This was a very intense edition to the Sanctuary, Texas series. I learned a lot about the House of Lamidae, not all of it very good. There are a few people that I look at quite differently after seeing a more 'anything for the greater good' side to them, willing to sacrifice the feelings of one in a grand attempt to move closer to their goals.

Gretchen was a bit of an enigma. She was different than the rest of the House of Lamidae, and it made her intriguing and a little frustrating at the same time. She wants to break the mold and be something different that the rest of her sisters. She wants to find love. But her search causes all sorts of problems.

This is a bit of a dark story. Not everything ends up ice cream and roses. I lost faith in some characters, and I just completely lost others. I will warn you that the ending isn't as hopeful as ones in the previous books. But the tenacity and determination of the citizens of Sanctuary really shine through.

I really loved this story. Charlie and her boys are going to have to overcome a lot if they are going to be together. Her doubts about them and herself, a pack divided, and a murderous Xerxes with his attention on her. There's a lot going on in this story.

We get plenty of really good romance. Lots of growth in the relationship, which I really love. They are not only facing issues outside of themselves trying to force them apart, but there are some emotional walls that will need to be overcome before they can truly be a fully mated trio. And Charlie - I just adored her!! She was such a geniune character that I totally wish I could be best friends with.

There is also tons of action and we get to see a little of what the folks from Sanctuary are doing in the battle against Xerxes as well. While they may manage to strike a blow against him, there's still a lot more to be done. Great mix of romance with some heart-stopping action for quite the ride.

I think this is my favorite in the series so far!

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Teagan's viewpoint that pain is the only thing that can make her forget isn't a new one. But Kyrstal Shannan did an amazing job of portraying the utter despair she feels when she doesn't get her dose of physical pain to drown out the emotional.

Having sworn off ever finding love or real pleasure again, she is terrified to realize that she may have found a mate - one that isn't interested in hurting her, but is much more interested in healing her. Their introduction is intense but fast (in the reading sense). But the chemistry is impossible to ignore.

I love that this can be a stand-alone. It is a great way for people to give Sanctuary, TX a try. A nice little sip that will get you addicted to the fast paced writing and great characters of Krystal Shannan.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

I can't imagine the pain of knowing you killed the one you loved - but having to live with it for a thousand years??? That's gotta do some damage. Killian is going through the motions. They're good motions, but you can tell there's a hollow place inside.

Enter freak chance and accident - and lo and behold but Eira (the long-dead love) turns up alive - sort of. Both are shocked, they're mad at each other for not looking harder, and they are so beyond happy all at the same time. Part of this was great! The emotion was so real - but it was also a little overly dramatic at times. Eira is very upset with Killian for hiding some things from her, and she seems to just suddenly get over it.

While they are trying to sort all this out, some of Eira's friends are fighting for their lives in the hands of the bad guys. The bad guy is super creepy by the way - well done Krystal Shannan. The whole adventure portion of the story was amazing, and it managed to enhance the romance between Eira and Killian instead of taking away from it. There were a few times that the story seemed to jump around a lot or repeat itself a little though.

This is the first in the series that I've read - I'll be going back for more soon! While there is some background that I can tell I missed, it still holds its own in the romance department as a standalone.