The Reapers Books 4-6, Donna Grant

There is no escaping a Reaper. I am an elite assassin, part of a brotherhood that only answers to Death. And when Death says your time is up, I am coming for you...

Fintan is the most stoic of all the Reapers.  His life before becoming a Reaper was filled with blood and death and loyalty, until betrayal took his life and his willingness to feel.  With a heart locked and sealed from feeling anything other than loyalty to Death and the other Reapers, he carries out his duty and nothing more.  Until Catriona.  Her family has drawn the Fae for generations and their bloodline has been imbued with powers beyond any other Halfling has ever exhibited.  Cat is sure she is the only one that has ever been skipped and yet Bran pursues her relentlessly.  With her growing feelings for Fintan and Fintan's slowly-thawing heart they might uncover the mystery behind why Bran needs her.   But along the way she'll lose something dear to her and only her wit and inner strength will be able to save the love she never expected.

I was greatly anticipating Fintan's story and was surprised by the softness, tenderness, and vulnerability that marked his tale.  I expected something darker but was immensely pleased with his story.  The connection between Fintan and Cat was a little flat but I liked where it ended up because it was a relationship that grew a little slower and with a lot more heartache in various forms.  As for the drama surrounding the Reapers, each new plot from their enemy provides a little more insight into his purpose as well as Death's struggles.  Cat's quick thinking was impressive and she made for a great addition to the Reaper's family.  I'd like to see more of them, even on the periphery of the other Reapers' stories because I don't think they've fully achieved their potential as mates yet.   Overall this was a little different from what I expected though I was pretty happy with where we ended.  4 stars.

Daire's assignment to this point has been to shadow Rhi, the stunning Fae enigma.  His new mission brings him to the home of three sisters caught in Bran's crosshairs and if he can't convince them of his identity and purpose, they'll be instrumental in Death and her Reapers' demise.  Ettie is used to being overshadowed by her sisters in virtually every way.  When a darkly attractive man shows her attention it puts her in a position she has never been in.  Her life spent training for an unnamed threat has left her unprepared for matters of the heart and she's struggling to balance the distrust of her sisters, the attentions of a man, and another man claiming to be Fae and that they are in danger without his assistance.  Unless Daire and Ettie can find the truth surrounding the sisters and if Ettie can't sort out her head and her heart, they'll give Bran everything he needs to win.

With Daire's statement of attraction to Rhi I was honestly surprised when he fell so quickly for Ettie.  I did believe his draw to Ettie, but I felt their connection and evolution was underdeveloped.  There were also some disturbing connections between Bran and Ettie that, while millennia removed, it was still superbly weird.  Ettie's introduction was really good because it showed a fierce fighter with a head clear on her training and preparedness.  It was disappointing then, to see her so easily doubt so much.  I get that they didn't really have many clues or information to go on, but it was her almost reversion to adolescence in her attitude and perceptions that bothered me. It seemed as if virtually everyone was blind in this story and that was more frustrating than anything.  Either they were ignoring clues or they were overlooking them.  Everything did progress, however, and the appearance of what Bran was looking for was both shocking and exciting for its implications.  It was kind of the only thing that pushed the book forward though, so while this isn't my favorite book of the series, it gave the series momentum to carry it through.  3.5 stars.

Stuck in a place with no light, no sound except for Eoghan's breathing and the cries of the beast hunting him, he's fighting an unseen enemy hoping to find a way out from whatever realm he was thrust into.  And then he hears it.  There's music echoing in his soul, leading him to the light.  He doesn't expect the blue-haired Halfling to be the savior she is and yet he's glad it was her and no one else.  The mysteries of her past, however, could prove more dangerous than the plot from his.

With a dark, mysterious, and exciting opening I was expecting the whole book to follow in that vein. It didn't, really, but it wasn't a bad story either.  It was a bit less in terms of following the same flow of the other Reaper stories, but it became a vessel for a ton of changes and connections with the Dark Kings series that made my heart beat nearly out of my chest.  Eoghan was still the same aloof male he was before now, but there's a softening in him because of Thea.  Finding his voice was quite interesting and learning of his past was appropriately sad, though it was his evolution as a leader and a friend that I enjoyed most about him here.  Thea was interesting mainly because of her connections and her music, but on her own she was slightly bland.  She did make a good mate for Eoghan by the end though.  The introduction of another Fae as well as Eoghan's new role were both incredibly exciting because of their implications for the rest of the series as well as the surrounding stories.  With six of the seven Reapers finding their mates I can hardly wait to see if all our hopes and yearnings for Cael are granted in Dark Alpha's Awakening.  3.5 stars.