Sandy M’s review of The Wild Road (Dirk & Steele, Book 7) by Marjorie M. Liu
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Leisure 29 Jul 08
This is only my second Marjorie Liu book, and so far I just love her heroes. They’re, of course, of the paranormal world, a bit tortured, but they’re as sensitive as can be when it comes to their heroines. They’re as snarling and growling protective of those mates as their kind can be, whatever that happens to be in the book you’re reading. In this case, Lannes is a gargoyle, a creature that doesn’t bring sensitive and sexy to mind, but he is definitely that and more.
I like that Ms. Liu, in what I’ve read so far, gives us those different creatures to read about. They’re big and strong because of what they are, but they are gentle and caring at the same time. My first Liu hero was M’cal of Soul Song, the sixth book in this series, and I instantly fell in love. The same has happened with Lannes, a gargoyle who keeps to himself most of the time, afraid of making connections with the wrong people, just as happened with him and his brothers in the past that led to their stone imprisonment for so many years.
But despite that, Lannes is true to his nature of protection and that leads him to a woman whom he makes a deep an searing connection with. A woman who has no memory of who she is, where she comes from, or what she’s running from. He knows he could be walking into a trap, but Lannes instead follows his instincts and decides to help this troubled but independent woman. At this point the story takes off and doesn’t slow down one bit until the very end.
Lethe, the name eventually given to our mystery lady by Lannes, is on the run from the moment she awakens in an unfamiliar hotel room, covered in blood and surrounded by dead men and fire. With no memories, she doesn’t know if she’s a murderer, nor does she know who or what it is that has invaded her mind, making her do and say things against her will.
Not wanting to hurt Lannes with her unknown mysteries but needing his help and support, she begins to trust him as they unravel the puzzle of her life. Another thing Liu does well is pulling you into her characters’ lives and making you feel what they feel. The loneliness of these two characters is quite palpable. Lethe’s isolation because of her lost memories draws Lannes to her because of the same feelings. His due to his prior imprisonment and also his current prison in which he lives, disguised as a human at all times when among them or at home alone working with his books. The more you get to know them, the more you know they belong together, they’re so right for each other – all the while hoping Lethe truly isn’t part of a larger trap of some kind that will break Lannes’ new-found trust.
There’s not much actual Dirk & Steele throughout this book. Lannes keeps in touch with his brother Charlie and then Koni and Rictor show up to give a hand later in the book. You don’t need to have read many of the previous books to understand what goes on in this one. It stands on its own just fine. There’s a couple of nice twists that crop up, one of which made sense to me because I had read Soul Song. If there were others, they didn’t stand out, but I don’t think I missed anything if it did happen. Everything fits together nicely in a roundabout way to solve Lethe’s mystery, all the clues coming together in just the right places.
I have got to get the other books in this series out of the TBR pile. I’m curious to find out how it all started!
Grade: A
Read reviews of this and other books in the Dirk & Steele series by following its tag.
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.
Other books in this series:
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