Tynga's reviews

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank

Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Mass market paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Release date: June 1, 2007

Series: The Nightwalkers #2

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

They're called the Nightwalkers--proud, ancient beings who live in the shadows, existing just beyond the human world. But there are also dangerous humans who hunt them--necromancers who use the blackest magic to manipulate them. And for a Demon named Gideon, the battle against these evil forces will soon be all too personal...

AS A HEALER, HE KNOWS HER BODY. BUT IT'S HER HEART HE WANTS.

For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without questionBut Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons—and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdelegna, the Demon King's sister, in a wild embrace.Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious—and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade.

Now, with necromancers threatening his people—and Magdelegna nearly their victim—Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdelegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he'll have to save her life.

Every night holds secrets.

After reading the first book, Jacob, I hesitated before continuing this series. Jacob was a great story but it lacked the background information about the characters and their world. After reading this second book, Gideon, I am now a big fan of Jacquelyn Frank. This installment was so much better than the first one. We have a better understanding of the Nightwalkers’ world and their history fighting against each other.

The Nightwalkers is the name for everything that goes bump in the night. That includes demons, vampires and shapeshifters. So far, the series has followed the demons closely while some of the other races have made brief appearances. Human society and culture has led us to believe that demons are evil and dangerous but the demons in the series are anything but that. They are a long lived race governed by a King, Noah, and a group of respected individual. Gideon is one of those individuals and is one of the oldest demons alive.

Obviously, this book revolves around Gideon and his attraction to his fated mate, Magdelegna (or Legna). Almost 300 years old, Legna is quite old by human standards, but compared to Gideon, who is many centuries older, she is still a young woman. The age difference bothers Gideon but they quickly learn that their destiny together is stronger than their reluctance for one another. The attraction between Gideon and Legna is intense and strong. I love that they have their disagreements and conflicts, because it makes them believable despite their fated relationship. I find their relationship a bit creepy since Gideon has known Legna since she was a young child. However, I admit that they make a convincing pair.

Mated pairs from the previous book, also make an appearance. I always enjoy the return of older characters and learning the rest of their stories since, for me, the end of a book is never the end of the characters’ lives. Jacquelyn Frank made sure to revisit the passion between Jacob and Isabella, from book one, and we learn that their love has only gotten stronger.

Although this story is a romance book at heart, it isn’t without action. Conflict in the Nightwalkers’ world threatens the lives of the demons and their mates. A group of female necromancers and human hunters have combined their forces to battle against the demons, by first attacking the female mates of two demons. The demons and lyncanthropes monarchs decide that they must come together despite their animosity in order to fight this new enemy.

Gideon is full of action, passion, attraction and strong characters. Jacquelyn Frank writes in a wickedly seductive way that urges you to keep on reading and escape into her extraordinary fantasy. I will definitively read the following books of The Nightwalker series. As of now, the series has a total of six books.

Read and excerpt