Across Shadowed Paths by Anna Hawke

Synopsis:

Three days. Two people. One cabin. A mating bond triggered by a vampire’s bite.

Blair escaped the horrors of her past, but they never stopped haunting her. Driven by the need for revenge, she ventures into the heart of enemy territory. When she’s exposed as a vampire, being rescued strands her in the wilderness with her best friend’s brother.

Living in the shadow of his sister, Kaien fears he can claim nothing to his own merit. When he saves Blair’s life, he’s stripped of his abilities and trapped in a mating bond with a woman who refuses him. Thousands of miles away from his clan, he must battle against the need to claim her as his fated mate—and the one thing that could solely be his.

Away from civilization, the masks they wear crumble, and the scorching desire between them ignites. Sheltering together in a remote cabin, Blair and Kaien must survive the elements—and each other.

My Review: 5 Stars

Raise your hand if you have been known to hold a grudge against fictional characters. You didn't know that was a thing? Neither did I until I met Blair in From Tortured Fates. Y'all. That woman has had me fuming for 3 months and refusing to read her book. All because she did something to our beloved Circe and Luc that I did NOT approve of. IYKYK. 

Since I have been invested in this series from the moment I picked it up, I finally just said forget it. Pick up the dang book and read it. And so I did. I was not 100% sold on Blair going into the book, even though I was assured that others had the same feelings I did and ended up loving Blair. She's definitely rough around the edges and goes out of her way to be defiant. But about halfway through, she started growing on me. I may or may not have loved her by the end. 

Okay fine. I did end up loving her. But I believe that Kaien had a lot to do with that. The man was her perfect mate. He balanced her, strengthen her, protected her, smoothed out those roughened edges, and simply loved her. She has never had that in her life and didn't know how to react. Through Kaien's love, she was able to discover who she truly was and learned to love in return. *le sigh* I love love. 

As for the continued story, y'all. All I have to say is PLOT TWIST! I did NOT see that one coming and I'm even more invested than I was before. I cannot wait to see what happens next! 

Ms. Hawke has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The worlds she creates are unique and intriguing. Once I start one of her books, I have the hardest time putting them down. She is amazing! If you haven't read any of her books yet, I highly recommend checking them out!

As for my casting... *dreamy sigh* Aren't these two perfect?! Your answer should be a resounding YES! Hehe.