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Review

This is the fifth book in the Immortal Guardians series, and whoa, what a ride! I was beyond excited when I learned it was going to be the story of Lisette and Zach, and I am happy to say that this book was everything I wanted it to be.

Lisette is a badass Immortal Guardian. Like others of her kind, she has been infected with the virus that causes vampirism but her advanced DNA instead mutated her into an immortal badass – able to protect the human population from crazy, sadistic, every day vampires. Along with her two brothers, she is part of an elite group of warriors living in North Carolina who hunt nightly, and spend the rest of their time hanging out, teasing, bantering, and fighting evil bad guys – and, of course, falling in love.

Zach is an enigma. Looking like sex-on-a-stick, he is immortal, has wings, and is uber powerful, but that’s pretty much all that anybody knows about him. Having spent most of his time in the series so far “pulling gargoyle duty” on David’s rooftop and chatting to Ami, he had a brief but violent encounter with Lisette in the last book which sparked a strong attraction between them.

When Immortal Guardian leader, Seth wrongly accuses Zach of betraying him, he ends up being tortured for months on end by the mysterious ‘Others’. The only reprieve he gets from his misery is when he dreams of Lisette. With both of them being telepathic, they are able to share dreams, so Lisette also dreams of her mystery man and the two of them get an opportunity to explore each other a bit. But knowing that Zach is on Seth’s shit-list, although not knowing why, Lisette realises that she needs to keep him a secret from her family and friends.

When Zach literally appears in Lisette’s backyard beaten and bloody, she takes him in, cares for him, and from that moment on the connection between them becomes pretty much unbreakable as they find that they are unable to ignore the chemistry between them, and the dive headfirst into a passionate, yet secretive, love affair.

I love these characters! Both badasses in their own way, but also both charmingly vulnerable. Zach, especially, being thousands of years old but having never found love, is adorably innocent in exploring things with Lisette and it’s absolutely beautiful to watch. He is gentle and tender with Lisette (except for the odd bedroom romp), while also being dangerously and violently protective – it’s a great mix.

As always, the awesome thing about the love stories in this series is that the characters are open and honest with each other. There is no game playing, no stupid behaviour. They want each other, they admit it, they act on it, and they share their growing feelings. It’s refreshingly enjoyable, and so great to know that when I pick up one of these books I’m going to get an angst-free relationship!

“Why would you risk everything to be with me?”
… “I haven’t felt like this in a very long time … haven’t been this drawn to a man since I was mortal. Perhaps not even then … I can’t just give that up without seeing where it can lead me. It’s too rare. Too precious.”

That, and a whole lot of sex. Lisette and Zach are crazy hot for each other, and there’s all sorts of sexy shenanigans going on. Hotness!

But it’s not all romance. A new, stronger breed of vampire is emerging – ones with super strength, and weapons able to take down an Immortal Guardian. With no clue who is behind this latest threat (and with Zach’s general shadiness and Lisette’s sudden secrecy), there is lots of investigating, accusations, devastating betrayals and big twists all leading up to the massively kickass, action-filled ending.

With everybody in danger, there is also lots of time spent with the rest of the Immortal Guardian crew, with everybody having a part to play. There is some huge story progression for Ami and Marcus, as well as the ever-hilarious Sheldon. And best of all, as Zach is a “distant cousin” to Seth, there is a lot of interaction with him, and even though he also remains a mystery, I loved getting to see more of him. His wisdom and his love for his Immortal Guardians is beautifully portrayed, and his strength is deeply tested in this book. My heart broke for him. But I loved the dynamic between him and Zach. I’m looking forward to seeing that develop more in future books.

Once again, Dianne Duvall has given us a fast-paced, action-packed, funny, touching and romantic story, set against a fantastically developed paranormal world. As the bad guys get creepier and more powerful, and the character dynamics strengthen, there is much to look forward to for the rest of the series. I have no idea whose story is coming up next, but I know I’ll be grabbing for it as soon as it’s available.

I loved it – 4 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
 

Check out our Immortal Guardians / Gifted Ones series page for more information on this exciting series – including reading order, reviews and buy links.