The Door KeeperRating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella


Nick works for the 77th precinct and they deal with crimes related to the paranormal, both keeping it in check and serving justice. There have been a string of murders where the bodies have been completely drained of blood. All of the victims are apparently gay men and have been killed with the same MO. But that’s the only thing tying the murders together. Nick is at another scene with another victim, the fourth in as many weeks, when he once again encounters the shadowy voice/man.

Ever since the first murder, Nick has been hearing this voice and feeling this presence, and it calls to him in a way that he can’t explain. He knows that it’s only a matter of time before this man can pass through to his realm and that when he does, Nick will be at his mercy. And that’s exactly where Nick wants to be. But he keeps his mind on the job and follows the lead on another case, trying to find young Chad’s missing mother. It’s following this lead that has Nick back at the last crime scene, and where Nick meets Arrain for the first time.

From the moment they meet, Nick knows that Arrain is the shadowy presence he’s felt for weeks. What’s more, Nick knows that Arrain is his paired, the one chosen for him. Nick has secrets he doesn’t want Arrain to know, but he can’t keep them from the younger, more dominant man. Nick is a Door Keeper, and is, in fact, one of the most famous and revered Door Keeper’s of all time. The bond between the two men begins to grow quickly, and once they have sex there’s no turning back  But there is more at work than just their pairing. Chad has a terrifying secret that will threaten everyone, and Arrain has been keeping his own truths close to his vest. When everything comes to a head, it’s only with the truth that they all can begin to overcome the evil threatening everything.

Okay, so, if my summary got a little convoluted at the end there, it’s because the book did too. I find myself very conflicted over this one. It started strong and the premise was awesome. Nick was a fantastic character that I enjoyed 95% of the time, and there were some really interesting plot points that I couldn’t wait to be resolved. But as the story went on, things became rather muddy and unclear, and by the time I finished the story, I had a different opinion from when I started.

Let’s begin with Nick, whom I really enjoyed. He was a very well-drawn character and we knew from the beginning what kind of man he was. I liked the way his secret was revealed, and I thought it was very fitting. I liked his whole attitude and how he had multiple layers that added to his depth. He was a great narrator character and the only thing I found irritating was his constant complaint of how old he was. I think why I found this slightly annoying was because up until about the half way point, we didn’t know how old he actually was. So every time he said, I found myself wondering if he was actually older or if he was just feeling that way. That pulled me out of the story, but that was my only complaint with this character. Really, I love him and he saved the book for me.

But as for the rest? Well, this was a relatively short amount of space to be packing in so much storyline and sadly, I felt like a lot of it was left unresolved. Repeatedly, something would be brought in and begun, only to be dropped and never spoke of again. While the two basic plots, the murders and the love story, were seen through to the end, the multiple side plots were picked up and dropped at whim. This made it a little bit tough for me to truly enjoy. And while we did find out who was committing the murders and why, the actual ending felt like a cliff hanger to me. Now, if I look at it objectively, I can see how it could be an ending. But it simply feels unfinished and that left me unsatisfied.

So really, there were some good things here, things I enjoyed, but there were also a bunch that left me scratching my head. It was good, but not great. I would tentatively recommend this to any of the tried and true lovers of fated mates, as well as those who love the fantasy/contemporary genre mix. But if those genres aren’t in among your absolute favorites, you might want to give this one a pass.

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