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Review

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!

Carwyn, Carwyn, oh how I love you!!!! As a total scene stealing side character in the Elemental Mysteries series, he absolutely shines in his very own book, the first in the spin-off Elemental World series.

And let me just say right now, don’t even think about trying to read this book without reading the Elemental Mysteries (EM) series first. You will miss out on so much detail, you won’t know the characters, and most of the world will probably not make a whole lot of sense. See our Elemental Mysteries page for details – you won’t be disappointed!

Anyway, moving on.

We know Carwyn as the wise-cracking earth vampire with a massively huge heart, and something was definitely going on with him during the last EM book. And here, we get his whole story played out in glorious detail!

Time-wise, this book starts way before the EM books, when Carwyn saves 10 year old Brigid from a traumatic childhood, and she is placed under the protection of his vampire ‘son’ Ioan, and welcomed into the extended family.

From this point we essentially get two stories – the story of Carwyn, and the story of Brigid. There is a lot of time spent developing both of their stories individually, which I loved, but of course their stories overlap, and we see them interact over the years as Brigid grows older, struggles with her past and hits rock bottom, only to drag herself back, and start to make a life for herself (she’s kinda awesome by the way). Carwyn stays involved in Brigid’s life, keeping an eye on her, and they grow close. And then come the feels.

Brigid has pretty much always crushed on Carwyn, but has written him off as unattainable due to him being a priest (she is unaware that he is already questioning his calling – and understandably so after 1,000 years!). From his side, Carwyn is shocked when he starts to have feelings for Brigid. It’s not insta-love, it’s definitely a slow burn, and it takes him some time to come to terms with it. When Brigid is suddenly thrust into life as an immortal, things take a massive shift, and Carwyn is absolutely sensational as both her support and her protector, and their relationship starts to move to a whole new level.

Because of their history, I was worried that them coming together would be creepy and weird, but it’s totally not. It feels really natural, the pacing of it is perfect, their reactions are spot on, and I loved every little moment that they had together – both before and after the romance started happening. And when Carwyn falls… he falls HARD!

“I love you. I’ve lived as an immortal for a thousand years and I’ve never met a woman who warmed my heart, my body, and my soul the way you have. I admired the woman you were as a human, and I’m even more excited to see who you become in this new life. I think you’re extraordinary.”

True to his nature, Carwyn in love is completely outspoken, and totally unapologetic about it (the scene where he ‘outs’ his feelings is freaking hilarious!). He is so open with how he feels, and I love his confidence that Brigid returns his feelings, and his absolute determination to win her over.

“When you fall in love with me, you’re going to love me madly. Completely. Because that’s who you are.”

With so much story happening in the book, we don’t get a whole heap of time with them together as a couple, but what we do get is sensational! The banter, the laughs, the love, and the swoon (one scene even had me in tears, it was so gorgeous!), it’s all awesome.

The story is timed beautifully around the events of all four of the EM books, and Carwyn pops in and out of Brigid’s life as events unfold for him – dealing with family tragedy, his soul searching as he deliberates leaving the priesthood, and his frequent trips to help Gio and Beatrice when they need him (‘cause he’s awesome like that). But Brigid is never far from his mind, and his letters to her while they are apart are absolute gold!

“Gemma told me that women like being courted, so please read the following reasons that you should marry me. (I only included five. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.) And yes, I realize this isn’t a traditional courtship. It’ll work anyway; I’m irresistible.”

But there’s more than just the love story! There is a strong non-romance storyline that, again, ties in perfectly with the EM series. Brigid works security for Murphy, the head vampire of Dublin, and is involved in investigating the drug trade in the city. When a mysterious vampire drug starts hitting the scene, it all links back to the big showdown in Rome, and I really enjoyed seeing how those big events affected the rest of the vampire community. And this is clearly just the beginning, with dangers revealed, plots uncovered, and only part of the big mystery discovered. There’s plenty more scope for future books, and I’m excited to read on.

Hunter’s writing is sensational again as she takes us on a fantastic ride, giving us two very unique characters, with their two very different stories, and bringing them together alongside the unfolding mystery. The story is told with a lot of heart, some great humour, and a kickass ending that had me frantically flipping pages and laughing at the constant banter. It’s brilliant! And yes, we do get to see Gio and Beatrice (and Ben) – in scenes set both during EM, and afterwards.

I am totally in love with this paranormal world, and the fabulous characters that inhabit it.

A fantastic read. 5 stars.

“Silly Brigid. Love is friendship. Just with less clothes, which makes it far more brilliant.”

 

See our Elemental Mysteries page for more information about the full series