LIONHEART (Moonshadow #3) by Thea Harrison-dual review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date Octboer 15, 2018

King Oberon reigned over his Dark Court in Lyonesse for centuries, until an assassination attempt laid him low. Now he lies unconscious in his snow-bound palace, while his Power battles the enchantment that threatens to end his life.

A skilled trauma surgeon and magic-user, Dr. Kathryn Shaw reigns at the top of her profession in New York. Then comes a challenge she can’t resist—she is asked to cure the uncureable. Just getting close enough to try healing Oberon is a dangerous proposition. When she does reach him, he awakens too soon.

Roused from darkness by Kathryn’s presence, Oberon confronts the beautiful stranger who claims she wants to save his life. But the enchantment has frozen his emotions. How can he learn to trust her when he can’t feel anything?

Oberon’s desire is icy, devoid of all tenderness. Not only must Kathryn match wits with him, she must also fight her reaction to his touch, because there is so much more at stake than her own endangered heart.

For the Dark Court faces its most deadly peril yet. Its ancient enemy Isabeau, Queen of the Light Court, is obsessed with its annihilation, and Oberon must be brought to remember his loyalty and affection for his people.

Because if he won’t fight for them, Lyonesse itself may very well be destroyed

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Sandy’s REVIEW: LIONHEART is the third instalment in Thea Harrison’s contemporary adult MOONSHADOW paranormal/fantasy trilogy-a spinoff from the author’s ELDER RACES series. This is Dark Fae King Oberon, and trauma surgeon Dr. Kathryn Shaw’s story line. LIONHEART can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the trilogy in order for backstory and cohesion.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Oberon and Kathryn) LIONHEART follows Wyr trauma surgeon Dr. Kathryn Shaw as she is tasked by Dragos Cuelebre, dragon shifter and leader of the Wyr Demense, with saving the life of King Oberon of the Dark Court. Over fifteen years earlier (200 in Otherworld time) an assassin was sent by Queen Isabeau of the Light Court to take down the once mighty and powerful King of the Dark. A sliver of magic sensitive silver had entered Oberon’s body, and was slowly destroying the man and leader he had become. In order to protect his people from his increasing instability, Oberon cast a stasis spell that sent the him into a two hundred year sleep. Enter Dr. Kathryn Shaw, and the woman with whom Oberon would fall in love. What ensues are Kathryn’s struggles to save the Dark Court King, and the potential fall-out as Oberon insists on going to war, in an effort to reclaim what was and what shall be again.

Dr. Kathryn Shaw loved New York, and her job as a trauma surgeon but when ordered to the Dark Court of Lyonesse, Kathryn struggled between head and heart knowing a man’s (King’s) life hung in the balance. King Oberon knew his time was drawing to an end. No longer able to keep his Power under control, his beautiful lands, and the people he loved were slowly being destroyed by the battle between good and evil.

The relationship between Kathryn and Oberon begins acrimoniously. Oberon never anticipated waking up to discover his lands destroyed, and his would-be mate struggling to keep him alive. Kathryn knew once she saved King Oberon’s life, nothing would ever be the same. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

All of the previous Moonshadow couples play secondary and supporting characters including LAPD consultant Sophie Ross, and Daoine Sidhe Knight of the Dark Court Nikolas Sevigny (Moonshadow #1), and sorcerer/lycanthrope Morgan le Fae, and musician Sidonie Martel (Spellbinder #2). We get a quick glimpse at Dragos and Rune from the original Elder Races series, but for the most part the characters include King Oberon’s court (Annwyn, Gawain, Owen) and his Puck (shapeshifter) Robin.

LIONHEART is a story of betrayal and revenge; recovery and loss; of one man’s struggle to reclaim what was lost, and one woman’s battle between head and heart. The premise is entertaining and imaginative; the characters are colorful and dynamic; the romance is provocative and moving. LIONHEART is a moving, animated and energetic tale-a perfect conclusion to Thea’s Moonshadow Trilogy.

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Barb’s REVIEW:  Lionheart by Thea Harrison is the 3rd and final book in her Moonshadow trilogy. The Moonshadow trilogy is a spinoff of Harrison’s Elder Races, focusing on the Wyr in European Elder Races. Though this can be read very well as a standalone, it is best to read the whole trilogy in order understand the theme and secondary characters that make appearances from the first two books.

We meet King Oberon, of the Dark Court in Lyonesse, years before during a gala.  Oberon was a strong and powerful magic user, and a popular king.  On the night of the gala, Oberon was hit by a deadly dart that put a spell on him which would slowly kill him.  The assassination attempt was ordered by the evil Isabeau, Queen of the Light Court, whom we knew from the earlier books.  Oberon put himself into a deep sleep to slow the damaging process; in hope that his loyal team would find a way to save him. As he remains unconscious throughout 200 (15 in human time) years, his land suffers as the effect of the spell makes him cold and uncaring, forcing the lands to become like him, bitter cold and unlivable.   

Dr. Kathryn Shaw, our heroine, works out of New York, being one of the best trauma specialists, and also the doctor for Dragos (the leader of the Elder Races series), and his team.  When members of Oberon’s team beg Dragos for help, he will convince Kathryn to try to use her expertise to find a way to counteract the spell and save Oberon, or Isabeau will take over the Dark Court.

When Kathryn arrives to see if find a way to stop the spell, she has no idea what she has to face in Oberon, who despite his deep sleep senses her. Oberon finds himself coming alive, and after a rough start that Kathryn surprises him with her stubbornness.  She was after all able to handle Dragos, and was equal to the challenge presented by the powerful and equally stubborn Oberon.

What follows is a wonderful, exciting, non-stop action packed story, but most of all a slow built romance that was destined to fail.  Kathryn loved New York, and Oberon was still the King of the Dark Court. If he survived.  Kathryn was an amazing, strong powerful heroine, who stood up to Oberon, forcing him to follow her instructions to find the spell and eliminate it.  Their chemistry was sizzling, and I loved them both together, as they were both strong, tough and independent. It was fun to watch them butt heads, and to slowly see them each fall in love. 

Once Oberon begins to get stronger, his team gathers to help him fight off the attempt to take over Lyonesse by Isabeau.  Oberon is also hell bent on revenge against the Light Court Queen. Kathryn was determined to watch over him, so that his recovery would continue, and I really enjoyed seeing her change in her Falcon Wyr to help him fight. Lionheart also had some great secondary characters, such as Robin, Sophie, Annwyn, Gawain to name a few.  It was nice to see more of Robin, the Puck in this story.

Thea Harrison once again gives us a fun, exciting, captivating, intense story, with an amazing couple that turned out to be the best in this trilogy.  Lionheart was a great finale to the Moonshadow trilogy, and I hope to see more of them in future Elder Races stories.  

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Moonshadow
Spellbinder
Lionheart

Copy supplied for review