Review **And Giveaway**: Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan
Holly's review of Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters, book 7) by Christine Feehan
Elle Drake has gone missing. She’s a strong telepath and even her six magical sisters cannot find her, although they all agree she is alive. Something terrible has happened or she would have contacted them and let them know where she is.
Jackson Deveau, a deputy sheriff in the small village of Sea Haven, off the northern California coast, has known that Elle is destined for him. When she disappears, he gathers with his friends, Jonas Harrington and Ilya Prakenskii, and Elle’s sisters to find her and bring her safely home. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for any of them and it takes every bit of strength the combination of all the Drakes and their men to survive the coming storm.
Hidden Currents is the 7th and final book in Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters series, and for me, the most anticipated. I would like to start out by saying that if you haven't read the previous entries in this series, this is not the place to start. Many things from the previous books are referenced and I think someone starting the series with this book would only come away lost and confused.
Elle Drake is working undercover trying to find evidence that billionaire shipping magnate Stavros Grastos is involved in human trafficking - and avoiding Jackson Deveraux, the man she's destined to be with but who has made it clear he doesn't want her - when she's taken captive on Stavros' private island. Although Elle is a strong telepath, for some reason she can't psychically read Stavros and once on her island, her abilities are completely blocked.
Alone, frightened and confused, Elle experiences brutalities no woman should face. Just when she's convinced she can hold on no longer, Jackson touches her, bringing her back from the brink of madness. Although she would rather retreat into her own mind, Jackson asks to live, knowing what he asks but needing her in his world.
Jackson has been out of his mind worrying over Elle. Even though she was physically away from him, her mind always touched his. Until she was no longer there. Even her sisters couldn't connect with her. He'd only been waiting for Elle to realize she had to come when she disappeared. Now, finally, he's connected with her and he isn't letting her go. Through her he experiences some of the horrors she's been facing on her own, and he knows she needs to be rescued as soon as possible. But once he finally gets her home, he realizes the trouble is far from over. Stavros escapes during the raid and he continues to torture the entire family as Elle struggles to recover.
I was very surprised by the intensity of the opening of this book. Although Feehan has pushed some boundaries in the past, there was a certain line I never really expected her to cross. She definitely crossed it in this book. After the first quarter or so, however, the intensity fades and the romance becomes the focal point of the story.
In previous books, I was unsure about Jackson. He seemed closed off and..almost cold. I knew there was something in his past that had scarred him, but I had no idea what. Finding out really just added another layer of depth to his relationship with Elle. I expected him to be domineering and cold, but instead he was tender and sensitive, staying strong for Elle and yet giving her space.
Elle was a very strong woman. Though she suffered at the hands of a monster for months, she did her best to work through her pain and trauma. She didn't just lie down and die. Her need for Jackson scared her at first, because she was afraid to rely on him completely, but after awhile she came to value him and appreciated that he was constantly with her.
The connection between Elle and Jackson was strong right from the beginning. Watching them heal together and learn to trust one another was the more powerful part of the story, I think. In the face of their relationship, the drama of Elle's capture and subsequent torture took a back seat. Therefore I don't think Stavros seemed as much of a threat as was intended. I was so focused on Elle and Jackson that Stavros seemed more an annoyance than anything.
It's not that I doubted the threat, it's just that I wasn't very interested in his story or how they eliminated the threat. The first half of the book was much more interesting in that respect. Once Elle and Jackson connected, everything else took a backseat.
If I have a complaint it's that Elle's physical recovery seemed glossed over. I had to suspend disbelief quite a bit to accept that she was held captive - and suffered untold horrors - for a month and yet spent no time in the hospital and saw no doctor. She didn't even let her sisters work on her (they have healing powers) until she'd been home for several days.
Also, the way the book ended..I wonder if she isn't going to create a spin-off? While part of me thinks that would be great (I'm really not quite ready for the series to be over) another part of me would be very disappointed in her.
Although tough to read at times (because of the content) overall it was very well done. Kudos to Feehan for closing out the series in such a great way.
4.5 out of 5







This book is available from Jove. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
***GIVEAWAY*** Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Drake book is (or, if you haven't read them, why you'd like to) and you'll be entered to win a copy. ***GIVEAWAY***











