ARC REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: "The Secret" by Elizabeth Hunter

The Secret 

by Elizabeth Hunter

Book 3, Irin Chronicles 

For thousands of years, the scribes and singers of the Irin race have existed to protect humanity and guard the gifts of the Forgiven. They have lived in the shadows. They have kept their secrets.

But the Irin aren’t the only race with secrets.

Ava and Malachi have found each other, but wounds as deep as theirs don’t heal overnight. While the Irin world struggles to correct the power imbalance left by the Rending of the Irina, Malachi and Ava struggle to connect their past with their present.

The Fallen may scheme, but Ava has found her power and refuses to be an angel’s pawn. And while Malachi may have forgotten his history, the scribe’s relentless search for answers leads both him and his mate to the heart of the Irin power structure in Vienna, where knowledge is guarded more closely than gold and those with power will do anything to keep it.

Malachi and Ava have survived the darkness, but will they ever discover its secrets? A powerful cabal of the Fallen may hold the answers, but to surrender them, it wants the Irin race to finally face their enemies. Both those coming from the outside, and those raging within.

THE SECRET is the third book in the contemporary fantasy series, the Irin Chronicles, and the conclusion of Ava and Malachi’s journey.

This is an impossibly beautiful story. I could never have imagined the series taking this kind of turn.  I relished every moment. Of course, there is the beautiful love story between Ava and Malachi. It brings an ache to my heart. However, I’m also taken in by the larger story arc featuring the Forgiven, the Forgotten, and the Gregori.  This narrative is about redemption and grace and I’m in awe of how Elizabeth Hunter put it all together.

Even before the Irin and the Gregori, there were the angels.  They came to earth to do God’s work.  Angels do not feel; they are not emotional.  However, they are fascinated and seduced by human emotion.  The angels went against God by mating and having children.  Those that accepted God’s forgiveness left their children and returned back to Heaven after leaving the children their history and legacy.  These angels are the Forgiven and the children are the Irin.   Those angels that stayed are the Forgotten and their children, the Gregori. Lines are established between enemies and for a millennia or more, they battle for human lives. But what do they know about each other? How much longer will they continue to battle?  What is going on between the Forgotten arch angels behind the scenes?

In my opinion, few people can write a sense of longing like Elizabeth Hunter.  She superbly captures the pain, ache, desire, and yearning of loss.  This is what drew me to this series, and what keeps me coming back for more.  The love story between Ava and Malachi continues and it is precious.  Even though they love one another, after her devastating loss and his memory gaps, they have learn to live in love again.  We are again reminded that this is something special: “Their union was a reflectin of the peace he’d seen.  Holy and wholly.”

This story is complex filled with political maneuvering, redrawn lines of friends and enemies, and an epic battle that is so devastating that it leaves a haunting impression on the reader.  There isn’t much more I can say without giving too much away.  You just have to experience it yourself.

IN A NUTSHELL:

A complex tapestry, this story inspires deep emotions and is breath-taking. The perfect end to this trilogy, Elizabeth Hunter truly out does herself with this one.

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

If you haven't started the series (and even if you have), here's your chance to win a signed copy of the book that started it all, The Scribe.  U.S. Residents Only.  

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