Why would a contented husband who has it all simply disappear?
Police believe Dennis Briggs left home voluntarily, but his wife is convinced something sinister has happened. In desperation, she turns to Autumn Rain for help. Autumn has the extraordinary ability to read imprints-emotions left on objects that have special meaning to their owners, but what she discovers about the victim only leads to more questions. Autumn is equally confused by her conflicting feelings for the detective who treats her like a suspect and the supportive boyfriend she has always depended on.
Autumn's investigation takes on new urgency when Dennis's young son is also targeted, presumably taken from the backyard of the family's home. What will she risk to save the boy? Sometimes what you can't see means everything.
Teyla Rachel Branton grew up avidly reading science fiction and fantasy and watching Star Trek reruns with her large family. They lived on a little farm where she loved to visit the solitary cow and collect (and juggle) the eggs, usually making it back to the house with most of them intact. On that same farm she once owned thirty-three gerbils and eighteen cats, not a good mix, as it turns out. Teyla always had her nose in a book and daydreamed about someday creating her own worlds. She is now married, mostly grown up, and has seven kids, so life at her house can be very interesting (and loud), but writing keeps her sane. She thrives on the energy and daily amusement offered by her children, the semi-ordered chaos giving her a constant source of writing material. Grabbing any snatch of free time from her hectic life, Teyla writes novels full of mystery, romance, and imagination. She warns her children that if they don’t behave, they just might find themselves in her next book! She’s been known to wear pajamas all day when working on a deadline, and is often distracted enough to burn dinner. (Okay, pretty much 90% of the time.) A sign on her office door reads: DANGER. WRITER AT WORK. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. She loves writing fiction and traveling, and she hopes to write and travel a lot more. She also loves shooting guns, martial arts, and belly dancing. She has worked in the publishing business for over twenty years.
This is second in the series and I recommend reading them in order as important relationship details build over time. Better yet, start with the pre-story First Touch as it's a an excellent introduction to the characters and the setting.
This is one of those series that build over time, so I'm going to keep this review on the short side (because having read the first, you know about what to expect). I'll say that the series reaches its stride, here, with Autumn taking her determination to pursue her investigations seriously enough to make non-trivial alterations in her life (including renewing her childhood self-defense skills). If you've read my review of the first book (Touch of Rain), then be assured that this one does a much better job of Autumn inserting herself into the events and there was no stretching to get there and everything flowed very naturally. Oh, though I'll also add that the content doesn't have the weight of the first stories as Autumn becomes involved before the kinds of abuse we've seen in the other stories happens.
The one drawback dragging this down to four stars is pretty spoilery, so caution on revealing the tag.
So it's a solid four stars and I'm looking forward to future books in the series.
A note about Missing Faith: This is a bit weird and not a huge deal, but with both characters knowing they love each other and calling each other boyfriend/girlfriend, it's passing strange that they aren't having sleepovers (or are physically intimate at all, really). Romance isn't really the point of these stories or it'd be a stronger tag. Still, their lack of intimacy may just be the author avoiding steam she doesn't want, but it's odd enough that it could also indicate that Autumn just isn't that into Jake. I dislike that I can't tell which it is and wish Branton had made it clear.
This book is paranormal in nature. Autumn Rain is still a hippie, as she was raised that way. She goes barefoot, and loves to work with herbs, and owns an antique shop, with many treasures that are very unique. The most unique thing though is Autumn herself. She inherited an ability that when she touches an item she sees the last several memories of the person who touched it last, or owned it she also consults with the police, and has been hurt in the process. This last case was brought to her by her sister whose friend believes her missing husband could be in danger. The police didn’t take it to seriously until their three year old son Sawyer is taken from the back yard a few days later, and there is a witness. This book involves the mob, theft, deceit, murder, and kidnapping. Police are harmed, and Autumn herself is badly injured. It is a race against the clock not only to save lives, but stop human trafficking.
After reading book 1, I knew I would come back to this series soon and I did. Book 2 in the Imprints series is just as good, maybe even a bit better than the first book. There's a new mystery, lots of suspense and the paranormal aspects is perfectly woven into the plot. This book grabbed me from the start and kept my attention for the whole book.
