Imitate the Dawn

Whitethorn Agency #3

by M.A. Grant

There's a thin line between love, hate, life and death in this vampire bodyguard paranormal romance from M.A. Grant, author of The Prince of Air and Darkness.

Cristian Slava and Atlas Kincaid despise each other. At least, that’s what they need everyone to believe. In truth, the charismatic vampire and his fierce bodyguard are more in love than ever. But when a powerful political faction emerges and threatens Cristian’s family, the only way into their enemy’s inner circle is without each other by their side.

From Romania to New York and beyond, though apart, their blood-bond cannot be severed—but it can be used against them. When Cristian sacrifices his life to save his family and save Atlas from having his darkest secrets revealed, only faith in that bond will keep Atlas from utter despair.

And only by facing his past will Atlas be able to accept who he is and finally defeat their most powerful enemy yet… 

Death itself. 



Whitethorn Agency
Book 1: Rare Vigilance
Book 2: Crooked Shadows
Book 3: Imitate the Dawn

The Darkest Court
Book 1: Prince of Air and Darkness
Book 2: The Marked Prince
Book 3: The Iron Crown

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, M M Romance, LGBT, Audiobook, Fantasy

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2022

About the author

M.A. Grant fell in love with the romance genre while working at an independent bookstore. She spent a decade in the rugged beauty of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula before moving to the mountains of Eastern Washington. When she’s not calling out to passing ravens or making a cup of tea, she’s writing dark and moving stories.

She is represented by Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency.

Reviews

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been dying to read this one and NetGalley, blessedly, approved my ARC request and I really enjoyed it. 😁

This final installment of Blake's vampire series was action packed from the get go, with very little down time for Christian and Atlas, so there were zero worries about the pacing being too slow to hold my interest.

[My interpretation of Christian]



As the story began, the guys had just returned from Romania and were being actively pursued by the vampire council, but Christian and Atlas couldn't allow themselves to be captured, as they still had to prove the Wharram's involvement in creating the strigoi and save Christian's dad from being put to death.

[My interpretation of Atlas]



The vampire council was basically a Gigantic Bag of Dicks™, who tended to kill defendants before fully investigating their possible involvement in crimes, so I was really thrilled to see that, as the story progressed, some members of the council finally began to believe Christian and Atlas' claims that the Wharrams and and Helias were the true guilty parties.

But by far, the final section of the book was my favorite, as the back-to-back battles were pretty insane, and the motherfuckers who *needed* to get some serious comeuppance finally got that shit, in spades.

I found the entire series both compelling and exciting and this last book was great at wrapping up all of the plot points in a very fulfilling way.

I'd rate this story at around 4.25 stars and recommend the series to any fans of vampires, without going all "Twilighty". 😏

-----------------------------------------------

My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.

See All My Latest Reads (Review Quick-Links)

-----------------------------------------------

[M.A. Grant]

CONTENT WARNING:

Imitate the Dawn contains descriptions of PTSD, anxiety, violence, blood, kidnapping, intense bodily harm, and death.

[Gustaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books just gets better and better.

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, just OMG!

This did not go where I was expecting it to and bravo to M.A. Grant for completely blindsiding me to how she was going to draw Atlas and Cristian's story to a close.

There is so much tension in this book that from the off the adrenaline is racing, heart pounding and head rapidly trying to work out just what is going to happen next. The gang is on the defensive from the off following that MAJOR cliffhanger at the end of book two.

And, I mean, I'm still reeling from that revelation so I was desperate to see just how Cristian was going to deal with a betrayal of such magnitude.

You'll get zero plot spoilers from me in this review because it'd would utterly ruin the effect of what happens in this story (obvious right?!) but let me just say that I never saw it coming, ever, never in a million years.

But it's such a flipping brilliant way to conclude what's been a quite outstanding paranormal series from an author who is a must-buy for me.

All the necessary people get their just deserts and our beautiful pairing are solid as a rock as the narrative draws to a close. I know this series is technically over now, but I have to say, I would die for more books from this world.

#ARC kindly received from the publishers Carina Press via NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high paced excellent finish to the trilogy! This book picks up right where the second left off, and we continue into the relentless tension and reveals of this story right to the end.

