Book Review of Sins of the Father (After The Storm #3) by Dianna Hardy

 

Synopsis:

An Eye of the Storm Novelette

Ryan is the only one who fully remembers the series of events that took place five months ago, the night of Himet and Yemet's storm. Having experienced the death of two of his mates, having fought to keep his third alive, and having to overcome the realisation he unwittingly sent Hendrickson and Amelia into what would become their tomb, he finds himself battling flashbacks of murdering Nikolai and in doing so, forcing torturous pain – and perhaps death – upon Nikolai's mate, Carrie.

As Lydia goes into labour, the imminent arrival of their first three children – innocent of every dark thing in the world – has him questioning all his choices, and the need to find Carrie, whether alive or dead, becomes a thirst he cannot quench.

Publisher's note: After the Storm is a series of novelettes that take place at relevant points in the immediate months and years after Eye of the Storm. They concentrate on the healing our characters need to go through after everything that happened. They do not need to be read to understand the main story – they are additional reads for fans that also contain 'Easter eggs' for what is to come.

Review:

Sins of the Father by Dianna Hardy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exciting read!

Sins of the Father is the third novella in the After the Storm series and is set a few months after the last book of the Eye of the Storm series, Reign of the Wolf.

Ryan is a fascinating character whom I fell in love with in the first book of the Eye of the Storm series, Releasing the Wolf. He is a complex individual with many sides to him. No wonder Lydia fell in love with him, too. He radiates strength and determination, as well as love and compassion. However, he is also hiding a dark burden that threatens his happiness from the events that occurred in not only his past but in the present. Ryan will need all he has to confront his fears and face the future with his mates.

The story starts not literally with a bang, but it takes off and it keeps going. The intensity is palpable and it keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end. The author has a way of describing the feelings of her characters, and it sucker-punches you right in the gut. She made me cry! Twice!

Ryan has already had some of his history told in the Eye of the Storm series, but his feelings of shame about what happened to him pales in comparison to the panic he feels with the imminent birth of the triplets. It's difficult to review this book without spoilers, so I will say that I'm in awe of the growth of not only Ryan but all the characters in the book, especially Taylor with his newfound maturity. Although Lydia is busy birthing their children, so doesn't have much inclusion in this tale, she makes her mark. Lawrence also isn't in most of the scenes, but since he's the king, I'm looking forward to reading the next novella, which I presume will be from his point of view. There are a few Easter eggs in this series that tie to another series written by this author, so if you haven't read The Witching Pen series or the Blood Shadow series, now's the time to do it.

All in all, this novella is an emotional roller-coaster from beginning to end. I can't wait for the final book in this series, but I'm dreading it in turn, as I know that all good things come to an end and I will miss these four wolves who have wormed their way into my heart. However, I'm also looking forward to seeing some of the other characters in the Blood Shadow series again.

I do not recommend this book/series to young readers due to the mention of sex and violence. However, if you love steamy paranormal, urban or fantasy romance mixed with magic, I highly recommend this book and series.

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Book Review of Twisted Roots (After the Storm Book 2) by Dianna Hardy

 

Synopsis

An Eye of the Storm Novelette

Five months after the storm, Taylor is the most comfortable he's ever been in his skin. Despite the guilt that occasionally creeps up on him over Sarah's death, he counts his blessings every day, especially for the love and care he receives and shares with his three mates - his pack. No wolf is as 'wolf' as Taylor's become, and the most joyful day of his life is literally just around the corner.

But something's pressing against the edges of his memory - a scent; a voice - there was something he missed in the delirious state he was in when he was bitten almost a year and a half ago.

Why it's emerging now, he has no idea, but it won't leave him be. It's grasped him like a need for air and he finds himself following the promise of something near, yet intangible; a truth he senses; something 'his' he needs to find...

Right back at the start.

(Publisher's Notes: ​A treat for fans! After the Storm is a series of novelettes that take place at relevant points in the immediate months and years after Eye of the Storm. They do not need to be read to understand the main story, but are additional reads for fans and offer Easter eggs for what’s to come.)

Review 4*

Twisted Roots is a new long-awaited novella from Dianna Hardy. I loved her Eye of the Storm series and the first book in the After the Storm series. Twisted Roots is set several months after the events in the Eye of the Storm series.

Taylor is one of my favourite characters from the Eye of the Storm series. He has grown much within the series, and in this novella, he grows even more. He dealt with losing his old life as a human now he's a werewolf, or so he thought. Now Lydia is due to give birth, he finds himself struggling with old insecurities and what happened to his wife, Sarah, on that fateful night he became a werewolf. Determined to finally lay all ghosts to rest, Taylor, with the help of Lawrence, takes a trip to the place where his life as a human ended.

This novella ties up some of the loose ends that were unresolved for Tayor. Told from his point of view, the story takes the reader on a journey into the past and the future. The only complaint I have is that this book was over too quickly as I would have loved for Taylor to explore or investigate what happened to a particular piece of jewellery that Sarah wore that night. Nevertheless, I enjoyed meeting the characters again. Now I am eagerly awaiting Ryan's novella.

Dianna Hardy, after taking a hiatus from writing for several years, has come back with a bang. She is one of my favourite authors and I have missed reading her work. I am glad she has decided to sit behind a keyboard once more.

Although there is no explicit sex, there's descriptive violence in Taylor's attack. Therefore, I do not recommend this book to young readers or those who may be triggered due to violent scenes within the story. However, I highly recommend this book if you love paranormal romances with sexy werewolves.