R. L. Martinez

One of my first reviews was In the Blood (The Witchbreed Series #1) by R.L. Martinez and it turned out to be one of my favorite reads of 2016 so I was very excited to be offered an ARC of the second book in the Witchbreed series, Beneath the Skin .

Oriabel Dominax is a witch and she has always used the magic she was born with to heal those around her, but now her magic has taken on a new and deadly form and she no longer trusts herself to use it. With her life in danger, she has fled Corlaan, the only home she has ever known. She travels in the company of her sister Ottilde and two strangers, Wilder Coomb and Artair och Mahan. Separated from her husband, she longs to be reunited with him but she has no idea if he longs for the same.

Oriabel’s twin sister, Ottilde Dominax was once a knight but then she became a prisoner of her country. She is a fierce survivor and driven to keep her sister safe at all costs, yet she too is learning to control a new and deadly side of herself. Still on the run from the prison she escaped, Ottilde finds herself relying on the one man she shouldn’t trust, the prison warden Wilder Coomb, to help keep her sister alive.

These two sisters are on the run and threatened from all sides. They live in constant peril and how to trust and who to trust will affect them each in different ways. Everyone has a motive and love and betrayal can often be tied together.

I love it when you pick up a book and feel like you’re coming home to characters you love to spend time with. I hadn’t had enough of them at the end of book 1 and I still want more after book 2. The author gives us a study in extremes on both good and evil with well-defined characters who can straddle both. This book twists and turns and outright socks you in the end. I was never certain where it would end up and that’s the way it should be. My anticipation was richly rewarded with another installment that ranks as a fave and I cannot wait for R.L. Martinez to write more!… (altro)

This book really grabbed me from the beginning. It's not often you start a book with one of the main characters being in prison.

Ottilde Dominax is a warrior for her country, yet a hated prisoner because she killed the prince heir. She lives day to day fearing for her life and hoping for reprieve. When she dreams that her twin sister Oriabel's life is in danger, she must devise an escape plan.

Oriabel Dominax is a healer with the hidden secret of being witchborn. As newcomers descend on Oriabel's village she struggles to keep her witch magic a secret but when a new lord is sent to preside over her family's estate her life hangs in the balance.

Perfect for fans of Juliet Marrillier, this book is magical and spellbinding. A very quick and immensely enjoyable read. I can't wait to read the second installment.

I want to thank the publisher (Lakewater Press) for providing me with the ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.… (altro)