

The problem with this plan, of course, is that Harriet still has major feelings for Wyn-feelings that only get stronger as they pretend to be blissfully in love. Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week.

Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place-the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families-in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple-until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. The 20th Black Dagger Brotherhood book is true to form: characters you know and love embroiled in nonstop action.Įxes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.

As always, it makes for a compelling, propulsive read. Ward includes fan favorites Wrath and Vishous as part of the action along with a dizzying roll call of characters from previous books. Their romance is just one of many stories here, all exploring themes related to life, death, and immortality.

However, the actual relationship between Erika and Balthazar is not even the most interesting or well-developed subplot. Readers who have stuck around through the previous 19 books in the series won’t be surprised at the sheer number of characters and stories stuffed into this one at this point, the series has evolved into a long, continuing supernatural soap opera rather than stand-alone romance novels. When Devina discovers that Balthazar is in love with Erika, she uses the cursed Book of spells to call forth an evil being that will not only be her perfect mate, but who will also destroy Balthazar and Erika in the process. Balthazar has discovered the awful truth: Devina is alive, and any time he falls asleep, she is able to possess his body. In Lover Unveiled (2021), the previous book in the series, the Brotherhood was convinced they had excised the demon Devina and her cursed Book of spells from the Earth. He knows his mate is Detective Erika Saunders, a woman whose need to fight crime is driven by her own violent and tragic past. A vampire tries to expel the demon who is possessing his body and trying to kill his mate.īalthazar is a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the elite warriors who protect the vampire race from enemies both supernatural and human.
