Review: Beyond the Darkness by Katie Reus

24674130Beyond the Darkness
(Darkness, #3)
By: Katie Reus
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: March 3, 2015
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
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Now that she has her freedom, she’s not giving it up.

Dragon shifter Keelin Petronilla spent centuries in forced hibernation dreaming of one thing: freedom. Now she’s living life on her terms—she’s ditched her clan for an unruly wolf pack, she tends bar for a half-demon, and she’s loving it…until a powerful supernatural being targets her. She intends to handle the mysterious attacks on her own…without the help of dragon Alpha Bran Devlin. Sure, he’s sexy in that hot, scowling possessive way, but Keelin wants to live her own life in her own way.

Now that he’s found his mate, he’s not letting her go.

Former black ops agent Bran Devlin is a born dragon Alpha and leader of a fierce clan. Getting mated was never part of his plan—until a feisty dragon princess gets under his skin in a big way. The hell of it is, she doesn’t want a mate; she just wants to have a good time. He plays along, but when a dark and powerful being marks her for death, he’s determined to stay by her side in spite of her protests. Now that he’s found his mate, he means to keep her safe no matter what the cost…even if he has to risk it all.

1thoughtsKeelin’s parents have always hovered over her and never allowed her any breathing room. Then she was forced into protective hibernation only to wake up and realize that her parents were still hibernating. She sets off and tries to find the independence she’s been craving. The only problem is, there’s an Alpha dragon who has been sniffing around her and seems to think she’s his mate. No matter how many times she gives him the cold shoulder, he doesn’t seem to take the hint. And now he’s shown up at her new location.

This was a great story that revolved around Keelin and Bran. Granted, we meet the two of them in the previous book (The male MC is Keelin’s long lost brother), the author still adds a lot of history that takes place after the last book that helps bring you up to speed about these two characters relationship. Sure, you can read these books by themselves but all the characters from the previous two books are always buzzing around in this one. So with reading the previous two, it’s like a cozy dragon family reunion.

The author wrote this book in a handful of character’s perspectives. However, unlike the last book, I was never lost. You follow the two main characters, the villain, and two of the secondary characters which I’m sure will be seeing their own book very soon. We have met Bo previously since his club had been in the previous books but we got to know him a little bit more with the few chapters that were written in his point of view. Not to mention his love interest who is an innocent employee of his. A female who is definitely “other” but no one is quite sure what exactly she is. Of course, it’s revealed in this story but I’m not about to give away any spoilers. With their stories mixed in, and the fact that they have some drama going on that will more than likely come back to bite them in the behind… I’m confident their story will be next. And I cannot wait.

Back to the main characters though. Bran and Keelin were interesting characters to read from. Sure Bran is your typical Alpha. He’s powerful, full of himself, and is uber protective of his female. However, he was born with a deformity that has left him viewing life reminiscent of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. He was born blind in one eye. That same eye is cloudy and looks different from the other. With the fact that dragons are known to be a “beautiful” species, his ruggedness isn’t something that’s normally sought after. So he has some insecurities about his deformity. I think that little nugget was what set Bran apart from other Alpha’s for me. He wasn’t winy or “woah is me”, but he definitely felt hurt when he thought Keelin didn’t want him because of his disability.

Keelin was one of those characters that wants to be free. She’s been sheltered all her life and she’s ready to get out and live a little. The only problem is that when she sets out to establish her independence a dominant male comes charging in threatening it. I like that even though her dragon was clawing at her to mate with Bran, she didn’t cave on what she wanted. She wanted to have a little fun and live a little. Granted, she got a little more than she bargained for but she stuck with what she wanted. She didn’t fully push Bran away though, she lays it all out on the table, they can hook up and fool around but she does not want to be mated. I really respected her for standing up for what she wanted and not backing down.

This was a great addition to the series. Not only were the main characters a pleasure to read but I liked seeing all the other characters coming back into the mix. It was nice seeing everyone again. I think this will be one of those series that I keep up with. It’s got dragons, romance, and suspenseful fight scenes. I mean, what more could a paranormal romance junkie ask for?

 

1favequote“God, everything about her was perfect. It was no surprise she was so resistant to mating with him. He couldn’t blame her, even if it sliced him up inside. Dragons were such beautiful species but he’d gotten screwed in that department. Not that he’d ever cared before. All that shit was superficial. In his former job he’s seen ugly deeds committed by such beautiful people.”

 

Previous reviews from Darkness
Darkness Awakened

Taste of Darkness

kRISTIN

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