Review: on to book 3!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2013
Book 2 had a much more paranormal feel than book 1, A Hint of Frost.  Kokyangwmana (called Mana for short) is a spiritwalker, a healer, and a shaman of sorts.  Vaughn is a warrior, fighter and next in line to be Paladin of his clan.  They grew up knowing each other and Mana came to think of Vaughn as one to be watched and weary of.  She is blind to their connection and plays off Vaughn's flirting as lighthearted.  Vaughn, brother to Rhys, escorts Mana back home after she saves Rhys' life.  They are captured, and after that it is an action packed story that I won't ruin with a synopsis.  There's a plague, conspiracy, secret binding, betrayed husbands, murdered lovers, and even a wild canis housing the soul of a man who refuses to pass to the other side.The clans are humanoid fae with spider-like attributes who live in a world divided between the two seasons, summer and winter, by a magical curtain and ruled by the two gods. Each clan has a different venom, some strong, some weak, some that bind and bring pleasure and some that can kill. They can all spin silky threads, but it comes easier to some. Some are war-like and some are peaceful farmers or weavers. They all must work together to survive and yet are very distrustful of each other. The setting was rich and well staged fantasy.I was so happy that this book centered around Vaughn as he was a favorite character from book 1.  He did not dissappoint as a leading man.  The romance rose naturally between two people who've known each other their whole lives.  The sexual tension was thick, the end satisfying.  Hailey Edwards weaves a good yarn, or should I say web, and the result is a 5 star read.Half of the Araneaeans believe in soul-mates.  Mana is in this half and so even while she grows to love Vaughn and wants him desperately, she won't ruin herself through sexual relations with any other than her soul-mate.  There is only one sex scene at the end and while it is sizzling, it is such a small part of the book that I would give it a 2 flame rating.I received a copy in exchange for this honest review.