Mind Sweeper by AE Jones (Mind Sweeper #1)
Paranormal Romance
Released: September 15, 2014
Self Published

Reviewed by Mandi

I love trying debut authors and when I heard this was the 2013 Golden Heart RWA winner (a contest judging authors who have yet to be published), I really wanted to try it. I’m glad I did, as I enjoyed the heroine quite a bit in this one. There were parts of this book that were slow, and the romance could have been much more….romancy, but overall it’s a nice start to a paranormal series.

Kyle McKinley was born with the ability to erase memories from people. Not all people are susceptible to her powers, but most are. She lives in a world filled with supernaturals that try hard to keep them secret from the humans. She works for the bureau of Supernatural Relations, investigating supernatural crimes for the most part. When a vampire gets beheaded in a local bar by an angel, Kyle knows she is going to have a big case on her hands. Angels rarely show themselves on Earth, and when no one can find the vampire’s head, and she learns a demon was involved, well…her cozy, sleep-filled nights are long forgotten. Along with her team, Jean Luc a vampire, and Misha a demon, they start to organize a strategy to figure out who, why and what was happening. Before they can begin though, her boss assigns a human to their team.  A Cleveland police officer who is the department’s media liaison, Kyle’s boss thinks he would be good to have on the case for publicity purposes. Dalton is all charm and striking blue eyes that Kyle can’t help but stare at. But Kyle, being a pretty professional bad ass, sweeps away those lusty thoughts and gets to work.

Kyle comments that along with Misha and Jean Luc, and a boss they only ever talk to on the telephone, that they are like the supernatural version of Charlie’s Angels. It’s a cute set-up – Kyle, Misha and Jean Luc are like family, siblings almost. Misha and Jean-Luc are very protective of Kyle, with a brotherly love rather than a romantic interest. Misha is obsessed with television and often spends his days quoting show after show. Jean Luc is French and can be a sly charmer. It’s easy to see that when Dalton gets thrown in this group, it’s hard for him to believe Kyle hasn’t dated Misha or Jean Luc yet. Kyle isn’t one to just throw herself at a hot guy, even though she knows Dalton has definite interest in her, she makes him work for it. Dalton himself is a likable hero, mild-mannered and professional. This core group of people are all very likable and nice – which is something you don’t always get in romance books. Nice is sometimes forgotten so this is a refreshing change.

The author sets-up quite the murder mystery, with a lot of players, and a lot of twists and turns. I think the middle of the story gets quite bogged down by events and investigations and lots of people coming in going within the storyline. It got a bit dry – I was antsy to have a little humor or time away from slime-throwing demons to get back to the friendly banter or personal life with Kyle. I think overall, it’s a well done mystery, but it’s heavy-handed at times too.

The romance is not a huge focus of this book. There is a HEA, but there is not a dirty path to it. I actually felt the physical romance scenes, while brief were kind of awkward and not really that sexy. The descriptions used and the way it’s presented just didn’t come across smooth. Had the romance been stronger with better developed chemistry and much more sexier scenes, this book would have worked quite well.

If you are looking for a lighter (but still violent) paranormal world, with the emphasis on a big, complex mystery, I would recommend this one. If you like the darker, more intense worlds, I’m not sure this would work. Either way, Jean-Luc’s story is next and I’m interested to learn more about him.

Rating: C+

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