New additions to my addiction

My third new additions post for 2014. I really took advantage of that 10% discount from Bookdepository.com this month. Buying some wishlist books, a lot of pre-orders, and missing books from my favourite authors which I have only as ebooks and really want in paper as well.

From Bookdepository:

Lucy Arlington – Books, Cooks and Crooks
Kate Collins – Throw in the Trowel
Dianne Duvall – Darkness Rises
Dianne Duvall – Phantom Shadows
Dianne Duvall - Night Reins
Dianne Duvall – Darkness Sawns
Robin D. Owens – Heart Journey
Robin D. Owens – Heart Change (after reading the ebooks so often, I really wanted the paperbook versions!)
Patricia Briggs – River Marked
Patricia Briggs – Dragon Bones
Patricia Briggs – Dragon Blood
Karen E. Olson – Driven to Ink
Julie Hyzy – Affairs of Steak
Jayne Ann Krentz – In too deep
Jayne Ann Krentz – Copper Beach
Amanda Quick – Crystal Gardens
Stephanie Laurens – Devil’s Bride
Erin McCarthy – Slow Ride
Erin McCarthy – Flat out sexy
Erin McCarthy - Hard and Fast
Erin McCarthy – Jacked up
Erin McCarthy – Seeing is Believing
Kresley Cole – Pleasure of a Dark Prince
Kresley Cole - MacRieve
Rachel Caine – Bitter Blood
Rachel Caine – Black Dawn
Rachel Caine – Fall of night

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Lisa Shearin – Bewitched & Betrayed

The fourth book in the Raine Benares series, published April 27, 2010.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: strong



My name is Raine Benares. I am a seeker. I find lost things and missing people – usually alive. Finding the specters of six evil mages who escaped the Saghred, a soul stealing stone of unlimited power, was easy. Stopping them before they unleash Hell on earth just may be the death of me.
Being bonded to the Saghred wasn’t my idea – neither is hunting down its escapees. Especially not when one of them is also hunting me. He’s regenerating his body by taking the lives of powerful victims, along with their memories, knowledge and most important of all, their magic. The dark mage wants control of the Saghred, and if he gets it, he’ll become an evil demigod whom no one can stop. The only thing in his way is me.
One of us doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.


In the previous book, 7 souls managed to escape the Saghred when the Goblin Queen tried to rescue her King. Sarad Nukpana was one of them, 5 others were his accomplices, some of the blackest mages of all times. The seventh is Raines’ father, who took over the recently killed body of a young Guardian. Only a few people know it, but Raine is very happy to finally get to know her father, even though he looks younger than she is herself.
The other escaped souls have other plans though, than inhabiting a dead body. They are taking over the living bodies of very powerful mages. To find them and evict them from those bodies is not easy, but Mychael has brought in the most powerful elven nachtmagus in Mid. As he is one of the good guys, he has agreed to help out as much as he can and he will keep everything he learns about Raine and her bonded mates a secret.
Sarad Nukpana is using the darkest black magic he knows to do even more evil. He sucks out the live, memories knowledge and magic power out of his victims, and absorbs it into himself, and is regenerating his own body. He only needs a few more victims to become alive again, and a demigod in the process, unbeatable. Sarad has sworn vengeance on Raine, he will make her suffer by taking her loved ones first, and Raine will do whatever she has to do to keep them safe, and make sure Sarad Nukpana never executes his threats.
For now, he has taken out another enemy of Raine though, Rudra Muralin is no longer a threat to her, as Sarad has consumed him.

Taltek Balmorlan and Carnades Silvanus are still trying to get Raine in elven custody, and Tam and Mychael in prison. They have set Tam up to take the blame for a murdered elven general, the first important victim from Sarad Nukpana. Together, Mychael and Raine have to prove that Tam is innocent, and they embark on a nightly quest to get the real abductor to confess who is behind it all. In their disguises, they are hired to kidnap the next planned victim: Duke Markus himself, the highest boss of elven intelligence, and someone Raine used to work for from time to time …


I so love this series, I will be very sad if it ends with book 6. Raine’s enemies get stronger every day, but her friends and allies multiply as well. At the end of the book, Tam has gotten diplomatic immunity so Carnades Silvanus can no longer touch him, or have him put in jail. I really hope that stupid arrogant elf gets killed soon. The truth is revealed about Taltek Balmorlan, and why Duke Markus has come to Mid. I was happy with that explanation.

