Maelstrom by Elisa Paige

Maelstrom
Elisa Paige
Paranormal Romance
Written for The Romance Reviews

Fae exile Amalie Shepherd takes refuge from her nightmare past by burying herself--and her heart--in operating her Texas horse ranch. That's where the immortal Nick Fletcher finds her. In love with Amalie, he's determined to see if they have a chance together. Now that he's back in her life, Amalie can't deny that her feelings for him have never faded. Through Nick's care, Amalie's power returns, making her visible to the Dark Fae King Reiden. With a singular hatred for Amalie, the one POW who escaped, Reiden creates an environmental disaster to kill her--a disaster that will make the worst hurricane's wreckage seem like mild clutter. To survive and break the past's hold on her, Amalie will have to ally with those who betrayed her, reach out to those she herself betrayed, and unite her two selves--the person she once was and the person she wants to be.

First Line

"If you sren't sure who you are, you might as well work on who you want to be - Robert Brault"

A Quick Tease

"My response does something to him and his kisses become more urgent. Whe he raises his face to gaze at me, his eyes are a blazing blue, so bright they look feverish. His lips curve into a smile that's the sexiest thing I've ever seen and I reach a fingertip to touch them. He does the same to mine and without thinking, I open my mouth and catch his finger in my teeth. Nock's eyes widen and a velvet groan erupts from deep in his chest."

My Review

I knew with one glance at the blurb that I was going to enjoy this book, but as I started to read and Amalie pulled me into her world, nothing prepared me for just how addicting MAELSTROM would be. I was completely seduced by the thrilling action that came as Amalie’s past finally caught up with her and as she finds herself surrounded by strong friendship and unconditional support. Most of all, I was hooked into the amazing romance the author wove as I read of Nick and his unswerving devotion to his life mate, Amalie. This is definitely a book that all romance lovers should read and as I’m still recovering from my constant swoon, I’m in desperate search for more from this author.

Amalie has been to Hell and back. A Light Fae, she was kidnapped and brutally tortured for countless years and in order to survive it, has blocked all memories of her past deep inside her. Exiled to the small town of Fundy, she begins to create for herself a new life, throwing herself into running a horse ranch and developing friendships with humans. But it doesn’t take long until something from her past, someone who holds a very deep claim to her heart and souls, finds her and places himself firmly back in her life. Nick Fletcher, her vampire lover, has searched everywhere for her and has never once swayed in his love and devotion to her. He’s determined to never lose her again and as Amalie opens her heart back up to him, willing to give in to love she has for him, he helps her deal with her past and the current threat she’s facing. Bringing in three trusted vampire friends – Wen, Roddie and Burke – they soon discover that an old enemy of Amalie, the Dark Fae who tortured her without mercy, has found her and is plotting to destroy her. Add to this her evil twin Kian, has also returned and Amalie is finds herself immersed in trouble. The story tells of the race to save the people of Fundy and ultimately the world, of the deep bonds of friendship that can be forged and most of all the incredible feeling of love that comes from someone who would do anything to protect the one they love. Amalie finds, as the story progresses, her memories she’s blocked return and with it she truly becomes whole. Having left Nick once before because she felt dangerous and unstable, will she do it again or will Nick be able to hold on to her this time, proving that their love is can overcome anything?

I think the author did an amazing job with this book. There were quite a few battle scenes as Amalie and her friends battled against the Dark Fae and creatures and I was able to see them vividly in my mind. The author was able to include a great amount of emotion into the story and I was totally drawn into, heart racing. I loved that I was able to feel the fear and rage Amalie felt when someone threatened Nick and the worry that Nick felt whenever Amalie was in danger. The tender moments between them were special and heartfelt and I couldn’t help but sigh as they exchanged endearments with each other in Breton. MAELSTROM was entertaining from beginning to end and there were honestly times when I became frustrated because I had to stop to sleep and take care of other responsibilities. This was definitely a book I could sit and read in one sitting.

I adored the characters in this book, each one showing great personality that made me want to learn a little bit more about them. Amalie was instantly endearing because she was a survivor and I marveled that she was able to function after the horrendous things that happened to her. I loved that she was tough, that she was incredibly protective of Nick and those she cared for, but that she also had that realness about her. She had a lot to be afraid of and I don’t blame her for wanting to shut those memories away but she showed courage when having to face them and I loved that she was fierce. I had so much fun imagining her lunging for the throats of those stupid enough to threat Nick in her presence and after one glimpse, I could totally see why she loved him so much.

Nick … there’s really no words for him. The lengths he went to be with Amalie were inspiring and I was in a constant swoon with him because he was just so intense. He searched everywhere for her when she disappeared and it broke my heart throughout the book, reading about the pain he felt in losing her again. He was unbelievably devoted to her and attentive and I loved how he would drop his fangs and fly into warrior mode when he thought her safety was threatened. There was this feeling about it that really pulled on my heartstrings, I can’t really explain it but even now just thinking about him, my heart is racing and I’m wearing a goofy grin. Amalie was one lucky Fae to have such a lover as Nick.

My review wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the three delicious vampire warriors – Wen, Roddie and Burke. Each of them had their own quirks and feisty appeal and as a vamp lover, I was in heaven. I loved Roddie and the way his Irish brogue would thicken depending on the situation. Burke was a constant source of entertainment because I thought he was the hot head of the bunch, it not taking much to set him off and put him in fight mode. I was sad once the book ended because I thought that’s all I’d see of them but YAY! A quick look on Goodreads showed that Roddie has his own book – Shadow Play. Definitely something to look forward to.

All in all, MAESTROM was a success in my eyes, giving me a great read full of emotion and romance. It gave me exactly what I hoped for and I wasn’t left disappointed or wanting. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an engaging story and healthy amount of happy sighing. Happy reading!

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