In the
shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are
the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.
An ancient
nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi
commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The
gods' choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor
couldn't have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal
incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe
he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly
forbidden.
Kira
Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets.
But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into
his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter
how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for
death by their enemies is less tolerable.
She must
trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his
ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm’s length lest he bring destruction down on
them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial
decision—follow the gods' rules or follow their hearts.
Buy links:
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Batman!
Okay, so Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward has nothing to
do with Batman, but none of the other dozen plus reviewers on Amazon has gone
there, and how could they not with a
title like that? What the story IS is a nonstop, action-packed romance full of excitement
and danger at every turn.
Ashor, the hero of this paranormal romance, IS a dark warrior within his own right, but that's where the similarities to comic books
end. Ashor is yummy and tormented, walking a fine gray line between fighting
for the forces of good, always in danger of succumbing to his internal
darkness. He is ancient, an immortal reborn into a new life over and over, but
always doomed to the endless torment of battling the daemons who walk the earth
threatening humanity.
It's funny, because I usually start my reviews by talking
about the heroine, but Ashor Vlahos, the Scimitar Magi commander, defined the
story for me. His tortured nature and
acute loneliness really struck a bull's eye on my soft spot for bad boys. He
kicks ass and takes names, and then broods for a while. Le Sigh. I felt
immediate empathy for him and wanted to keep reading in order to see what would
happen next. He's the sort of guy you
want to kiss and coddle and make better even though you realize
(intellectually) that he's way too tough to need mothering. But that's sorta
exactly the point because he appeals so much to that nurturing instinct.
I have to admit up front—as a rule, I don't like Fated Mate
stories. I want love to be the result of
free will, the product of choice, not something that two people are thrust into
as the result of predetermined destiny. Kira
Hardy, medical doctor and the heroine, is smart and courageous but she struck
me as less remarkable in terms of characterization than Ashor. I think my general impression was that she was
simply too young for him. He needed a woman more his own (ancient) age.
However, so far as fated mates go, Zoe Forward weaves a
remarkable tale and really makes Ashor and Kira work as a couple. The hero and
heroine share plenty of chemistry and the sexual tension sizzles on the page. Kira
provides Ashor with the healing spirit he needs to repair his tattered soul. Their
relationship falls in the vein of star-crossed lovers, because while they are
fated to be together, it is forbidden by the Egyptian gods due to their
respective roles. Ashor is the Prime, the head of the Scimitar Magi, and Kira
is the mystical healer meant to attend to the eight remaining Scimitar Magi—all
men.
I felt the cover doesn't really do the story justice. At a
glance, I wouldn't connect the cover imagery with a paranormal tale deeply
rooted in the Egyptian mythos. Someone needed to fit an ankh in there
somewhere. There is a rune on the cover but it is not immediately recognizable
so it left me feeling a little confused.
Zoe has really created an intricate world with a complicated
mythos constructed upon Egyptian mythology. My familiarity with the mythology is limited
to three sources—Stargate, the TV
show, Anne Rice's The Mummy, and an
old White Wolf supplement called "Mummy".
Initially, I found myself referring to her helpful Glossary of Terms at the back of the book but eventually I got the
hang of it. Likewise, the occasion choice of wording threw me but I recovered
and became engrossed again in the story in short order. The villains are freaky scary and the Big Bad is
a darkly sinister figure.
Dawn of a Dark Knight is an excellent read for anyone
looking for a paranormal romance with plenty of action-adventure and sizzling
hot love scenes.
Sounds HOT! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteLisa,
DeleteYou'll love the Egyptian mythology in it. :)
Looks like a great read. Now you have me singing the Batman song. Dammit.
ReplyDeleteKim,
DeleteThe insidious song started in my head the second I saw the story title. *G*