Sunday, September 24, 2017

Review: Spellbinder (Moonshadow #2)

Spellbinder (Moonshadow #2)

by Thea Harrison 

Blurb:
Kidnapped while on tour, musician Sidonie Martel is transported to the mystical land of Avalon. A human without magical ability, she is completely vulnerable to the deadly forces surrounding her.
When she defies her captors and refuses to share her music, an act of violent cruelty leaves her broken, her ability to play silenced, maybe forever. Her only hope is a whisper in the dark, gentle hands that offer healing, and a man who refuses to show her his face yet who offers advice she dare not ignore.
One of the most feared and powerful sorcerers in history, Morgan le Fae serves a Queen he despises, Isabeau of the Light Court. Once a famous bard and an advisor to kings, Morgan has been enslaved to Isabeau for hundreds of years, acting as enforcer and the commander of her deadly Hounds.
Sidonie’s music touches Morgan in places he had abandoned centuries ago, and her fiery spirit resurrects feelings he had believed long dead. For Sidonie, trapped in captivity, passion offers a comfort she cannot resist.
But Isabeau holds Morgan bound in magical chains that only Death can break. And in the court of a cruel, jealous Queen, the only thing that burns hotter than love is revenge…
Themes: Paranormal, Fae, and Magick
Rating: 4.75 stars
Heat Rating:  
Review:
The second story in the Moonshadow series, a spin-off of the Elder Races series by Ms. Harrison, takes us to a dark world and into the dark nature of a character that we took to be a villain but is truly just a man trapped as much as the woman he hopes to free from a prison she does not belong in.  Harrison has always had a  truly deft hand at taking the traditional myths we all know and twisting them just enough to make them her own, and this story set in the Avalon of myth and touching the characters we all know and love from stories of Camelot, is no exception to her skill.  When first we met this Morgan of the Fae, in the first story of this series, we see a villain out to destroy a race of fae that is opposing his mistress,  Isabeau of the light fae, and there is no way we will ever come to see him as the hero.  But as always Thea challenges us to look deeper and find the motivation and understanding of a character's actions. Morgan has found a way to escape Isabeau for a little while and he travels to the mortal realm, losing himself in the pleasures of our world which are more often than not denied him, and slowly we come to understand that he isn’t a villain so much as a weapon that has been forced into the service of a bigoted and sociopathic ruler.  When Morgan comes across the beautiful musician Sidonie on his short release, he is instantly drawn not just to her music but also to the light that shines through her very skin and warms him.  But as always the spies that surround him set out to destroy his chance at happiness and steal Sidonie from her world and attempt to smother that light for all time.  Sidonie has no map to navigating this new and terrifying world of magic and sadistic rulers, but she is on the very brink of losing her soul when a voice whispers to her and brings her back.  But can two prisoners find a way to escape a world full of political intrigue and sedition in order to be together?  Morgan turns out to be one of my favorite characters in this series once he finally comes to understand his true worth and purpose in the world.  The love he showers on Sidonie and the way he overcomes his own fears and trauma in order to keep her safe and sane shows him for the true hero that always was beneath the years of defeat and service to an evil and hateful bitch. Sidonie might not understand the world she finds herself in, but she understands the way her heart continuously reaches for that hand in the dark and the way her gut tells her that she can trust Morgan when she finally comes face to face with him.  I LOVED this story and might just reread it now that I am reliving everything writing this review.  Morgan and Sidonie were one of my favorite couples from Ms. Harrison’s stories, and I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the coming stories in this series.  The passion and draw that these two share is one for the history books and perfect for the legendary magician of a world long lost to the mists of time.  If you are looking for a light and fluffy love story, Spellbinder isn’t for you, but if you want a story about the true healing and freeing power of love between two individuals seemingly trapped forever in the dark and their emergence back into the light… you can’t go wrong with this book! Please hurry with the next story Thea!

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

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