A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2) by Laura Thalassa

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Title: A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2)
Author: Laura Thalassa
Series: The Bargainer #2
Published by: Indie
Release Date: May 26, 2017
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 385
Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Action and Adventure, Romance, New Adult
Reading Challenges: CC's Goodreads Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Siren and soulmate to the King of Night, Callypso Lillis survived the clutches of Karnon, the mad king, and his twisted prison. But the nightmare isn’t over. Callie wears the physical reminders of her time as a captive, and mounting evidence suggests the Thief of Souls is still out there.

When a fae celebration thrusts Callie and her mate, Desmond Flynn, into the Kingdom of Flora, they take their investigation with them. But under the bright lights and striking blooms of the realm, they find there are more immediate issues to deal with. No place is more uniquely savage than the great fae halls, and no amount of bargains can save Callie from royal intrigues.

Fairies play dangerous games. Some want love, some want vengeance, some want flesh, and some want things too unspeakable to utter. One thing is for sure: no one is who they appear to be. Not even Des, who only grows more enigmatic with every passing secret.

But the Kingdom of Flora has its own secrets, from bleeding trees to branded slaves and missing guards. Something is stirring in the land of all that grows, and if Callie isn’t careful, it will claim everything and everyone she loves—and her along with it.

Favorite Quote:

There’s a sad beauty to this place, like a rainbow in an oil slick.

I don’t know what draws me to these dark romances, maybe its that loves seems to almost always redeem them in the end.  Whatever the reason this is by far the BEST dark romance I have ever read.

Callie and Des have such a genuine connection to each other.  And it’s not just the sensuality the author brings, although that’s a big part.  But their minds are equally attractive.  They way they talk to each other about everything is a huge turn on honestly.  They say the hard things, they push each other.  It’s not just physical attraction but emotional and mental as well. And I love when a mental attraction develops, it gives the romance a depth and respect that just a physical one can’t make on it’s own.

The world building was given equal attention as the romance and I think its a very difficult thing to balance. This world was vibrantly decribed and exploded off the pages for me. Between the giant trees, extravegant fairy balls, intrigue in the Flora court and their continued investigation to find out why faires were being kidnapped and returned pregnaunt, this story had me losing sleep to finish.