My Soul to Keep, Book 3, The Soul Screamers Series by Rachel Vincent

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Pages:  304

From the Cover:

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.

Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else…

Kaylee would like to think her life is finally settling down.  Her dad has moved back from Ireland, though he's working himself crazy and he still isn't all about sharing when it comes to bean sidhe business.  Her boyfriend, Nash, is one of the hottest guys in school and he only has eyes for her.  She and her best friend, Emma, are tentatively being accepted by the popular crowd... for their boyfriends sake.  Maybe now she can relax.

But, something's wrong...  First, Emma's boyfriend and fellow football player, Doug crashes into Kaylee's car, totaling it.  And when Nash and Kaylee rush to help, he swears someone was in the car with him, and he's blasted out of his mind, only he's barely had anything to drink.  Then, one of the other football players starts acting all twitchy, paranoid, and high as a kite.  Is this a coincidence or is something going on.... something Netherworldish?  Demon's Breath has been known to cause these problems, but how could a human get something only available in the Netherworld.  And will Kaylee have to cross over to find out?  Will her soul survive another encounter with Avari?

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent is the story of what can happen when two worlds collide, when one world and it's nasties try to find a foothold in reality.  Not only do they want a foothold, but they like to feast upon the willing souls looking for an easy escape from life, boredom, and the need to live larger.  In My Soul to Take, Kaylee, Nash and Tod traveled into the Netherworld to try to save Addison Page's soul and to do so, they sold a few balloons filled with Demon's Breath to some wayward fiends in an attempt to locate the hellion, Avari.  Kaylee knew that Demon's Breath was one of the most addictive substance in the Netherworld, after all, look at the fiends hanging out, hoping for a hit of Demon's Breath.  What she doesn't know is that one of the balloons popped, they were all exposed to the awful effects of the intoxicating bad breath.  Only one of them may not be able to handle it's effects.  Then, Demon's Breath starts showing up at their high school, Kaylee can scent it out.  When some football players starting to act weird, Kaylee needs to know what happened and who's infected?  And how could it happen?  How's the bad breath traveling from the Netherworld to her world?  What's happening and how can she make it stop before people start dying?

MSTK is another excellent addition to the Soul Screamers Series.  It deals with drug addition, acceptance, and what it's like on the outside looking in.  Nash and Kaylee appear to be the perfect couple, he's a little pushy about the whole wanting to have sex thing, but Kaylee stands her ground.  She's not about to have sex just because he expects it, hasn't had to wait for it before, it's not her.  Kaylee has had enough twists and turns in her life without making herself totally dependent on Nash and his wants and needs.  She truly does have trust issues.  But, Nash has been acting strange, trying to Influence Kaylee, making her sound crazy in front of her father, and not wanting to share what's happening to the kids at school until it's too late.  He apparently didn't learn from their last misadventure.  But, Kaylee's been feeling strange too and she has a feeling it's all related to Demon's Breath, and it may all be her own fault.  I've really enjoyed Ms. Vincent's Soul Screamers Series.  There's teenage angst (if you can't remember teenage angst, I'll let one of my kids stay with you for a week, you'll remember...) and the need to be an individual as well as fit in.  Again, I have to say the romance is appropriate for the YA community, but it keeps me coming back for more.  If you enjoy YA paranormal romance, fantasy creatures, urban fantasy, and maybe a little thriller thrown in, give this series a try.  It's pretty darn good.


I received this book from Harlequin Teen and Net Galley.  All opinions expressed are my own.