Reach for You by Pat Esden

Some of you might remember me reviewing Pat’s first two books of the Dark Heart series over at Unreliable Narrators. These two books are high on romance and adventure. The third book is a fitting end to the series, with a definite maturing of the main character that I find appealing.

Annie Fremont is back, and I mean that in more than a “returns in book 3” kind of way. In this book, as Annie and her family go to rescue the love of her life, half-efrit Chase, Annie is in charge. She’s calling all the shots, making all the right moves, and proving to be brave, compassionate and smart. Gone is the indecisive young woman from the first two books. In her place is an adult who knows what she has to do to save her man.

This is a book about family, what it means to belong to one, and how important building and keeping family together are. It’s also a book about forgiveness and acceptance. Will Annie keep Chase from losing his way as he transitions into his djinn nature, or will she find a way to save the Chase she knows? Honestly, I didn’t see Annie’s solution from the way she had been, but what she does follows so beautifully from her character progression, I was so pleased.

The book seems less about sex this time, and more about emotion and relationship, and while Edsen delivers on hot, steamy sex still, the book focuses on hot, steamy, solid emotion. I was left with the true feeling of love story on all levels ater reading all three books.

This book released June 27th. Go get it. And if you haven’t yet, go get the first two as well.