Dark Alpha's Fury (Reaper #16)

Donna Grant

Blurb:

There is no escaping the Reapers—or me. If you succumb to evil, you will be judged. And we will come for you . . .

I've known the torment of being trapped, of battling monsters—both outside and within. But I've also known the peace and completeness of holding the one I was meant for in my arms. Unfortunately, she's not intended for me. I am destined for one thing and one thing only: eradicating the evil that plagues our world. Once I deal with my nemesis, maybe I can finally rest. Even if it means my soul being reaped by the strong, beautiful, and utterly captivating woman who makes my heart beat like no other. But I'm not sure even that is possible. Because I am no longer merely a Fae. I am something else altogether.

Themes: Finale, Paranormal, Fae

Rating: 4.75 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

I cannot believe the series is finally over. Honestly my eye teared up a bit when I realized there weren’t going to be more characters and story arcs introduced to keep this one alive, but I suppose even the best things must come to an end. Donna Grant has enchanted and terrified fans with her Reaper series through several twists and turns that have taken her teams through life changes we never could have imagined, but now the ultimate battle has come and the final reaper will find out if she will find her HEA with the man who has stolen her heart. Aisling became a Reaper because of one of the most tragic of betrayals and she finds it nearly impossible to trust in others, much less open her heart. She has become more and more obsessed with the strange and deadly Fae that the team once almost lost to madness and death, but when he brought her back from the dead she gave up hunting for him. Xaneth is no longer what he once was, the torture that his psychotic aunt put him through leaving him fundamental changed—wrong—and he knows that he cannot be around Aisling, but at the same time her can’t get her out of his mind. After nearly watching her die in his arms, he knows that he can’t be near her without succumbing to the temptation she represents and putting her in danger. But with the ultimate enemy after them both only by teaming up, along with the rest of the Reapers and Erith, will Aisling and Xaneth have any chance of surviving and defeating her. As they work together to defeat the evil trying to take over the world (no joke, the entire world), they begin to understand that the magnetic draw they feel to one another is not something to be ignored and the strength of their bond might just be what keeps them alive, if they can come to trust it and one another.

Oh man this one was seriously heartbreaking to the point that the tears almost overwhelmed a few times, but I knew that Aisling would find a way to reach Xaneth and make him accept their love. Aisling has lived through so much trauma and pain, truly unimaginable betrayals and psychological torture that she is too strong to break or give up on anything or anyone. She is a smart, sly, strong, and dangerous woman to have at your side but a delay enemy to be facing. I loved seeing her in warrior mode for sure, but the moments that she dropped her shields and revealed her vulnerabilities to Xaneth were amazing to get to experience. Xaneth is truly a broken man, one in need of a strong partner to show him that he isn’t lost or irredeemable, but his strength of conviction and determination to root out evil made him a deadly adversary. Having been there from the beginning to experience glimpses of his pain and torture at the hands of Usaeil we knew most of his fears and concerns, but the depths and lengths he was willing to go to in order to stop the pain were surprising. When he did finally give into his need for Aisling, opening his heart again, we get to see a glimpse of the great male he was before his tortured and I have to say that I loved that part of him as much as the uber-warrior he has become. The passion sparking between these two has been a long time coming and the fire that is finally lit when they stop fighting it so hard is bright and hot enough to burn the entire world to down. As sad as I was to see the end of the series, Aisling and Xaneth’s tory was a beautiful, heartbreaking, and marvelous way to end the series. I never like to see such a great series end so it is bittersweet when I tell you that this was one of my favorite read of the year and I will probably go back and read it again soon just to get to experience it all over again. Aisling and Xaneth’s story is a love story for the ages and Donna is truly the only one that could have brought it to life.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.