Winter's Daughter was good. I liked Synammon & Matt and thought they made a pretty good couple. The story was well-written, but I felt that the beginning of the book was better than the end. It started to drag and once it was revealed who killed Synammon's mother, I wasn't surprised and I almost didn't care. It took too long to wrap up, I guess. As this is the first of what I am assuming is a four book series (there are 4 sisters and they need to find their way back to each other), there are some unresolved issues. My interest was held and I look forward to reading the next one whenever it comes out. 3.5 stars ( )

Synnamon Angelov is looking for some answers. The night her childhood ended was when her mother was found murdered on a country road. She and her siblings were separated and all that was familiar torn from their grasp.

Now, twenty years later, Syn returns to Salem, Ohio, a grown woman in search of the truth. Life hasn’t been easy for her but she’s determined to reunite her family. Two things stand in her way, the townsfolk want nothing to do with her and then there’s the handsome Chief of Police, Matthew Whitefeater.

Matt is a no-nonsense kind of a man. The law is black and white and that’s just the way he likes it. When Syn returns home, bringing with her a criminal record and more attitude than one woman should have, he starts hearing rumors of witchcraft and murder. Discounting the stories as some overactive imaginations, it wasn’t until someone starts shoots up her home that Matt comes to realize that something just isn’t right. But how does on go about investigating a closed case when most of the evidence is missing?

Together they work to ferret out the truth about Victoria Angelov’s death. Was it a murder or a police cover up? And just what happened to Syn’s three sisters?

I’ve long been an admirer of Wilder’s work and this book is top drawer. Syn is a deep, complex character who has gone through the agonies of the damned and has come out on the other side. She embraces her faults acknowledges that they are a part of who she is and nothing to be ashamed of.

I have only one word for the hero, Matt, and that’s YUMMY. He’s everything a woman would want in a hero, protective, intelligent, funny, commanding, in control and utterly sexy. His ability to accept and adapt to Syn’s quirks will just make your heart sigh with delight.

Winter’s Daughter is the pinnacle of Wilder’s career so far. It is an engrossing tale with twists and turns that left me speechless. Usually I have an idea what the ending of a book will be and this one caught me by surprise - I never saw it coming. If you are looking for a fast paced, spooky, paranormal read - run, don’t walk to get Winter’s Daughter, you won’t be disappointed.

P.S. Matthew Whitefeather is the twin brother of Micah from Wilder’s Tactical Series. ( )