Publisher: Berkley
Where did you get the book: Purchased
Release date: Out now
As a second daughter, Grace Andreas never had to worry about the intrigues of the Elder Races. But when her sister, Petra, and Petra’s husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister’s two young children – neither of which she is prepared for.
Yet, she is not alone. Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn prince of House Marid – driven by his genuine caring for the children – has decided to make himself a part of the household both as their guardian and as an exasperating counterpoint to Grace’s impudence toward the Elder Races.
But when an attempt is made on Grace’s life, she realizes that Khalil is the only one who can protect her – and offer her more than a mortal man…
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
For quite some time now I’ve stayed away from the Paranormal Romance genre because I was very tired of the same tropes being used with the same type of archetypal heroes and heroines. Fellow bookpusher Has knew that I was burnt out, but she kept on telling me about Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison. So I gave in, and I was blown away by just how fresh the series was, and more importantly, how fresh and new the characters felt. Thea’s characters are individual, unique and they are memorable.
I’ve been in a reading funk, but during that time I told myself, READ. Otherwise, I knew the funk would have gone on for much longer. So I picked Oracle’s Moon, and it kept me up reading way past my bedtime into the AM. Again, Thea Harrison does something with her characters that makes them oh so memorable, and I do believe this book is my favourite from the series so far.
Khalil’s and Grace’s romance had me riveted from the get go. I do like the hate/love trope and I think this book features one of the best. The way Grace would tease the big and mighty Khalil was hilarious and his surly responses in return had me hooked. They really disliked one another, but through time they saw past each other’s defences and I fell a little in love with them. Grace was such a strong woman who only at twenty three, had to balance being the Oracle, bringing up two small children, and trying to cope with life and what it throws at her such as bills, loans, and big ass dangerous and powerful beings who kept on interrupting her when she was looking after the children. I just admired her character so much, and I loved that the kids were kids. They weren’t too old or wise for their years.
The most adorable scenes were with Khalil and the children. He wanted to be there to look after them, and because he enjoyed being around them. It was incredibly sweet. But at the same time, you didn’t forget that he was a Djinn who struggled to understand the human side of nature. The way he looks after Grace and how he went about going on a official date was sweet and so funny at the same time. I loved that despite being scared of him at the beginning, Grace held up her own to him and I felt that there was never a overbalance of power in their relationship.
Grace’s story of her power and how she dealt with it was great, and I loved that she struggled with being the Oracle after the death of her sister who had held the position. She thought of what the power did to her, but in the forefront of her mind, she didn’t want young Chloe, her niece, to inherit the power. Throughout the book, despite her age, Grace’s protective instincts for the children never wavered.
The only downside for me in this book was Kahili and his story with his daughter, Phaedra. With how much heartache he showed in the beginning about what happened to her, and how he hasn’t been able to see her in so long, I thought that the storythread with her left me unsatisfied. I wanted to see some emotion from Kahili after the joining and it seemed as if he had forgotten about her. The reason he was so drawn to the children was to protect them because he couldn’t protect his daughter. So I didn’t understand why there was nothing from him towards the end with his daughter. So I hope in future novels we see some sort of reunion because it did seem that Kahili had more love towards Grace and the children than his daughter which I found to be odd, and which stopped the book from being an A grade for me.
But despite that niggle, Oracle’s Moon is a wonderful romance that managed to combine all elements in a paranormal romance. We see past characters, and I’m so excited to see that the next book will see the return of Pia and Drago, and that very very mysterious and scary vision that Grace saw towards them.
I give Oracle’s Moon a B+
Hi Lou, I totally agree with your review, I also loved this book.