Liviania’s reviews of Books 4 (Dark Crusade) and 5 (The Hellhound King) of the Unbound Series by Lori Devoti
Paranormal Romance released by Silhouette Nocturne
When you have been floating around the romance pond for as long as we have, you see a lot of category lines come and go – publisher lines too, but that’s a different post. Since self-publishing has come along, many of the books of past lines have been reborn and many of the authors have joined other Harlequin lines.
Join us in revisiting some of these older lines as we remember what is gone but not forgotten…
I first learned about Lori Devoti through a contest right here on TGTBTU, before I was a Duckie. When I saw there was a new book in her Unbound series, I quickly snatched it up. Just as quickly, I realized that I hadn’t read the book before it, so I snatched that one up too. Reading the books together worked well, since the character Marina plays a big part in both.
Dark Crusade (Book 4)
Released 1 Apr 09
Dark Crusade follows immediately after the events of the second Unbound novel, Guardian’s Keep, and tells the story of Kerr, the leader of the exiled garm. (The third book, Wild Hunt, continued the hellhound storyline and left the fate of the garm-in-exile unknown.) Unfortunately, I read Guardian’s Keep in June 2008 and couldn’t remember a thing about the book. (My mind, she ain’t what she used to be.)
This one didn’t work as well for me as The Hellhound King. Kerr, the hero, is a good enough guy. He’s loyal to his men, who have been imprisoned by the elves. He’s also loyal to Heather, once he falls for her. But Heather is a witch, and the elves kill witches, and Kerr is pretending to be loyal to the elves so that he can find his men and get them out of prison. While Kerr may be the leader, his plans never work. It’s surprising that people continue to let him be in charge.
Heather lacked Kerr’s affability, to me. I understand that she’s worried about dying and would like to get out of the dimension where a lot of people want to kill her. Who wouldn’t? At the same time, she never seems to get why Kerr is torn between helping his men and helping her. Apparently compassion and loyalty are difficult concepts instead of things you should look for in a man.
Overall, both the plot and romance take awhile to move. Heather is clearly special, but Devoti waits until the book is almost over to reveal why. Dark Crusade isn’t bad, but it is average. I like Devoti, but she has trouble with consistency.
Grade: C-
Summary:
Exiled rogue shapeshifter Kerr Vik once saw being transported to Gunngar as a fresh start. Until the one person he most regretted leaving behindcaptivating witch Heather Moorestumbles through the portal…and finds herself right in the middle of a witch hunt. Heather has courageously come to Gunngar to redeem herself. But Kerr knows that if she braves it alone…she will die. He must somehow send her back through the portal. And it’s not long before a collision of truth, love and duty complicates Kerr’s mission by forcing him to choose sides: should he save this forbidden love or protect his honor?
Read an excerpt here.
The Hellhound King (Book 4)
Released 1 Feb 10
In Dark Crusade, Marina was the leader of the elves who go around killing witches. In The Hellhound King, she’s the heroine. I don’t want to give anything away, but Devoti does an excellent job of redeeming Marina and turning a crazy villain into a compelling heroine.
When Marina goes home to the unexiled elves, she is followed by Raf, a garm. She also discovers that the political situation in Alfheim is unstable, to say the least, and she’s the heir to the throne. An heir who must factions would prefer to keep as a puppet. Marina has to keep herself alive and protect her little sister.
I liked the balance Devoti played with in Raf and Marina’s relationship. Both of them are competent and strong and both of them quickly learn to trust each other, but only in the most simple ways. In practice, they don’t respect each other’s ability to handle difficult situations. They have to learn to deepen their trust, or the relationship won’t survive.
I love reading about political maneuvering, and The Hellhound King has just enough to be interesting without taking away from the hero and heroine. There are also a few subplots that I hope will return in future Unbound novels – namely, the bounty hunter and Amma the super-witch. The Hellhound King is Devoti working on all cylinders.
Grade: B+
Summary:
All Raf Dolg wanted was revenge. Marina Adal–part witch, part elf princess–had betrayed him once, condemning the handsome hellhound to an elfin dungeon. But once the lithe and seductive Marina is in his hands, Raf realizes that the long-haired beauty is also a victim of betrayal–a pawn in the plans of a cruel elf lord and of the destiny tying her to the throne of Alfheim. Together they face the treachery that nearly tore them apart as well as their own divided souls. Bound by their love, the two outcasts must band together if their passion is to stand a chance….
No excerpt found.
I think this series still has legs. My opinions of the individual books may be varied, but overall I like the world and the Norse-based mythology. I look forward to seeing what Devoti will do next with the Unbound cast.
Liviania’s review of Unbound (Unbound, Book 1)
Liviania’s review of Guardian’s Keep (Unbound, Book 2)
