Synopsis
No good deed goes unpunished.
Riley Masters learns this the hard way when she finds a wallet and decides to do the right thing. But returning it will cost her much more than she bargains for.
Abandoned by her mother, raised by an indifferent father, Riley has accepted the fact that she would be alone always. She has no idea that a single act of kindness would propel her into a world where creatures that shouldn’t exist guard the human race from the demons that lurk in the shadows. That it will cost her the lives of those she loves while unearthing a destiny she never imagined with a man who is forbidden to love her. She finds passion, romance and the family she’d been searching for her entire life, but at what cost and what is she willing to sacrifice to find answers and happiness?
Octavian Maxwell has always known his place. He is a Caster, a Son of Judgment. His job is to protect the mortal world from the creatures plotting to destroy it. Instead, his world is shattered when a human girl walks into Final Judgment, a girl he has been searching for his entire life, a girl he is forbidden to ever touch. Being with her will break the oath he’s sworn to never love a mortal. But his heart has already found its mate and it refuses to let go.
Final Judgment… a place undetected, a gateway to evil and a legend that will undo everything anyone has ever known about our world.
Riley Masters learns this the hard way when she finds a wallet and decides to do the right thing. But returning it will cost her much more than she bargains for.
Abandoned by her mother, raised by an indifferent father, Riley has accepted the fact that she would be alone always. She has no idea that a single act of kindness would propel her into a world where creatures that shouldn’t exist guard the human race from the demons that lurk in the shadows. That it will cost her the lives of those she loves while unearthing a destiny she never imagined with a man who is forbidden to love her. She finds passion, romance and the family she’d been searching for her entire life, but at what cost and what is she willing to sacrifice to find answers and happiness?
Octavian Maxwell has always known his place. He is a Caster, a Son of Judgment. His job is to protect the mortal world from the creatures plotting to destroy it. Instead, his world is shattered when a human girl walks into Final Judgment, a girl he has been searching for his entire life, a girl he is forbidden to ever touch. Being with her will break the oath he’s sworn to never love a mortal. But his heart has already found its mate and it refuses to let go.
Final Judgment… a place undetected, a gateway to evil and a legend that will undo everything anyone has ever known about our world.
About the author...
Airicka Phoenix is the best-selling author of The Touch Saga and Games of Fire with short stories in Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology and Midnight Surrender Anthology. When she's not hammering away at the keyboard, she can be found banishing pirates or crawling through the attic looking for lost treasure with her kids. She loves baking, gardening and reading. She also likes to travel and take pictures of everything she comes across. When asked, Airicka describes herself as a sarcastic basket case that has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, old movies and really bad jokes. She loves to laugh, make friends and write. If she could have one wish granted, it would be to spend one day as a fly-on-the-wall inside Stephen King's mind. If she could have two wishes granted, she would ask for a castle dedicated entirely to her overwhelming collection of books.
Review ~ 4 Stars
*This review contains spoilers*
I had the pleasure of reading Octavian's Undoing by Airicka Phoenix, one of my favorite authors. I started reading around 8 PM last night and had to force myself to go to sleep at 3:15 AM because I didn't want to put it down. When I woke up this morning, I finished it without even getting out of bed or putting my contacts on, which was probably a hilarious sight - me with my Kindle in my face as I squinted with one eye open to read the last 20% of the book. Yep, it was that good.
Our main characters are Riley Masters and Octavian Maxwell. I loved both, and Airicka did a fabulous job creating genuine characters that readers can relate to, even though its a paranormal book. Riley is a nineteen year old girl who was abandoned by her mother and forced to drop out of college to take care of herself and her unemployed bum of a father. She finds a job at a reclusive restaurant/bar named Final Judgment after returning a wallet full of cash that she found at a visit to the post office. Little does she know, the bar is a gateway between Hell and Earth, and the family that guards it are paranormal demon hunters known as Casters. The eldest son, Octavian, is totally against Riley working there, despite their immediate attraction to each other, and he has a good reason why. We find out that Riley is Octavian's mate, which is almost unheard of because she is human and he is not. Humans are forbidden to Casters, so the fact that Riley is Octavian's mate presents many problems, including not being able to touch each other without risking Riley's life.
One of the things I loved was that Octavian and Riley didn't drop the l word right away, even though their feelings for one another are apparent as their relationship develops. Their devotion to one another is what everyone wishes to have in real life, and they have moved to one of my all-time favorite book couples. The fact that Riley actually took time to think about her choice to be with Octavian and plunge herself into the world of Angels and Demons, including the danger it would put her in, is refreshing. Many books have the heroine making rash, dangerous decisions in a span of hours without even thinking when it comes to the hero. Octavian is fierce, protective and loyal, and has become one of my top book boyfriends. Not to mention that he's smoking hot with the perfect touch of smart-ass.
This is Airicka's first NA novel, and while I wished there were more steamy scenes, the ones that were present were well-written and tasteful. The story more than makes up for the lack of sex(can you blame a girl for wanting more Octavian?)and I can't wait to see what happens in the next Sons of Judgment book.
~Nikki N.
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