It was fun to see all the pieces from the first and second books tied together in this one, with even more bonus conspiracy and reveals.

As always, the action scenes are impeccable - high tension, easy to follow but still high stakes as well. Plus, I really appreciated the carefully done overlap in some of them, I'm not sure I've seen that before (but I have definitely wanted to read it that way before!) so that was very neat.

Some small criticisms -

As I've said before, this book has a tendency to gloss over details which makes me feel like I've missed a page or something at times. More explanation and some low level exposition in internal thoughts would smooth this out, and help guide the reader through. I had trouble remembering all of the people and places that had come from the first book, but I eventually got there.

The romance never felt quite as deep as it was indicated - I just....never quite felt that depth. It was a nice relationship and I liked their chemistry, but all consuming romance I did not quite feel.

The (major spoilers!!) blood bond was unexpected, but also ended up making sense. The depth I didn't feel for the romance made it hard for me to buy that they could form this incredibly rare bond (yeah yeah romance novel I wasn't that surprised when they managed it lol) but it was used well for the plot so whatever. I did like the turn about of it being erased at the end, since neither are vampires anymore. Presumably it takes at least one entire vampire to form a bond, and two maybe sort of not quite vampire don't count. Or his vampireness was burned away and that's why the bond broke. Whatever mechanism, I liked that they were able to form it (romance novel expectations!! i'm here for it) and also that it reasonably was removed as well. But now they can be even more together with sunlight, seems a fair trade.

Overall, this was a fitting finish to a very enjoyable paranormal mystery series! The romance was sweet and I enjoyed seeing the leads work together. I did find the ending creative and unique, which I liked a lot. A very fun vampire series!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.



Read more reviews on my blog: 
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/

[Aricka Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cristian Slava and Atlas Kincaid you were two great boys and I enjoyed our adventures. I cant believe it ends there. From the ending of the book this world and series could possibly be expanded upon, but I doubt that will happen. The final instalment (for now) in this trilogy (for now?) was a rather action packed experience. It started and it just kept going and going until the epilogue. There wasnt many big twists and turns, nothing that made you gasp allowed but it keeps your attention and makes you hope for a HEA for the two love birds. I enjoyed it a lot, and found the ending rather satisfactory. I only give it 4 stars because once again, even though the romance has developed throughout the three books, I personally wanted more. I also am in the mood to cry, and I almost did but it didnt really get me there and thus Im being biased at the moment. I mean 4 stars is great, its not my favorite book or series ever but its a fucking good time. I do recommend it.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh......kind of convoluted plot. I just never warmed to this series they way I did this author's fae series. Not bad but not anything I'll ever read again.

[Santy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has been a wild ride over the course of the last two books with twists, turns, danger and betrayal everywhere one looked. You never knew which character to trust and which one was waiting to stick a knife in our MCS backs (literally). I absolutely loved both books.

So, to say I'd been anticipating this final instalment would've been the understatement of the year. Also, with the way the previous book ended? I was on pins and needles waiting on this.

Like is her style, M.A. Grant didn't dilly dally and went straight into the action. We discover who the conspirators were within Decebal's household and how the plot unfolded was nothing short of epic. Epic.

The pacing was blistering fast with events happening back to back and our heroes racing against time to right wrongs and vindicate the framed.

I could not put this book down once I began because of the sheer intensity of everything going on. I loved every single thing (writing, characters, pacing, romance, paranormal elements, plots & schemes etc) about this book and ended it wishing I could give it more than 5-stars for its brilliance.

If you want to see PNR done right, read this series. I HIGHLY recommend it.

[Janet (iamltr) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest and say that I did not read the first books in this series, but I was not lost at all. There was enough info that I got what was happening even if I didn't know who all the players were. That said, I really enjoyed this one.

Spoilers ahead, matey

In this one we have Cris, a vampire and Atlas the mostly human that loves him. Apparently in the previous books they went through all the new relationship angst, so in here were have an already established couple that tried to pretend they really were not together.

