Forsaken (The World of Nightwalkers #3)
by Jacquelyn Frank
Blurb:
As a mercenary,
Leo Alvarez has signed on for a lot—but he never signed on for his best friend
becoming host to the soul of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Jackson is now
inhabited by a Bodywalker, and Leo is forced to grapple with a realm of
supernatural beings far more dangerous than anything he’s ever encountered.
But
when Jackson is wounded by an attack from a demon god, Leo must team up with
another supernatural creature—a Night Angel—to save his friend from utter
destruction. With skin as black as midnight, hair as white as snow, and a body
of pure perfection, the Night Angel arouses a burning desire in Leo, even as he
refuses to be intimidated by her power—or the power of those who would destroy
his friend. An unusual alliance is forged, electrified by sexual temptation,
and together the two must unite their strengths to bring down a supreme evil.
Themes: Magic, shapeshifters, demons
Rating: 4.25 stars
Heat Rating:
Review:
Man oh man, the world of Nightwalkers just
continues to get more and more complicated.
Being a fan of this world from the very beginning, through several
different series, spin-offs and permutations, I can honestly say I did not see
this one coming. Introducing all new
species of Nightwalkers to us, Jackie Frank takes us on a wild and emotional
roller coaster as we experience the aftermath of a tortured character. If you haven’t read any of the others in this
particular series you might be missing a bit of the subtext and back-story, but
as the story develops you will catch on quickly so don’t despair. Forsaken takes us through the emotional
journey of a damaged man and teaches us the true meaning of forgiveness and healing. While I may have at times wanted to reach in
and smack Leo in the back of the head, he thankfully comes to his senses and
realizes that sometimes to recover from trauma you have to let those who love
you in and accept that love with a graciousness and desire to live up to their
love.
Forsaken
picks up right where Forever
left off; Leo has been released from his torturous prison and returned to the
arms of his friends, but he can’t accept the changes in the new world they are
inhabiting. He is dealing with nightmares
and doubts about himself, his friends, and the future that he can’t bring
himself to accept. When a tragic attack
leaves his best friend, Jackson, incapacitated, he is determined to help heal
him, even though he has his doubts about Jackson’s new Bodywalker and the
supernatural entities that he just discovered he shares the world with. When a
beautiful Night Angel, Faith, comes to the rescue, Leo is forced to work with
her to find a cure for Jackson, even though he refuses to trust her or anyone
else. Faith is a pure and good-hearted
soul and though Leo can see this for himself, he has lost all trust in his instincts
and remains on edge around any Nightwalker.
Faith is determined not to let Leo’s insecurities or obvious disdain for
all Nightwalkers stand in the way of her mission to revive Jackson and bring
balance back to the ultimate battle.
Working together is their only option, but as they travel through the
world of Nightwalkers, meeting Djynn, wraiths, and other beings of power, Leo
begins to understand that his snap judgments, based on one encounter with a psychotic
Nightwalker, might not be the full picture.
But will he be able to put aside his fears long enough to embrace the
passion and peace that Faith inspires, or will he be forever lost in the rage,
fear, and hate swimming through his soul?
Where
to begin on the assessment of Leo? Well I guess I’ll begin by saying Leo is an
ASS through a good bit of this story.
While I perfectly understand his hang-ups and fears about the Nightwalkers,
he hangs on to his rage and prejudice far too long. He is one of those men that refuse to look
past the surface of his anger and see the fears that are really leading to the
anger. Yes, he's enraged that he was tortured
to the brink of death again and again only to be snatched back for more torture. Honestly who wouldn’t be pissed? But taking
it out of the people around him, people he has loved for years and have never
stopped loving him…not cool. It is
obvious that he is floundering in this new world where he feels weakened and
inferior to the paranormal creatures that surround him, but instead of looking
for ways to grow and really begin to heal he wallows in his anger and
resentment, lashing out at those around him.
Enter Faith. Faith is an interesting character for the facts of her species
but also for the pure and innocent nature that shines from her. While he is definitely equipped to battle and
ready to kick some ass, she never gives up on the goodness in people and is
determined to help Leo heal in any way she can.
She fights him and for him to open his eyes to the positive aspects of
the changes around him and the goodness that still exists in his friends. When she begins to fall for him,
she knows there will never be anything between them, but having a chance to show
him a softer side of himself is just too irresistible for her. These two are matched well with all his fears
and her belief in goodness and as they work together we see more and more that
if these two give each other a chance they could truly be a perfect pair long
into the future.
A
story of love and redemption, forgiveness and acceptance, with action, emotion,
and danger, Forsaken is one of those stories that can’t be missed for any
reader of romance. Leo is a character
that requires a swift kick in the butt to get his head out of said butt, to be
sure, but Faith is just the woman er…Angel to get it done. Leo’s growth from a
sullen and resentful victim, back into the strong and determined man he has
always been, facilitated by Faith, was an integral part of the story and the
catalyst for the relationship between Faith and Leo. Even though there were a lot of emotional
barriers Faith had to get past, in the end she was able to bring Leo back to
himself and show him that his friends were not so very changed and he could
move on from his tragedy with the help of his friends and those that love
him. Leo breaks Faith’s heart again and
again with his unwillingness to face the truth of his new life, to accept those
around him aren't so different from the humans he’s always believed were the
top of the food chain, but thankfully he gets past his hang-ups and realizes
that he isn't the man he could truly be without Faith by his side. This series had taken a lot of different
directions, and swerved a bit even into older series and I foresee this
continuing, which only makes me more thrilled to continue the series. I foresee the future requiring a bit of help
from the Demons, Lycanthropes, Vampires and other Nightwalkers I have already
fallen in love with. I’m biting my nails
waiting for the next story and hope that you will join me in the anticipation
after you read Forsaken for
yourself.
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