As one of Ra’s Chosen warriors, Mehen must protect mortals from the undead who hunt them. Gifted by the sun god Ra, Mehen has never struggled with the task until he saves a woman from three undead, and finds himself in need of saving. Something about the woman stirs him, and he is consumed by his need not only for her body, but also her blood.
Blythe may have been saved by the mysterious man, but her reaction to the feel of his arms around her and the way his eyes wander to her neck don’t make her feel much safer. When she’s taken to his headquarters against her will, she finds herself a prisoner. But when he unleashes passion unlike any she’s ever known, she realizes she’ll do anything to stay imprisoned.
Blythe is also not who she seems–who she thinks she is. And Mehen finds himself in the fight of his life to save the woman he loves from the evil that yearns to possess her.
This is an interesting novel that pairs ancient warriors gifted and empowered by Egypt’s own sun god Ra with the interests and life of a contemporary society which has, unbeknowst to them, been infiltrated and endangered by the undead–the minions of the evil god Apep who rules the night and who commands soulless shells. It was believed in ancient Egypt that the night was the period of hours when Ra had no power over these tools of evil. Thus the Chosen, warriors gifted and empowered by Ra, fought during the night as his representatives, attempting to bring balance between good and evil. This book is certainly a love story but steeped in a context of the paranormal and an ancient religious legend. It is a story filled with personalities who are larger than life and who are thousands of years old. Each stands almost like an archtype of human achievement, a personification of all that humanity seeks to achieve as inhabitors of this planet. Even though they were not vampires, they needed fresh human blood to keep their strength at its peak power and their powers are enlivened and made stronger by the sun.
Blythe is a modern woman and I think she is a metaphor for people who are just seeking to live normal, everyday lives. She is unaware that humans are endangered; she is a single woman who is wanting love and have family and children. She is locked into a go-nowhere job which took advantage of her single status by requiring long extra hours of work. Finding herself as the endangered object of interest for three of the undead had to have been truly the lowest point in her life.
I have to admit that this was a difficult novel to get into. I like historical reads, even those that are built around legendary characters like these warriors, but it started slow for me. Yet I was fascinated by these warriors and their need for the sun. That’s why they settled in Phoenix rather than one of the cities on the East Coast. Yet as I continued to press onward I began to get involved in the personal exchanges between Blythe and the individual warriors, with their differences as persons, their delight in her cooking, her growing attachment to all of them, not just to Mehen. While her relationship with Mehen is central to this novel, there is not doubt that this group of people began to form into a family–they had already been described as brothers–with the addition of Blythe and her contemporary “take” on society, her feminine viewpoint, and her unique energies and female contributions to their life.
As is true of all good plots, there is conflict here: between Ra and Apep, between the warriors and the evil “undead,” between Blythe and Mehen and at times with the other warriors, between Ra and his warriors, and so on. There is a very real sense of reality about the relationships within this story, and even though the warriors are gifted with super powers, super size and strength, they are still flawed human beings and each has his own unique set of difficulties. There are some very suspenseful portions as well as some twists and turns in the story line that are a surprise. I like that a lot. But beyond that liking, I appreciate the author’s attempt to keep the plot and its story complicated and layered. No easy resolutions here, and by the time I finished the novel I was saying to myself: “That was a pretty good read.”
I have not read any of Ms Chenery’s other works, but I believe she has demonstrated that she knows how to put a good story together, populate it with believable characters, fill it will action and suspense, and give the reader some resolutions that are unexpected. This is a very nice love story with lots of sizzle, sexual frustration and satisfaction, and a journey of discovery by both Blythe and Mehen, even though one is a young women and the other is thousands of years old. Perhaps this story’s best lesson is that one is never too old to love and be loved. I think it is a good read and I look forward to reading more of Ms Chenery’s work in the future.
I give this novel a 3.75 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
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