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Review
4 action-packed, romantic and exciting stars
Book 2 in the Dark Protectors series brings us the story of King of the Realm, Dage, and his long-awaited mate, Emma. Their story was nicely set up in the last book – Fated – and I’m so happy that this one met all of my expectations! It was exciting, romantic and steamy with lots of action and some great progression in the overarching story. All set against an intriguing and continually developing PNR world. I loved it!
Dage is the eldest of a group of vampire brothers that make up the Royal family of vampires, and the greater supernatural world, known as the Realm. Vampires get one fated mate, and Dage knows that Emma is his. Emma is a brilliant scientist who has stumbled into the world of vampires and their sworn enemy, the Kurgens, and spent the last book of the series in hiding and on the run from both races. When she is finally found and taken by the bad guys, and is facing her greatest danger, Dage sweeps in to save the day, ready to claim his Queen at last.
“I’ve waited centuries for your touch, Emma.”
OMG, I love Dage. He reluctantly became King after the death of his parents, and even though he wishes for a normal life, he is determined to rule and bravely fights for his cause. He has waited centuries for his mate, and seeing him with her is absolutely beautiful! He is tender yet possessive (he calls her “love” from their first encounter… awwwww), and is fiercely protective of her, and so open with his feelings and all that he wants with her. Being with her starts to put everything in his life into perspective, even though his stubborn female tests him in ways he could never have anticipated.
“I should have known the Queen of the Realm would be a pain in my ass.”
I really liked Emma. She is strong, brave, and not willing to bend to Dage just because he is the King. She fights for her independence, and is determined to do what she thinks is right. Emma is gifted with dreams that show her both the past and the future. She has been dreaming of Dage for years, just as he has her, so by the time they actually meet their feelings for each other area already strong. The passion between them is explosive, and love quickly follows.
“You’ve never met the king, love.” He nipped her ear and her knees began to tremble. “It’s the man who has you.”
But it’s not an easy ride, for as keen as Dage is to claim Emma and start creating a life together, she won’t give herself to him completely – sure, she has a reason for pushing him away, but I got so frustrated with her, and actually screed at my kindle “just talk to him!!!”. But as frustrating as it is, again, it creates a great dynamic, and I loved the back and forth between them that so easily switches between anger, love and lust.
“I’m with the man, not the king. The king can kiss my ass.”
The king had every intention of kissing her ass, maybe biting it as well.
And it’s all interwoven with huge happenings in the Realm, and together it’s one hell of a ride! The Realm is at war and things are INTENSE! Not only are the Kurgens getting braver with their attacks, but new characters are introduced, new alliances are formed and new enemies are declared. At the same time, the race is on to investigate a virus that is infecting vampire mates, and a number of females are caught up in the unfolding mess (which is where Emma’s genius comes into play). And on top of all of that, somebody on the inside is betraying the King, putting all of those he loves in danger like never before. There are lots of political goings on, but mostly there is action, action, action. And it’s awesome!
There’s great continuation from the previous book, with Talen and Cara’s story progressing, and the rest of the characters introduced in Fated continue to be a part of the action. Jordan and Katie’s story is gaining intensity, and there are a few more romance set ups which look very promising! Little Janie is adorable, and her dream wanderings hinting at more danger and excitement to come. But at the heart of the series is the brothers, and I love the interplay between them. Their banter and fist fights blend well with the genuine love and respect they have for each other, and I adored the scenes where all of the boys were together. I also loved the lead into Conn’s book up next – there’s a great set up there, and I’m so excited to see how that all plays out.
Exciting, romantic and full of awesome paranormal action, this series is building into something really special. I can’t wait to carry on.
4 stars.
See our Dark Protectors/Realm Enforcers series page for info on the series
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