Shannon C.’s review of The Wild Road (Dirk & Steele, Book 8 ) by Marjorie M. Liu
Paranormal romance released by Leisure 29 Jul 08

I’ve jumped on certain romance bandwagons late, so it was only last year that I discovered the absolutely fantastic Dirk & Steele series by Marjorie M. Liu. What really impresses me about each of the books I’ve read in that series is that they seamlessly blend action and adventure, great world-building, and paranormal romance. I am always telling non-romance readers that they really need to read Ms. Liu’s books. So I was excited when I got the ARC for her latest, The Wild Road. Unfortunately, I’ve only read the first three Dirk & Steele novels up to this point, and I have a compulsion to read things in order, so it took me forever to get to this book. I finally decided I needed to skip ahead and read it, because Ms. Liu is a favorite author and the torture of having but not reading the book was killing me.

I’m glad to say that The Wild Road stands alone very well. I think some familiarity with the previous books in the series is helpful, but not necessarily required. I did stop early on and go back to read the short story, “A Dream of Stone and Shadow” from the Dark Dreamers anthology, which features Charlie, the brother of our hero Lannes, but that was more for my own curiosity than something I had to do in order to understand what was happening.

Ms. Liu does something interesting in this book. The heroine wakes up in a hotel room, covered with blood, holding a gun, with no memory of who she is. She spends the whole book not knowing who she is, and so consequently revealing her name would be a spoiler. I wasn’t sure that this would work particularly well at first, but even without a name, the heroine is probably my favorite Liu heroine to date. She is stubborn and resourceful, capable of taking care of herself but finding herself leaning on Lannes because more than she needs to be independent, she needs someone to be there for her and ease some of the oppressive loneliness that not having a past causes. I really did feel her loneliness, and I empathized with her as she gradually came to trust and then depend on Lannes.

As for Lannes… Well, I hate to be a squeeing fangirl here, but I loved him. Gentle giant archetypes are my favorites, and Lannes qualifies. He, too, is lonely, because he’s not human, and he can’t let anyone discover who he really is. He fears that if people knew what he was, they’d be repulsed, and so he’s kept himself apart from most people. But when he meets the heroine, his instinct is to protect her. It’s just in his nature, and even though she distrusts him at first, he’s so sweet about it. I just wanted to hug him throughout most of the book, and I absolutely believed in their HEA. Plus, Lannes has an awesome declaration of love speech at the very end that sent actual tears to my eyes and I never never cry at books.

I want you here,” he rasped. “I want you with me. I want to care for you and love you and have you with me every moment, every day, for as long as we live. I want to be the one to protect you. Not them, not anyone else, ever. And all those . . . handsome doctors and tennis players and men who know their wine can just . . . go away. Because I might not be as handsome as them, and I may not even be as human as them, but they will never believe in you the way I do, and they will never know you as I do, and they will never, never, come within a breath of loving you as much as I do. Never, [Heroine]. And if ever there should be a man who loves you more, then I bow to him. Because you deserve nothing less.

The plot is as compelling as ever. It’s definitely a road romance, which are always my favorite, but unlike other Dirk & Steele books, it’s set in the Midwest, which Ms. Liu evokes perfectly. As usual, the pacing is good, with enough quiet moments to round out the action scenes.

If I have a quibble, it’s that a lot of the climactic moments of these books feel the same. I don’t want to talk about specifics, but I will say that when the scene was foreshadowed, I knew exactly what was going to happen, and my predictions came true.

If you haven’t tried the Dirk & Steele books, you are definitely missing out on some great storytelling, some wonderful romance, and some fabulous characters. Recommended, especially to those looking for a little substance and solid world-building in their paranormals.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Lannes is one of a dying race born to protect mankind. And while most see a beautiful man, this illusion is nothing but a prison. But when he finds a woman covered in blood, with no memory or past, he will be drawn into a mystery that makes him question all he knows.

Read an excerpt here.

Read my review of The Red Heart of Jade (Book 3) here.

The other books in the series: