Review: Untamed

Untamed (The Amoveo Legend #3)

by Sara Humphreys

Blurb:

The Amoveo are an ancient race who've lived secretly among humans for thousands of years. They are beautiful and incredibly strong but their race is extremely fragile--each has until the age of 30 to find their soul mate, before their bodies start to die a slow, painful death. 

Layla Nickelsen has spent her life running from a mate she didn't choose, until William Fleury finally confronts her. Normally stoic and unemotional, William finds himself befuddled by Layla: his growing feelings for her and his driving need to protect her. And Layla has to admit that William might be everything she's always wanted after all...

Review:

This story was definitely another great addition to the Amoveo Legend series and left me wanting for nothing when I finally put it down. The story picks up shortly after the ending of the last installment, after the rescue of Kerry, Dante and all their friends—except Stephen, who is in fact still missing I believe. 

The plot of this story grabs you from the very beginning, when you finally learn that the reason William was so moody and kept disappearing in that last book.  Apparently, while he was helping Dante protect Kerry he discovered his own mate, the alluring but not easily held Layla.  Layla was the photographer at Kerry’s modeling shoot in LA if you’ll recall from the last story.  We didn’t get a lot of detail about her then, but obviously meeting her changed William’s life drastically. Layla, a hybrid Amoveo-human, knows her Amoveo mate has found and is coming for her.  All her life she was taught to fear the Amoveo and she’s not willing to give up her life or her independence for any man, much less the monster she expected her mate to be.

The couple meets in the dream realm, after weeks of William “stalking” her and trying to connect there.  But instead of being afraid of him, Layla is instantly turned on.  She remains resistant to William’s affection though and finds the bravery to tell him basically to hit the road.  Of course, that only pushes William to follow her in person.   When he arrives at the small farm in MD, where Layla grew up, William’s in for quite a few surprises.  Layla, unlike the previous hybrid mate, knows just what she is and more importantly what William is.  And he also finds that she was raised with two other hybrids, which though they haven’t found their mates have been able to shift since coming of age.

This story is definitely full of all the humor and wit I have come to expect from Ms. Humphreys.  I just love Layla character.  She was full of spunky attitude, strong resilience, and sarcasm.  Rosie was another of my favorite characters as she reminded me of one of my aunts—earthy, realistic, and willing to kick ass no matter how old she’s getting.  The changes we see in William after he meets Layla are wonderful. You get subtle references to the fact that his previous portrayals as a stuck up prick were just wrong.  He’s a loving guy with a very dry humor, a broad stroke of loyalty, and even knows how to have fun.

The desire that flashes between Layla and William whenever they are in the same room, or their minds connect, leaves you really jealous. Though Layla fights him initially, when she starts to see the truth of William and how important he is to her life and future she decides that resistance is pointless.  The love that grows between them is just as special as the sensual passion of their lust.   William is determined that not only will Layla accept him in her bed, but also in her heart and soul.  Layla’s very justified fears of the mating are not easy for William to overcome, but just by being there for her through dangerous and terrifying moments he shows her the best part of having a mate.  Never having to deal with life’s ups and down alone.

When Layla’s life is endangered, William calls in his friends, Malcolm, Dante, and their mates, in hopes of keeping Layla and her family safe.  Believing the purists are back and attempting to annihilate the hybrids, the men work through all their clues to try to find the killers.  The women however decide it might be time for a more proactive approach to these psychos. Layla’s take charge attitude was a great addition to their little group and when they take the fight (figuratively speaking) to the purists there are some very startling outcomes that leave me salivating for what happens next in this interesting world.

Layla and William’s story was an awesome chapter in the Amoveo story for so many reasons.  The overall plot including the vast changes caused during the group’s confrontation with the purists is beginning to take the series into a bit of a different direction I think. The love story between these two flawed and apprehensive lovers was rich and full of human emotion and the scars that the past can cause and overcoming them.  And of course meeting new characters that will allow for future books in the series.  I can’t wait for more and wish Ms. Humphreys a speedy recovery from writing this last story so we can all enjoy the vivid and imaginative world she’s created in her mind.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Rose Rating: