Review: Blade to the Keep is a Joyfully Recommended Title
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 14, 2014
Rowan Summerwaite has many hats, being a vessel for a Goddess, a protector of humans with the Hunter Corporation and now their liaison, and being thought of as the child of the vampire known as The First and the leader of the Vampire Nation.  Not to mention that her lover is the vampire Scion of the area she hunts in, Clive Stewart.  Rowan is about to begin her most important assignment and she will have to thread the tightest needle ever in order to get a new treaty through the Joint Tribunal.With the meeting taking place at her foster father The First’s home, Rowan arrives and immediately has to find her balance as the liaison of The Hunter Corporation to the Joint Tribunal and being the accepted daughter of the most powerful vampire.  Not everyone is happy about this treaty that Rowan knows is very important to the continued peace between humans and vampires.  In one way it helps that Rowan is surrounded by those she grew up with and by Clive now that he has arrived, and in another it puts just a bigger target on Rowan’s back when it appears that something or someone is trying to affect the final vote of the Tribunal.  Danger is Rowan’s calling card and not even the Goddess is going to be able to help her when Rowan is challenged and must fight to defend her position.  It also isn’t a help that not everyone in The Hunter Corporation is backing Rowan and are even actively trying to undermine her.However, it seems that everyone but those the closest to Rowan has once again underestimated her determination and just how fierce she is and can fight.  When it is discovered that even worse undercurrents are going on, Rowan must fight while at her worst. It will take the combined help of The First, Clive, the Goddess and others who love Rowan to save her and make sure she will fight another day.  But will they be strong and fast enough to really save Rowan?The single woman who has a foot in both the human and vampire camps will have to put everything on the line, her life and all that she loves, in order to survive a joint meeting in Blade to Keep.  I knew that Rowan would have her hands full acting as the liaison at the Joint Tribunal meeting after reading about her last meeting with the Hunter Corporation and that feeling just became strong as they reached the meeting site.  I was already waiting to hate The First because of how he treated the younger Rowan, yet by the end of the book I had to semi like him after his determination to save Rowan’s life.  I have loved Clive since I first met him and his unending support and love for Rowan strengthened that.  The fight where Rowan almost loses everything showed me just how fierce she really was and also proved just who was behind her and who wasn’t.  I also learned a lot about the Goddess who lives within Rowan.  I am now waiting, only semi-patiently, for the next chapter in Rowan and Clive’s world because I know that fur is going to fly and Rowan will show one nasty vampire just what happens when you go after the wrong person.  Blade to Keep is packed full of suspense, hot passion and deadly danger that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you turn each page to find the next riddle or answer.  I know it did me and for these reasons and a whole lot I can’t say here, I am Joyfully Recommending this book as a must read and a keeper series.  If you haven’t read the first book, Goddess with a Blade, I suggest you do that first or you might have questions on who is who and how Rowan and Clive came together.This book was reviewed by Jo for Joyfully Reviewed (JR), and was provided by the publisher/author at no cost to JR for the purpose of being reviewed.