Rating: 2.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Nur was created in Hell and, now that he’s been banished, he’s lost. He has no idea what is next for him as he wanders the wastelands. But his hunger is unreal, as he feeds off of souls; while in Hell, Nur’s food source was demons, but now the only souls available are humans. But there is an angel, Arsene, protecting the humans and, while his soul calls to Nur, Arsene captures Nur before he can get a taste. Nur hates to want Arsene, but the pull of his soul is unlike anything Nur has ever encountered.
Arsene has always wanted an omega to call his own. But things haven’t always worked out for Arsene and now he’s been sent to Earth to escort humans through the wastes. The job is thankless and endless. When Arsene sees Nur, he thinks he’s a monster, but when Nur attacks and feeds from him, they bond. Nur and Arsene make a deal: If Nur can feed from Arsene, then Nur will help protect the group. Both Arsene and Nur struggle with their feelings, as the pull to be together consumes them. Arsen can’t believe that an omega born in Hell is his mate and he goes along with the deal knowing he’ll find his true mate when this mission is over. But as the miles and days move on, Nur and Arsene realize they are more alike than they wanted to believe and maybe they are perfect for each other.
This is the second book in the Court of the Hollow King series and follows the first book, Demon’s Captive Mate. I liked the first book and the characters and the world that was set up there. I read that book about a year ago and, while I remembered the characters and the general story, I did have to stretch my memory to remember the details about Nur. Once I started reading, he came back to me somewhat, but it may have worked out better for me if the books were available in closer succession.
I really struggled with the story here and much of the time I was trying to figure out not only what was happening, but why it was happening. The entire story takes place in the wastes where Arsene is protecting humans and Nur has been exiled. There wasn’t much narrative to refresh why the humans were in the wastelands and why they needed protection.
The men bond when Nur is drinking from Arsene in order to survive and they hate to want each other. The main focus of the story is their bond and accepting that they are mates. They have to be near each other, but wanting to be near each other takes some work and realigning their priorities. At one point, Nur goes into heat. I felt this this was an excuse to get the men together for three days to ride out the heat. There is mpreg in this world, but it is never discussed if Nut can get pregnant and I wondered why he was in heat. There are also side story plot lines that lost me and, once Arsene and Nur commit to each other, there is a sacrifice and a grand gesture and the execution of all that was murky. I thought maybe we would get a glimpse of Vasia and Rone from the first book, but while they are mentioned, they are not on page. I’m not sure what happened here, but this book didn’t capture my interest like the first in the series.
