Immortal Rising (Argeneau #34)

Lynsay Sands

Blurb:

Stephanie McGill was attacked and turned when she was just a teenager. Worse, her abilities are unlike any other immortal. Now 13 years later, with the help of her adopted Argeneau family, Steph has carved out a new – if not lonely – life for herself. Until a new neighbor arrives…

Thorne is also one-of-a-kind. The result of a genetic experiment, he’s not an immortal, but he’s not mortal either. He’s looking for a place to hide, to get some peace and quiet so he can figure things out, and Stephanie’s sanctuary is perfect. In fact, Stephanie is perfect. For the first time, Thorne is free to be himself and he’s falling for her.

But if they’re going to have a future together, they’ll first need to deal with their past…because the mad scientist who created Thorne is now after Stephanie.

Themes: Paranormal, Vampires

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

Well, I certainly didn’t see this one coming, did you guys? For us long-time fans of the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands, this love story has been a long-time coming; we have wanted for a Stephanie to find her peace and her lifemate for a long time now and it has finally happened, but I certainly didn’t see it happening in quite this way. Stephanie’s story began a long time ago when she and her sister were kidnapped and attacked by vicious “no-fangers” rogue immortals that had lost their minds and were on a rampage. Though she and her sister survived to become immortals themselves, people have been watching Stephanie ever since, waiting and wondering if she was going to succumb to the madness inherent in those that suffer from her type of immortality. But she has finally found peace in her small home and the work she does, solitude and quiet giving her the chance to get away from all the expectations and oversight of those that love and worry about her. When her new temporary neighbor arrives, she is surprised to find that he is one of the immortals that was created on the island of atrocities her people have recently discovered—and even more surprised to discover she is beyond attracted to him. Thorne is on her land trying to make decisions about his future, ones that could change everything for him, but he never imagined he would meet them woman of his dreams at such a time. The two of them are beyond drawn to one another and as they spend time getting to know one another the attraction and connection become ones that neither want to lose. But a dangerous enemy has encroached on their sanctuary and only together, and with the help of their friends and family, with Thorne and Steph has a chance to even explore their feelings and a future. OMG this story was amazing. Steph has had such a hard time in the thirteen years since her entrée into the world of immortals, but she has found her strength and peace and I loved seeing her all grown up. It’s obvious that the others still look at her and see the young woman she was instead of the strength, wit, and sass that she has developed through all her trials and troubles. She was brave, sweet, and knew just how to handle everything that came at both her and Thorne and watching her in action was fabulous. Thorne’s life was a sad one, one that could break just about anyone, but he has preserved and become a rock for his family and its obvious that he is a good man. I loved seeing him find his own peace as he realized that Steph accepted him just as he was, not expecting him to change a bit, and would love him just as he is. It’s obvious his fears and concerns about his past have left him feeling less-than, but thanks to Stephanie he found his true worth and accepted that their love was meant to be. The passion between these two was off-the-charts and I loved every moment of seeing them together. I am dying for more in this series as always and cannot wait to see who falls in love next, and of course I am looking forward to learning more about the other immortals from Thorne’s Island and seeing if and how they can integrate into the world. This series has taken an interesting turn and I cannot wait to see where Sands takes us next.