#BookReview – “Forged by Desire” by Bec McMaster

Blurb

A fear she can't escape....

Nine years ago, Perry fled her thrall contract to find sanctuary among the Nighthawks. In that time, she's become a respected member of the Guard, and she's wanted Garrett Reed for as long as she can remember. But when a new case takes a chillingly familiar turn, Perry finds herself once again in the path of a madman...only this time, there's nowhere left to run.

A desire that can't be tempered...

Out of their depth and racing against time, Perry and Garrett must learn to trust the desire sparking between them...or risk losing themselves forever to the darkness stalking London's streets.

Review

In the fourth book in the London Steampunk series, Perry Lowell is hiding from a dark and painful past, and she does her best to avoid the Echelon—the London aristocracy of blood-drinking blue bloods. As a rogue blue blood (a person illegally infected with the craving virus) and the only woman officer in the Nighthawks (the police force that patrols London), she’s closed herself off to her feminine desires and prefers to act like a man. Perry has been secretly in love with her partner Garrett Reed for years, but she’s never expressed her feelings for him.

Garrett is fully aware of Perry as a woman, but that wasn’t so until a month earlier when their platonic friendship took a hit. As the Acting Guild Master of the Nighthawks, it’s up to him and his fellow Nighthawks to solve the murder of two young women. But as he’s unraveling the mystery, more and more questions are brought to light, some of which revolve around Perry and her past.

I really liked Garrett. He’s struggling to make headway in his new position as guild master, and the virus in his blood is growing stronger every day, which is threatening his life and sanity. Though he has secrets, he was mostly open about them with Perry and was willing to give a relationship between them a chance.

In the previous book, Perry was a tough, take-no-bull kind of woman, but she was so vulnerable in this story. She kept so many secrets, not trusting anyone, and refused to hand over important information in the murder case. She kept pushing Garrett away, and it grew frustrating after a while.

As usual with books in this series, the sexual tension between the H/h is ripe throughout the story, but there are only two sex scenes near the end.

Though I enjoyed the story, I sometimes had a hard time following what was going on because there wasn’t a lot of description in some scenes. The repeated use of he/she instead of names also led to confusion. There are some unanswered questions, but there’s also a big lead-in to the next book, so I’m sure those loose ends will be tied up soon. I cannot wait to read book five in the series!

4 Stars

Disclaimer – I borrowed this ebook from the library. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.