Immortally Yours by Lynsay Sands
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (400 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by XeranthemumOne hundred and twenty-five years is a long time to nurse a crush. That’s how long it’s been since Beth Argenis first met Cullen “Scotty” MacDonald and he instantly became the star of her most X-rated dreams. Back then, he was rescuing her from a Rogue Immortal. Now Beth’s a Rogue Hunter—a damn good one. She doesn’t need saving anymore, despite what Scotty thinks. What she does need is the fierce, wild desire that finally erupts between them.
Scotty has hesitated to claim Beth as his own. But one explosive kiss confirms what he’s long suspected: She’s his life mate. But Beth is tough, fearless, beautiful…and in immortal danger. Unless he wants to lose her forever, he’ll have to rethink everything he once believed about love and destiny as well as confront an enemy who’s terrifyingly close.
No matter how fantastical the paranormal aspect is in a novel, it’s the human factor that helps a reader relate to the characters and the overall story. One of the plot conflicts is a tale as old as time in Immortally Yours and yet Ms. Sands injects a refreshing wrinkle, Argeneau style, and makes it her own.
In the last book with the mad scientist, I thought for sure the next novel would pick up that thread and in a way it did, but not as I expected. This tale shifts to the ramifications and effects on the rest of the Argeneau clan that were left behind when the others went to rescue their kidnapped family members. Reinforcements are called in from other parts of the world which introduces new personalities that the Canadian Argeneaus need to not only work with but trust. One would think that was a safe bet, they’re sort of like family after all, right? Nope, because not all of them are Argeneaus and there are other prominent Immortal families out there that are also movers and shakers. I found out that there is a Russian faction that, from the sounds of it, are rather fierce, who play hardball and are feared by many. So, how does that play into this plot? It’s effective, clever, interesting and surprising.
The mystery involves the basic questions of figuring out who is a traitor, who is betraying them and why do all the attacks seem to target specific people and how in the world are the villains always one step ahead? I didn’t find out until the heroine, Beth, found out the hard way. Once I read the ‘great reveal’, I sat back and thought, “Why didn’t I figure that out earlier? It seems like it should have been so obvious!”, except it wasn’t. Not for me. I was wonderfully stunned.
As for the heroine, that poor girl! I mean, seriously, how many times can a person get toasted like a marshmallow, skewered like a shish kebab or dodge other surprising attacks? Beth had some near misses and some attacks were dead on. Was she continually in the right place at the wrong time? Was it a jinx of supreme bad luck? The thing is, in the middle of one of the most physically painful times between Beth and Scotty, a/k/a Cullen, the author slipped in a brief moment of hilarity.(Ms. Sands does that a lot) It was their reaction that made me snort and guffaw. It was like a Loony Toons moment; totally snicker-worthy.
In addition to the mystery conflict, there’s a huge internal conflict going on. It seems Scotty has this noble idea about what is best for Beth. He also thinks he’s magnanimous, forgiving and enlightened. Yes, he’s giving, but he’s not forgiving or enlightened as he’s deluded himself to be. The hero had a rude wakeup call, that’s for sure. I liked watching him not only come to terms with his own failings but grow as person to become better – which seems incongruous as he was already totally swoon-worthy and sexy and heroic.
As for the heroine, her own internal conflict was substantial and mind blowing. Her early life was a nightmare. And yet, the analogy of the sword that Ms. Sands used totally made sense, was believable and basically summed up Beth’s personality. The heroine is a strong, stubborn and highly opinionated woman. I loved it.
Of the new Immortals that were introduced, I like Kira the best. She has a future, I think. She has attitude, confidence and her own serious conflicts to deal with which makes her an ideal future heroine especially if she ‘hooks up’ with an Argeneau. The conflagration from that could be highly incendiary, dramatic, and a perfect venue for more snickers and snorts. After a reader experiences Kira in this novel, I think they’ll understand my opinion.
The shared sex dreams of new Life Mates, and the physical sexual encounters were of course, hot, but what intrigued me was how Ms. Sands used the sex for something practical and altruistic. It also proved to me without doubt that Scotty and Beth are perfect together.
Immortally Yours is more about people than the paranormal. It’s about healing, challenging perceptions and admitting when you’re wrong. It’s about imperfect people falling in love in the face of the dangers of assumptions. It’s about why it’s important to take the time to really listen to the person you love, even if it hurts. And, it’s about fighting for what you believe in. There’s a lot of emotional depth to this novel that makes it more than just a fun, fluffy and entertaining read. Ms. Sands has another winner and is an easy recommend.
