{Review} Gideon's Promise (Sons of Judgment #2) by Morgana Phoenix

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: February 23rd, 2015
Finished Date: February 25th, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: NA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

His love will become her curse.

For centuries, Gideon has kept his secret, knowing that it could mean the life of the woman whose very heartbeat was his reason for living. But when Veil Creatures are slaughtered in their homes by those sworn to protect them, it may be up to him to save those he loves from a fate worse than death. What he doesn’t expect is the betrayal and a choice that could leave his family devastated.

Valkyrie Devereaux believes only in the power of justice, loyalty and obeying the laws of her people. Love was something to be feared and she had been taught long ago that anything that could make you weak, needed to be eliminated. But when she is assigned to join the Casters of the north in hunting down the creatures killing the innocent, even she can’t help the twang of longing for something that goes against everything she was raised to believe was wrong.

Like fire and gasoline, passions collide. Heat erupts as they fight against their desires and their very nature. But a fire like theirs can never be smothered. It can never be stopped. It can only burn to unimaginable heights, but what happens when it careens out of control and destroys everything around them? And who is waiting for that exact moment to destroy the brothers?

She will become his death.

The Review: Gideon’s Promise is the second book in the ‘Sons of Judgement’ series and this time around (as the title would suggest) it’s Gideon Maxwell’s turn to find his soul mate…… the thing is – he found her 300 yrs ago and kept it to himself! Gideon could be classed as many things, cocky, arrogant, funny, HOT….. need I say more? But one of those things I never saw him as was a self-sacrificing, protector of hearts. Gideon made quite the impact in book one with his wit and charm, he came across as a ladies man who would never be tied down – little did we know the secret he was keeping. It was also clear in book one that there was a little something, something going on in the chemistry department between him and Valkyrie Devereaux, you could tell they were mutually attracted but in a hate to love kind of way, they infuriate each other both on purpose and unintentionally and now we know why. I loved the banter between them in book one and it definitely carried over onto book two well, I’m also a sucker for hate to love relationships too so I was hooked straight away because it was clear these two were meant for each other. The reason he keeps it secret is because of who Valkyrie is and the laws and customs of her people, knowing that she could be put to death if they became an item and knowing that if he didn’t touch or claim her then she would never know of her soul mate status and be able to live her life as expected.
He always keeps her at arms length but when veil creatures are being wiped out in their own homes, Valkyrie is sent to investigate and join forces with the Maxwells and that leaves Gideon with a dilemma because the more he time he spends around her, the more he wants to touch her, bond with her and the living arrangements put temptation firmly on his doorstep. Valkyrie, unaware of Gideon’s feelings doesn’t understand why he is so standoffish with her, he always seems to hate her and she doesn’t know why, but she’ll give as much as she gets. Her world is much different to Gideons, her life is about survival, being the best, never failing or showing weakness and above all – obeying the laws and customs of her people. She is not allowed to fall in love, she will be given a mate when the time comes and she will do her duty by bearing children to become the next generation of warriors.
As they investigate the slayings, they are forced to enter hostile territory in the hopes of gaining information but what happens is something different, they are betrayed in the worst way possible and the consequences are dire. I could never have imagined the way the story would turn here, yes I was expecting something but wow, what a shocker and it really opened my eyes up to the perpetrator. When Gideon tried to take the blame, it broke my heart because of what he was trying to do and why, it is a big game changer in the story but also a good thing for the progression of the relationship. With the event and the fall out, I thought it brought a softer side out in Valkyrie, she seemed less rigid and willing to see another way but those law abiding tendencies still remain.
As the story keeps on going we have multiple attempts on everyone's lives that inject a lot of action into the plot, we still have murderers on the loose and there’s a real sense of dread upon all at the house. Something is brewing, something bad and this is the basis for what is to come. All of the way through the book, it’s hard to see a way for Gideon and Valkyrie to get their HEA, you really want it for them but there are so many obstacles in the way plus there is a truly tragic event that astounded me – in fact this book is filled with OMG moments that really make you feel like no one is safe. I enjoyed finding out about the other keepers of the gates, each are different and have a different way of doing their jobs but it’s Valkyries I was most interested in and that we got the most information about. Her story is really sad, her life is sad and it was tough to read of her treatment by those meant to love and protect her. The fact that she was not free to love who she chose isn’t even the worst of it so I was so glad she had the Maxells to lean on. There is a lot going on in the story that doesn’t become apparent until the ending, I didn’t feel like the book had a solid conclusion – more of a small cliffhanger ending but it does what its meant to…. Leaves you wanting more.

Thank you to Morgana Phoenix for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.