Raine is the second in The Lords of Satyr series and really must be read in order.

The second of three sons of Satyr, Raine has been charged with finding one of King Feydon’s daughters in Venice. Mixing duty to his king with duty to his familial lands, he is also there to attend a lecture on what has been done about the disease rampaging through Europe’s vineyards. Entering the wrong lecture hall brings him abruptly aware of a hermaphrodite being studied by men of ‘science.’ Strangely aroused by the masked figure he leaves only to meet this intriguing creature on the shores of one of Venice’s canals.

Jordan has been living as a man since her birth in order to keep her family’s lands after the death of her father. With the word of the doctor at her birth holding her hostage as a man, she is forced to endure a yearly examination by the doctor and his cronies. Born with both male and female parts she has always felt female, but been male. Until the night she runs from what could’ve been a disastrous experiment into the arms of a man that sees her only as a woman.

These two individuals will face each other’s secrets and must embrace the other’s uniqueness in order to find what they both need and want; acceptance.

Wow, this was a powerful story that was almost disturbing in its graphic descriptions. Very different from the first story, Nicholas, Raine explores a previously unexplored subject for me. While the writing was excellent and the story fabulous, the unexpectedness of the heroine’s duality is what made me give this book a 3 angel rating. I enjoyed both Raine and Jordan as characters and felt that they were very real to themselves, but sometimes found Jordan’s duality disconcerting. Elizabeth Amber has written a great series, and I look forward to see how the third son falls to his fate.

Reviewed by: Serena