Book Review – Gates of Rapture (Guardians of Ascension #6) by Caris Roane
Title: Gates of Rapture
Author: Caris Roane
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Series: Guardians of Ascension #6
Reviewed by: Brynna
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb: As a vampire and a warrior, Leto Distra is deadly. But after years of being forced to drink dying blood, he is now part beast—a wild savage thing lurking beneath the surface. With war on the horizon, Leto is determined to help the Guardians of Ascension destroy the enemy who turned him into a monster. And there’s only one woman who can help him.
Grace Albion is certain that she’s meant to be with Leto, but their future may be cut short by the impending battle. Now Grace must embrace her obsidian flame powers—and bind her powers with Leto’s—if they’re ever going to survive. With the fate of the world at stake, they must tap into powers they never knew they had…and unlock their deepest passions.
Sexy and thrilling, Gates of Raptures is the breathtaking final book in Caris Roane’s Guardians of Ascension series.
Review: In Obsidian Flame (Guardians of Ascension #5), Thorn’s sister Grace discovered she was a variety of obsidian flame like Marguerite and Fiona. Held in a convent for many years, Grace had dreamed of Leto, a Warrior of the Blood who turned to the dark side to build Graves army. I was shocked when, although Grace had an intimate encounter with Leto, she ultimately left him of her own free will to be with Casimir. And this brings us to book six.
In Gates of Rapture, Leto struggles with what he sees as Grace’s rejection. He can’t understand why she left with Casimir, the breh-hedden ensuring she would take him as breh and lover. After years of drinking dying blood (although Havily’s blood cured him of his addiction) Leto morphs into a larger, beastly form of himself.
At first he can’t control the shift. His morphing is strongly tied to his emotions, especially where Grace is concerned. He has been living with the Seers, protecting them and training the warriors. Seer Brynna is helping him to learn control. In his beastly form, he calls for his mate.
Grace’s character is more avenging than sweet as the story opens. Believing she must aide Casimir’s redemption, she endures Leto’s calls for some time before finally bidding farewell to Casimir and his sons. *spoiler alert* Casimir’s prescense is required to protect Leto, her true mate, but it took Grace’s love and care to will Casimir to repent his many sins for his special role in this book.
Grace and Leto are perfect together. She accepts him as he is, beast and all. Their romance is both sweet and hot. Not to mention complicated. My only complaint would be the end of the war felt rushed, as I thought it should have come along in a couple of books down the road. I believe this a result of the publisher choosing to end this series before its time. I think Ms. Roane did a great job of tying up the loose ends, even if rushed. I love how things eventually turned out with Graves and the mega battle the author has been leading up to.
I’m glad Ms. Roane intends to publish other books within this story world on her own or through other outlets. Good for you! I can’t wait to read Casimir and Patience’s story. I’m rooting for Brynna and Luken to get together. Endell should have her own story too. While you could read these books as stand-alones, they are best read in order. Readers who crave world-building, vampires and steamy romance will love this series.