Autumn has decided to use her ability to see imprints to help people. In this book she gets an unusual case to solve. One of her sister's friends needs her help, her husband disappeared and they don't know why. It seems he left voluntarily, but why would be leave when he has a loving family he cares about? I like the missing person type of plot line as there are so many reasons why he could have disappeared and it makes for a good mystery.
The mystery in this book is really good, slowly we uncover more about the husband, Dennis and why he left. It was awesome to see how everything tied together and I was pleasantly surprised by the few twists and how the direction of the story took me by surprise. Something about how the story developed is quite unusual and takes a different turn than most books do, which was great. And the whole suspense plot line is just so well written. With how the information gets uncovered and how there are new things we learn bit by bit until everything comes to light toward the end of the book.
I am so impressed by how well this author blends the paranormal elements with the suspense ones. I love a good mystery, but rarely find a paranormal or fantasy book that really has a great mystery. but this one totally nails that aspect. The paranormal aspect is present throughout the whole book and is such a integral part of the story, but the suspense is just as important. It's all cleverly thought out and I want to keep reading and discover how everything ties together. There's also an interesting tidbit that gets revealed at the end that has me really curious and a promise Autumn makes that has me curious how that will play a role in later books.
And the characters are great too. I really like Autumn, she's a great main character. She's a bit quirky, which I like about her. And I liked how strongly she feels about using her ability to help people, but her imprints aren't always pleasant and she also struggles with them regularly. It's as much a curse as a gift at times. I liked seeing how she deals with it and also how she interacts with the people in her life. She has her doubts at times, but also is fiercely loyal and I liked her determination. She does end up in some tricky situations, but she can take care of herself and is smart enough to notify people about where she is going most of the times.
There is a little bit of romance in this series. From the start of this book Autumn is in a relationship with Jake. There is something they have to deal with in this book and while the ending resolves it nicely, I am still not fully sure if that's the last we hear from that. And I love her interactions with Shannon, the banter and the tension and I keep wondering if there is room for more there. And I am kinda leaning in my preference toward Shannon, but at the same time that makes me feel bad as Jake is great for Autumn. It sure has makes me feel conflicted.
While most of the ground is covered in book 1 regarding Autumn's ability, there are still a few new things we learn in this book. but mostly it's just getting an even better feel for how her ability to see imprints works. I also felt that there are a lot more imprints in this book as Autumn becomes more comfortable using her ability. I also liked how there are some scenes when she accidentally reads and imprints that felt believable. And how positive imprints can help her recover form the bad ones is also something that plays a role here again. I also liked how her sister's ability also plays a role again and I am curious to learn more about why they have these abilities.
To summarize: this book is so good! The way the author blends the suspense and paranormal elements is wonderful. I loved seeing how the plot developed and it kept my attention for the whole book. There are nice twists and reveals and I loved seeing how everything tied together. I really like reading about Autumn, she is a great character. There's a hint of romance that works well. Her interactions with detective Shannon makes me wonder if there will be more between them one day. And her relationship with her sister is great to read about too. Autumns ability gets developed a bit more in this book and there seem to be more imprints in this one than in the last book as Autumn gets more comfortable using her ability. It was a great read and I already know it won't be long before I start book 3.
Branton is a rock star. On the Hunt is another awesome adventure for Autumn Rain. I am definitely hooked on the Imprint series. Branton continues to write in a way that makes me feel like I am a part of the action with Autumn. I could definitely see this as a TV series.
I love the connection Autumn has with Tawnia, Jake, Shannon, and Paige. You can easily get how she feels for each of them. I found myself angry whenever Jake's ex was in the story and worried when all of the action went down.
I found myself near tears at parts which I won't divulge because of spoilers. I also was silently trying to tell Autumn or others to watch out when I thought something would happen. While I love the idea of Jake and Autumn together part of me also wonders, like Autumn, what it would be like if she got together with Shannon.
