The war continues but the story picks up with another couple. Lots of good action. A different sort of relationship than your standard alpha male. It wasn't totally female dom but it swung that way. I am deducting a star from the last book because I felt that there was a great big unfinished element ( )

I had a little more trouble getting into the start of this one, compared to the first, but once I settled in, I enjoyed it. Maybe it was because I struggled with associating "Golgoth" with dragon-ish people. I think I assumed in the first book that they were, well, demon-kin, not dragon-kin, and I blame the model for me ignoring the stylized dragon on the cover here. Never been a fan of the "Come hither, let me show you my armpit!" pose, so I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it. :P ( )

This was an engaging paranormal romance that didn't get off to a good start for either character. Alastor doesn't want to be king of his people but he wants to get rid of his brutal and evil brother to protect his people. He also suffers from a genetic illness that is only partially controlled by the physicians under his brother's control.

After an attack by his brother on Ash Valley which is hosting the renewal of the peace accords, he feels he has no choice but to take the war to his brother. Unfortunately, his brother has the army and he has only a very loyal group of guards. He does manage to convince the other participants in the peace process to become his allies but trust is difficult to come by.

Dr. Sheyla Halek is very reluctantly trying to keep him alive. She has enough to do taking care of those wounded when Ash Valley was attacked. Sheyla is an interesting character who doesn't have very good people skills and really doesn't care about that. She would be perfectly content doing her scientific research all day.

At first, Alastor and Sheyla don't really like each other. He thinks she is humorless; she thinks he is too flippant. However, as they get to know each other traveling to Hallowell which is his brother's next target, they come to appreciate each other.

The romance certainly isn't a smooth or easy one. He should be forming an alliance with an Eldritch princess and her family is certain that he and his people are demonkind.

I enjoyed the romance which is certainly on the spicy side and loved the military action and battles in the book. This is the second book in the Ars Numina series. I recommend reading the series in order. Book one helps set the big picture and introduces Alastor. This book provides a lot more depth on his life and what his culture it like. ( )