MOONSHADOW (Moonshadow #1) by Thea Harrison-a dual review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 13, 2016

Her past is a blank, her future uncertain….

Recovering from a shooting, LAPD witch consultant Sophie Ross leaves her job and travels to the U.K. to search for answers about her childhood. When she encounters a Daoine Sidhe knight of the Dark Court, she becomes entangled in an ancient hatred between two arcane forces.

He has given his body and soul to fight for his people….

Barred from his homeland along with his surviving brother knights, Nikolas Sevigny is embroiled in a conflict that threatens everything he holds dear. Only by uniting his people’s resources can they hope to prevail against Isabeau, the deadly Queen of the Light Court. He will do anything and use anyone to return home to Lyonesse.

When Nikolas encounters Sophie, he sees a tool to be used. The insouciant witch might be the key to unlocking every passageway that has been barred to the knights of the Dark Court, even as a fascination for her takes root in what’s left of his soul.

Sophie has no intention of becoming anyone’s pawn, yet the fierce Nikolas is so compelling, she can’t deny the temptation that endangers her guarded heart.

As magic threatens Lyonesse, Queen Isabeau unleashes her merciless Hounds, and Nikolas and Sophie become embroiled in a race for survival. Meanwhile, the passion that ignites between them burns too hot to be denied and quickly turns into obsession.

Thank goodness they both know better than to fall in love…

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Sandy’s Review

REVIEW: MOONSHADOW is the first installment in Thea Harrison’s MOONSHADOW paranormal romance series focusing on a hybrid species of triple threat creatures with the blood of three different races including the Wyr and the Fae. MOONSHADOW is a spin off from Thea’s Elder Races series but you do not have to have read the original series to follow. This is twenty nine year old witch, LAPD consultant Sophie Ross, and Daoine Sidhe Knight of the Dark Court Nikolas Sevigny’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Sophie and Nik) MOONSHADOW follows Sophie Ross as she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth, and straddles a timeline between worlds in the land of her ancestors in the UK. Sophie knows nothing about her heritage -the who, what or why-and when a stranger offers Sophie a chance to seek the answers to her questions, our heroine heads to the UK where the Knights of the Dark Court become the family she has always imagined. Enter Daoine Sidhe knight Nikols Sevigny- the man with whom Sophie will fall in love. What ensues is the search for the portal that leads back to Nikolas’s homeland, and the struggle to survive against more than one enemy of the Dark Court.

Nikolas Sevigny and his brethren have been trapped on this side of the crossover passageway for hundreds of years. In their quest to return to Lyonesse, most of the Knights have perished or left for other places but Nik and his few remaining warriors continue to battle and stay ahead of the evil Queen Isabeau of the Light Court, her Hounds, and their captain Morgan le Fae. Sophie’s appearance will coincide with the Hounds reappearance, and the Knights renew their quest for the passageway home.

The relationship between Sophie and Nik is fraught with the push and pull of attraction. Nik’s Wyr DNA knows Sophie is their mate but Nik’s lifestyle isn’t conducive to love or a relationship that could end with the death of a mate. Sophie is a woman who offers to help the Knights in their quest to return home, and is continuously pushed away by the man that she loves. The $ex scenes are intimate, provocative and intense.

We are introduced to a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Nikolas’s fellow warriors, as well as Robin- a little shapeshifting imp (or puck) whose presence will be familiar to followers of Alexandra Ivy’s playful and heartbreaking gargoyle Levet. The requisite evil comes in many forms including captain of the Hounds Morgan Le Fae, Queen Isabeau of the Light Court, and someone close to the Knights of the Dark Court.

MOONSHADOW is a wonderful story of magic; where fantasy meets reality; where timelines and otherworlds collide. The premise is imaginative and wondrous; the characters are passionate and dynamic; the romance is fated and inspired. Thea Harrison’s word of the Moonshadow is a brilliant new series with engaging characters and a decadent story line.

Barb’s Review
Moonshadow by Thea Harrison is the first book in her new Moonshadow trilogy, which does use her Elder Races theme.  In Moonshadow, the story switches to England, with the focus on the Fae’s, both Dark and Light.   Sophie Ross, our heroine, is a witch consultant for the LA police department.   On leave from her job & suffering from constant nightmares due to being shot on assignment, Sophie decides to accept a quest that will take her to the U.K.   Her quest: Enter a broken down mansion that has been empty for hundreds of years, with no one able to get in, even with a key.

Nik  Sevigny is our hero, and a Daoine Sidhe knight from the Dark Court.  Nik recognizes Sophie from a vision, and thinks she is the enemy.  Nik has seen many of his warriors killed over the years, leaving only a select few, as they try to find a way to get back home to the Dark Court in Lyonesse.  Queen Isabeau, of the Light Court, and her knight, Morgan had destroyed all the portals that would allow any access to Lyonesse.  Nik has become difficult to deal with, trusting no one, especially trying desperately to keep his men alive. It will take Nik awhile to learn to trust Sophie and try to get her to use her witch/djinn powers to help them find the way home, and get help to defeat Isabeau and her vicious hounds. 

Sophie is determined to enter the mansion, and if she is able to enter it (many before her  have failed), she would then inherit it and receive a nice annuity for life.  Both Sophie and Nik do not get along in the beginning, especially since he is surly and demanding, and she being very independent, causes lots of clashes and words.  Their attraction for each other grows over a short time, but with Morgan on their trail, and Sophie’s life now in danger, they bond to help one another survive.  I loved the addition of Robin, an injured puck (brownie), who Sophie saves and nurtures like her “pet” during this story.  Whether a dog, monkey or a strange little boy, Robin was a great character.  I also liked some of Nik’s warriors.

What follows is a non-stop action packed story that was not only tense at times, but also lots of fun.  The romance between Sophie and Nik becomes hot and steamy, and I loved them together. They were both very strong, tough and independent heroes.  Will Nik and his men get back to Lyonesse and  the Dark Fae?   Will Sophie allow herself to be part of Nik’s life in the Dark Court?  Will they survive the onslaught by Queen isabeau?

Moonshadow was a wonderful addition to the Elder Races series, and I for one cannot wait for the second book in this trilogy.  There was so much action, excitement, danger, intrigue, wonderful characters and a great couple.  This story line had a bit of everything, from the Fae, Witches, Puck, and Djinn.  I loved ever moment of this story.

Copy supplied for review