This book was full of fighting. The fighting to survive of course, but also all the fighting to either usurp the leaders or to keep the leaders of the vampire council. Poor Cris and Atlas basically were hurt because of all this but it really didn't have anything to do with them exactly. Its an overarching storyline from the previous books, which was resolved here.

I really loved the blood bond, which if you read paranormal romance, you know is that bond with your fated where you can feel/communicate/etc with your bondmate. What happened at the end, while understandable, really hurt me. I hated that the thing that was so lovely was taken away.

I would guess that there will be future spin off series based off this ending and the fact that the business is still going when all this is said and done.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this a B+ at AAR, so 4.5 stars.

The action in Imitate the Dawn, book three in M.A. Grant’s Whitethorn Security series, moves from Romania back to the US, where Atlas Kincaid and Cristian Slava need to move fast to counter the threat to their home and to save the life of Cristian’s father, who has been arrested and is being investigated by the Vampire Council. Because the trilogy is, in effect, one story divided into three, it’s essential to have read the previous books in the series before starting this one. It also means there are spoilers in this review.

In book two, Crooked Shadows, Atlas and Cristian fled to Romania following a devastating strigoi attack at the family home in upstate New York, intent on finding out who is creating and controlling the gruesome creatures. In Romania, a bloody coup deposes the ruling vampire family – allies to Decebal Vladislavic (Cristian’s father) – and the he is now suspected by the Council of being responsible for the creation of the strigoi and the attacks which led to the coup. Christian and Atlas are sure that their arch-enemies, the Wharrams (Cristian’s late mother’s family) are involved somehow, and will have to race against time to prove Decebal’s innocence and prevent the Wharrams taking over the Council.

The romance between Atlas and Cristian developed into a lasting bond which has survived everything that has been thrown at them, including betrayal, lies and physical danger, and they’re stronger together than ever. Atlas realises the strigoi were responsible for the attack on his unit years ago from which he emerged as the sole survivor, and as the story progresses, begins to suspect the truth of what happened to him. At the end of a fast-paced and action-packed story where there was peril on all sides and Atlas and Cristian were not always sure who to trust, they were were blindsided by the discovery of a truly terrible betrayal by someone who had been part of Decebal’s inner circle and whom Cristian had regarded as a good friend.

When Imitate the Dawn opens, Cristian, Atlas and their friends Daria and Radu have survived another attack by the strigoi and learned of the overthrow and murder of the territory’s ruling family. Moves are being made to close the borders, so they have to get out quickly – but before they can leave, they’re contacted by the council’s lead investigator who informs them of Decebal’s arrest and of the accusations being made against him, intending to take them in, too. It’s only when, during the ensuing fight, she gets a taste of Cristian’s blood that she can see the truth and realises that she was an unwitting instrument in the council’s machinations and offers to help Cristian and Atlas to prove that the Wharrams are working against the council and everyone on it.

Once back in the US, Atlas and Cristian have to come up with a plan to locate and destroy any remaining strigoi nests before the creatures can be used against them, and find a way to save Decebal. Their one advantage is that Helias Casimir doesn’t know that they know he’s the traitor and what he’s been doing – and they decide the first step is to return to the house to see where things stand. Knowing Helias will be suspicious, Atlas and Cristian are going to act as though they’re at each other’s throats in order to distract him and prevent him questioning their motives for returning; he’ll want to separate Cristian and Atlas and the fact they’re fighting will give him the opportunity to do it. Neither of them is happy with the idea – Cristian especially, knowing he’s going to have to be hurtful and cruel if he’s going to be at all convincing – but Atlas reassures him, reminding how much of a pain in the arse Cristian was when they first met, and how he wasn’t able to run him off despite it. The deception works. Helias moves quickly to get Atlas out of the way and to enact his plan to dispose of Cristian; Atlas and Cristian have already agreed on what’s going to happen next, and they know pretending not to suspect Helias is incredibly risky, but it’s their only chance to find out what he is really up to.

