Invisible Fate Book Three: Alex Noziak (Invisible Recruits) by Mary Buckham

   Alex Noziak is in hot water again.  The witch/shaman was bitten by her shifter brother and has almost gotten herself killed.  The bite changed her and she now has more strength and hearing than she ever did before.  She refuses to deal with this fact since in the beginning of the book she has bigger problems.  Alex is being held captive somewhere that seems like it's underground with a young witch named Sabina.  They must figure out a way to escape before they are used for whatever awful plan their captor has for them.  While trying to escape, her new powers become more obvious.  She easily takes down the werewolves and others around her, even when outnumbered by a few.  Then there is the fact that while she is trying to escape, she is also dealing with the death of her brother by someone she trusted.  Bran, a powerful mage and her former lover, killed her brother after she had asked him to help her save him.  With betrayal and death trying to break down her defenses, Alex must put up a wall until she can deal with her emotions at another time.  For now, she must get herself and Sabina out of this awful place.
   Once Alex and Sabina are free, they reunite with Alex's team of preternaturals that help "police" others like themselves you could say.  They must band together to stop her and Sabina's Druid captor before he finds what he is looking for.  Because if he does, then everyone in the world will be in danger from the evil that will be unleashed upon it.  Much to her chagrin, Alex needs Bran's help to find and eliminate this threat.  Unfortunately, there is betrayal going on even in the inner workings of a council that Alex's father is on.  It is hard to say who to trust now and Alex's life is constantly in danger from the Druid that still chases her.  With so much power, one has to wonder if the team can stop this one?

   There are two other books before this one, but I hardly had any trouble at all jumping in and reading this as a stand alone.  You hit the ground running with this book and are never bored!  Watching Alex constantly battle for her life, as well as those that she cares for, reveals that she is much more than a snarky and hardened woman due to her life and circumstances.  She is not one to be able to just look the other way while harm is done to others.  And although the beginning of the book leads you to believe things are over with Bran, are they really?  He takes great pains to do whatever he can for Alex.  And the circumstances around her brother's death are much more complicated than what she knows.  As for the betrayal, it is rather hard to say who is untrustworthy in this book for quite a while!  It will keep you guessing!