Dark Alpha's Need

First I want to say the Dark World series' that Donna Grant has created is one of my addictions. I mean who couldn't fall in love with Highlanders, Dragons, Fae, Reapers, Druids, and of course mortals. Dark Alpha's Need is book 12 in the Reapers series and it really does need to be read in order or you lose so much of the context. The Reapers are Fae warriors that were once betrayed and killed, brought back by Death to be her executioners as she is judge and jury over the Fae. At one time Death didn't allow her Reapers to ever find love or a partner. But after betrayal by one of her Reapers (previous book) she changed her views and even found love herself. Must read series for all the details. On the very good side, each book is like meeting up with old friends and going on new adventures. Donna has created such an incredible world and characters that I can't help but want to just fall into each and every book. Dark Alpha's Need continues in the search for "the Others", or at least the new group of "Others". The Reapers are still searching for Xaneth, and he does make several appearences as do Erith and Cael, but must also face the dangers the new Others present. Breda is on the run from the Others. She knows her life is in peril, and she doesn't know who to fear more, the Others or the Reapers. Her story is so compelling, I will admit I still want to jump thru the pages and give her a hug. Torin (Reaper) has sworn to protect her and keep her safe in exchange for information on the Others. Can't say too much more without giving away the story, and well, it is just too good not to read. Highly recommend!!

Reapers are back and ready for more action against the others! Torin like all reapers was betrayed. He gave up his past to become a Reaper and continues to be the faithful and dedicated warrior he always was. But one brief, chance encounter with Breda and he is fascinated with her. Breda moves freely amongst the Fae but she is not all that she appears. She has a rare and raw talent, one her odious mother and grandmother used to their own advantage. She may have been recruited by the others but she now knows just what they are up to and she needs to find the elusive Reapers to help her end their plans once and for all. Torin and Breda's story is a quick read and there is no big AHA moment. They just drift into their relationship. Most of the angst and tension comes from her fraught family relationships and the danger intrinsic of the Others. Breda really flourishes during the story; learning new skills and finding out hobbies that just give her enjoyment. Although we do find out about Torin's betrayal, his past is still largely unknown so I felt that we didn't connect with him as fully. We also got to meet the Six and I really want to know who the leader is - I'm getting major UBeatch vibes from her I'll admit! Aisling and Xaneth seem doomed - I do hope we don't have to wait too long for their HEA!

DARK ALPHA’S NEED is the eleventh instalment in Donna Grant’s contemporary, adult REAPERS paranormal, romance series focusing on Death’s Reapers. This is Reaper assassin Torin, and Breda’s story line. The REAPERS is a spin off from Donna’s DARK KINGS series which is a spinoff from Donna’s DARK WARRIOR series which in turn is a spin off from Donna’s DARK SWORD series- all set in the Highlands of Scotland. You do not have to have read any of the previous series to understand the premise but many of the events of the Reapers series, overlap with the events of the Dark Kings series. DARK ALPHA’S NEED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion. SOME BACKGROUND: The Reapers (believed to be a folk lore amongst the Fae) are a group of Dark and Light Fae, selected by Death (aka Erith), on their own deathbed, to do her bidding-Death is the judge and jury; the Reapers are the executioners. The Reapers are not harbingers of death, but are tasked with destroying the Light and Dark Fae who have crossed a line from which there is no return. All Reapers must follow two rules: never to fall in love; and never to reveal their existence to anyone but a group known as the Others, have declared themselves the rulers of the Fae, and their next ‘mission’ is to take down the Reapers, having failed to destroy the Dark Kings. Told from third person perspectives, following several pathways, DARK ALPHA’S NEED focuses on the hunt for the Others. Ainsley and Torin have located Breda, a young woman, a Fae who has recently escaped the group known as the Others. Hoping to ferret out information from Breda, Torin and Ainsley begin to question our heroine, only to realize she, and thusly the Others, are aware of more than they could have imagined but the appearance of the Other soldiers finds Ainsley and Torin watching from afar when a Fae they long thought dead and missing takes down the soldiers like a trained assassin. While Ainsley goes in search of the long lost Fae, Torin and Breda must face the Reapers, and the woman they have come to call Death, and friend. What ensues is the building relationship between Torin and Breda, as the Reapers devise a plan to take down the Others but in doing so use our story line heroine as a target and as bait. Breda knows betrayal first hand, and in this, she is reluctant to reveal the truth about her past but Torin suspects Breda is keeping secrets, and in this, he must convince our heroine to trust in an effort to uncover the whereabouts of the Others. Meanwhile, Ainsley goes on the hunt for Xaneth, the missing and broken Fae who mind and spirit have been tortured and abused. Xaneth is no longer the Fae male he once was, and in this, I suspect the betrayal will make him a candidate for the next chosen Reaper. The relationship between Torin and Breda is one of immediate attraction but Breda is on the run, and her inability to trust threatens her relationship and friendship with our story line hero. When Torin reveals the truth about his past, Breda must come clean about the abusive childhood she had to endure, a childhood in which her powers would be used for evil rather than for good. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text. There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Xaneth, and several members of the Reapers, and Death. DARK ALPHA’S NEED is a story of betrayal and vengeance; power and control; retaliation and humiliation; acceptance, relationships, family and love. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are animated and energetic.