I’ve really enjoyed the tight plotting, the worldbuilding and the vividly written action scenes in this series. Once again, the author does a great job of keeping the forward momemtum going, ramping up the tension as we barrel towards a nail-biting climax that pits our heroes against family, against the Council, and into a final showdown with the strigoi. The love story has been excellent, too, as Atlas and Cristian’s chemistry-laden slow-burn romance moves from wariness and distrust to understanding, affection and love, so that by the beginning of Imitate the Dawn, they’re a solid couple, secure in their relationship and have each other’s backs without question. But because the focus of this story is on saving Decebal and preventing mass murder by the strigoi, their romance is perhaps less prominent – although their love for each other permeates the novel. The bond they already share is strengthened here, so even when they’re physically distant they’re never really apart, and there are some moments towards the end in the aftermath of the battle which really tug at the heartstrings.

The biggest problem I had with this book is that I found it difficult to get into because it’s been nine months or so since I read Crooked Shadows. As I said earlier, the series is essentially one story broken up into three parts, which makes it essential to be able to recall a lot of detail about the other instalments – and I struggled for the first three or four chapters. I accept (to an extent) that’s on me – I don’t typically have time to re-read previous books in series – but it also shows there’s a danger when you’re essentially splitting up one story into smaller parts, of your audience losing track.

In the end, though, once I got into the story I really got into it and found it a hard book to put aside. Imitate the Dawn brings the  Whitethorn Security  to a thrilling close and although I can’t quite push grade  for this one higher than a B+  the entire series has a place on my DIK shelf.

[Agalactiae · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25/5

C'est après la relecture des deux premiers tomes que je me suis lancée dans ma lecture du troisième et dernier tome de la série. J'ai bien fait, car franchement, j'avais oublié pas mal d'éléments du second tome, que j'ai d'ailleurs plus apprécié à ma relecture ^^

Atlas et Cristian doivent repartir de Roumanie et rentrer chez eux, avec de nouvelles pistes quant aux origines des strigoi. Difficile d'en dire plus au niveau de l'intrigue principale à ce stade de l'histoire.

J'ai vraiment aimé ce troisième opus dans lequel la relation entre Atlas et Cristian se consolide bel et bien. Leur amour, leur dévotion l'un envers l'autre ne fait plus aucun doute. J'ai tellement aimé leurs moments... Atlas se dévoile un peu plus, n'a plus peur de montrer sa part un peu plus sombre, un peu plus vulnérable à Cris.
Cristian, lui, est tellement impressionné par Atlas. Ce que ce dernier prend pour une faiblesse, Cris la voit comme une force, et c'est ce que j'ai aimé par dessus tout.
L'auteur nous offre de jolis moments entre ces deux-là. J'aurais juste un petit bémol sur un certain évènement qui "devait" se dérouler entre eux... J'aurais souhaité avoir plus d’introspections, notamment de la part d'Atlas à propos de tout ça, je ne sais pas. Ceci dit, cela amènait à d'autres moments qui m'ont captivés.

C'est un tome sans temps mort, j'ai envie de dire que ça part dans tous les sens, peut-être un peu trop à un moment donné ^^

C'est vraiment une chouette saga dans laquelle l'auteur s'est bien réapproprié le mythe du vampire, en a fait une histoire captivante avec des alliances étonnantes et un univers très intéressant et riche, tout comme ses personnages. Ce troisième tome clôture bien l'intrigue et l'histoire du couple formé par Atlas et Cristian. Ils vont me manquer, c'est certain !

[Ronie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What about little sis? Guess one will only hope. Being that M. A. Grant hasn't written since 2022 publishing dates are correct.

[Rosabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really sad this series it over. We have come such a long way is amazing.

Atlas hated the vampires and now he protects them with his life. Cristian was so insecure and immature, but now he had to take a ton of responsibility when his life gets turned inside out.

And this book is the conclusion of that!

Meeting both of them again was a blast, reading this action packed story, with so much love from the characters was ugh! Everything!! I hated when they were apart, loved when they were together.

Amazing series with VAMPIRES ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 100% Recommend it!

[erraticdemon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another action-packed book and a fitting conclusion. This book picks right up where book 2 left off so definitely read these in order and probably back to back too. The intensity is high the entire time with this one and there are a lot of reveals and characters and callbacks from the previous two books.

