Veena’s review of Night’s Honor (Elder Races, Book 7) by Thea Harrison
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 02 Sep 14
The vampires are my least favorite species in Ms. Harrison’s elder races, and, in fact, I contemplated actually skipping this book, especially since the first encounter with Julian and Xavier does not endear them to me at all. This book, however, sheds a completely different light on vampires as a whole, and Julian and Xavier specifically, such that my entire perception about them did a complete 180. The author does a great job with the heroine, Tess, and her fears of the Vampire race, and then Xavier with his wonderful old-fashioned charm and polish just charmed the pants off me. This story is a delightful, not-to-be-missed addition to the Elder Race series.
From the get-go we know that Tess is in trouble and running away, but the vampire ball and humans petitioning themselves to become a blood source to the vampires is a very unique if distasteful concept. Gosh, it sure changes the concept that vampires hunt their prey and keep them imprisoned to feed off them and that changes even more after we meet Xavier’s flock. Tess, with her plain honesty, captures the attention of the jaded crowd, more specifically one of the top guys, and, despite all her misgivings, joins Xavier’s household.
Her life in the household is completely unlike anything she might have expected, especially since she is trained to hone her body and mind to strengthen herself on all fronts. The one thing Tess has difficultly conquering is her aversion to giving blood to Xavier, which is quite strange since she has no qualms about enjoying the benefits of joining his household. I love the slow, simmering awakening of the feelings between her and Xavier as they both fight against them and yet can’t resist the other.
Her story, when it emerges, is pretty startling and Xavier’s solution to her problem even more so. Threaded through their story is the competitiveness and ugly reality of the vampire race, and yet Xavier’s back story and his friendship with Julian paint a picture of intense friendship and loyalty that skewed my earlier perceptions, turning these characters into likable people such that I am actually looking forward to reading Julian’s love story.
This is almost a stand-alone story since we don’t really connect with any of the other characters that we know and love from the series and yet I can honestly say that I enjoyed the book despite all my initial misgivings.
Grade: B+
Summary:
In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, a woman finds herself in need of protection—and seduced by honor…
On the run from her former employer, Tess knows that she’s vulnerable on her own amongst the Elder Races. That’s why she decides to audition to become the human attendant of a powerful Vampyre of the Nightkind demesne. But while her position affords her the safety she seeks, her protector turns out to be more than she bargained for.
The right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro is both terrifying and alluring. While his true nature frightens Tess, she can’t ignore the appeal of his innate sense of integrity and self-restraint. Thrown into Xavier’s world, Tess must quickly learn to navigate the dangers—both to her life and to her heart. But the biggest threat comes from her own past…
No excerpt available.
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