Review: The Charmed Fates

Reviewed by Shelly
 

When I read the blurb for the first in the series of the Charmed Trilogy, I would have never guessed Wenrick’s would take me on such a roller-coaster of adrenaline. Each installment is absolutely better than the last and this story is no different; this story is so much darker than the others -The Charmed Fates - is my favorite in the series.

Enjoyable to say the least, Wenrick’s writing style is captivating - there’s just enough dialogue that carries the story along quite well. One of the many things I like about her is the way that she conveys the passage of time. I’ve noticed that a lot of writers in this genre don’t express this in real time (days, weeks, etc.); this author does and it’s one of those quirky things that helps me believe that even in their paranormal world, these characters are subject to something that mutually affects us.

It’s been about a year since Olivia Greyson was involved in a horrific train accident, lost her best friend Sarah, and met Daywalker Caleb Wolfe. It’s during that time that she found out that she’s a Charmer, a Dhampir, whose talents are a wanted commodity amongst the most powerful in the community of vampires. Since she’s spent time and trained with her guardians at The Oracle, strengthening both her physical and mental self, Olivia is becoming a formidable warrior.

The Walker Coven - Olivia, her mate Caleb, her grandfather Jax Walker, and her good friend and fellow Dhampir Gemma - are living under the radar, always on the lookout for the dark and evil vampire, Luther Davin. Since their mating, Olivia and Caleb have gotten closer, but in this the final installment of the series, their relationship will undergo some significant challenges complicated by Olivia’s insecurities and Caleb’s need to protect. These two are still as hot as a couple. Olivia by herself continues to impress me in her maturity and the way she handles her business, especially with Caleb. Jax and Gemma’s relationship will see some incredibly happy times and undergo heartache that could shatter even the most patient soul. Jax couldn’t be any more perfect as a mate for strong-willed Gemma and as Olivia’s grandfather.

The Brethren are back - Alec is hunky and cankerous as usual, that foul-mouth delectable Lucas takes a more prominent role and I liked it just fine. The GLD (good looking Dhampir) Phin and his love Maya are as cute as ever, and the biggest horndog ever in the history of horndogs Kane is bringin’ it and bringin’ it well – fighting to keep Davin from increasing his power.

Now on to the bad guys, and boy howdy are they bad. At one point in the book, I was close to jumping to the end because I was so mad at Wenrick. I couldn’t believe what was going on – I was like ‘NOOOOOO way!!!’. But that’s what make a good writer isn’t it?  The antagonists are just as well written as the protagonists. Davin in all his ugliness and evilness has been trying to get Olivia to come over to his side for quite a while now. With the increasing dangers to Olivia’s safety, the tension in the coven increases to a boiling point. If that’s not enough to drive the sane insane, Caleb’s 600-year-old maker Celeste shows up because she wants her Caleb back and will do whatever she needs to do to make that happen. Celeste is awesomely bad, twisted, a complete and total megalomaniac.

In the end, I relished this story individually but I gotta tell ya, I thoroughly adored the series and I’m so glad that I read it. Thanks Wenrick! I look forward to more from the ‘Men of Brahm Hill’.

Happy Reading Folks!

Rating: A+

*ARC provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon 
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The Charmed Fates

by Christine Wenrick

Release Date: February 8, 2013

Publisher: Red Tree Publishing