Veena’s review of Moonshadow (Moonshadow, Book 1/Elder Races, Book 10) by Thea Harrison
Fantasy Romance published by Teddy Harrison LLC 12 Dec 16

Readers, welcome to another superb tale from Ms. Harrison that will make you laugh, cry, and celebrate as you settle in for the next exciting chapter in the saga of the Elder Races.  The scene of action has moved to the English countryside and you’ll love how the author weaves in Stonehenge into her story.  Knights of the Daoine Sidhe are stranded in the human world, cut off from their homes by the collapse of the passageways to the Dark Court. Fighting to survive, their numbers and hope dwindling, they are galvanized with the arrival of Sophie Ross, an American witch. With a single act of kindness to an abandoned animal on the side of the road, she sets off a chain of events that will have far-reaching consequences.

Sophie seizes an opportunity that takes her to England, which, at the very least, will give her a paid vacation and time to recover from bullet wounds sustained in her last case with the Los Angeles Police Department. Should she have paused when her last attempt at throwing the runes showed her a knight holding a bloody sword, attempting to take her down? Brave and fearless, she moves along her path and has no qualms about rescuing a little dog at the side of a country road, which is suffocating under a collar of silver magic.  She’s barely had time to recover from her flight and jet lag before she has her first visit from the Daoine Sidhe at the quaint inn where she’s staying.

From the get-go she and Nicholas butt heads, and it is only his friend and fellow knight who acts as a buffer and ensures that blood is not spilled. While Nicholas acts very unimpressed by her parlor tricks of silver runes, which fight magic with magic, he has no qualms about using it.  However, they barely have time to get acquainted before they’re fighting back to back against the hellhounds bent on destroying them and the people at the pub attached to the inn.  As they decamp from the inn and move to a cottage on the estate that Sophie has inherited, Nicholas is definitely interested in more than Sophie’s magic.

.Also, it turns out that the little abandoned animal she rescued is actually Puck, King Oberon’s side kick and considerable magical being on his own, shuns the knights and clings to Sophie. Her interaction with Puck and little acts of kindness will be repaid so many times over, even though none of her actions are motivated with any thoughts of future reward. The cakes of goodwill that Puck gifts her with are such a nice and unexpected touch.  In the midst of the challenges and counter-challenges, Sophie offers the knights their first shot in centuries at returning to their homes.  Sophie’s feisty interactions with Nicholas, especially her attempts to bring him to the twenty-first century and a quick tutorial in gender equality, will bring many a chuckle.

The story delivers excitement in battles and well-thought-out strategy, emotionally enrichment in the love affair between Sophie and Nicholas, and friendship and caring between Sophie and the other knights. Sophie really is a great role model for a fearless modern woman who knows what she wants and has no qualms about reaching out and going for it.  Poor Nicholas, there actually is a time or two when I feel sorry for him, when she brings him down a peg or two when he’s at his most autocratic.

This is definitely another winner from Thea Harrison, and, given all the new characters we met, I can’t wait to see what unfolds next.

Grade: A

Summary:

From bestselling author Thea Harrison comes the first in an explosive new trilogy set in the Elder Races world.

Her past is a blank, her future uncertain..

Recovering from a shooting, LAPD witch consultant Sophie Ross leaves her job and travels to the U.K. to search for answers about her childhood. When she encounters a Daoine Sidhe knight of the Dark Court, she becomes entangled in an ancient hatred between two arcane forces.

He has given his body and soul to fight for his people..

Barred from his homeland along with his surviving brother knights, Nikolas Sevigny is embroiled in a conflict that threatens everything he holds dear. Only by uniting their resources can his people hope to prevail against Isabeau, the deadly Queen of the Light Court. He will do anything and use anyone to return home to Lyonesse.

When Nikolas encounters Sophie, he sees a tool to be used. The insouciant witch might be the key to unlocking every passageway that has been barred to the knights of the Dark Court, even as a fascination for her takes root in what’s left of his soul.

Sophie has no intention of becoming anyone’s pawn, yet the fierce Nikolas is so compelling, she can’t deny the temptation that endangers her guarded heart.

As magic threatens Lyonesse, Queen Isabeau unleashes her merciless Hounds, and Nikolas and Sophie become embroiled in a race for survival. Meanwhile, the passion that ignites between them burns too hot to be denied and quickly turns into obsession.

Thank goodness they both know better than to fall in love.

No excerpt available.