beyond the darknessRating: 3 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


Injured in the war, Zac Banning is struggling to get his life back. After a head injury, Zac was told by doctors that he would suffer hallucinations. That’s why he takes medication. Yet there is one thing he can’t get out of his head, hallucination or not. Those blue eyes, that tight heat, the two words I’m sorry whispered into his head. When Zac comes upon a scuffle between several large men and a particularly small fragile man, he can’t help but intervene. But when that man knows him and spins a tale about a secret government experiment, mercenaries, and pregnant men, Zac is certain he is hallucinating again.

Eljin risked his life and that of his unborn child to warn Zac of the danger he was in. He was sure Zac would protect him, maybe even share the feelings for him that he had harbored for Zac. What he wasn’t prepared for was for Zac not to remember him at all.

Zac can’t believe the fantastical tale hears from the smaller man, but he also can’t deny the need to protect him. Nor can Zac understand the strange attraction he has to Eljin. He’s always been attracted to women.

When his need to protect Eljin at all costs leads Zac to an old friend’s door, he’s not prepared to hear the truth of the elf-like race to which Eljin belongs, the Unseelie. Zac, along with Eljin and Zac’s old unit, finds himself in the middle of a hunt involving a secret government agency and a battle involving the Unseelie Light and Dark Courts, all while attempting to protect Eljin and the child that may be Zac’s.

Okay. Here’s the thing. I like this author. She’s a go to when I need a light and easy, fun and imaginative read. But I’m not so sure about this story. I like it okay. But it was kind of repetitive and inconsistent. So while this story is light and easy, fun and imaginative, it does have its faults.

Sometimes I need to read a story about a big, strong man who slays the dragons of the smaller, weaker, but still sassy man. This is one such story. Eljin is probably one of my favorite parts of this story. He’s strong-willed and stubborn, yet soft-hearted and patient. And he remains so throughout the story. Zac I have issue with. I like that he is a protector and determined to do the right thing, but his character doesn’t remain consistent throughout the entire book. He fights so hard against Eljin’s story in the beginning, and he fights even harder against his attraction to Eljin. Then suddenly without fight, he hears a story from his most trusted friend, and his mind changes. Without question he accepts his attraction to Eljin and the story he tells. It’s too easy and in such a fantastical world, it’s probably the most unbelievable thing that occurs.

Speaking of the world, I have to say, this author does a great job in building this one. From the fae race – male pregnancies, certain royalty qualities, hierarchy – to the Veil – how to cross, the light and dark courts, the inclusion of the secret agency and their experiements, it’s all very big and melodramatic. But it works. It’s exciting and fun. I didn’t even mind the mpreg so much, although I would have liked that subject to be expounded upon a little more. I truly enjoyed the world.

As with the character flaws, I also found some inconsistencies in the story, some holes, if you will. There was also quite a bit of repetition, especially when talking about the secret government agency and its experiments. And of course I noticed a few typos and unintentional name changes. We all know by now that I’m pretty detail-oriented and I like for everything to flow smoothly and easily. But with the holes and the repetition and the typos, I was distracted too much.

So, yeah, the story was okay, but with the large number of inconsistencies and other distractions, I didn’t like this one as much as I’d hoped.

Note: This story was originally released as Dark Side of the Veil by Noble Romance Publishing

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