On the personal front, Mychael and Raine finally give in to their attraction, Raine has just dodged death one time to often, and she doesn’t want to waste another moment. I really liked that, they are such a great couple together. Mychael is the most powerful white mage in town, but if the law does not serve justice, he will see it done some other way. He has a history before he became the Paladin too …

Cousin Phaelan does not really have a part in this book, but there are some scenes aboard ship with Raines uncle as well. And I like Vegard more and more, Raine’s bodyguard and protector, well, he tries as hard as he can. I would not mind having him at my side.

Piaras and Talon, the two young and powerful spellsingers have their own adventure, thanks to Talon’s stubborn belief in himself, but it puts his father and everyone else in deadly danger. I do wonder if he will learn from the experience or not. I enjoy they parts though, they bring some humor and I love watching them grow up.

The plot thickens when more secrets are revealed and more powerful players come to town. I long for the next book, but on the other hand, I want to savour the last two … What to do, read or wait and keep them for a gloomy mood to cheer myself up?

I really enjoy Lisa Shearin’s writing style. It is so easy to read and get lost in the story, for me it is never predictable. It is not too light or too heavy, there is a lot of danger, adventure, magic, humor and great characters. It is fast paced, but there is time for some personal things for Raine and her friends and family as well. I love how loyal this family is, and I look forward to meeting Phaelan’s brother. And the love scene between Raine and Mychael is certainly not hurried and very well written.

I would love to step foot on a ship and sail for Mid and meet them all. Of course I would be a very powerful mage myself …

9 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Kresley Cole - MacRieve

Book 13 in the Immortals After Dark series, published July 2, 2013.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: ugly. MacRieve is supposed to be extremely handsome. This cover model certainly is not.



A beast in torment.
Uilleam MacRieve believed he’d laid to rest the ghosts of his boyhood. But when a brutal torture revives those ancient agonies and destroys his Lykae Instinct, the proud Scot craves the oblivion of death. Until he finds her – a young human so full of spirit and courage that she pulls him back from the brink.
A beauty in chains.
Seized for the auction block, Chloe Todd is forced to enter a terrifying new world of monsters and lore as a bound slave. When offered up to creatures of the dark, she fears she won’t last the night. Until she’s claimed by him – a wicked immortal with breathtaking eyes, whose touch sets her blood on fire.
A full moon on the rise.
With enemies circling, MacRieve spirits Chloe away to the isolated Highland keep of his youth. But once he takes her to his bed, his sensual mate becomes something more than human, evoking his savage past and testing his sanity. On the cusp of the full moon, can he conquer his worst nightmare to save Chloe … from himself?


Uilleam (Will) MacRieve was one of the Lore captured by the Order and experimented upon. When the compound fell, and everyone was freed, MacRieve was almost killed by 5 hungry succubi, and that brought back all his bad memories of his childhood, 900 years ago. When his lust for revenge cannot be slaked, his enemy, the leader of the Order, Commander Webb is nowhere to be found, he wants only one thing: to kill himself. Which is not really easy for an immortal Lykae to do. But then word comes that Commander Webb’s daughter has been found and she is up for auction. MacRieve and his twin brother Munro won’t have a chance of buying her, there are so many extremely rich species who want the same revenge MacRieve wants. But when they arrive at the auction, all thoughts of revenge are gone, as MacRieve smells his mate. His Lykae Instinct has been gone ever since the torture, but now it is back, and his brother confirms it, as he smells “sister”. The two brothers, nicknamed by the nymphs as Hot and Hotter, make their way to the front of the auction, and find Chloe Todd, the human female up for auction is his mate! This is not good, a mere human will never be able to handle the full strength of the Lykae. And during the full moon, a Lykae Beast will come out to have sex with his mated female all night long. But MacRieve has no choice, she is his mate, and he will take care of her. So when the auction is over, and the centaurs have won her, he takes her from them with force.

But Chloe is not fully human, she knows she is becoming something different, but her father refused to tell her what before he disappeared. He only handed her the Book of Lore, filled with all the different species and told her to read it. And now, being wooed by MacRieve, the change is upon her. MacRieve is already falling in love with his beautiful mate, but when he finds out what she is, he despises her, breaking his promises to care for her and her cherish her forever.

As a 9 year old boy, MacRieve was taken by a succubus and kept for four years, and only the fact that his beast took over during sex saved his life. But when his parents finally found out, his mother was killed and his father quickly followed her in death, leaving Munro and MacRieve as orphans. MacRieve has blamed himself ever since, and has hated and killed all succubae on sight. And now his mate is one of those blasted creatures and she will have to feed on him through sex? No way!

