In Swan’s second Phoenix Rising novel, strongly delineated characters and a terrific romance suffer from the opacity of the series’ conspiratorial underpinnings. Firefighters Keira O’Shay and Luke Ransom and their team developed paranormal abilities after exposure to unknown chemicals in a fire. Though madly in love with Keira, Luke excised her from his life when she joined the FBI; he became an ATF agent. They meet three years later while trying to defuse a Waco-like situation, realize their powers strengthen in tandem, and rescue a young boy who’s psychically connected to Keira. She discovers the child is a pawn for sinister forces and turns to Luke for help, along with their onetime partner Teague and his wife, Alyssa (stars of Fever). Keira and Luke’s love blossoms anew, but emotional scars left by her painful childhood threaten their tenuous reunion. Readers will welcome the return of Alyssa’s scene-stealing brother, Mitch, although it’s a distraction when other members of the original team are introduced. Agent: Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)