Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 26 Oct 21
Bluebell and sparkles, two of my favorite characters in the series. Snippets of their story have been told throughout the series. This book fills in the color and detail to provide a complete picture of who they were, what they were to each other, and how much the recent distance between them has hurt them both. I’m not sure that I could have imagined this chapter in their story, but now that it’s been told, I can’t imagine a more perfect beginning of the next chapter for them.
All through the series, Ms. Singh has managed to surprise readers with grizzly stuff perpetuated by Lijuan, the archangel of China, who just won’t stay dead. The author is able to throw us, once again, a curve ball that will catch readers by surprise. Given the buildup of fear amongst the people, readers were expecting something, just not what actually came to be.
As Illium and Aodhan work through their issues and in many ways find themselves, the story plays out, filling in the details of their childhood and friendship. During this telling, we get to see more about all the seven, as well as Raphael, and how they interact with each other, forging strong bonds of friendship that will never be broken.
The end feels a bit rushed to me, as it takes the telling of the entire tale before the relationship and even romance, if you want to even call it that, kicks in. I hope there will be an additional book to explore more about what comes next for them.
Grade: A
Summary:
Nalini Singh returns to the world of the Guild Hunters for the most highly anticipated novel of the beloved series—a love story so epic it’s been half a millennia in the making…
Illium and Aodhan. Aodhan and Illium. For centuries they’ve been inseparable: the best of friends, closer than brothers, companions of the heart. But that was before—before darkness befell Aodhan and shattered him, body, mind, and soul. Now, at long last, Aodhan is healing, but his new-found strength and independence may come at a devastating cost—his relationship with Illium.As they serve side by side in China, a territory yet marked by the evil of its former archangel, the secret it holds nightmarish beyond imagining, things come to an explosive decision point. Illium and Aodhan must either walk away from the relationship that has defined them—or step forward into a future that promises a bond infinitely precious in the life of an immortal…but that demands a terrifying vulnerability from two badly bruised hearts.
Other books in this series:
