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Review
The ultimate second-chance romance – Conn and Moira… 100 years later!
4 Sexy PNR-lovin’ stars.
We’ve seen glimpses of Conn and Moira’s story in the two previous books of the series, and I have been so excited to get to this one! When a one night stand a century ago resulted in Conn accidentally marking and mating a young and naïve Moira, all hell almost broke loose. With the best of intentions, Conn signed a treaty stating that he would stay away from Moira for 100 years, giving her the opportunity to grow and mature, and to complete her training to become a witch. And now that 100 years is up, he is determined to claim his mate once and for all.
“You’re it for me Moira. I’m keeping you.”
It’s a fantastic set up – I love a second-chance romance – but this one has the added complication of Conn and Moira’s places in their world. Conn is one of the princes of the Realm, a member of the royal family of Vampires that rule over the supernatural world. Widely accepted as the greatest soldier ever known, he is well respected and heavily involved in the running and protection of the Realm. But the witches don’t really trust the vampires, which creates a further tension between our star-crossed lovers because Moira isn’t just any witch – she is the seventh sister of the seventh sister, super powerful with incredible potential (and in this world, witchcraft isn’t magic, it’s physics based with Moira manipulating matter to her will – it’s a really clever interpretation which I loved!). And on top of that, Moira has no intention of going anywhere with Conn. She still believes she needs more time to perfect her craft, and is secretly hurt that Conn stayed away for so long. How could her ‘true’ mate stand by for so long, and has he only come for her now out of obligation?
Conn’s definitely got a battle on his hands, and he knows it! His mate is stubborn and headstrong, and he knows that she is hiding things from him. Neither of them are sure they can trust the other. But when a mysterious force attacks, witches start going missing, and it becomes clear that Moira’s life is in danger, the two of them are forced to work together to uncover what is going on.
It’s a surprising and twisty journey, with lots of political manoeuvring. Plots and betrayals are uncovered, and Moira finds herself torn between her family and coven, and her mate and his commitment to the Realm. It’s all really cleverly woven together, and the intrigue and action is non-stop from start to finish, and I loved the journey.
“It was coming down to more than what she wanted to do for a living. The decisions she faced would determine who she became.”
And, of course, there’s the love story. Conn wants his mate, and there’s a bit of back and forth from Moira as she struggles between her head and her heart, but with every moment they spend together they fall deeper and deeper, and the emotion between them develops really nicely. Of course they are madly attracted to each other, and that is demonstrated again and again with lots of steamy time, and the idea of fate vs lust vs love is explored really well.
“Make no mistake, you and I remain solid even if the rest of the world blows up.”
This book ties in really well to the rest of the series, with the ongoing battle faced by the Realm still a very big part of the action. And OMG, is there action! Lots of fight scenes and big-scale battles had me glued to my kindle with my heart pounding, and with the rest of the Conn’s brothers involved, it becomes a real family affair. There’s a bit of time spent with the couples from the previous book, with some great progression for them, and future books continue to be set up – I am literally panting for Jordan and Katie’s story
I love the way this series is unfolding. Each story is its own, but very closely tied to the overarching story arc, and the paranormal world is developing brilliantly! It’s complex without being confusing, and the ever-increasing threat of the looming war adds a great intensity. I love the action and excitement with touches of humour to keep it light, the characters are kickass and lots of fun with fantastic dynamics, and the romance is seriously hot while still bringing the emotion. It’s all balanced brilliantly and combines to create a fantastic read. I can’t wait to continue on.
I loved it – 4 stars.
See our Dark Protectors/Realm Enforcers series page for info on the series
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