Moonwitched

Guardians of the Light #7

by Renee Wildes

He was bred for war. Her magic is only for peace. Together they must fight for love. Guardians of Light, Book 7 Weapons stolen, comrades dead, ship burned and sunk, Valkyn is rotting in Lord Zurvan's grim dungeon, wondering if he will ever again see his sons. Rescue comes from an unexpected source-the human witch Zurvan sent to patch him up between beatings. Mari can't bring herself to let Valkyn die, never mind that the fearsome northern riever is the scourge of her homeland. Yet in him she finds an ally who could help restore the rightful boy king to the throne. And a man who reminds her body there's life after widowhood. Their first kiss unleashes pent-up passion she thought was long buried, clouding all the reasons they shouldn't get involved. But the blood on Valkyn's hands is anathema to Mari's magic. If she dares open herself to him fully, he could destroy her. Valkyn knows his heart has already surrendered to hers. When this quest is over, the real quest will be convincing her that polar opposites not only attract, they belong together-forever. Warning: Contains a witch who abhors violence teaming up with a war-hardened riever who has never known peace. Complicated by a savage warlord, a boy king in hiding, an embittered selkie prince who's lost his skin, and hot love scenes that show a lot of it.

266 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2015

About the author

Renee Wildes is an award-winning WI writer. She grew up reading fantasy authors Terry Brooks and Mercedes Lackey and is a huge Joseph Campbell fan, so the minute she discovered romance novels it became inevitable that she would combine it all and write fantasy romance. Renee is a history buff, from ancient Greece (esp. Sparta)through Dark Ages (esp. Celt & Viking) to medieval times.

As a Navy brat and a cop’s kid, she gravitated to protector/guardian heroes and heroines. She’s had horses her whole life, so became the only vet tech in a family of nurses. It all comes together in her sci fi, paranormal & fantasy romance books for Champagne Book Group – fantasy, action, romance, heroics and lots of critters!

Reviews

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s the scourge of her homeland, but in Valkyn Mari finds an ally who can help restore the rightful boy king to the throne and a man who reminds her there’s life after widowhood in this thrilling fantasy romance.

Valkyn was bred for war and Mari uses her magic only for healing and the reader can’t help but get drawn into the story as they come together to fight for love. Despite their differences there is no denying the heat that flows from Mari and Valkyn’s attraction and the sex scenes are steamy but their cultural differences makes a pretty big obstacle to their relationship. The characters are strong, captivating and determined to take readers along on their adventure to save a kingdom while the steady to fast paced, smooth flowing plot keeps anticipations high with lots of suspense, action, romance and magic.

Excitement and expectation builds throughout the story as the evil spreads and the atrocities committed by the usurper horrify and cause Mari to endanger her life to heal them and of course the escalating danger of fighting to put the boy king back on his throne. Well written scenes and details paint vivid images bringing the story to life and the suspense draws readers in and refuses to let go while the complex plot, interactions with a goddess and some unexpected twists spice things up.

The author has created a fascinating alternate world fantasy with some traditional elements as well as unique elements that blend together to keep things interesting. The story and the intriguing characters had me enthralled from the beginning and I am looking forward to more adventures in the Guardian of Light world but I do have to tell you that reading the series in sequence may be the best way to go as this is the first one I have read and I believe I missed out on some important world building.