Contact

The Silhouette Bombshell series has been hit and miss for me. I've enjoyed one--Catherine Mann's Pursued--but the others I've read haven't impressed me. Until I read Evelyn Vaughn's Contact. Vaughn's skilled writing makes Contact an unforgettable book: 5 out of 5.

To say that Contact is a book about a female psychic who hooks up with a skeptical cop is a serious oversimplification. Faith Corbett has always been different. Her senses are amplified: she has heightened abilities to smell and hear. Her sense of touch is also unique. When she touches someone, she can sense his feelings. Faith is very aware of her unusual abilities, and she has isolated herself physically because of it. She avoids the touch of others.

The murder of her roommate forces her to work closely with New Orleans detectives Butch Jefferson and Roy Chopin. She's known both men for a while, and she anonymously feeds Butch information about cases. Roy distrusts psychics and doesn't know that Faith is the anonymous informant.

The Bombshell series promises strong heroines, and Faith lives up to the billing. While young (only 22), she is very mature and she doesn't hesitate to jump in and kick ass. This is no pseudo-strong heroine who talks a good game but needs the hero to jump in and save her.

What made the story so good, though, is the way Vaughn depicts Faith's abilities. We really get inside Faith's head so we understand what she experiences. I was especially impressed with the descriptions of what it's like for Faith to touch someone. Faith has held back for so long because she becomes overwhelmed through touch. There is a scene with Faith and Roy that's beautifully written. You'll know it when you get to it.

Roy is a wonderful hero. We don't really get any scenes from his point of view, but I still felt like I got to know him pretty well. He's abrupt and strong, but he has a softer side I find appealing.

I wish more books in the Bombshell series were like this one. When I originally read it, I rated it 4.5. I've gone back to reread it a few times already, though, so I figure it's a 5. Now I need to order Vaughn's backlist.

Alyssa