Review: Action-packed and intense read with many exciting twists and surprises!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2013
“For so many years she’d had to take care of herself—the only one she’d ever been able to depend on.”—Sadie’s thoughtsAbandoned as a baby, Sadie has spend her entire life—all eighteen years of it—working hard to make something out of herself. She’s almost made it, too; after a few more days, she’ll graduate college, follow a lead to find the nurse who found her, and then start a prestigious new job. She has everything she could ever want. That is, until demons come out to get her and she meets Theo, an amazing being who believes his world revolves around her. As a prophecy unfolds, Sadie has to reconsider what she really wants…“I’m strong enough for us both, love. Let me shoulder this with you…I’m meant to.”—TheoThis was an action-packed and intense read with many exciting twists and surprises! There were so many times where our leads were in mortal danger and being kidnapped by demons that I was amazed they made it through the book alive to get their HEA; some of the other characters though…not so lucky! To get to their HEA, Sadie and Theo have to go through ALOT! Not only do they have to deal with those deadly enemies and near misses, they have to deal with the mystery of Sadie’s birth parents and her initial reluctance to be in Theo’s world.I loved the characters in the book! Sadie and Theo are great, strong leads, and the secondary characters are fun and a fantastic support system for these two. In their world, Gatekeepers—created by The Great One—protect the world from demons by guarding the gates to Hades. They are powerful, but not as powerful as when they find their mate, who literally completes them. Guess who Theo and Sadie happen to be? I love that Theo is so devoted to her and sensitive to her needs as she deals with the sudden craziness in her life! And Sadie, who just had the biggest surprise in her life, is such a perfect match for Theo by being strong, determined, and willing to fight for what she wants!The characterization throughout the book was great, and I felt like I knew Sadie and Theo by the end of the book—although Theo’s pretty easy to figure out since he has two main things on his mind: 1) guard the gates and 2) all things Sadie. Sadie on the other hand had to deal with serious abandonment issues and who better to fix that then a mate who unconditionally loves you? Reading Sadie warm up to Theo was such a wonderful read, and I’m glad she wasn’t the type of person to dig her heels in the ground and stubbornly resist the unexpected.The mythology in the story is well thought out, and I love the Gatekeeper’s role in earth and the complex relationship with mates and companions. The demons were interesting as enemies, but at the start I was a bit confused at how to destroy demons, whether it was banishing to Hades or banishing period. It cleared up a bit throughout the novel, but that confusion hung over my head while reading in the early parts of the story. The main villain was great, and I was pleasantly surprised by his ambitious end game!I found it really interesting that purity was stressed in the book. Both our leads are virgins when they meet, which apparently made Theo stronger as a Gatekeeper (and considering he’s 911 *years* old, at least he has that consolation prize). Even though they’re mates and eternally tied together, Sadie still wants a wedding before they seal the deal (fade to black and low-med heat although lots of tension in the first part of the novel—I mean, poor Theo! He’s been waiting for her for—and I repeat—911 years!)!Overall, I really liked this novel and would recommend it to paranormal romance lovers who enjoy reading about strong heroines and alpha males who cherish and adore them! This is a 4.5 out of 5 for me!(Originally posted on my blog; I received a NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)