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Review
This series just gets better and better! More action, a deeply intricate plot, kickass paranormal powers, fantastically funny banter and a romance between the snarky Immortal and a sassy heroine. What more could we ask for?
We all love it when the asshole falls in love, and Bastien is an asshole. Still battling with the bitterness of his past, he has major trust issues. He is ostracised by the majority of the Immortals due to his shady history and his more recent past as their enemy, and is an angry loner who, while still part of the team, pretty much does his own thing and doesn’t give a shit what anybody else thinks.
“I’m at Fetzer Hall now and am about to sweep through the soldiers between us like a fucking tidal wave.”
“Damn it, we need some of those men left alive to—”
“All you’re getting are corpses. When you send the cleanup crew, send a fucking bus.”
He may be totally badass, but he has a soft spot for his friends – even if they are vampires, and he is developing some pretty intense feelings for Dr Melanie Lipton, a human doctor employed by The Network to conduct research into vampires and Immortals. Melanie is awesome. Strong, intelligent, and feisty, she has been attracted to Bastien since the first moment she saw him, and she’s confident enough to let him know it.
“I like you touching me, even though the cut is stinging like crazy.”
His eyes began to glow. “I thought we weren’t going to go there.”
“I’m a grown woman. I can go wherever I want to go.”
“Why would you want to go there?” His tone was pure puzzlement.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly… “There’s just something about you,” she said finally, “that…lures me.”
As much as they want each other, Bastien resists her – trying to keep her away from his bad reputation and therefore saving her from the condemnation from their colleagues that he feels she would be subjected to for just being with him. But that doesn’t stop Melanie from pushing him, and the banter is sensational.
“About what happened …”
Yep. She had figured he was obsessing over that. Poor guy. The immortals had really done a number on him, convincing him he was the evil monster they seemed to think him. Now he probably thought kissing her would taint her somehow. She was going to have to do something about that. She just needed a little time to decide what.
“I assume you mean the kiss?” she asked innocently.
“Yes.”
“The warm, wet, pulse-racing, make-me-want-to-strip-you-naked-and-rub-every-inch-of-my-body-against-yours kiss?”
His eyes flared, an involuntary reflection of his arousal. “That’s the one.”
“What about it?”
“It shouldn’t happen again.”
“You didn’t like it?” Okay, teasing him was mean, but she couldn’t resist.
“You know I did,” he admitted, voice deepening in a way that sent a sensual shiver through her. “If my eyes didn’t clue you in, I’m sure other body parts did.”
“Very impressively,” she agreed.
Bastien’s reluctance to start something with Melanie despite his strong feelings for her is actually really funny. We all know it’s going to happen, Melanie knows it’s going to happen, all of the other Immortals and vampires know it’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of watching the fireworks between them and waiting for him to cave.
“I need you to not do that,” he said, voice low.
“Why?”
“Because every time you touch me I feel how much you want me and it makes me want you even more.”
Her blood heated. “I don’t have a problem with that,” she murmured.
Bastien groaned.
And when it happens – oh yeah, it happens. Hot and steamy, Bastien has some fantastic moves, and although there’s not as much sex in this book as there has been in the others, it didn’t bother me at all.
Once again, Duvall has given us a brilliantly functional romance. Yeah, it may take them a little while to get there, but once they do, it’s all on with no game playing, no conflict and no drama. Melanie is a fantastic match for the hard-headed Bastien, and he is beautifully protective over her, and when his playful, teasing, loving side comes out in their private times, it just melted me.
“I haven’t felt this way in a long time, Bastien.”
His smile slowly faded. “Nor have I.”
“I’m not going to refrain from exploring what’s happening between us because others may not approve. It’s too important.”“He kissed her hard. “I don’t know what the hell you see in me, Melanie, but I am so glad you see it.”
As always, the romance is mixed in with a whole heap of action. There’s a new bad guy to take down, and he is pure evil and has his very own squad of mercenaries which brings a whole new level of violence. The Immortals are also still battling vampires, as well as each other, and there is one EPIC scene which brings all of these elements together in an explosively exciting moment, and not everybody will make it out alive.
I’m loving these books more and more as I read on. I think it’s because I’m getting to know the characters more, they are interacting with each other more, the story is becoming more intricate as we learn everybody’s backstories, and everything is linking together beautifully. The group are becoming more of a family and the banter between them is fantastic!
“I stole some of your lollipops.”
“Really. Well, if you’re in the mood to lick something . . .”
She laughed.
“We can hear you,” Seth called.
“So?” Marcus countered and kissed his wife again.
“So she’s like a daughter to me, jackass.”
“Yeah,” David seconded. “There’s a reason I poured thousands of dollars into soundproofing your bedroom.”
“Hmm.” Marcus sounded thoughtful. “I do believe your family is trying to tell me I should take you to bed.”
“That isn’t what I— oh screw it,” Seth muttered.
Duvall has created a great paranormal world, and the complexities and fullness of her story seems to be getting stronger. There are some big twists in this book that are really going to impact the rest of the series, and I love the way that it’s all unfolding. And with a lot of questions remaining unanswered, I can’t wait for more.
4.5 stars.
Check out our Immortal Guardians / Gifted Ones series page for more information on this exciting series – including reading order, reviews and buy links.