Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Raven: Part Two
SERIES: Forbidden Desires Spinoff
AUTHORS: Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
LENGTH: 9 hours and 22 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2024
BLURB:
Bertram Drake, international man of mystery, leads a double life. By day he is the council’s most valuable pawn, but by night he is a traitor, aiding and abetting the dangerous leader of the organization looking to undermine dragon society—a man who goes by the name of Raven, and who is none other than the father of Bertram’s children and his beloved mate.
Kept from his family by his dangerous wild magic, Sorin is a man on a mission. As Raven—the leader of the Vanguard—his life’s purpose is to save and rehabilitate the omegas being mistreated by their cloisters, but when an unexpected discovery puts all Pedigree omegas in mortal peril, his goals shift. He must do whatever it takes to ensure no omega ends up suffering like him.
Even if it means playing the part of the villain and severing ties with his mate.
Raven: Part Two is the 92,000 word conclusion to the Forbidden Desires series. It contains eye-opening revelations, new outfits for little lizards, extremely scientific field studies, and a love that manages to conquer all. For maximum enjoyment, Raven: Part Two is best listen following the events of Clutch, Bond, Mate, Swallow, Magpie, Finch, Peregrine, and Raven: Part One.
Please use the Look Inside or Download Free Sample feature to read the Content Warning for possible triggers.
REVIEW:
Note: This book is a spin-off of the main series and has major spoilers for all the preceding books. Therefore, it’s recommended that this series be read/listened to in order. Please be sure to read the content warnings before listening as there are sensitive/triggering topics and events described in this book.
This book begins at the timeline of Clutch, the first of the Forbidden Desires series and continues through the timeline of the rest of those books and the spinoff series books and beyond the events of Peregrine. But the story is told from the perspective of Sorin and Bertrand who are separated for much of the book due to circumstance beyond their control. Piers and Bertrand are doing their best as double agents for the Council to make thing better for the Omegas. But when a breeding experiment is undertaken based on Harry’s theory of the omega/beta/dragonets, well Sorin feels he has no choice but to go it alone. He won’t risk Bertram being discovered the condemned by the council, but he also won’t allow more omegas to be used in this way. In the meantime, one of Bertram’s brothers is set to find a mate for his own clutch. And one of the Vanguard’s most powerful agents, Magpie, is paired with another of Bertram’s brothers.
Sorin’s health – both mental and physical – take a serious hit after he breaks contact with Bertram. Things go terribly wrong while he’s incapacitated and when Bertram’s family is under attack, the Vanguard is badly defeated and injuries are incurred that have lasting consequences and cause resentment. But Sorin amazingly survives and lives to fight another day. Both Piers and Bertram are searching for him, and when Piers finds him well it’s nearly the end – for many Drakes. Bertram is able to save the day, but it’s clear that he cannot stay and play both sides. It’s now out of his hands and if he wants to save his mate, he’s going to have to invoke the poison pill, as it were.
For me, this was the best ending to hope for with the Drakes coming together despite a long protracted and yet secret in many ways conflict. Poor Bertram forced to service of the Dragon Council, his father and clan and yet still keep his mate safe is truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Honestly I’m surprised that he didn’t end up needing a lot of therapy in the end! I was most upset with Grimbold taking so long to listen to his own son – despite what he knew happened to Walter. I was also thrilled to see the Drake mates take things into their own hands. Clearly they are quite capable of managing things without the dragons overprotectiveness 😉 I love seeing Sorin finally get a handle on this magic and his pain and his mental health. I particularly enjoyed getting to revisit all the Drake brothers, their mates and their children.
Michael Ferraiuolo. What can I say? He’s been the vocal soul of this series for years now. The same gruff dragons. The same entertaining mates. the distinct personalities and quirks and accents. Simply brilliant. That a narrator can remember and perfect so many different characters in the arc of this series is nothing short of brilliant. That and the emotional tone are worth the listen for this entire series. Truly a favorite that I can’t imagine loving more. Highly recommended! Brilliant!
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