Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

SOUL ENSLAVED was a very different animal than the previous two installments; the first half had more of a Paranormal Romance vibe to it with Gavin & Sabelle lighting up the pages with their personal conflicts, relationship tango, and fervid sexcapades. Then, the darker Urban Fantasy side of Keri Lake’s SONS OF WRATH series went all black hole on the happy couple’s sunshine by stealing their HEA out from under them in a big way. Several of this book’s aspects were reminiscent of Larissa Ione’s DEMONICA world, except with more gloom, so if you’re a fan of the latter, and could do with a bit more muscle, you’ve come to the right place.

I enjoyed this author’s take on succubi because she went well beyond the usual soul sucking nymphomaniac into uncharted territory by exploring their power structure, what it means to owe a debt, Priming, and something called Renoshza which is the equivalent of a demonic activation button (g-spot). There’s a convenient glossary to assist readers with figuring out what’s what, and although I did refer to it initially as a sort of series refresher, Lake incorporated detailed explanations throughout the story that makes remembering the various terms a breeze. Sabelle’s also a great MC which helped make her world even more accessible.

The preferred starting point in any PNR that features a group of grade-A males is customarily the leader, but instead Lake delayed Gavin’s tale until book 3, I liked that. It lead to a more three dimensional character with a well-shaped past, and the continuation of a secondary plot thread from a previous installment. I was thrilled with the author’s ‘show’ approach to this novel’s hero; she let his actions speak for themselves which gave readers a good idea of the man behind the demon prince. I really felt for Sabelle too, she’s been backed into a corner by her conniving pimp, wants to give her children a better life, and is prepared to risk it all.

A lot of the sex scenes found in romance can become redundant when you’re an avid smut consumer, so the ones in this novel are worth a mention because they are anything but vanilla. They come in a variety of flavours and levels of intensity that are sure to please. That being said, this writer is an expert in all things light AND dark, therefore be prepared to also experience immense loss, despair, and suffering. At least Zayne, Logan, Calix, Zeke, Maddox and Ferno, the other Wrath brothers, were there to pick-up the pieces of my shattered heart. Only to not be outdone by an ending that left me in complete wonderment.

SOUL ENSLAVED was as finger lickin’ good as it was earth-shatteringly sad. There’s nothing quite like Keri Lake’s story telling! ( )