime fighting duo, visit their webpage at http://www.moirarogers.com. (Disclaimer: crime fighting abilities may appear only in the aforementioned fevered imaginations.)
An Interview with Moira Rogers
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Thank you for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, Crux.
MR:Crux is the first book in our Southern Arcana series. It's our first
full length novel, and falls somewhere between paranormal romance and
romantic urban fantasy. The book features Mackenzie Brooks, a woman
thrust into a supernatural world she had no knowledge of, and follows
her adventure as she tries to figure out the truth about her parents
and her past. Of course, since it's a romance, there's a very
charming hero willing to help her.
HH: A woman's reality is about to be torn apart but she has a sexy PI to help her deal with it. Where did you get the idea for this dazzling story?
MR: As with most of our stories, the characters came first. We knew we
wanted to tell a story about Jackson and Mackenzie, and it only made
sense to let him be the person who introduced her to the crazy, scary
world of supernaturals.
HH: As an author, how do you go about creating a secret paranormal society?
MR: The most important thing for us is figuring out how the society stayed
a secret all this time. In some ways it's a lot easier because you
don't have to worry about how the world in general has changed due to
the revelation of magic and the supernatural, but on the other
hand...well, you usually have to cross werewolf grudge matches in
downtown New Orleans off your list of possible scenarios.
HH: What made your decision to set the story in New Orleans?
MR: There's something about New Orleans that's just a little bit magical,
I think. Though all of the characters would be quick to point out
that their version of New Orleans has no vampires.
HH: What do you like best about Mackenzie and how do you relate to her?
MR: Mackenzie is a very normal woman who happens to have fallen into an
extraordinary situation. I love that she grew up with a life that
many of us might relate to, complete with parents who loved her, even
when they found her choices exasperating.
HH: Why is Jackson the man for her?
MR: Jackson's the perfect mix of smart, charming and dangerous.
Mackenzie's life might never be placid again, so she needs a man who
can keep up with her. But more than that she needs a man who can love
her no matter what...and not much scares Jackson Holt.
HH: What are you guys working on now?
MR: We've just finished up edits on the sequel to Cry Sanctuary, and are
almost finished with the third book in the Red Rock Pass series as
well. We're also well under way with the sequel to Crux, and have a
few other mysterious projects on the boil.
HH: You've kept up an impressive string of releases over the last year.
How do you keep it going and balance the rest of your lives too?
MR: To be perfectly honest, I doubt we will keep it up. We had a long
stretch of six months between our first sale and our first release,
and during that six months we didn't have much to do but write! So we
wrote. A lot. and we were fortunate enough to sell almost everything
we wrote, which meant releases were pretty steady over the last nine
months.
These days we have to balance editing, revisions and admin work with
the writing, so we're a little slower on the writing front. But
that's okay with both of us...we'd rather be satisfied that we're
doing our best work...and occasionally take breaks to remind our
husbands and families that we exist.
HH: What's next in the Southern Arcana series?
MR: We're hard at work on the second book, and have even started laying
out the basic plot for the third one. The second book features
Mackenzie's friend Nick as a heroine, and poor Nick has a lot of
expectations riding on her as the daughter of North America's most
powerful shapeshifting wolf.
HH: Which story/series is your favorite so far?
MR: We love all of our series for different reasons, but I think both of
us agree that Southern Arcana will always have a special place. Crux
is the first book we wrote, the story we wanted to tell so badly we
finally got ourselves organized, so we've been living with the
characters in that universe the longest.
