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Review
4 stars
This was a book I never thought we would get. The story of Cliff the vampire has played out in the background of the Immortal Guardians series, with each book seeing him succumb further and further to the madness of the vampiric virus infecting his body. Now, we get to see his story in full, including a beautifully heartwarming secret romance, as he fights to survive.
Cliff was introduced in book #3 of the series, Phantom Shadows, as one of the vampires working with Bastien. He’s appeared in most (if not all) of the books since then, and though captured as an enemy, he has become a valued member of the team, and a good friend to many of characters. The timeline of this book covers pretty much the whole series, especially the big moments where Cliff was on hand to help out, and I enjoyed revisiting so many of these scenes from a different perspective.
We also get to see during this time, how the virus-related psychosis is impacting him, and his efforts to keep it at bay.
But mostly, we get to see Cliff and Emma. Emma works at network headquarters, and she knows all about the vampires who live in the basement of the building. She’s always had a bit of a crush on Cliff, and when they get the opportunity to actually meet, sparks fly. They become friends first, but their feelings for each other grow over time, and when Cliff gets the opportunity to leave headquarters each night to go out hunting with Bastien, he seeks Emma out, and they begin a beautifully sweet romance.
These two are so gorgeous together. They’re open and honest about what they want, and the reality of their situation, and they agree to follow their hearts for as long as they can, and their love story is sweet and sexy with lots of emotion.
But neither of them can deny that the virus is slowly killing him. The psychosis is growing worse, and Cliff is losing control of himself. It’s an inevitability that he, Emma, and all of their friends, are aware of, and it’s so sad seeing them try to deal with it, while working hard to enjoy every moment together that they have.
Cliff is such a great character. At his core, he’s a good guy with strong morals and a desire to do good. It was so devastating watching him deal with his condition and prognosis, and his overwhelming fear that he would end up hurting someone that he loves. And, as I have been through quite a few books now, I was hoping so hard for him to get his well-deserved happy ending.
Emma is a great heroine. She’s strong and she knows what she wants, and I love how openly she accepted Cliff and how hard she fought to help him and then, to keep him.
There’s a good amount of action (most of which we’ve already seen), and of course there’s emotion and drama, but the gorgeous love story brings lots of light, happy moments. I enjoyed seeing so much of the Immortal Guardians – especially Bastien – and loved being back in this world. Cliff and Emma’s story is so, so sweet, I loved seeing Cliff find his happy, and the book left me feeling satisfied with a smile on my face.
4 stars.
Check out our Immortal Guardians / Gifted Ones series page for more info
If you’re a fan of paranormal romance, check out our Paranormal Recommendations page!