The romance between Christian and Atlas seemed to take a step back and then propel really far forward in the space of a few chapters and their relationship could have used some more space to breathe in between the relentless action. And similar to book 2, some things were glossed over a bit too much and needed more explanation in the narrative - particularly what was going on between Christian and Atlas and their scheming.

The ending of the book was very interesting. A fresh take on the vampire lore and I appreciate when books try new things out. And of course the ending between Christian and Atlas was very sweet.

And with this we conclude the Whitethorn Agency trilogy. Overall, I enjoyed the books a lot. They were a nice and gritty take on the vampire genre without being too dramatique. Lots of action, lots of twists and turns, and some romance to top it all off. Solid 4 out of 5 stars for the series.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.


Read this review and more on my blog: https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic ending to the trilogy that was non-stop entertaining.

I still wished there was room for a bit more downtime to just be, between Atlas and Cristian, with at least one more intimate scene. I think it would’ve really nailed the undying love that is portrayed here. I also was so, so unreasonably sad that at the end, the blood-bond broke and stayed that way. Why didn’t they try again? And if they did, why didn’t it work? Is it because neither are technically vampires anymore? I guess that’s okay but I’m still bummed.

Is Atlas still aging?!

Those are my only complaints though and I really enjoyed this! What a fantastic series.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an explosive ending to an amazing series! I also have to mention that I loved the approach that M.A. Grant took to each book in the Whitethorn Agency trilogy. Although I love stories told by multiple POVs, I also understand when readers are only given a glimpse into the mind of one character. Rare Vigilance was told entirely from Atlas’ POV and it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if readers had gotten into Cristian’s head too soon. Cristian got his turn throughout most of Crooked Shadows and in Imitate the Dawn, readers got POVs from both Cristian and Atlas.

Imitate the Dawn took up pretty much where Crooked Shadows left off. They had gained some powerful allies, but their enemies seemed to be lurking everywhere. The hardest thing that Cristian and Atlas had to do was stay away from each other, but it seemed to be the only way to end things once and for all. Even though readers, and Atlas, knew what Cristian had to do to gain the trust of the inner circle of their enemies, it was still heartbreaking – for both of them.

There was little or no down time and this one was almost impossible to put down. I don’t want to give anything away, but more than one character got what they deserved by the end of Imitate the Dawn. The ending was satisfying, but also a bit bitter sweet. I know this is the end of the Whitethorn Agency series, but I’m kind of hoping that we haven’t seen the last of Cristian, Atlas and the rest of the amazing supporting characters readers met along the way. ❤

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Imitate the Dawn. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Iz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5


This was utterly lovely and it had the most satisfying, deliciously sweet, ending I could have hoped for.

It was an absolute joy (and at times, a nail-biting, anxiety-fuled, nightmare) to follow Atlas and Cristian throughout these three books and l'll miss them so damn much.
I'm actually not sure which one of these novels I preferred the best, but "Imitate the Dawn" was fantastic: a mix of bittersweet moments and swoony, dreamy ones too, of action-packed, "oh my god what is happening" scenes and twists and turns, and obviously, Cristian and Atlas's soulmate romance that left me nearly weeping, many many times. I can't believe how much these two have changed throughout these books, and how much their relationship has grown: seeing the trust and affection between them now, the sheer devotion, is something I won't be forgetting soon.

I also won't be forgetting the highly original, riveting vampiric world-building and the thoroughly fabulous side characters that populate this series: I loved them all to absolute bits (as the brilliant, desperate bad guys that finally reveal themselves).

I've always thought that M.A. Grant was a natural storyteller, since the first novel I've read of hers, and this novel is yet another confirmation: her writing here was unbelievably beautiful, poetic and riveting and addictive, and she made some of the most memorable moments of "Imitate the Dawn" (yes, I'm talking about that final chapter *quiet sobbing noises*) feel like a punch to the gut, in the best way possible.

