4.5 stars
I started to read Heather's books through the Big Bad Wolf series and really enjoyed them all - from there I progressed to this series and again, she didn't let me down. I don't love them 'quite' as much as the Big Bad Wolf books, but it's a close thing!
I'd been looking forward to this one in particular. The whole idea of a previous 'baddie' having a shot at redemption through finding his soulmate (his Warlock Queen in this case) had me hooked. The fact that said future Queen was on the run from him just added to the appeal!
As usual, the author provided her readers with a wild adventure and some amazing descriptions that vividly brought the characters and scene-setting into focus.
I also loved the seemingly innocent observations that came from her characters. They regularly made me smile and gave depth to them (and maybe a hint about the author's own feelings?) My personal favourite: 'A Shelby was rarely treated with such a lack of care. It was too loved by its owner and too expensive to be purchased by twenty-year-old speed demons suffering from hormonal overfeed and a tragic lack of common sense.' Hmm, so maybe that shows a love for speed machines and a frustration with boy racers?
And that's what I like about this author's work - the layers and little details that keep the reader entertained with figuring out what's happening 'below' the surface of the story.
So why a 4.5stars and not a 5star? Well... I just felt there should have been more about the relationship and the connection between this King and his Queen. Maybe that's me being too greedy, but there was such a lot going on with the plot, with questions left open for the rest of the series and action scenes that were punchy and exciting, that the growing closeness and romance side of the relationship got a little lost in amongst it all (for me) - this didn't spoil the story, but it left me wanting 'just a bit more' in that regard - I didn't get that feeling from Roman and Evie/Thanatos and Siobhan in the previous two books.
That said, as with the rest of Heather Killough-Walden's stories, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a paranormal romance fan and I'm looking forward to reading the next in series, because I'm definitely hooked!