Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of possible Spoilers*

Qhuinn has lived a rough life, never being good enough for his own family thanks to his mismatched eyes.  And, when his transition to a full-blown vampire didn’t correct it, his father disowned him; effectively removing him from his bloodline and sending an Honor Guard after him to beat him up and drive the point home that he was no longer welcome.

But now Qhuinn has found a home with the Black Dagger Brotherhood, living among the respected brothers and the king of his race.  And, getting to fight beside the elite group of fighters is just the icing on the cake.

Also, living in the mansion is Qhuinn’s former best friend, Blay.  When the male came to Qhuinn confessing his feelings, Qhuinn shut him down, which has been the biggest mistake of his life.  A mistake that is rubbed into his face on a daily basis now that Qhuinn’s cousin is shacking up with Blay, giving him all the things that Qhuinn couldn’t or wouldn’t.

And, now the Chosen, Layla, is pregnant with Qhuinn’s young.  Finally, meeting his daughter that he saw when in the Fade is the one thing that Qhuinn lives for.  But his world comes crashing down when his child’s life is in jeopardy.

I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood quickly became an obsession for me as soon as I was turned on to the series; each new installment being devoured as soon as it is released.  But the last two installments have been a bit disappointing for me.  With Payne and Manny seeming like secondary characters in their own book, Lover Unleashed, and Tohr being a total jerk in his book, Lover Reborn.  I was starting to wonder if Ward had lost her touch.  But the beginning of this book quickly had me thinking the Warden is definitely back!

I was really enjoying the relationship between Qhuinn and Blay, even though it has taken me awhile to come around to them as a couple.  But be warned they do fight their attraction for one another for the majority of this book.  And, I absolutely love the Layla being pregnant with Qhuinn’s child storyline!  It brings so much to this story and early in this book, it wouldn’t let me put the book down!  I had to keep reading the next chapter and the next to see what was going to happen with the young as I just couldn’t believe they were going to lose it. Although you will have to read the book, to find out if they do or not:)  Also I absolutely loved the scene when Phury comes roaring to life after he finds out about Qhuinn impregnating one of his Chosen.

And, with me being a little straight girl, I was worried that I would have problems getting into the gay sex scenes between Qhuinn and Blay.  But it was really a non-issue for me.  The scenes were as hot and steamy as any of the other sex scenes in the series, possibly even hotter at times.  Maybe that’s due to the whole taboo factor?  I’m not sure, but it definitely works!

But what truly keeps this book from getting a higher rating for me is the other storylines that are sprinkled throughout the book.  I know they have their purpose and are building on story archs that will play out in future books and giving us glimpses of possible couples to be featured in future installments.  But I felt they really slowed down the momentum of the book, especially in the latter half of the book.  I found myself inwardly groaning when I got to a part of the book featuring Assail, Sona, and even Trez, who I do like.  And, I’m still waiting to see the Murhder storyline play out.  I can’t even remember which book he was introduced in, but I was all pumped for it and it seems he’s been forgotten…

I also was not a huge fan of the Luchas twist.  I would have been much happier without it as it just seems to be too much for Qhuinn to be dealing with all at once and he is a character that I just don’t care about.

Overall this is still a good book and a definite improvement over the last couple of installments. I absolutely LOVED the epilogue, and it was the perfect ending to the novel!  This book has left me curious as to which couple will be featured next!  I’m thinking Assail and Sola, but I guess only time will tell for sure!