BLOOD SPELLS

Author: Jessica Andersen ISBN: 9780451231659 11/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: SIGNET

Trained from birth to fight with fists and magic, Patience knows that she should focus on the coming war for souls. But she isn’t just a warrior—she’s a wife and mother too, which leaves her loyalties divided between the Nightkeepers and her family. Brandt broke the rules when he married Patience and fathered their twin sons—and now he’s paying the price. Torn between his magic and his marriage, and separated from his ancestors’ wisdom by a curse he can’t remove, Brandt is fighting to put his life back together. When an ancient Aztec god-king arises, Patience and Brandt must set aside their problems and team up as a mated warrior pair. But as they race to prevent the Nightkeepers’ enemies from enacting a terrible ritual that could tear apart humanity, the threat turns even more personal, becoming a deadly test of their powers … and their love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

BLOOD SPELLS is the fifth exciting installment in the highly original “The Final Prophecy” series, which is now going by the tag “A Novel of the Nightkeepers.” Fans of the series will be happy to know that the refocused series title and more urban fantasy-ish covers haven’t changed the novel one bit, as it continues the story in similar fashion to the first four utterly fantastic books.

I can’t get enough of these novels and will be sad to see the series end next year, but end it must, as 2012 approaches. BLOOD SPELLS begins more than two years before the zero date as the Nightkeepers attempt to create Triad Mages from their embattled ranks. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well, and Patience and Brandt White-Eagle have to sort out their frayed relationship or the Nightkeepers will lose their battle against the evil forces.
While this is a romance novel about a married couple, we’ve never learned much about their romance in previous installments, partially because they can’t remember it themselves. It will take a lot of magic to uncover the past and rebuild their marriage. The story is as gripping as any about a newer love.

Start from the beginning with NIGHTKEEPERS, the first novel, and get caught up—you will be happy you did!

Heather Heistand