Annora thought the worst that could happen was behind her…until it’s discovered that her blood carries the cure to death. Now people will go to any extreme to get their hands on her. Instead of escaping her past, she ends up dragging her guys into hell with her. When one of her men is taken, her world comes crashing down. Her psychic connection to him is the only thing keeping him alive—barely. To get him back, she must turn herself over to the enemy, knowing she would be facing a lifetime of slavery. Determined not to go down without a fight, Annora and her men train for the coming war, taking risks that could cost them everything. She must embrace her phantom heritage if she is to have any hope of keeping her mates safe. The only problem…other phantoms would rather kill her than allow the secrets of their magic to become exposed.

MY THOUGHTS

A lot goes on in this book and the overall tone is pretty sad due to Logan’s status. We basically face every bad guy possible, piss some extra people off, and let’s not forget all the emotional turmoil not even directly related to the confrontations.

About the Characters

Annora has a steel backbone and is bravely determined to protect her mates. Edgar is sweet and protective, but also very unsure of how to handle Annora outside of training or trying to protect her. Camden has led a sad, lonely life and it’s endearing watching him care for Annora. Mason is an adorable giant and probably the sweetest of the bunch. Xander is a lot of things – sexy, stoic, teasing, protective – but he’s also the one that can probably relate to Annora the most given his own childhood. Logan is so strong – he has to be to survive what he does – and he’s not as broken as he thought himself.

Things I Liked

We meet (re-meet?) Prem who is a sweet gift from Edgar. He’s handy and just plain adorable. Annora is a badass and other shifters have noticed. They show her support so she can make sure some people get what they deserve.

Things I Didn’t Like

I didn’t love the witches situation and it honestly confuses me a bit. Other things were a tad confusing as well regarding how something works or the significance of one thing or another. Perhaps the thing that bothered me the most was that Annora wasn’t a virgin. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care, but if nothing else, the psychology doesn’t ring true to me. She was a captive, then on the run, but she had the courage and took the time to go lose her V card? She did honestly sound like everything of an intimate nature was new to her so maybe I misinterpreted something, but again – confusing.

More Thoughts

We meet a couple new someones and get to know someone else a little better. While I love Annora’s new bestie (and her new potential friend), I don’t know how I feel about Sadie, the new phantom in Annora’s life. I’m also not quite sure what to make of the ending, but there should certainly be some fireworks in the next book.

Does it stand alone?

No as it picks up where the last one left off.

Bottom Line

This was an exciting sequel that brings some much needed closure on one chapter of Annora’s life, but also begins a new one with new dangers. I look forward to exploring new cultures and encountering the phantom population.