Fate's Roar by Jalpa Williby is the second stunning entry in the Fate Series, a work that seems to efficiently combine romance and the paranormal to create the kind of entertainment that will appeal to a wide audience. Readers are introduced to two powerful characters whose romantic journey will take them by surprise. Shane is the kind of attractive man who’d turn any woman's head, but he has an arrogance that matches his sexiness. He is the kind of guy who doesn’t have any plans of settling down and, although he leaves many broken hearts in his wake, he has a protective attitude towards Samantha, a girl he’d never want to suffer the kind of cruelty he metes out to women. But everything changes when she suddenly disappears.

Jalpa Williby has a rare gift for character and knows how to explore human emotions, making the characters come alive, vividly. There is a lot the author did right, a lot that I loved about this romance. The book starts with action, a fire incident, and the reader gets to meet the protagonist very early in the story. The discovery that Shane cares about Samantha more than offering her protection doesn’t come abruptly and readers will love how the author does the showing, building the tension slowly until it reaches the climax. The plot in Fate's Roar moves very fast and, with the interesting characters and the powerful conflict, it will be hard for readers to put the book down. Jalpa Williby offers her signature for writing, the crisp prose that sings like music in the ears of readers, all sprinkled with vivid descriptions and interesting dialogues. Romance has never been my thing, but this author has succeeded in creating a strong interest in me for this genre. The plot is irresistible and the compelling cast of characters will leave readers trapped in the world of this book until they read the satisfying end.

With Fate’s Roar, the second novel in this series, Jalpa Williby has firmly established another great group of characters and, for me, a new paranormal concept—gargoyles. In Williby’s words, lead character Shane is “sexy, arrogant and ruthless. He is used to women falling at his feet. Settling down has never been an option.” The author doesn’t mention that these attributes apply only to his human side, nor the fact that this monster, this gargoyle—yes, one of those ugly statues most commonly found on Catholic churches—has a few paranormal abilities with which he can manipulate the human mind. In Fate’s Roar, Shane rescues his gargoyle brother (Damien) and human wife (Kelsey) from a fire and meets Kelsey's ten-year-old niece Samantha for the first time... naked. He tries to use his abilities to cause the girl and her mother to forget they saw him and discovers that little Sammy is not susceptible to his power. If that’s not the start of a great story, I don’t know what is!

It’s been two years since I last read a novel by Jalpa Williby, but I recognized her name when it popped up on Reader’s Favorite review list and snatched it up without bothering to read what the book was about. That already tells a lot about my opinion of this author's writing prowess. Her talent at weaving romance into a thrilling, paranormal scenario is truly second to none, including the now household names of Bella Forest or Stephenie Meyer. Fate’s Roar is a roller coaster ride that combines deep emotional ups and downs with impossible to foresee twists and turns in the exciting storyline. I predict another bestseller for Jalpa Williby — deservedly so!