Mortal Danger

I found this a very exciting sequel to Tempting Danger. It began close to where the first one left off. These definitely segue into the next story after it so definitely read them in order. Oh, and if you haven’t read the first one, you might not wish to read this review because I need to bring up things from the first story.

This one has Rule and Lily tense and frustrated with each other because they can’t seem to compromise about anything let alone how they will handle their mate bond. Unbeknownst to the two of them, their hard won victory in the first story was just the first salvo in a war and there were a few loose ends. The staff and Harlowe were able to get away and here, in this story, Harlowe and the staff have returned with a new lease on life and new agenda from the goddess wanna be who has plans of her own to have a demon possess Lily Yu.

Lily starts her first assignment with the FBI special unit by being handed the case of a set of killings that all point to Harlowe as the culprit. But it soon becomes a case of the hunter becoming the hunted. While she works on her case, Rule is off having meetings and guiltily keeping them secret from Lily even though he provides protection that she doesn’t want or thinks she needs. Lily is soon to realize that she is way in over her head when Harlowe releases his trap, but something unexpected happens with far reaching consequences that just cause the danger and adventure to double. It was all so very exciting to see how things would arrive at the end.

This plot was more fast paced in some ways than the first one, but it is also still a plot where many explanations are in order so things can proceed. The things Lily learned about the non-humans in the first story was only the beginning. This story strays into the intro of the demon realms and there is a further intro to other magic users. This one includes a more pronounced struggle that Lily has with accepting Rule that at heart also seems a struggle against her own personal issues. I was a little annoyed with her in the first book because she takes ‘willfully blind’ to whole new levels, but here the exponent grew even higher. I stop short in saying that she got herself and her friends into their dangerous situations because of her issues because there are others with evil and/or secret agendas acting in the story too.

And that leads into a discussion of Lily’s character. I truly don’t mind that she is a questioning sort because heck, who wouldn’t be in awe and questioning when introduced to new details about beings and creatures that have been closed off from you before. But there is a point when you really have to just take something on faith particularly when you have clues and facts leading you there. I just don’t get some of Lily’s stubbornness to refute things she can’t use her six (yeah, she even has that magical sensitivity going for her and she’s still stubborn) senses to see namely the spiritual. I could see being skeptical if there was no evidence of even magic or magical beings, but she has all that and she still marches on heedless of those who try to tell her and help her well until empirical evidence shows up right under her nose. You gotta love her tenacity, sense of duty and tough courage. Well, and finally toward the end she is willing to actually verbalize her feelings. Looking forward to seeing her grow more as the series continues.

I’m not sure how I feel about Rule. He is high-handed at times and he makes decisions of his own, but there is also the fact in his favor that trying to discuss or share a decision with Lily might be an impossible task and much of his sneaking around is to help the situation and arrange for the protection she doesn’t think she needs. Do I think lack of honesty even for the right reasons will come back to bite him? Pretty sure it will. In the first book, Rule seemed to have really changed his direction from being a typical lupi who is as promiscuous as the next one to being monogamous to Lily when they are bonded. There are references to growing feelings for her though he admitted that he had been coerced at first by the mate-bond just like Lily, but I just couldn’t get past the fact- for a time- that he saw no problem with sleeping with another man’s wife. In this story, I was able to buy in to the honesty of his feelings because of his selfless actions and willingness to make Lily angry if it meant that he could keep her safe. I find that I enjoy learning more and more about Rule’s lupi nature and the lupi world that he is from. There are so many hidden things in his family’s past and things the lupi hide from outsiders that I look forward to learning more.

While I find some aspects of Lily and Rule irritating, I do enjoy seeing them come together as a couple. In a way, I like that their path to love is not instant or easy. The plot, secrets, new paranormal facts, twists, and dynamic finish made this book a really good reading experience that I can recommend to others who enjoy Urban Fantasy.