I don't know about others, but I actually preferred Gillian with Puck. No matter what had happened in the previous books, the relationship that most expected between Gillian and William didn't just 'click' for me. I was happy when she finally found Puck, who indirectly helped her to grow stronger. This was a great read. I love it! ( )

Seriously considering taking this off my to-read list after the HEA fake-out. That's some Charlane Harrison shit right there...

I can finally relax again.

I was on the edge of my proverbial seat fot the entire story. My emotions ran the gambit from elated to heartbroken but mostly, I just wanted to punch Puck.

I loved Puck but he ran cold. That was expected with being possessed by the demon Indifference but Gillian should have punched him in the nose a few times.

I love the ongoing background stories and am excited for what comes next. I also think I might be a little in love with Hades and Rathbone. Goals: Sleep, wake up, read next book. ( )

Not a lot about this one worked for me. The leads are basically forced into a bonded marriage by extenuating circumstances, and, although it's debated throughout the book how much their magical bond forces their connection, it felt like it almost took their attachment out of their hands, and ended up making it feel manufactured instead of earned. Early on the hero crossed a line that is almost shrugged off in the story, but is actually very rarely ever crossed by heroes, and I didn't shrug it off. To intimidate the heroine, who's just an abused teenager at the time, into obeying him, the immortal warrior hero breaks his own finger knowing she will feel the pain through their bond. I think we're supposed to focus on it being *his* finger and also that she will heal faster now that she's connected to his immortality, but it really isn't very different from him just reaching out and breaking *her* finger simply to make a point about him having more power! Rarely does a hero purposely inflict so much physical pain to the heroine for so little reason, especially after they're already a couple! Also a good portion of the beginning of the book covers all the same events we already saw in the previous book, which I suppose catches you up if you haven't read the previous book, but which I found very tedious when I had. And then there's a long separation between the characters, with multiple time jumps, all still while not having had all that much of a relationship, even a friendship, established between them yet. And conveniently all the heroine's hangups are just resolved, without even *her* having to work through them, much less the two of them as a couple having to overcome them or something. Also the realm is a very sexist place when the heroine arrives, men having "stables" of women, women being relegated to domestic tasks only, and being harshly punished for disobedience, etc. And I could have gotten behind the heroine righting that, but instead of equalizing it she just flipped it. Now the women are the powerful warriors with stables of men, and the men stay home and do the domestic stuff, etc. That still reinforces the notions that 'might makes right' and domestic acts are of little value compared to soldiering, etc. etc. She does do some good, like schools for the children, but I don't think it's quite the utopia it pretends to be. It just seemed lame. There's some 'other man' stuff, and kind of a road trip, but neither was very engaging for me. And, I usually don't mind a bunch of sex scenes, but between them not really having much of a genuine connection, and the repeatedly kinda inappropriate timing and location of the scenes, it felt like there was one sex scene for every non-sex scene in the second half. lol. I don't think I could take the danger scenes as seriously when the characters were constantly slipping away to bone in between each. It wasn't completely terrible, so I won't give it just one star, but it didn't have much I appreciated either. ( )

Okay I know I'm not going to be in the majority but....well I found I really like the pairing of Gillian and Puck.

I never got the romance of Gillian and William. Too me I always thought he was too much for her. Yes he cared for her, protected her, championed her but I always felt the romantic love was on her side and it was a skewed view because of what she had endured.

With Puck, yes he did leave her in alone in his realm while he came to seek out William's help but he left her with his two good friends. Secure in the knowledge they would protect her and she would be alright. Kind of like he trusted her to be able to take care of herself. Something William never did. Hell even when they are reunited and she asks him what life will be like for her after everything is done and she returns home with him. He basically told her nothing would change. He would still go out to battle leaving her safe at home. When he returned instead of sleeping with other women he would sleep with her. She would cook and clean and do all those wifely things for him while he played the bad ass.

Then there is the whole "beauty and the beast" kind of thing going on. Gillian sees beauty in Puck. She talks about his breathtaking eyes, how one smile can light up her world, even how his leg fur keeps her warm at night. The scene where she gets his permission to touch his horns, to me that was some of the best foreplay ever written.

Does Puck act like a jerk...well yea, he's a guy possessed by Indifference and lost to a path of vengeance. He's been rejected, betrayed and had to tamp down any kind of emotion for so long he's a little rusty at it. The fact that he wants to even try to "melt the ice" for Gillian says quite a bit.

Now we get into Gillian. DAMN, the scared little girl came into herself. Winter and Cameron did a great job training her to be a warrior and teaching her it's okay for her to stand up for herself. What I love most is that along the way she realized that her tormentor's should hold all the guilt. As a young girl she did nothing wrong. She did nothing to warrant the abuse she suffered from her stepfather and step"horrors". She became the Dune Raider, a force to be reckoned with, an equal to Puck the Undefeated. She moved passed what she wanted and thought about how to make Puck's dreams come true, how to beat the prophecies and how to find her happy ending. Her biggest revelation was the fact that while she loved William she couldn't even get passed the thought of having sex with him without feeling ill. Yet without having more than a kiss from Puck she yearned for him.....500 years she had thinking of him and wondering what it would be like to fully be his wife. And it didn't make her ill. That right there should let everyone know that she wasn't William's true mate.

As usual there are a lot of great one liners because Gena's characters always have that edge of sarcasm and wit. Keelycael and a host of others play integral parts in the story line but they don't take away from Gillian and Puck.

Like I said, I know it's an unpopular point of view but I like these two together. William is now free to find the one who can decode his book. Why do I get the feeling this "nerd" is going to be a beautiful woman? Oh I really want to see the Panty Melter get knocked on his gorgeous ass by the woman who is his true mate. ( )