I'll be missing this series, but I'm also very, very excited to see what M.A. Grant has in store for her readers: I'm sure it won't disappoint.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jacqueleen the Reading Queen♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. There has to be a way to review this without giving away spoilers, but it's going to be hard and I'll try to instead of just gushing about how much I love Atlas and Cristian together. After the cliffhanger OMG ending of book 2 I was dying to find out what happened next. A lot happens in the finale of this series. It's very fast paced and there's plenty of action with a touch of steam thrown in. I spent a ton of the book trying to figure out who to trust. I was leery of characters I'd already liked because I worried they were going to betray Cristian and Atlas too. How it all played out in the end I definitely did not see coming, but I can at least give you that our MCs get their HEA. They just have to go through a shitload of crap to get there!

[Clemy-chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a thrilling conclusion to the series! Atlas and Cristian's relationship was tested, they expanded their social circle and they worked amazingly well together. I wish we could have gotten more information on the way the plot resolved, because I felt it was a tad hasty. The narration was impressive throughout the series; I loved the flair of it. All in all, a great series that I would recommend to everyone.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s going to be a fucking nightmare, but you’re going to survive it. That’s what you do. You survive.” - me finishing another M.A. Grant series

Okay, it's only a nightmare when she makes me cry and even then I kinda still love it. Imitate the Dawn is the rollercoaster of a finale to the Whitehorn Agency series. If you somehow have not seen anything about the series, it's a MM bodyguard/vampire political story. There are also kissy scenes. M.A. Grant's speciality is taking these broken souls (in any setting) and letting them find their way to each other while also discovering hope and joy in each other. And I will never stop reading her work.

Maybe, he thought, maybe it isn’t that vampires are so human. Maybe it’s that people like me have decided we’d rather be predators than prey. Maybe we are the dangerous ones now.

Imitate the Dawn picks right back up with story from Crooked Shadows after *that* shocking betrayal.

“When I come back, be prepared for me to hate you.”
Atlas forced himself to not reach back, to not steal one more quiet touch, and tried to smile. “I hate you too, Mr. Slava. And it only grows every day.”
A flush rose to Cristian’s cheeks. “I’ll hate you for an eternity,”he promised, and stalked off.

Forced to make new plans lead to some fake dating hating (NEW TROPE ALERT!) to try and root out the betrayers. And, of course, it's never an easy ride. There's a lot of political stuff happening getting from point A to point B. And then the last half of the book was nonstop action. I was literally sobbing at the ending. I will never think of the sunrise and dawn in the same way again. It truly is the most magical time of day.

Though, I'm still left with some questions unanswered, and I've accepted the fact I can't remember who most of the characters are because of all the Is and Ls, I am still satisfied with the conclusion. Unless we get more stories in this universe one day. Now I can't wait to have John Solo reread the series to me via audiobook.

He’d walked through purgatory each day, caught between the past he’d lost and the future he wasn’t sure he wanted anymore. And then Cristian had slammed into his life and ruined everything by teaching him what true desire was. By urging him in irritating, tempting ways to be selfish. And once he’d given in, crossed that arbitrary line he’d created for himself, it was all over.

Yes, he would take some regrets to his grave. But, for the first time in recent memory, he forgave himself for surviving the attack on his platoon. It had led him here, to these vampires, to Cristian… No, maybe living hadn’t been so bad after all.

***Thank you to the lovely M.A. Grant and Carina Press for me allowing to review this series. The pain was completely worth it.***

[caminie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, I loved it a lot really.

I love how the story unfolds through the books, how the main plot grows and tangles, how the characters grow and show their colors, I think I'd love to read more of everyone else too! I highly recommend it. It's very entertaining to read because you really don't expect how the characters move or at least it happened to me that I imagined, as we all do, where the story was going to go and BOOM nope, it went the other way totally.


SPOILERS: It really has been a long time since I read something with a vampire theme that I will like so much and I am forever in love with Cris and how romantic it is ALL THE TIME. I loved all this a lot about her desire to meet Atlas under the sunlight, I love that part a lot and obviously I marked it to come back later ❤️


THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE AUTHOR ❤️

[Verónica Fleitas Solich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect.
A great conclusion to this trilogy.
It was a pure adrenaline trip.

