Courting Darkness

The paranatural community isn’t done with Alex, she’s been summoned to the fae court so she has hands full trying to prepare. But her date with the fae will have to wait. There’s a death at the gallery and James is the prime suspect and bitter enemies pull into a paranatural war for territory that has her dodging police, swords, teeth and claws – not to mention the truth. Alex is once again caught up in things that she had no clue about in this riveting and exhilarating read. The fascinating alter earth world continues with non-stop thrills, adrenaline pumping action and breath stealing suspense that keeps readers on the edge throughout. With surprising twists, magical battles, plenty of opposition and a spirited and determined Alex whose loyalty can’t be questioned this story has it all including all the turbulent emotions that come with all the excitement that seems determined to turn her life upside down. The fast paced plots has Alex training and learning how to navigate the fae courts with help from Kai but also from a new fae player that causes a bit of frustration and angst. Then the PTF is gung ho to catch Alex and her fae friends, and Alex learns the big secret that her would be boyfriend has been keeping has put her right smack in a deadly and dangerous grab for territory and a game changing magical artifact. Once this book is begun, readers can’t tear their eyes away as they become one hundred percent immersed in all the excitement of Alex’s life.

Some spoilers below for the first book in the series. Alex is a halfling, half-fae in a word where the humans and the fae have just brokered an uneasy peace after a brutal war. She has found out that she is related to one of the Fae Lords and has been summoned to Court to make her curtsey (as it were) where she will be quizzed on fae life and possibly challenged by rival fae. Oh, and added to which she and her friend Sophie were attacked by a werewolf and Sophie is now a werewolf being cared for by the local pack. I thought all of the above was enough plot for the second book, but no, Alex's sort-of boyfriend Simon has been accused of murdering a young woman in his art gallery and we are suddenly drawn into yet another group of non-humans. I'll be honest I found all of the different characters a bit confusing - Alex seems to have befriended a member of every single fae species, most of whom hang around her cottage on a regular basis but none really have enough personality to distinguish them from each other. Alex did have a touch of the TSTLs, when your BFF who has just turned into a werewolf and can't be allowed out unsupervised calls out of the blue and invites you to go clubbing do you think that's normal? If she says her alpha says it's fine do you believe her? Alex does! Also she is consistently rude to the fae sent to teach her what she needs to know about her grandfather's court. Granted Hortense is a snooty entitled woman but does Alex have to behave like a petulant child? Overall, once the story came together it had all the drama and action that could be required but it felt like too many characters have been introduced too fast and we just need to consolidate the characters and their relationships a bit more. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.