I would love to see her and Tawnia work on a case together after the baby is born of course. I can see a lot more work coming her way with the introduction of Claire and Russo.
I can't wait to read the next installment as well as all of Brenton’s other books. I received this ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. That is not a difficult request to fulfil as I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and Brandon’s writing. Keep up the great work Teyla.
From the onset I knew this would be an excellent series. Although this is the second of the series, it’s actually my third read. I had jumped ahead to Street Smart #6 and am now back tracking. Honestly, it did not affect my enjoyment at all. Each is a unique suspenseful story with one or more mysteries to be solved. However, instead of wondering where relationships were heading, I just got to look back at how things progressed. Each book works as a stand-alone but there would be added satisfaction to follow the lives of the main characters in order.
Teyla Branton is great at weaving a plot with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing as well as alluring you with potential romance. There is no need for foul language or explicit sex. I am drawn to this series because of the special paranormal gifts that Rain and her sister possess that makes solving the crimes so intriguing…and, never a cliff-hanger just the desire to read more.
I received an arc and this is my honest and voluntary review.
I was gifted with an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The story continues with believable character development, interesting plot twists, and wry humour. Another novel of Teyla's that I greatly enjoyed reading. I hope she will make this into a long series as I'm enjoying following Autumn's adventures.
The action never ends, just rolls on and on. There's always that elusive thread about Autumn's heritage behind it all. Frustrating. I like stories to come to conclusions. Thanks understand why Author's do this, but still frustrates me. I like satisfying closure. Maybe at the end of the series? Meanwhile, I like the characters and story.
Really good book. Had me in suspense quite a few times. (I thought something was about to happen at one point that would’ve pissed me off to no end. But it didn’t and so I was happy again.)
My only complaint is that I would like a little more romance. (Though I guess it’s not a romance book so I can’t complain too much. But still!) 😄
I just love this series. I love her ability. I love how it's written. Even listening on kindle it catches my attention. I think I beta read it before, but It's irrelevant because I got it and read it again. I loved it even more.
I admit I love the barefeet. I have known people who find footwear unbearable but necessary to live with due to public pressure. The romances ramped up a bit along with the violence inherent in this story.
I like the authors style. Once I start reading Teylas story I have to read it to the end. Adventure, romance, a little mysticism in her special ability. The unusual shoeless behavior and I like to eat clean organic food myself.
Another good read by Teyla, well written with interesting storyline and characters, Autumn almost drowned again. I would definitely recommend this book, in fact I would recommend all of Teyla's work she is a quality writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This story is mysterious, exciting, very different from the usual mysteries. The supernatural plays a big part. I have enjoyed both of the stories in this series I've read. It kept my attention from the beginning making it hard to do anything else until I finished it.
This fast paced suspense novel has wonderful characters. I love Autumn and Tawnia's special abilities and their willingness to help others by using those abilities. I found the book impossible to put down.
I love this series. Autumn and her sisters abilities are fascinating and the action and storyline is fantastic. I am curious about the attraction between Autumn and Shannon, even though I adore Jake.
Non-stop action, sexy cops and store owners, crooks, crooks and more crooks, a diabolical maze of clues that will test the crime solving ability of any mystery reader and a heroine with a special paranormal talent. Who could ask for more? Enjoy!
I'm I'm love with this series. I already bought all the books and i can't wait to read the next one and all in until the last one. I love the characters and their personalities. I would highly recommend this series. Happy Reading!!!!
Teyla has done it again! Autumn Rain's amazing use of imprints to help police solve cases is so interesting and exciting for us to read. Plus her twin sister Tawnia is able to draw things that are happening miles away involving people she never met. Will they be able to find their friends missing husband? What's going on with Autum's feelings for Jake and Shannon? Well written story with strong and believable characters. joy943
A loving husband and father is missing! Autumn "reads" escape, but isn't certain of the other "messages." Another love interest has surfaced. Will Autumn stay with Jake? Or is she meant for Shannon? Action packed, suspenseful romance! Autumn and Tawnia's gifts continue to develop as do their characters. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Voluntarily read ARC for honest review.