"Human Blend" by Lori Pescatore

Just when everyone starts grousing that paranormal has been done to death and there's nothing else to explore, along comes something new. Human Blend by Lori Pescatore introduces a new breed of supernatural being to readers, one that's fresh, exciting, and unique. Pescatore builds suspense over what kind of beings her characters are by delaying full revelations until later in the novel.

Human Blend starts with an eighteen-year-old named Laney on the run. While not really eighteen, she ages slowly, so she's actually older than she appears. Kidnapped as a child, she's been used and abused for years due to her special abilities. She's always been good at seeing numbers, making it easy to predict things like lottery numbers and horse race winners, making her valuable to the men who want her back after she makes her escape. Disguising herself as "Julie Miller," she begins to reinvent herself in a small town in Virginia, where the men chasing after her can never find her...or so she thinks.

Early on, she meets a college student named Austin, who introduces her to the area. It isn't long before the two are involved in a serious relationship with one another. Julie's nervous, though; everyone she ever lets into her life winds up getting hurt due to the fact that they know her thanks to the men she's hiding from and her unwanted powers. To complicate matters even more, Julie finds herself attracted to Dr. Eli Elsworth, who works at the local hospital she volunteers at. In addition to being good with numbers, Julie is also a healer. Not only that, there's more to Eli than meets the eye as well. He knows about Julie's abilities and wants her helping out at the hospital. The two have remarkable chemistry, but both attempt to hide from it due to Julie's relationship with Austin.

The novel picks up speed once Pescatore lays out her world. The second half of the book is full of action and suspense. There are parts that are true nail-biters, and when Human Blend reaches its conclusion, readers are left wanting to know what happens next, especially with the introduction of new characters leading up to the next story arc. The second book is scheduled to be released later this spring, the second in a trilogy. Throughout the novel, I had a few questions regarding backstory and how these characters became what them are. I wanted to know more about what happened before Laney/Julie arrived in Virginia. Luckily, the second book will begin as a prequel with all of the events leading up to Human Blend before moving forward to "current day."

Human Blend started out as a Smashwords novel. It can be bought digitally for nook, Kindle, etc. for the low price of $2.99. The book is also available in paperback at your local bookstore, though it may need to be special-ordered. The early edition of the book has a few typos and inconsistencies, but nothing that can't be overlooked once the story takes over. While marketed as a teen book, be warned that this title is for older teens and adults. It has both sexuality and violence in it and shouldn't be presented to anyone not mature enough to handle such themes.