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Blurb
Sequel to Body Magic
Triad: Book Three
Blood runs soul-deep. Cormac hasn’t been the same since the night the High Moon Pack was attacked. With his magic weakened, he’s consumed by a bloodlust he hasn’t felt since he first became a vampire. His need to replenish his power makes him a danger to his last remaining family member, and his hunger makes him careless. And that’s just the beginning of his troubles. Feeding from pack, beta Liam Benson was supposed to slake his appetite, not leave him craving more.
Simon Osborne and Gray Townsend are trying to fight a being history says shouldn’t exist – one with all three types of magic. The pack must use all of their resources to combat the mysterious triad, even turning to the shady Council of Mages for help. While Cormac struggles to reconcile his past failures with his current desires, Simon must attempt the impossible: An alliance between mind, body, and soul.
Review:
In the final installment of the Triad Series (yes, there is a book four but it is unrelated to the original series), we finally get to find out who the bad guy is and what he wants and how to stop him.
Some of the story is about Liam and Cormac as a couple (yippee!). First, we see Liam merely trying to keep Cormac from hurting himself, Simon or anybody else. Then, we see their mutual attraction and need for each other. Finally, their deep devotion.
However, the bulk of this plot is the story-line regarding the evil being (who I won’t name here) who keeps causing trouble for Simon and his pack. It turns out the being knows Cormac and that gives everyone a clue as to how to stop him. But… not before he attempts to steal the children again. The attempted kidnapping forces Simon to do something so horrible that the entire pack wonders whether or not Simon should even be allowed to stay. (It’s very sad – just a warning!)
Fortunately, Simon’s actions are from the heart and they also inadvertently lead them all to the necessary magic needed to defeat the evil being, so he is quickly forgiven.
With some tremendously heart rending speeches to the tune of “If I die I want you to be strong without me” Cormac, Gray and Simon set out to defeat the monster and (I’m not surprising anyone here) emerge victorious!
We also get a really juicy Epilogue (I’m a sucker for the Epilogue!) and the entire series ends neatly tied up – bow not included.
**
I really enjoyed the magical storyline in this series. The subtle moral stories about intolerance and acceptance. The learning and the magic passed down along family lines. The power that is to be had by joining seemingly disparate forces. The entire world we saw built was well thought out and thorough, without constantly banging it over your head with new words or terms.
I also really enjoyed watching the growth and development of Gray and Simon as a couple over all three books. It was nice to see their insta-love being worked on into a strong and devoted (but still lusty!) relationship.
I was disappointed that we didn’t see more from Cade and Rocky (other than they are still together) as I thought they were a great couple with a lot of potential. But… I really enjoyed Cormac’s and Liam’s relationship. And watching Garon and Riley grow was an added bonus!
I’d say the romance was at least equal to the fantasy elements in this series but, all in all, the romance was really nicely laden in this fantasy about wolves, vampires and warlocks. I found myself saddened by the end of this delightful series, as I had really enjoyed Poppy’s world.
Audiobook:
Again, Robert Davis did excellent work narrating book three. I loved his grumbly Liam, his stuffy mage Councilman, the grumbling Were councilman and his little kid voices.
He infused emotion and tension at the right times and did a tremendous job with the dialog.
As I noted with book one, I was still bugged on occasion by his inflections here and there, but mostly I was impressed and entertained.
I really enjoyed reading (and listening) to this series and give both the book, the audiobook and the series a 4.5 of 5 hearts. I am looking forward to seeing where Ms Dennison takes us with book four.
