The Adversary

4.25 stars--THE ADVERSARY is the second novella in Thea Harrison’s contemporary, adult ELDER RACES paranormal/ fantasy romance duet focusing on the former leader of the Wyr demes new in New York, Drago Cuelebre, and his mate Pia Giovanni. THE ADVERSARY should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events and cliff hanger of book one THE UNSEEN.

SOME BACKGROUND: Dragos and Pia, along with 20,000 members of the supernatural Wyr leave New York to begin a new life in the Other land known as Rhycia but not all goes according to plan when an unseen force begins to cause a disturbance within the new society-misplaced items, collapsing buildings, and taking control over the mind, body and soul of our story line hero.

NOTE: If you have not read THE UNSEEN, there may be spoilers in my review. The author had plans to write a four-part novella series but at this time, I am unsure as to the number of instalments. Thea Harrison has left THE ADVERSARY open ended, laying the groundwork for future story lines.

Told from third person perspective (Pia) THE ADVERSARY focuses on the fight to ‘free’ Dragos from an ‘unseen adversary’. Dragos is no longer himself, in fact, he is often someone else. Struggling to free her mate from an ancient enemy, Pia and the Wyr, must formulate a plan in an effort to release the ‘unseen’ from her mate’s body but once released, the ‘unseen’ needs another host, and Pia and Dragos find themselves, once again, facing the prospect of losing someone they love. From Azreal, the angel of death, to the Seraphim, Dragos and Pia must accept that life and death are not theirs to control.

THE ADVERSARY is a story of family and friendships, power and control, loss, love, desperation and revenge. Thea Harrison pulls the reader into an action packed, emotional and intense tale of magic and the supernatural, of other worlds and the paranormal, of the power of love for mate and child. The premise is strong and impassioned; the characters are numerous, familiar and charismatic; the romance is magical-the love is palpable.

This is a short novella, the conclusion to story begun in The Unseen. Pia and Dragos have relocated to Ryacia and after unearthing ruins of an ancient society, are now fighting an enemy that does not exist on the physical plane. I love Pia's determination, insight and grit. She can be counted on to know when to draw the line in the sand. Like all of Thea Harrison's books, this story captures all the emotional details, and engages all the depth of character that she's known for. Liam, Aryal and other major characters introduced in previous books appearances, but this is primarily Pia's and Dragos' story. (review written based on author provided ARC)