SECRETS AND SHADOWS

You'd think life couldn't get more complicated than discovering your boyfriend is a werewolf, as Jess did in 13 to Life (2010). Pietr and his Russian-American family are all werewolves, a product of Cold War experimentation. Normal, middle-American Jess will do anything to protect her friends from the forces stalking them, which range from the CIA to the Russian mafia. Pietr's mother is a prisoner of the CIA, and, worse, Pietr is openly dating Jess' friend Sarah. His motivations for doing so (and Jess' motivations for dating football star Derek) are murky but tie into the general air of mystery. Is there anyone in this town who isn't secretly part of the semi-scientific paranormal conspiracy? Complications ensue, with plenty of threads left unresolved for the inevitable next volume. For passionate lovers of the genre only, but they'll appreciate the virginal sexual tension, the snarled das and nyets, the testosterone-fueled feuds and the titillating glimpses of tragic history. (Paranormal romance. 12-14)