[Kristel (hungryandhappy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was action packed from beginning to end with very little breathing time when we could just relax, catch a breath, and enjoy some chill time.
I loved this ending and I also loved how it kept me gasping until the very last page. I was caught by surprise by many things and my heart didn't escape unscathed.
The writing as usual was easy to follow and it was very romantic, poetic and heartbreaking. Getting a punch right to the heart with just a sentence is a talent few have. I was grinning and suffering in equal measure. Swooning, too. I also remember being in pain. Fun times. Fun indeed because even in the midst of everything the characters are going through, tgere was still time for them to be themselves and who they are is amazing.
Incredible ending to a great trilogy. I'd love to see more of them, maybe in a short story about them being only happy, safe and in love??? That'd be perfect!

[BeckieLouLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Really great bodyguard story, low fantasy where vampires exist in the current world but that knowledge is kept from the masses. There’s a mystery to solve and personal demons to overcome along with trauma and grief. A very well told story, great writing, great world building and great character development. The MCs growth is significant by the end and the journey, which is fraught with danger, suspense and adventure. Must be read in order, must read all three for the HEA and culmination of the mystery. Each book leads directly into the next and it’s one big conspiracy that unfolds over all three books, follows the same couple.

Lots of action throughout the series, good number of side characters with scenery and location changes to keep things interesting. Spice is mild, the scenes are detailed but few.

HEA, series, m/m, vampire, human, bodyguard, vers.

[c.a. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to this trilogy, and definitely the sort of series I'll pull out when I want to read stories that don't require much of me. I like my thinky-thoughts books, but not all the time.

One of the tings I appreciated about this book in particular was how our MCs don't spend ages and ages in a conflict that could be solved with a single conversation: they have the conversation, come to an understanding, and move forward together. It takes less than a chapter. How refreshing!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a generally satisfying end to the series. Like with the previous book, I did feel like the plot got a little too convoluted, and it felt like the author was trying a little too hard to make things interesting. While the ending wasn't my personal favorite, I appreciate why the author went that direction and it did feel somewhat unique for the genre. I'd definitely be interested in reading more from this author.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job. This was an action packed installment of the Whitehorn Agency series.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Vampires, Male/Male, Paranormal, Gay, Romantic Suspense, Gothic Fiction
Miniseries
Whitethorn Agency (Book #3)

[Chara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm only reviewing the last book of the trilogy because:
1 - I read it like a single book, lol.
2 - I was too tired these past few days to write something about all of them individually.
3 - There's an awfully low number of reviews here, and it doesn't sit right with me, since this series deserves all the attention it can get.

It's been a while since I actually liked a book (series) like this. Because I liked the characters, their connection, the development of their feelings toward their trauma and toward each other. The plot.
I liked the setting (I especially loved Decebal's reign, if I'm allowed to call it that, and how smart he was about it) and the side characters. How Cristian's friends slowly warmed up to Atlas, almost against their will.
I also liked Daria and Radu, and I liked them together. I'm not sure that I would read a book about them in this particular moment of my reading life, but I think they could easily have their own story. Even if it's just a novella about their adjustment after everything that happened.
And the same goes for Bea. She knows a lot about Cristian and about Atlas' big trauma (especially regarding Cristian) and she still learns to love him and accept the others like people, not vampires.

I also liked the fact that the author didn't fill the series with that much sex, just to... lengthen the story, you know. And at the same time it surprised me because, while sporadic, it was very hot, so she wasn't just shying away from it. She was doing things on her own terms, at her own pace. Shocking.
(That scene at the end of the first book? Wow.)

And I'm really weak for the political/diplomatic intrigues, so I've been happily glued to this series for the past week. I like these things so much that I don't even bother to guess who is the jerk, because I don't want the surprise to be taken away from me.
And don't even get me started with the bodyguard thing... or the fake-hate thing.

I'm just. Not giving five stars because I didn't love the writing. I liked it just fine, but it's not something I will particularly remember about this series. So, if I have to find a weak point, that's probably it.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic ending!! For those who have been missing the romance in this series, I personally really felt it here. Even though for a portion of the book Cristian and Atlas have to pretend to hate each other you can still feel the love pouring off the pages. And after that mic drop at the end of the last book, it picks up here with so much action, intrigue, and eventually some non stop battles. Grant made it so I was thinking everyone could end up being an enemy which added a complete level of suspense that made this hard to put down at times. It was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.