Book Review: Marked by Hades by Reese Monroe



Marked By Hades by Reese Monroe
Bound By Hades #2
April 14, 2014
Entangled Embrace
380 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance 18+
Contains: Strong language, consensual sex, sexual assault
Source: eARC for Honest review

Book Blurb:

One choice away from eternity…

For 911 years, Gatekeeper companion Justin Bradford has denied the possibility of being mated to only one woman. He enjoys them all too much to settle down. So when he feels his mate’s Ahavah mark surface, his first instinct is to ignore it. But when he sees the leather-clad beauty in need of his help that’s easier said than done…

Yvonne wakes up naked on a cold park bench in a small town with no memory of who—or what—she is. All she knows is the gentle man who woke her was turned to dust when she touched him. And now the strange mark that appeared on her shoulder throbs in the presence of the raven-haired man now offering to help her…

As Justin and Yvonne navigate the mystery of her past, their bond grows, but the secrets they discover and the sacrifices that must be made could be enough to rip them apart for eternity.

My Review:
 
I loved the first book in this series, Forged By Fate (see my review), so I was excited to continue on with the dramatic overall storyline, as well as get into Justin's story. Justin is Theo's brother and Gatekeeper companion. But unlike Theo, Justin has never desired a Mate, and has been content with his purpose as a companion and with 900 years of casual hook-ups. While he is happy Theo finally found the love of his life, he's ignored any call toward that for himself. Besides, Theo and Justin have been busy enough sending demons back to hell. So when he meets Yvonne, a woman with a lethal touch and unknown past, the contentedness of his life is suddenly turned upside-down. But there is nothing simple in this world, and though he may have found something new in Yvonne, there is nothing simple to their bond, and there are evil forces at work that will stop at nothing to keep them apart and work their own nefarious plot to fruition.
 
This was a very exciting read. I was completely drawn into the overall storyline all over again from the first book. Though I've heard of some reading this as a standalone, I would recommend reading the books in this complex series in order. I don't want to give away all the details, because there is a lot of mystery, secrets, and suspense involved. Though there were a few times where the story/plot seemed a bit repetitive, overall I had a hard time putting it down, and felt on edge with how the whole thing would turn out. Some of these scenes were just painful to read, while others were so genuinely sweet. The mix of emotions ran the gamut. But just like the first book, this was a total page-turner.

I must also say that my heart was on edge throughout this book, watching all the things that Justin and Yvonne had to go through. Especially Yvonne! This is certainly a darker read than the first book, and though the details are not overly egregious, there is still sensitive subject matter exposed, and it was difficult to take in. But Yvonne's amazing strength of character, love, sacrifice, and determination shone through immensely. Then there was Justin, who had so much to deal with as well, but in a completely different manner. You could feel the confusion and frustration with his situation, then the sheer desperation when difficulty after difficulty got in the way. I couldn't help but root for them.

Marked By Hades is a very exciting, action-packed story, filled with good and evil, love and fear, purpose and passion, twists and turns, and told through beautiful, complex characters that have stolen my heart. I look forward to the continuation of this series and what will happen next.

4-1/2 STARS

 

BOOK LINKS:

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