Chloe has no clue about anything of this; she has no idea what she has become and how to deal with it. She was a very good soccer player; it was all she ever wanted out of live since she was 5 years old. She has now been scouted for the Olympic team and should go to training camp in two weeks. Her whole life is gone up in flames since the witches captured her. Seducing men to feed for the rest of her life abhors her, but she can no longer eat normal food.

Munro tries to convince MacRieve that it is not so much different than having a vampire mate, she would have to feed of him as well, and having sex is just what a mated pair does all the time. But the memories keep tormenting MacRieve. Still, he cannot allow her to feed on other men either, and so he takes her to his ancestral home in Scotland where they will be alone and will have to rely on each other. Perhaps they can start anew. Chloe certainly does not act like all the other succubae he has met over the centuries…


I can’t believe I completely forgot to order this book when it came out as a paperback. I recently saw it at my best friends’ home, and then of course I had to remedy that. So when it arrived this Saturday morning, I had to read it immediately. I have been a big fan of this series for many years now.

I liked Chloe, her whole life was falling apart, her goal of being an Olympian athlete was almost achieved when everything went to hell. Her father is missing, her body is changing into something she doesn’t know, and now her so called mate is refusing her, hurting her and breaking his promises. She does not fall apart, she tries to make the best of her new life as it is, she makes new friends. But she cannot change what she has become, and MacRieve won’t let her contact others of her species to find out more about herself. She is half human, half succubus, perhaps she can control her lust? She kept giving MacRieve new chances which he kept ruining, as she has fallen for him pretty quickly.

I am not sure I like MacRieve. Yes, his childhood was horrible and he has been tormented like so many others by the Order, but Chloe had no part in it. She is innocent and ignorant and his mate. He kept hurting her, and now he will nobly sacrifice himself in their marriage bed so she can feed? Like he does not need to sleep with his mate at all, or want to? He sure is not thinking about what it all means for her. She is not the one who hurt him 900 years ago, nor does she pray on the children she has met. Chloe does not want to sleep around and seduce men, she just wants her mate like she has never wanted another man before him.

As always, I just kept reading and reading deep into the night, I could not stop. Even though I was crying for them, I kept hoping that MacRieve would wake up and see the truth. The ending of the book was very good, when all he had ever believed was proven to be a lie. His perceptive changed, and his attitude with it. Just in time …

I already look forward to the next book, with Munro as the hero.

9 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Lisa Shearin – The trouble with Demons

The third book in the Raine Benares series, published April 28, 2009.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: not as good as the first two, I don’t like that pose.



My name is Raine Benares. I'm a seeker. People hire me when they need something found. I'm not usually the one being sought. But that all changed when I found the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone of unlimited power -- and the bane of my existence. Now mages and madmen have me in their sights, not to mention demons . . .
An opened Hellgate leads to a demon infestation on the Isle of Mid, and while there's never an ideal time to face down demon hordes, it's hard to imagine a worse one. Already fighting the influence of the Saghred, Raine discovers she is also magically bonded to a dark mage and a white knight, two dangerous and powerful men on opposing sides -- and Raine's stuck in the middle.
But with demons pouring through the Hellgate, Raine can't afford to be distracted. Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she's a magical cataclysm waiting to happen . . .


Raine has to go into town for something she hates: shopping for new clothes. Her leathers have taken a severe beating recently, and she really needs some new ones. Her very fashionable cousin Phaelan is with her, and so is Vegard Rolfgar, a Conclave Guardian and her bodyguard. Phaelan tries to convince Raine to buy some colors instead of her usual black and brown, but Raine does not want to stand out in a crowd. This makes little sense according to Phaelan, as everybody already knows who she is and what she can do. But he enjoys being with her, as he is quickly bored and Raine is like a magnet for trouble.

