Falling Light

Written by Thea Harrison

Narrated by Sophie Eastlake

Having finally reunited, and fought off the Deceiver for now, Mary and Michael race up the Michigan peninsula to meet Astra before police forces catch up with them. But the closer they get, the less Mary is willing to trust a woman who by her own admission will do anything to finish the Deceiver-even if it means killing Michael and Mary to try again in another life. As they face their final battle, Michael's loyalties are tested, making him vulnerable just when Mary needs him most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781452682426

Reviews for Falling Light

[literaladdiction · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Vivacious Valkyrie - Marta:*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest reviewThis is the second book in Thea Harrison's Game of Darkness series and concludes the journey of Mary and Michael that began in the previous book Rising Darkness. Fans of her Elder Races books will find this to be completely different to her other paranormal books as this time she brings aliens to her readers attention. Readers would definitely benefit from reading these books in order.Six thousand years ago an evil and murderous being escaped from prison seeking more power and destruction. He was followed to Earth by a handful of those who hoped to prevent him but they paid an enormous price. In order to journey to Earth they would forever remain here and continue to be reborn until their job was done. A noble sacrifice that has not always had a happy outcome and now just three remain to battle the one they know as The Deceiver.Mary has only recently discovered her true identity as one of those who gave up their own lives millennia ago to recapture The Deceiver. She is falling passionately in love with Michael who is without doubt her soulmate but learning to trust someone who she has little memory of is proving difficult. Having survived a recent attack by The Deciever who had used his power to quite literally body snatch her ex husbands body Mary is bewildered and unsure of her place in everything that's happening around her. Michael has no such doubts as he has spent lifetimes waiting for his soulmate to be reborn. His searching had seemed endless and yet now here she is and he's not going to let anything come between them again. Their only other ally is Astra but Michael isn't truly sure if she can be completely trusted. Like him Astra has been searching for thousands of years to recapture The Deceiver but she carries a dark secret that could destroy them all. As Mary and Michael journey further north they have become targets of those enslaved by the Deceiver and struggle to remain undetected but they can't hide forever and their showdown is closer then they think !A much darker tale then the authors Elder Races stories and even though it has romance present this isn't the normal paranormal romance that Ms Harrison writes.It's a book that allows the reader to spend lots of time in the characters thoughts as although it contains action scenes there is a lot of information shared with the reader. As Mary discovers her past so do we but that could make the pace a little slow for some readers. Strong world building but not really a traditional paranormal romance to me. Interesting characters and the use of psychic connections helped bring the story to life . Loving the use of natural energy and spirits and found it original and well written.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: In this conclusion to the Game of Shadows duology, Michael and Mary are in a race against time, trying to reach Astra before the Deceiver catches up to them. Will they be able to make it in time?Opening Sentence: When Michael killed the two unconscious men that lay sprawled in the overgrown grass, he did so with quick, efficient slashes across their carotid arteries.The Review:This book was probably more like 2.5 stars rather than 3, but I rounded up. As much as I love Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series, this Game of Shadows duology just does not do it for me, which is very disappointing. While the story moved at a good pace, I just could not bring myself to care about what was going on, which made it a very difficult read.The book starts immediately where the first one left off, so it would definitely be helpful to read that book first. Michael and Mary are on the run, trying to find their way to Astra before the Deceiver catches up to them. This becomes tricky, as the Deceiver has framed them for a massacre he committed, and every cop and federal agent in the area is on their trail. As they continue to make their way towards Astra, they also continue reacquainting themselves with each other and trying to figure out exactly how you navigate a soulmate relationship when your base personalities (warrior vs. healer) are so different. Meanwhile, as he attempts to chase down Michael and Mary, the Deceiver is also doing his best to track down Astra, so he can take care of her once and for all and continue with his plans to take over the Presidency. Who will reach Astra first? Will Michael and Mary be able to win their fight against the Deceiver?As is often the case with books that I have a hard time liking, one of my biggest problems has to do with the characters. I just could not form a connection with any of the three main “good guys.” I think, in the end, everyone came off feeling more like caricatures of a particular character type (e.g., strong hero who has a hard time expressing himself, wise old woman who tends to butt in where she’s not wanted) rather than characters with distinct personalities of their own. Mary seemed to move quickly from the woman who refused to believe what was going on in book one to all of a sudden having complete control over her alien healing abilities. A little bit of a learning curve would have been nice to see and would have made everything a bit more believable to me. On the positive character side, I really liked Nicholas, but he is by no means a main character and is only in a small number of scenes. If Harrison ever decides to write a story from his point of view, I would definitely be interested in reading it.As I said before, the pace of the story is good. There’s never really a slow moment. While there are plenty of fight scenes, this book didn’t seem quite as dark as book one. It’s still not a light read, but there wasn’t as much blood and gore as was present in certain book one scenes. Overall though, the book didn’t quite work for me, which is very unfortunate. It won’t keep me from reading any of Harrison’s future stories though!Notable Scene:“There are things I can teach you, and things you need to help me do. We must not let the Deceiver keep the three of us from reuniting.”“That’s what Michael says,” Mary said. She lifted her gaze. “We won’t stop again.”“Good,” said Astra, sensing truth.“I must go,” Mary said suddenly. “I meant to take only a little nap after I healed my shoulder. Michael’s still injured. He needs me.”“Of course,” Astra stood. “It is so good to see you again, Mary. It has been far too long. I have missed you. Please come quickly.”Mary stood as well. “We will. We are.”Astra nodded and thrust gently out of the other woman’s dream, traveling back to the cool quiet well of her own mind.I am not in control of her, Astra thought. And Mary does not show the absolute dedication to our cause that we all need, especially now when the Deceiver is so close at hand.The realization was jarring. Astra had been confident of Michael for so many centuries. For lifetimes. His rage at the disappearance of his mate ran so deep. But now that he had found Mary, she was beginning to skew his motives.They were starting to fight for survival, not for the Deceiver’s destruction.Astra must be prepared to kill them both when they arrived.FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Falling Light. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.