Title:
Soul Of A
Mercenary
Author:
Angela Verdenius
Published By:
Wings ePress
ISBN:
Electronic:
1-59088-184-2
Print:
1-59088-810-3
Release Date:
Available Now
Format:
Electronic
& Print
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Maverk had lusted after Reya, a Reeka Warrior Woman ever since he had met her 2 years earlier. He had thought she was happy to be out of constant danger and settled on Daamen with her sister, Tenia. Tenia had married his captain, Darvk. Silently, Reya had fled the planet one night and returned to her previous, hired mercenary lifestyle. The Reekas were well known throughout the galaxy for their legendary fighting skills, so it was very easy for Reya to find assignments. Tenia had asked for her sister to be found and brought to her before the approaching birth of her first child, as she was her only surviving family member. Marverk and his companion, Garrett were sent to find Reya. When they located Reya she had joined with another Reeka, Dana. Reya refused to go back to Daamen. She acted cold and remote - a real ice maiden. Dana was her opposite, fiery and hot-tempered. The pair managed to elude the Daamen traders again before an eventual reunion. Dana's ankle is weakened from the constant stresses of fighting so she is forced to go with Garrett to recuperate.
Maverk refuses to let Reya out of his sight now that he has found her again. Reya is truly haunted by her past mercenary duties. She has been exposed to death and mutilation for too many years. Her terrifying nightmares leave her drained and desolate. One night in a moment of weakness she lets Maverk make love to her. After a bout of lusty bedding (which made this reader's toes curl!) Maverk is sure that Reya will see that life with him would be perfect. Reya knows that she is not worthy of love. She is a ruthless killer and intends one day to be killed herself. She leaves Maverk so that he will never see the haunting truths that curse her. Maverk realises that she is fragile but he believes that he can love her back to life. When a cruel killer kidnaps a young girl, Reya knows that she is the only one able to find her…even if it means facing her nightmares. Maverk intends to assist Reya, but she evades him yet again. He is tortured by the knowledge that he could have lost her forever, through her own insanity.
Reya is a tough cookie on the outside but so brittle inside that she is unstable. The demons that chase her are very real and very alive. Reya's journey through this story is not an easy one for the reader. Angela Verdenius's scenes of mutilation and death are fairly grotesque and very well executed. Both of her main characters are powerful and need to be for this story. This is the 2nd book in Ms Verdenius's Heart and Soul series and can be read on its own without knowledge of the previous books. It is certainly the most gruesome, but for readers who are following this author I would not skip it. The beautiful soul-warming conclusion neatly wraps up a very heart-wrenching story. Highly Recommended!
Reviewed by: Naomi
