"Her kiss woke him, and her scalpel saves him!"
Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko
Posted October 18, 2018
Romance Paranormal | Fantasy
King Oberon reigned over those who lived in Lyonesse for a number of
years until an enemy's assassin laid him low with magic. He battles the
magic as the LIONHEART he is
until he has no choice but to allow his body to go unconscious. The
power he wields is going crazy destroying all the lands and leaving the
once fertile world ice covered. Dr. Kathryn Shaw is a skilled trauma surgeon at the top of her game in
New York. But when she is asked to help in healing the unconscious
king how can she resist. Not afraid of a challenge, after all, she has
faced down Dragos a number of times, she accepts though she
promises nothing. The situation is dangerous and just getting there
might put an end to the situation before she can even try. She actually
takes a deep breath and relaxes when she realizes that the king is a
half Wyr and in fact is a lion! I did enjoy the moments that we get to see
his reaction to just Kathryn's voice as she talked and talked. Can the
king of misfits come all the way back? And what will he do with the
lovely lady who awoke him with a kiss and saves him with a scalpel?
The man who does finally awaken is only a shell of the one who led the
demesne and protected his people. The magic had been working
through his body and killing off all feelings -- except perhaps anger. LIONHEART, the third book in Thea
Harrison's Moonshadow
series, is simply phenomenal! Oberon and Kathryn are characters we
have met before but they come to complete life in this offering. Author
Thea Harrison weaves an amazing cast of characters, enchanting
world, and danger that will have you catching your breath. I loved how Kathryn stood up for herself against the cold, unfeeling
Oberon who distrusted her motives and actions. I guess fighting for
one's life against an assassins spell woven dart, as he had been doing
for years, might make you just a bit wary of strangers. Oberon, of
course, is a smart man who finally puts two and two together but
makes demands of his own. If he is to die under her hand, it will be
done in Lyonesse. Robin, the world's favorite Puck, returns -- still
damaged but determined to do the job of protecting Oberon no matter
how hard it is on him. He was tortured by Isabeau, the Light Fae Queen
(I thought the light were supposed to be good guys), who had her
assassin go after Oberon and plans to do the job of finishing him off
herself. It is sad whenever a trilogy comes to an end but this could not have
been a more engrossing, amazing, heart pounding way to bring the Moonshadow series to its
finale. If you love the Elder race brought to you by this author then LIONHEART and the rest of the Moonshadow series will just
amaze you.
SUMMARY
King Oberon reigned over his Dark Court in Lyonesse for
centuries, until an assassination attempt laid him low.
Now he lies unconscious in his snow-bound palace, while
his Power battles the enchantment that threatens to end
his life. A skilled trauma surgeon and magic-user, Dr. Kathryn Shaw
reigns at the top of her profession in New York. Then
comes a challenge she can’t resist—she is asked to cure
the uncureable. Just getting close enough to try healing
Oberon is a dangerous proposition. When she does reach
him, he awakens too soon. Roused from darkness by Kathryn’s presence, Oberon
confronts the beautiful stranger who claims she wants to
save his life. But the enchantment has frozen his
emotions. How can he learn to trust her when he can’t feel
anything? Oberon’s desire is icy, devoid of all tenderness. Not only
must Kathryn match wits with him, she must also fight her
reaction to his touch, because there is so much more at
stake than her own endangered heart. For the Dark Court faces its most deadly peril yet. Its
ancient enemy Isabeau, Queen of the Light Court, is
obsessed with its annihilation, and Oberon must be brought
to remember his loyalty and affection for his people. Because if he won’t fight for them, Lyonesse itself may
very well be destroyed…
ExcerptLondon, 1811The attack happened at one of those bloody masques King
Oberon and his Dark Court had once been so fond of hosting. Those of the Elder Races—along with a select few humans
chosen for their Power and political influence—traveled
from around the world to attend Oberon’s masques, and all
England knew that whatever the weather, snow always fell in
the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens on the winter solstice. The guests were treated to a lavish array of exotic foods
and mulled wine, magic, and mystery, all served by
attendants dressed in spotless, intricately embroidered
white uniforms. Intrigues always occurred along with
intimate conversations amid the entertainment. Illicit
affairs were pursued in the shadows. Treaties were born and
sometimes broken, and there was always the opportunity to
forge new alliances. But mostly the annual festival was Oberon’s way of saying
fuck you to his greatest enemy, Isabeau and her Light
Court. The richness of the revelry, the contrived excess—it
all said, we dance in spite of you. We thrive. Until at one masque, Oberon stood watching a swirl of
costumed dancers. As he cast a silent spell, large flakes
of clear ice drifted down from a cloudless midnight sky as
if the frozen stars themselves fell to earth. The flakes reflected pagan color from nearby bonfires until
the air glittered with brilliant gold and piercing light.
All dancers came to a halt, and everyone stared upward in
awe while fey music raced through the clearing at a hectic
pace. Laughter broke out along with applause, even among the most
Powerful and jaded of the guests. Oberon smiled to see one
pretty Vampyre reaching up with a slender white hand to
catch a flake. She stared, eyes wide with wonder as the
glittering ice melted in her fingers. A sharp sting pierced Oberon’s neck along with a sense of
alien magic. It broke his concentration, and the weather
spell fractured. His reactions were swift and catlike, but even as he
slapped one gloved hand over the spot and focused fiercely
on it, the brief pain faded. He spun around, his gaze
racing over the crowd. It had been an attack. He had no doubt. His gaze fell on one individual, a tall, handsome man in
elegant evening attire, wearing a plain black domino. The
man held a hollow reed between the fingers of one gloved
hand. His direct hazel gaze met Oberon’s. “I have killed you on
the orders of the Light Fae Queen, and I must say I am
sorry for it.” Oberon’s lips drew back in a snarl. A roar burst from his
throat as he lunged forward to slaughter the transgressor.
Even as he sprang forward, an intense wave of dizziness
struck him down. Sharp voices soared overhead like the raw screech of
hunting hawks. He recognized Nikolas and Gawain even as he
turned his focus inward again, searching for that deadly
thread of alien magic. There it was, the enemy that had invaded his body. The
magic wriggled deeper, seeking to enter his bloodstream.
Where it touched, coldness spread. Panicked hands gripped his arms, and another, more feral
voice intruded upon his awareness: Robin. “Sire, what
happened?” “Assassins,” he managed to hiss. He did not need to say more. His knights roared through the
milling crowd, cutting short the festivities with drawn
swords. Trusting them to do their jobs, he closed his eyes
and concentrated everything on stopping the malicious spell
from completing its work. Time passed while he tried spell after spell to counteract
the attack. The masque ended early, and everyone went home.
Over the next few weeks his knights roamed the streets of
London, hunting the Light Queen’s Hound, Morgan le Fae, for
that was who the assassin had been. They never located the
sorcerer. He had simply vanished, apparently into thin air. Oberon retreated to the country, then eventually back to
Lyonesse, where he continued to search for ways to
eradicate the magic that attacked him from within. Some
spells seemed to work, at least temporarily, and for a
while the progress of the magic halted. He gained a measure of respite Weeks, months. Even years. But each time, after a period of stasis, the bastard evil
that invaded his body reawakened and burrowed deeper,
always aiming for his heart. It caused undeniable damage. He could feel himself
changing. The closer the magic came to his heart, the
colder he grew. Colder in his thinking, in his emotions. He
grew crueler, more calculating.
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