Review: A Recommended Read at TwoLips Reviews!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 8, 2013
In the year 3478, the Burning War has left Earth - or Terra as it's now known - a devastated, backward world that's lost three-quarters of its population to not only war, but to tsunamis, earthquakes, and a plague that would have entirely wiped out humanity had the Triune Goddess Morrigunia not interceded. Floods and earthquakes have reduced the size of what used to be the United States by half. The people exist now in a futuristic "old west" in which the large cities and their machinery of old lie in ruin. In what had been the vast Midwest, the Southwest, and Southeast, the land has been divided into territories ruled by the High Council of Shadowlords -- three powerful psychics from far beyond the Terran galaxy. Rogue reapers called Balgairs have been turned loose by the alien Ceannus to destroy the humans of Terra. To eradicate them before this happens, the High Council has brought in seven of Morrigunia's Reapers.Reapers are forces to be reckoned with. Tall, black-haired, and inordinately handsome and well-built, these men each possess a symbiotic worm that gives them the strength of 10 normal men. Neither vampire nor werewolf, but a combination of both, they can shapeshift into both a wolf and a bird. Their senses are enhanced, and they have powers to mesmerize and do all manner of magical things. Tough, unsympathetic killers, they'll melt your heart with the loneliness and despair they hide from the world but cannot hide from the women destined to be their mates. Ultimately, they are the final word of law in the Territories, and nothing is more important to them than the protection of their people. Yet the people they've dedicated their lives to protecting fear these solitary blood-drinking Reapers nearly as much as they fear the blood-thirsty Rogues.As a result of the torture and maiming he endured during his last mission, Reaper Owen Tohre has taken a leave of absence from his duties. But he isn't coming to terms like he'd hoped with the man he is now, one that may not be able to function sexually as a man ever again. To deal with his nightmares and inability to sleep, he's abusing Tenerse, the powerful drug all Reapers must take daily to keep from transitioning out of cycle into their wolf form. As a result of his drug abuse, Owen is blacking out and hallucinating. And he's too weak to saddle his own horse.Delirious, he finds himself riding near the international border between the Wismin Territory of Serenia and the Manontaque Province of the Northmen Cadre when he hears a young boy yelling for help. It's second nature for Owen to respond, but after pulling the child from a lake, he goes into seizures so violent he nearly dies. When he awakens in a strange place inhabited by a strict Communalist Colony of stern, abusive men and their subservient women, he finds himself acting rude and sexually aggressive with his lovely violet-eyed nurse - altogether out of character for the well-mannered Owen.Rachel Lawrence has never met a man like the Reaper, a man who speaks frankly of his sexual desire for her. Ashamed of the fact, she realizes she wants him too. Against the backdrop of evil Drochtáirs killing the Colony's people and then raising them from the dead to terrorize the living, the news of what Owen and Rachel have done together in the seclusion of his sick room reaches the ears of High Elder Chamberlain. Behind Owen's back, Rachel is punished and cast out of the Colony...literally dead to them all. What the elders don't count on is Owen's love for Rachel, his mate, and his determination to save her. Unfortunately, what he must barter away to save her life will plague the couple for all their time together.Of all Charlotte Boyett-Compo's Reaper series, the exciting and emotionally stirring WesternWind series is one of my top two favorites. The combination of the futuristic flavor mixed with old west (gunslingers dressed all in black with laser whips and six-shooters) and paranormal (vampire, werewolf) elements truly makes for fascinating tales. Tears of the Reaper, book four in the series, is my absolute series favorite, with book one, WyndRiver Sinner coming in a close second. Though all the books in the series have a dark fantasy flavor, Tears of the Reaper has a number of disturbing scenes of violence against Rachel that tear the heart out and will make you mad as hell, so be prepared. As always, the sex scenes are sensual, creating a loving connection between Rachel and Owen. The secondary characters, most having been seen in the previous three books, are as three-dimensional as ever.This book also displays Ms. Boyett-Compo's unique ability to present both the strengths and weaknesses of her characters. Everyone who's read the series know what awful thing happened to Owen in book 3, Prime Reaper. As a result, he's experiencing what we know as PTSD. He's in considerable emotional pain and finding his memories of his torture too difficult to live with without the numbing aid of more and more Tenerse, until he finds himself suffering the effects of Tenerse poisoning. His story is harrowing and poignant, and even as he recovers from his poisoning, life continues to hand him one emotionally painful consequence after another. But through it all, he finds a love so strong, it makes the pain and what he has to give up to save Rachel bearable and worthwhile.Although this book can stand alone, I highly recommend reading this series in order. As each Reaper's character building continues from book to book, much of Owen's back story can be found in Prime Reaper. Likewise, much of Ms. Boyett-Compo's underlying world building is better understood as she builds upon it throughout her highly imaginative story arc. -- This review belongs in its entirety to TwoLips Reviews.