MASTER OF DARKNESS - Angela Knight
Mageverse , Book 9
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-24793-8
August 2012
Paranormal Romance

Atlanta, Georgia and Avalon - Present Day

When werewolf sorcerer Warlock's beasts kill the vampire Kadir, Kadir's wife Daliya has a vision that will either prove the end of humanity or save it.  Miranda Drake, Warlock's daughter, has been helping the Knights of the Round Table and other Magekind in their war with Warlock's army of Direkind, and she's been guarded night and day by William Justice, a Bitten wolf.  Daliya's prophecy involves Miranda and William seeking out the Mother of the Fairies to find the weapon that will hopefully end Warlock's quest for domination.

In the two months since Miranda came to Avalon and joined the Magekind, she and her bodyguard have been inseparable, which has been trying for them both.  Miranda was raised in a Chosen Direkind home, where women are subservient to men, and abuse and cruelty are the norm.  Add in the fact that her biological father is a sadistic monster, and Miranda is not real comfortable around Alpha Males.  And William Justice is most definitely an Alpha.  Before being Bitten, Justice was a third generation cop, and protecting women is natural for him.  The attraction between them is strong, but Miranda will have to overcome her fear in order for them to be together.

Unfortunately the final book in the Mageverse series, MASTER OF DARKNESS not only brings the war to its stunning conclusion, but also introduces a new trilogy.  Miranda has gained a little confidence in her magic, but is still wary of Alpha wolves, and also suffers a bit over the death of her stepfather.  Months earlier, Miranda killed Gerald Drake after he killed Miranda's mother and started after her.  She wouldn't change what she did, but she was raised to believe that women shouldn't defend themselves from an Alpha.  The stirrings she feels for Justice scare her, because she has no intention of letting someone else control her life again.  Justice aches for Miranda more each day, but only when he sees the envy and the fear in her eyes does he get his first clue that she may want him back.  He would never harm a woman—now he just has to convince her.

Their search for the Mother of the Fairies leads them to Branwyn, Conal, and Aislyn Donovan, three Sidhe living in Atlanta.  While the siblings do play a small part in the mission Miranda and Justice are involved in, they are a bit more of a tease, opening the door for a new series.  Because this book is in some ways a conclusion to the story arc that has continued from one book to the next, it is probably best to read them in order to have a better understanding of the Mageverse world and the characters in it.  Though it's sad to see the end of a captivating series, MASTER OF DARKNESS brings the Mageverse series to a satisfying end, and is a novel I highly recommend.

Jennifer Bishop