Review Etched in Bone by Adrian Phoenix

 SON OF A FALLEN ANGEL. FORGED IN VAMPIRE'S BLOOD. SWORN TO A MORTAL WOMAN. IF DANTE FALLS, THE WORLD FALLS WITH HIM. . . .

THREE LEGACIES ETCHED IN BONE

More beautiful and powerful than any creature the world has ever seen, Dante Baptiste has become the supreme target of the three worlds that spawned him. The mortal agents of the Shadow Branch have tried to control his mind through psychological torture. The vampire elders who guide nightkind society have plotted to use him in their bloodthirsty bid for power. And the Fallen have waited for millennia for Dante to claim his birthright as their Maker. But Dante belongs to no one—except the woman he loves. . . .

ONE PASSION SWORN IN BLOOD

Determined to face the Fallen and the world on his own terms, Dante hopes to piece together his shattered past and claim his future, with FBI agent Heather Wallace at his side. But in Heather's human family awaits an unexpected enemy. One who could rip Heather from Dante's heart and fill the holes with bullets. One who could force Dante to choose his darkest destiny—as the Great Destroyer. . . . (Urban Fantasy)

Review:
Are we up to book four already?? Wow! So much has happened since book one Rush of Wings. In my opinion this isn’t a series to jump in on in the middle. It’s also not for the faint of heart. There is dark violence and torture. Despite that, what keeps me coming back is Dante and his Bond Mate, Heather. It has only been about 4 weeks since they first met but they will stop at nothing to protect each other from the enemies that surround them and that kind of love gets me every single time.

As a born vampire and the son of a fallen angel, all factions want to “bind” Dante to their races, seeing him as their savior. Dante was also raised to be a killer in a secret government experiment. To say this poor guy has had a rough life would be a severe understatement. He has a lose grip on his sanity as he hovers between past, present, sanity and insanity. Only his bond with Heather keeps him together, hanging by a thread.

I adore Heather. As a former FBI agent she’s tough, smart and quick to assess any situation that arises. She doesn’t have any superpowers or gifts but she can hold her own among the supernatural elements around her.

Dante is beautiful and wild and a potentially powerful being. Everyone who sees him wants him. To kill him, to torture him, to love him. It’s all there and it’s all cruel. Dante refuses to be to be owned or controlled and I admire that about him. If only he gave into one faction, his life would probably be a lot easier but it would no longer be his own.

 
No matter how bad it gets Heather and Dante will not give up on each other and are always honest. No game playing with these two. That's such a rare occurrence that I can't help but love this couple.

However, this series often gets bogged down in multiple points of view. Everyone is after Dante, and now Heather. After four books I want a few answers and resolutions and they weren’t forthcoming in this book. Instead we have even more enemies. Usually the bad guys are non-descript and evil in that stereotypical “I have an evil plan…mhwahaha” way. Phoenix adds depth and background to them but I don’t think it’s always necessary or all that interesting. I’m sort of tired of reliving ALL the events of the first three books. Dante is kidnapped and tortured so many times I’m beginning to skim through these parts. It’s the moments between Heather & Dante, Lucien (Dante’s father) and Von (Dante’s guardian) that keep me coming back and hoping for more.

The ending leaves on a cliffhanger and brings us back almost full circle to book one. I’m hoping that this is a good thing and Dante can start coming to grips with his past and therefore stay more in the present. Call me greedy but I would also like a scene of Dante and Heather being able to spend more than 10 minutes together without interruption. If two people deserve a little happiness it would be these two.

Although this series tends to frustrate me, I still find myself intrigued and curious about the world the author has created and I’ll be sticking with it for a while longer. The 5th book comes out in December so at least it won’t be a full year to wait for the next installment.

Rating: 3 out of 4 I'm hoping the next book delivers a few answers and narrows down the enemies list but I'm in for the long haul because of the relationship between Dante and Heather.