About the Book:
Title: Ancient Warrior
Author: Katie Reus
Series: Ancients Rising
Page Length: 300
Publication Date: April 11, 2023
Synopsis: The last time she saw him…
Long before The Fall, before the world changed forever, tiger shifter Harlow worked in Black Ops for the safety of all shifters. She excelled at her job, loved everything about it, until the male she loved tried to kill her. So she was forced to kill him first.
She killed him.
Now Aodh is back. And this fierce, dominant dragon shifter won’t stop until he gets answers. But things aren’t what they seem and now he has more than a battle with Harlow on his hands. If they want a chance at a future, they’ll have to take down an ancient enemy who has targeted not only them, but their friends—and it’s going to take uniting all their skills to survive.
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My Review:
I love this series, and it just keeps getting better and better. Ancient Warrior is the eighth book in a series of standalone romances all set in the same world. I love this because the protagonists in the books are usually secondary characters in the other books, so you get to catch up with all of your favorites and see what they’re up to.
I was really excited to learn more about Harlow’s story, as she’s been a more elusive character since the beginning of the series. A former Black Ops agent before The Fall, Harlow’s life changed in an instant when the love of her life tried to kill her. Harlow had to kill him instead, and she’s never fully recovered. Aodh was just as in love with Harlow as she was with him, which is why he doesn’t understand why she abandoned him and left him to the cruel dictates of his captor. Now free, Aodh wants answers and revenge.
It’s so tragic to think that, for over a decade, Harlow believed she killed Aodh after he betrayed her and her friends. And the entire time, Aodh believed his Black Ops team, including Harlow, abandoned him. But for all those years apart, Harlow and Aodh never stopped loving each other. Their romance isn’t as high stakes or obstacle-ridden as some of the others in the series, but it’s just as sexy and compelling. Also, I think it’s one of the only second-chance romances in the series.
As with all of the Ancients Rising books, the world-building is vivid and immersive, and the secondary characters are fantastic. Plus, the dragons! I just adore the baby dragons and love every scene they’re in. And there’s another couple that I NEED to see together. They have great chemistry and so much angst, and I think they could be good for each other. They have been circling each other for several books, and the sexual tension between them is 🔥.
This is a great addition to the series. It’s exciting and suspenseful, and the romance is wonderful. I also like the direction the overarching plot is going, and I’m curious to see what’s in store for these fabulous characters and creatures in the next book. Special thanks to NetGalley and Katie Reus for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance.
- The found family.
- The world.
Tropes:
- second chance romance
- found family
- DRAGONS!!!!!!
Ooh, this sounds GOOD! 😍 I’m gonna have to check this out. Would you recommend reading the earlier books in this series beforehand though, even if they’re technically standalone?
I think you could jump in anywhere, though if you start with some of the earlier books, you get to learn more about the world and how the characters are all connected. And there are a couple that really spotlight the baby dragons, which are adorbs!!!