THREAT OF DARKNESS - Lauren Dane
Ellora’s Cave www.ellorascave.com
ISBN: 978-1-4199-1051-7
July 2007
Erotic Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance
Rated: S-ensual

Tir na nOg, Earth, and other universes - Present Day

After a thousand years spent in a demon dungeon, upon her release Mei was exiled from her home, and spent the next two thousand years as a warrior for the Balance, fighting to keep the universes in check.  But now her boss, Carl Donovan, takes her home to Tir na nOg, where Mei learns that everything she has believed for the past two millennia and longer is a lie.  Her mother, the Queen of the Fae, is shocked to see Mei alive, and Mei learns the stunning truth that not only was her aunt behind Mei’s imprisonment and exile, but Mei’s husband, Jayce is still alive.  Mei’s aunt, Eire, forged the documents stripping Mei of her lands and title, and exiling her from Tir na nOg, in order to be next in line to the throne, and to get Jayce.

It was memories of Jayce that helped Mei through her imprisonment, and even after she was told of his death, she never stopped loving him.  The Fae bond is still strong between them, and Jayce – who had also believed that Mei was dead – is overjoyed to be reunited with the only woman he has ever loved.  Yet, Mei has another mate, Card, half-demon half-werewolf, who has been her partner and husband for most of the past two thousand years.  But Eire’s betrayal is part of a larger plot and Mei, Jayce and Card will need to come together to fight of the evil forces threatening the universes.

THREAT OF DARKNESS is a captivating sensual tale.  Set in the same universe as Ms. Dane’s Witches Knot series, fans will see some familiar faces, but for those who haven’t read the previous books, this one does stand alone.  Mei is torn between her two mates; still in love with Jayce, but having built a life with Card, who she also loves.  Of course, neither man is happy that the woman he loves is bonded to another, and both are very alpha guys.  The tension between them is solved a bit simplistically, but in a universe where magic is the norm, the resolution is not unbelievable. 

In addition to adjusting to two mates and reuniting with her mother, Mei also has to deal with the threats to her mother’s throne, Mei’s own life, and all of humanity.  The Dark Fae want to wipe out the existence of humans - for starters - and Mei will need to call upon magic she hasn’t used in millennia in order to stop them.  An intriguing universe and compelling characters make THREAT OF DARKNESS a must-read.

Jennifer Bishop