Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Blood Bathory: Be Not Proud

SERIES: Guardians of Gaia #3

AUTHOR: Ari McKay

PUBLISHER: self-published

RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2018

BLURB:

Death, be not proud…
The conclusion of the war between Elizabeth Bathory and the Guardians of Gaia draws closer, but the theriomorphs and their allies are caught between vampires loyal to Elizabeth Bathory’s daughter, Anna, and humans controlled by Elizabeth and her sire, Thrace. With the forces of evil now pressing on them from two sides, the theriomorphs need help, and they need it fast!
And soonest our best men with thee do go…
It has been five hundred years since Antonio de Barajas, one of the oldest surviving theriomorphs, lost his mate at the hands of his worst enemy. But Gaia never revealed the whole truth about Raphael’s fate, and Antonio is shocked when Raphael arrives to train Evan St. John and Adam Carson as true Dark Guardians. Yet the man who returns after so long is not the same man Antonio once loved. The hard and lonely life as Gaia’s hunter has changed Raphael almost as much as his lost memories of Antonio and the love they once shared.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men…
Antonio must work with the stranger who wears his lover’s face, and while Raphael is welcomed by most of the team, one member sees his return as a threat to his own place in Antonio’s life. But Thrace has allied himself with terrorists who possess a weapon of mass destruction. Now the theriomorphs and Dark Guardians must work together in a race against time to discover Thrace’s plan. Even as Antonio and Raphael are irresistibly drawn to one another, Antonio risks losing far more than his heart this time. If he and his team fail in their mission, millions will die, for Thrace will stop at nothing to destroy Gaia once and for all.

REVIEW:

I couldn’t help when I started writing this, the song ‘Final Countdown’ got stuck in my head. Lol. (Ari is going to smack me in the head. I see it coming 😉 lol). But in truth, it is. And in this last amazing book, it’s time for psycho Elizabeth to go. And take her maker with her.

Things are heating up bad. The theriomorphs and others have lost against Thrace and he has brought Elizabeth back to life. Now he is courting more evil to destroy the world. Thrace plans to target as much as he can in payback for Elizabeth and to show everyone who really is boss. The theriomorphs have a surprise coming to help, though. And no one is more surprised at Gaia’s decision than Antonio. Antonio has suffered for centuries at the loss of his soul mate, Raphael. Antonio thought he lost Raphael in a battle, but apparently Gaia has kept him hidden. To make matters worse, Raphael remembers nothing of their life. Antonio now has to basically suck it up, and move on while everyone tries to stop Elizabeth and Thrace from destroying all they hold dear.

Man, can you imagine knowing you lost your soul mate and then seeing them again years later? Knowing they weren’t really gone, just Injured. Every time you see their face, you know they remember nothing. The years of love and togetherness. Of building your lives together. Of knowing in every way you fit perfectly together and now you can’t have it back. Oh gah I would die. And believe me, Antonio wanted to when he found out the truth. Devastated doesn’t begin to cover it. And for Raphael, it’s just as bad. Knowing he shared his life this way and he can’t remember a thing. It hurts to know Gaia would allow this to happen to him. On top of all this going on, Evan and Adam have tried to come to terms with the fact they will never be considered Gaia’s children. Adam it doesn’t bother as bad, but for Evan it’s another blow that somehow he doesn’t quite fit in. One more blow that he’s different. And Evan has had enough of Elizabeth’s shit. The psycho is back at it with super psycho, Thrace at the helm. If I was one of them, I think I would make like an ostrich and hide my head lol. Mercy.

Yeah, this is another one that pulls you through the wringer.but oh so good. Excitement, suspense, and morons in positions of power. This series is oh so good. If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out. I recommend wholeheartedly.

RATING:  

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