Then Raine spots a bunch of naked blue creatures running in the street, attacking a mage. TO her surprise, she is the only one who sees them, but she will have to try to safe that mage! When she throws a stone against one of the creatures, he looses his magical cloak and Vegard immediately shoves her behind him. Demons! Of course Raine does not need his protection she is perfectly capable of fighting and defending herself, and of course killing the attackers. They were after something, and now they want her, or rather, the Saghred she is bonded with! When Vegard kicks up a dust storm all the demons become visible and they have a target. But the mage is killed before they can safe him, and a new bigger purple demon draws Raine into a chase to the square were all the students gather. There he will have his choices of prey and there is little Raine can do. Until Piaras and Talon used their spellsinging gifts to capture the demon and force him to let loose his prey: Piaras’ girlfriend and the archmagus’ granddaughter. Suddenly Tam is in Raine’s head and he teaches her what to do to the demon and capture him in an empty wine bottle. How can she use his powers? What has happened between them?

Someone has opened a Hellgate in town, and demons are searching the city for something. Who would be powerful enough to do that, and more importantly, how can they find it and close it again? The demon Queen wants to talk to Raine, and wants her to open the Saghred to free the Demon King who was devoured by it centuries ago. Raine has no idea how to do that, and with the acting archmagus breathing in her neck, wanting to lock her up for good, she will have to act fast. She has no intention to free the demon King, or Sarad Nukpana, who is still influencing people from his prison inside the Saghred. But if she could free her father, she would…

The Conclave Paladin and leader of the Guardian’s, Mychael Eiliesor, still wants to protect Raine and keep her safe but he finally acknowledges that he can’t. And now, thanks to the Saghred, she has bonded not only with her goblin friend Tam, who is a dark mage but also with Mychael, who is the strongest white mage there is. When this will be found out, it will be a deathsentence to all three of them, especially for Mychael…


Another action filled few days for Raine Benares and her friends and family. I enjoy this series very much and will read the next book soon. I just have to find out what happens next, especially now the three of them are magically bonded in what is the goblin equivalent of a marriage. Tam is goblin, Raine is Elf and so is Mychael. Raine has been attracted to them both, and at least now she doesn’t have to choose between them anymore. Breaking this bond will be very dangerous to all of them.

I was expecting more of Raine’s uncle, who has also come to town with three ships of his pirate armada to make sure the mages keep her safe and do what they can to break her free of the Saghred. He has only one small appearance.

I liked Raine’s new female friend, the new head of the demonology department. Professor Sora Niabi’s help is invaluable in fighting the demons, and her grad students certainly get a lot of real practice!

Of course Piaras and Talon play a role in this book, and I like how Piaras is growing up and into his considerable powers. He stands up for himself and refuses to stay safe while Raine could use his help finding the item the demons are after.

Carnadus Silvanus is still intent on becoming the new archmage, he wants Raine behind lock and key or rather dead, and Mychael removed as Paladin. And of course he wants to capture Piaras and give him as a present to the elves who would abuse his powers for their own gain. Tam is a goblin and he hates and despises goblins, as they have been more powerful than the Elves for centuries especially with the power of the Saghred behind them. Even saving his life twice doesn’t mean anything to Carnadus, and he will keep coming after them all.

But now a new player has come to town, a man from Raine's past, and while he is keeping Carnadus contained, Raine feels very much betrayed by him … So yes, bring on the next book!


9 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Yasmine Galenorn – Crimson Veil

Book 15 in the Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon series, published January 28, 2014.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: strong, I love it



We're the D'Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked good witch with three gorgeous husbands. Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. And me? I'm Menolly, a vampire married to a scorching hot werepuma. And right now, we're facing enemies on all sides...
It's been a long and devastating week. Back in Otherworld, war has decimated the elfin city of Elqaneve, our father has gone missing, and Shadow Wing has managed to obtain another spirit seal. On the home front, somebody burned down my bar, the Wayfarer, killing eight people, including a friend.
To make matters worse, we still haven't found a way to stop Lowestar Radcliff - the daemon in charge of a supernatural corporate power grab. He's attempting to awaken Suvika, the lord of vice and corrupt businessmen, and we have to stop him. Our enemies are closing in on all sides, and this time, there's no place to hide...


Book 15 already, and this series is still going strong. There is little rest for the three sisters and their spouses and friends. The war in Otherworld is not going well, their father’s body has been found in Elqaneve, and brought back to them Earthside.
Shadow Wing, from the Demon Realm, now has three of the Spirit Seals, they have four and two are still missing. If he gets his claws on more, he will tear the realms apart and destroy everything.

Menolly is still dealing with the destruction of her bar, the Wayfarer and all the people who died in there. Her vampire consort, Roman, is helping her find out how many vampires potentially died in there as well, as there would be nothing left of them. And now another vampire night club is getting the same threats Menolly received, and when it is torched, Menolly, Camille and Delilah will do their best to find out who is behind it and how to stop them. Of course they already suspect Lowestar Radcliff for wanting to take over all the supernatural business in Seattle, but they need more information before they can act upon it.

