Is she the girl in his dreams…or the monster in his nightmares?Selene sacrificed everything when she took her brother’s place as ruler of the Vyusher pack of wolf shifters—including her secret love for one-time adversary Griffin Aubrey. When nightmares that are just a little too real consume her nights, Selene fears she’s turned into a cold-blooded killer…the monster Griffin already believes she … believes she is.
Griffin and Ellie Aubrey are finally safe for the first time in over a hundred years, and Griffin doesn’t want to easily forgive the woman he blames for his family’s murders. But when an unknown menace drives Selene to leave her people and seek their help, Griffin must decide…
Can he move past his hatred of everything she is? Or will the bond that could bring them both the greatest joy now be the source of their deepest despair?
***This novel was previously published with a different cover, but has undergone a re-edit. Things were added and changed, but the kissing still remains!
more
Abigail Owen has been a favorite of mine since I first discovered her dragon shifters (Fire’s Edge and Inferno Rising series). They are just as hot and lethal as dragons should be, and I’m half in love with every one of them!
So, in keeping with my usual pattern, I took steps backwards in her career to see where she began. My journey backwards began with her Shadowcat Nation series, which, in pure Abby style, blew me away with her cat shifters and the entire nation that went with them. And since I’m just a glutton for a good book, I kept going. I thought to avoid the next step back because they sounded an awful lot like romance HEA mush, which really is not my style, but then I thought, what the hey, it’s Abigail Owen, after all.
So I read Blue Violet. And that was a Wow. The first book ever for her, and it was great. It might not have been up to her levels now, but you gotta give an author breaks when you’re going backwards in their careers, you know, breaks for the learning curve. Which I did, and found I loved the storyline. She had quite the idea going here, and one that had me wanting more. In comes White Hyacinth. And, hello more!
In White Hyacinth, we get to watch Selene and Griffin grow into their powers, and their connection, and also make that extra effort to overcome their mutual pasts. They are a “dream couple”, and I will say no more on that subject! LOL! It is better written than Blue Violet, which to me always means improvement, which I love to see in a new author as their series progresses, and the storyline stays consistently exciting, completely engaging, and not so “romantic” that it ends up turning me off. She brings forward the conflicts that are going on in and around their communities, while progressing the tales of the individuals, in this case, Selene and Griffin. All in all, a very full book, carrying the storyline forward in a way the keeps us engaged. Selene and Griffin are very interesting characters since they are of different castes in the whole Svatura/Vyusher paranormal species. And the lack of trust between them is palpable when reading this. Bringing them together was quite the task and Abby did it with aplomb.
The move from Blue Violet to White Hyacinth was so seamless, particularly since it was going from her first-ever book to her second-ever book, which truly shows a talent in the making. And that, right there, is why I love Abigail Owen’s works. She started out with a real love of weaving tales and has done nothing but progress from there. Even if these were re-edited and given new covers, the baseline is still there for us to see; a talented young woman with a story to tell.
After finishing White Hyacinth I moved immediately on to Crimson Dahlia, explaining my tardiness in writing this review, and will continue on to Black Orchid the moment I’m done with Crimson Dahlia. I just wish I could learn to love hot romance/Amish romance, because she also writes as Kadie Scott and Kristen McKanagh and with her talent, I bet she’d get me to like those genres as well!
From the first, you impressed me with your ability to draw me into a story and keep me there until you were done telling it. You are a true wordsmith, and I’m so glad I found you. So Very Well Done, Abigail Owen! So very well done, indeed!
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
While reading the first book in this series, I found Griffin to be one of my favorite characters. However, he has been surpassed by Selene. It was almost as if the tables had been just completely turned, flipped over, and maybe even thrown around. Because, instead of liking Griffin as I did in the first one, I found myself having a love-hate relationship with him.
Griffin complained about how stubborn Ellie is, but I’m starting to see that this is more of a family trait. He is super stubborn! But, he only thinks he is doing what is best, and you still can’t help but love him.
Not only are you introduced to Griffin’s stubbornness, but Hyacinth, also introduces you to Selene. And trust me, you will absolutely love her too! She has been through so much in her long life and has endured a lot of pain and heartache, which has made her extremely closed off. So, when that shell starts to crack and break you can finally see the true Selene. After all she has been through, she has managed to be a kind and gentle person, which is truly amazing!
All the other characters you came to care for in Blue Violet also have roles in Hyacinth. So, don’t worry you will still get to see Ellie, Alex, and company!