Review: A strong beginning for an exciting new PNR series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 11, 2013
“I’m the Gatekeeper of Hades.” He bowed his head.  “And you…are my Mate.”Yes, Theo is a Gatekeeper of Hades.  That means that it is his job to monitor the presence of any demons escaping from the underworld so that he can banish them back to hell.  He is strong, wise, and very experienced at what he does.  He has spent 900 years protecting the US with his brother and Companion, Justin, all the while waiting for his Ahavah / mate – the one person that he is destined to be with, who he knows he will love fiercely, and the one who will allow him to come into his full power once he claims her.Almost-18 year old Sadie Newland’s world gets completely knocked out from under her when gorgeously hot Theo enters her life.  Having suddenly gained a strange tattoo on her shoulder a few days ago, which coincided with the appearance of some weird physical symptoms, she knows that something is going on, but she never expected the changes to her body to have anything to do with the mysterious stranger who she can’t stop staring at, and who can’t seem to keep his eyes off her.Recognising Sadie as his mate, Theo is eager to claim her, but she is completely unaware of his world.  So he and Justin start to introduce her into their (and now her) reality, taking things slowly while she comes to understand what it all means, all the while protecting her from a new threat of evil demons who seem determined to get to her.I really like Sadie.  She’s young, but she’s been through a lot in her life and has worked really hard to accomplish all that she has.  She shows amazing strength and bravery upon her introduction to the supernatural world, even though it means that her carefully planned future is in jeopardy.  And although she is understandably nervous of all that is expected of her, she’s determined to face it on her own terms, and not put up with somebody dictating her life to her.It did take me a little longer than I expected, but of course I fell for Theo.  He is a total badass while on the job, and although he has Alpha tendencies, he has a vulnerable side too.  He is shy to introduce himself to Sadie, and is a little unsure around her to begin with.  And despite his immense power, he also has devastating weaknesses and I really liked the way they got explored.Theo is very intense.  His commitment to Sadie has a supernatural foundation, so his love, protectiveness and need for her are all very extreme.  He has waited 900 years for her, and has even kept himself from all other women out of respect for the woman that will be his mate.  I was a bit worried about this to begin with, thinking that I wouldn’t connect with the romance if it was all pre-ordained, and they didn’t fall in love naturally.  And I will admit, it took me a while to become invested in them together, but I liked the way their relationship developed - there is a great respect between them, and their partnership has a strong sense of equality.  And in addition to their strong supernatural bond, I could feel the emotional connection between them as they grew closer, and I did eventually get caught up in all of the swoon.Reese Monroe has created an interesting and unique paranormal world.  The world builds slowly, and is expanded upon throughout the book as more and more is revealed and things become more complex.  It’s a unique story which is full of action, with lots of fighting, cool supernatural powers and an evil bad guy with a fetish for kidnapping adding to the excitement, and the ending had my heart pounding with anticipation.  Theo and Sadie are great together, and I enjoyed watching the bond between them deepen and evolve, as well as the surprises that came with seeing them both embrace their powers.I’m definitely interested to see where the story goes from here.