The third and final story in the ‘Year of Eyes’ trilogy set on Valladora focuses on Thanos, a vampire lord who is rather more withdrawn than some of his brothers in earlier books. Thanos stumbles across his mate, Declan, purely by accident - right after he rescues two small snow leopard cubs who can’t seem to change into humans. Actually, Declan comes banging on Thanos’s door ready to storm the castle because he is afraid his young twin brothers have been kidnapped or worse. This belligerence remains part of their dealing with each other for quite a while as these two men get to know each other. It made for some very entertaining banter, but the threat that follows quickly takes over.

Thanos, unlike his brothers Kyros and Ladon, likes his life quiet, solitary, and without interference. It doesn’t mean he is a total recluse, so when he finds two helpless snow leopard cubs, he does not hesitate to take them home so he can keep them safe. Thanos doesn’t quite know what hit him when their much older brother turns up, accusing Thanos of all sorts of things and “demanding” the kids be released immediately. The story could have ended with Thanos turning over the cubs – if it weren’t for the fact that Declan is wounded from fighting off the robbers who attacked him, and the scent of his blood alerts Thanos that Declan is his mate. Thanos is ecstatic, ready to defend all three brothers with his life, and determined to protect them whether they like it or not.

Declan is super prickly. He has raised the cubs since their mother died three years ago, they have been on the run all that time, and Declan’s only purpose in life is to keep them safe. He has learned not to trust anyone, so to find a powerful vampire lord has “taken” them brings up Declan’s hackles. He assumes the worst and none of Thanos’s assurances that they are all safe in his castle will make Declan calm down. Being told he is Thanos’s mate just sounds so ludicrous, Declan doesn’t even want to think about believing it. Except – he is extremely attracted to Thanos, and the vampire has done right by the cubs (and Declan) – so where does that leave him? In an awful quandary, that’s where.

Despite their attraction, these two men have a very hard time communicating, never mind building trust. If it weren’t for the threat to all of their lives that suddenly turns up at the castle, I am not sure they would have found common ground anytime soon.

If you like stories about mates who start off on the wrong foot, if you enjoy reading about intense courtships with lots of fighting, and if you’re looking for a read that is intense, suspenseful, and very rewarding once the main characters understand each other, then you will probably like this novella. I look forward to reading the next trilogy – ‘The Year of Moons’.



NOTE: This book was provided by Evernight Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )