Review: Return of the Warrior

Return of the Warrior (Brotherhood/MacAllister #7)

by Kinley MacGregor

 Blurb:

Fearless men, their allegiance is to each other, to the oppressed, and to the secret society known as the Brotherhood of the Sword -- and they must never surrender to the passionate yearnings of their noble hearts.

Fiercely devoted to her people and her land, Queen Adara refuses to let a power-mad usurper steal her crown. But the only way to protect what is hers is to seek out the man she married in childhood.

A proud, tormented warrior, Christian of Acre owes allegiance only to the mysterious Brotherhood -- and has no wish to be king over anyone but himself. Now a bold and beautiful stranger has appeared in his rooms, tempting him with an irresistible seduction and demanding he accompany her back to their kingdoms ... or, at the very least, provide her with an heir to her throne. Though he cannot abandon the brave regal lady to her enemies, Christian dares not give in to his traitorous body's desires. Yet how can he deny the passion that is rightfully his and the ecstasy that awaits him in Adara's kiss?

Review:

Kinley MacGregor, aka Sherrilyn Kenyon, is definitely one of my three favorite authors.  That being said I only recently discovered the greatness of this series.    The Brotherhood series has been a pleasant surprise and a great experience to immerse myself in the world of these great men and their secret society of crusaders.   The men of this society have been through hell and have banded together to make their lives bearable, but the denial of their basic nature, their need  for women to complete their lives, leads to some interesting life affirming changes being forced on them by those women.

Christian has made himself a promise to trust no one except the fellow members of his society, the men who went through hell with him and came out changed on the other side.  He has made a choice to never return to his childhood home, to never accept the crown that has been saved for him through all these years.   He is beyond surprised when he is confronted with a very beautiful and very naked woman in his room one night.   She says she’s his wife, but he knows he’s never married anyone and is ready to kick her out without hearing another word from her.  But then they are attacked and he has no choice but to get them both to safety. 

Adara is a strong and fierce queen, one who has devoted her life to trying to make the lives of her people more bearable, but as a woman she has only one desire.  She wants her love, her husband, to come back to her and give her the family she wants.  Everyone has tried to convince her that he is dead, but she knows in her heart that he is still alive, and she is determined to bring him back to both her personally and to the crown he is destined to wear and lead their people.  But the man she meets isn’t the fair and sweet boy she remembers from her wedding, instead and he is a dark and changed man, and though she sees glimpses of her love in him, dealing with those changes is difficult for her. 

Betrayals and truths are uncovered as they work together to keep themselves safe and to find their way home.  As they are thrown into such tight quarters during their travels, they begin to relearn each other and the passion that flairs is sexy as hell.   Adara’s sensuality is irresistible to Christian and she is determined to use everything at her disposable to make sure that she gets what she wants: Christian to come back to her and stay with her for the rest of their lives.  Christian begins to see that they are meant to be, and though they have been torn apart by others and their manipulations, they can overcome and defeat the naysayers and find their love together. 

Return of the Warrior was a great addition to this series.  Though the series is connected don’t feel you need to read the entire series to enjoy the story, as they are definitely written to stand alone and there is more than enough information and background to bring you up to date. Christian and Adara’s story is wonderful and sensual as well as being exciting and full of conspiracies that were made to pull them apart, but instead in the end bring them together.  I loved this book and can’t wait to read the series finale.  I’ve waited for that one from the beginning and will finally be able to find out who is made to be Lochlan’s Mate. 

Rating:   3.75 stars
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