When they encounter some burning kind of Fae, only Iris and her ice magic can stop them. Someone has been summoning them to destroy the club and if they get loose in the city, they could possibly set the whole town ablaze!

And then there is their newfound human cousin Daniel, who invites himself to dinner and who knows way too much about all of them and their mission. He offers his services if they need it. He used to belong to some kind of secret spy organisation, and is now using his special skills, well, not for good. They are not sure they can trust him, (neither am I), but he might come in handy when they are breaking and entering …

The sisters also still have to deal with the missing Fae, who have been abducted after using a dating site, and Tanne Baum, boyfriend of Violet, has finally been able to hold a ritual telling him where she is. They are not happy to have to go into Underground Seattle again, but they will put a stop to this slavery ring and free Violet and the others. Fighting Hellhounds and guards with whips is not easy, but they manage, and Menolly finds out that biting a Hellhound to suck his blood is not a good idea.


There is a lot of action in this book, but there is also time for them to have their Samhain ritual and say goodbye to their father and the other friends they recently have lost.
This book has Menolly as its focus, and she has to work through some personal relationship troubles. Roman has fallen in love with her, even though she has warned him not to. She loves her wife, Nerissa, but she will have to open herself up more if she wants this relationship to work beyond the sexual bond.

Delilah meets her lover’s sister, who has come to scout her out on behalf of the family. As Shade has asked her to dress up, which she never does, she is extremely nervous. What if his sister doesn’t like her? Will his family come between them? The Autumn Lord himself has brought them together …

Cousin Shamas is still pining after Camille, but she will never love him back. He betrayed her as children, and especially when he became a sorcerer and fought against her Moongoddess and her Order. Camille is happy with her three husbands, she won’t need him. And so Shamas decides to go back to Otherwold and help fight in the war.

The Dragons have decided to help them out, and hide the Knights who are wearing the spirit seals. No one will be able to get them from the Dragon Reaches.


I enjoy this series very much, although it is darker than I usually read, and it has a lot of sex. I do skip the lesbian scenes, but Yasmine Galenorn has a way with words that makes me read and enjoy the rest. Sometimes it really seams as if the sisters never get a break, only bad things are happening around them, but sometimes they do get lucky and they make time to enjoy some of the more important things in their lives. I like that. They are not invincible, their lifepartners are standing behind them, don’t try to stop them or protect them, they all fight together.

It is a good series, but I do recommend you read it in order to see how it all builds up. Every book has another sister as its focal point, its voice, and I like that. Although Camille is my favourite, I enjoy learning more about her moon magic.

8 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris – Phoenix Rising

The first book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, published April 26, 2011.
Genre: steampunk
Cover: love it although Eliza never dresses like that in the book.



Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain's fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.
These are dark days indeed in Victoria's England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown's clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she's prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.
For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun - he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices - must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!


The book starts with a great action scene, where agent Eliza Braun rescues the abducted Archivist Wellington Books, esquire and blows up the whole place while they make their escape. Her boss is not so happy with her performance though, as their agency, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, is supposed to be secret. Although she is a very good field agent, he puts her to work in the archives, and Wellington Books is supposed to teach her some patience and why the archive is so important.
Eliza hates her new position, until she finds out about the cold cases room, and stumbles upon the files her former partner was working on before he was committed to Bedlam. She still misses Harry.
Eliza is from New Zealand and she really doesn’t like the stuffy English Society and its “toffs”. Wellington Books is from one of those families but the has shaken of his father’s influence and is happy in his chosen career. He loves his work and the mechanical devices he has invented. His job and the archives are more important than Eliza will ever understand.
But Eliza is not the backwater miss Books takes her for, her apartment is very luxurious and elegant, and so can she be if she wants to. But Eliza prefers being a field agent, she loves guns and is never without her knives or some other devices.

They are up against the Phoenix Society, a secret society that has been around for thousands of years and now has surfaced again. And their plans are hideous and inhuman. Eliza and Books/Welly also have to keep their investigation a secret from their boss, Dr Sound, as this was certainly not what he had in mind for them.

Another agent is being blackmailed in betraying the Agency, by someone from the highest part of Society who wants to bring the Ministry down … And Dr. Sound might have some secret plans of himself ..


I really enjoyed this story, and how two such different people got about investigating this strange and macabre case, and how they learned to work together. And then there is the mutual attraction, I wonder if they will let it play out in the next book. Books is such a real oldfashioned gentleman. I do look forward to finding out more about their personal backgrounds.
I liked the street urchins that Eliza uses as her eyes and ears in the street, and how she tries to take care of them in her own way.

The steampunk parts are very well done, and very intriguing. I enjoyed reading about all the gadgets and machinery and other items and certainly want to know more.

The mystery is very intriguing and the Phoenix Society is totally horrifying. But there are more such secret groups and their plans will be even more evil …

The story is very well written and the use of language is sometimes very descriptive and elegant and I loved it.

I will buy the next books in this series, that is for sure.

8 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Anne Bishop – Shalador’s Lady

The eighth book in the Black Jewels series, published March 2010.
Genre: romantic fantasy
Cover: nice
Re-read for the seventh time.



For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. And even though the refugees have found sanctuary in Dena Nahele, they have never been able to call it home.
Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, knows that restoring the land will require all her heart and courage as she summons the untested power within her, a power capable of consuming her if she cannot control it.
And even if Lady Cassidy survives her trial by fire, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see within their tangled webs visions of something coming that will change the land -and Lady Cassidy - forever...


I have re-read this book again, back to back with The Shadow Queen, and again I still love it. The story and characters keep drawing me in, and I did not want the book to end. I keep hoping for a sequel.

Lady Cassidy is visiting some of her people for the first time, and she is very nervous about it. The Shalador people have had the worst of it all, and they really need her the most. Their whole culture was outlawed by the previous Queens, and they were bound to live on Reservations that kept getting smaller and smaller. But some of their Queens and Priestesses have survived in the deepest secret, and it is not easy for them to trust a new and foreign Queen. So much of the old ways have been forgotten, and Cassidy can show them what to do for the land and its people. How to use the Queens gift to make the crops grow faster and stronger and healthier. But the land is drained, and it almost takes all Cassidy has to offer before someone stops her. Cassidy really likes her time in Shalador, but the Court has to return to Grayhaven Mansion again. And there a really nasty surprise awaits Cassie.
Her old nemesis, Queen Kermilla has arrived, trying to get some money out of Cassidy. Kermilla is the Queen her whole old court left her for, and it appears as if they are regretting their choice. Kermilla is not fit to be a Queen, she is a spendthrift and totally selfish. And now she wants what Cassidy has, again. Cassidy sends her back home, and banishes her from her country, but Theran interferes with her decision by inviting Kermilla to stay as his personal guest.

It doesn’t take long for Cassidy to want to run, she can’t bear to live with Kermilla in the same house again, and see her use her flirting ways on her Court. So when Ranon finds out she is ready to leave them, he takes her home to the Shalador preserve again. And there they set up Court, without Theran who is as happy as can be with the woman he considers a true Queen. But he is blind to her true nature, and only sees her beauty. In the end, he will have to make a very hard choice.
Not only the Court joins Cassie in Shalador, some of the landen families she met want to join them as well. Theran wants to set up Lady Kermilla as the new Queen of Dena Nehele, and they really do not want to live under her reign. She is already abusing her power as a Queen, shoplifting and threatening people.

Cassie even asks Daemon to help with opening some shops in the small village that is her new home, and he agrees, and even loans her an amazing amount of money to use to rebuild her country and Court. The people start trusting Cassidy, and she even has a young Shalador Queen serving as her apprentice. And when she brings back their culture, embraces it, the Shalador people start to love her.

But her first probational year of being the Queen of Dena Nehele is almost over, and they all know that Theran will break her Court. They need to find a solution, and fast. Or there will be a civil war …


I really loved watching them rebuild the village; make a community, a home. Gray has come into his own, and when he is finally healed enough to be Cassie’s lover, wow, that was such a great scene. I enjoyed all the new Scelties as well, and how they guard the village against all villains.
Theran got what he so richly deserves, stupid blind man, and I hope he learns his lesson. But he will never be a part of Cassidy’s Court again.
Cassie is such a great character, down to earth and with a big heart. She is an outstanding Queen, and she reunites her people. I loved the building of the trust between them, and all the new developments. And of course the new Scelties, and how they charge people money to do their work.

So many great characters, such a vivid world building, I really wish I could go visit them, meet them all, and of course be a Dark Jeweled Lady myself.

10 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian