Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel

Mael Black and his consort, Cian, are busy with their responsibilities and their plan to bring a son with their joined blood into their lives. The fact that Mael is the Vampire Prince of London and Cian, a vampire hunting angel, makes their combined duties that much more complicated. The vampires under Mael’s rule are unhappy with his choice of consort, as is his father, the powerful Lord Nigel. And while Cian no longer hunts vampires, sometimes his very nature can cause misunderstandings in their relationship as Cian is still trying to figure out what it means to be human.

A messenger brings a summons from the court in Rome. An ancient force is awake and coming to destroy the Romanorum and with it all that Mael and Cian hold dear. When their plans for a son is revealed to Nigel, he plots to separate Mael from Cian by any means possible, including death. With court intrigue, mysterious were deaths, and unexpected betrayals to deal with as well as the new threat, it will take Mael, Cian, along with a contingent of gods, vampires, and angels to combat the ancient evil and save their world.

It’s been four years since the publication of And Two Shall Become One, the second book in the Legends of the Romanorum series, and I had forgotten how much I had loved Mael and Cian. And now with Forever May Not Be Long Enough, their saga is finally over, although other couples in the series look to be getting their own books. Here the authors have given Mael and Cian a wonderful sendoff that left me happily satisfied while still wishing for just a little more.

The premise of the series hooked me in from the very start. You have a vampire Prince and a vampire killing angel attracted to each other when by their very natures they should be deadly enemies. The first book covers their unconventional romance from the beginning, where we see the emotional turmoil and mental anguish their feelings bring. The second book in series sees their relationship continue to deepen as Mael announces to the court that Cian is now his consort and the consequences of that decision. Now they are an established couple, but still discovering parts of each other previously unknown. Cian is a 3,000 year old angel who is still trying to figure out what it means to be human and that includes jealousy. Mael understands human nature but has not seen what a angry angel can mean. I love the fact that the authors take the issues that might pop up as a couple navigates a new relationship and apply them to a new couple with diametrically opposed natures. And they do a great job with it. Yes, Mael and Cian are so busy with their jobs that they forget to make time for each other. Typical issue. But Cian is Mael’s ghoul and needs to feed from him, not so typical. Mael needs to understand that Cian accepts his job as Prince and understand the pressures he is under. Typical. That is job contains meeting with were rulers and messages from the devil, not so typical. And so on. Typical relationship ramped up to nth degree.

The characterizations here are wonderful, full of beings easy to love. In fact Cornelius, court sorcerer, and Brandon, a young vampire rescued off the streets almost stole the second book away from the two main characters, they were that special and endearing in every way. For those of you who loved them as I did, both Cornelius and Brandon appear here as well. Another couple starts a relationship here that I suspect will continue, along with Cornelius and Brandon, in other books. In fact, I would say the problem here is that there is a surfeit of great characters and couples all striving for the reader’s attention. Along with the couples already mentioned, back from previous books are Michael and Selena, Dio and Josh, and so many others that it becomes hard to remember who is paired up and what their backstory is. An abundance of wealth that could have been spread over additional pages or another story. Then start throwing in Egyptian gods, Lucifer, werewolves, and the cast inflates almost more than the story can handle.

And that comes back to my final quibble. If you have not read the first two books, you will be a little baffled once you start reading this book as the backstories and character development is contained in the previous stories and it is taken for granted that the reader is familiar with the convoluted plot lines and familial connections here. This is a richly layered saga. Coming in on it cold is definitely not recommended. Start from the beginning. Watch the relationship happen. Weep and shout for joy during the second book. Come to love the characters as I did and then pick up this book. You won’t be sorry. And now I will wait to see which couple gets the next book. I hope it won’t be another four years before I find out.

Books in the series, in the order they were written and should be read:

• The Prince’s Angel (Legends of the Romanorum #1) Rating: 4 stars
• And Two Shall Become One (Legends of the Romanorum #2) Rating: 4.5 stars
• Forever May Not Be Long Enough (Legends of the Romanorum #3) Rating: 4.25 stars

Cover: Gorgeous cover by Alessia Brio