Listened to audio narrated by Sophie Eastlake. Except for the very odd pronunciation of Cuelebre, I loved Sophie's narration, she always brings these unique characters to life.

Gryadon is a Wyr Sentinel and a gryhpon, and Beluvial is the elven Lady of the Wood. When they first met two hundred years ago she was the consort to the Elven High Lord and their relationship was forbidden but a pariah Djinn discovered them. Between their secret and the Djinn's life hold on her son, they have been bound to be a part ever since.

For two hundred years Graydon has been searching and plotting to a way to free all of them of the djinn, so he can be with Belulviel and free Farion and he's finally found it, but it will have deadly consequences, he's seen it in a vision.

So fair warning on this review, I do my best to keep personal biases and judgements from unfairly affecting my ratings but infidelity's is a deal breaker for me and I've downgraded this book because of that. I understand that Beluviel and the High Lord only remained together as a business arrangement and that there were political reasons they stayed together for the public but it bothers me enough to affect my rating. If that infidelity wasn't in the beginning I would have loved this book 100% even with it's heartbreaking moments but it bothered me the entire book, even though in the present the High Elven Lord is dead and that is no longer an issue."

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Shadow's End
3 Stars

Two hundred years ago, Graydon, the first Sentinel of the Wyr, and Beluviel, the High Lady of the Elven Court, were forced by the pariah Djinn, Malphas, to relinquish their hearts' desire in order to save the life of another. Now, with the traumatic changes in the Elven court, Gray and Bel will have to fight their centuries old attraction if they are to survive the evil force that threatens to destroy not only their lives but those of everyone they hold dear.

Unfortunately, this installment does not live up to its potential. While the pariah Djinn storyline is gripping with excellent actions scenes and a very exciting climax, the romance is boring and bland.

Malphas is a despicable villain and his machinations throughout the series have made him a very worthy opponent to numerous couples. One of the highlights of this book is having them all come together to rid the world of his menace.

Graydon and Beluvial's romance is not as appealing. They have zero chemistry and the supposed intensity of their connection (after spending not even one full day together) is not credible or convincing. It is also impossible to accept that these two highly sexual beings remained celibate for two centuries.

All in all, bar one or two exceptions, this series has been going downhill for a while and it is time to wrap it up posthaste. ( )

~ 4.5 Shadow’s End Stars ~

Shadow’s End is book nine in the Elder Races series by Thea Harrison. It’s full of lose, heartache, longing, and love.

Each book in the Elder Races series deals with a different couple and can be read as a stand a lone, but they are best in order.

WOW! What an emotional journey. I never expected to learn the things I did about Graydon and I never expected to like Beluviel (not a fan of the Fae in this series) as much as I did.

Graydon, First Sentinel of the Wyr and a gryphon. I’ve come to love this quit, strong, steadfast and loyal Sentinel throughout the books and to see his past and learn what we do. wow just wow.

Beluviel consort to the Elven High King. She excels at fixing bad situation not only for herself, but for those around her. You see her character grow stronger throughout the book and by the end her voice is fierce.

As for the romance. I liked it. It did feel a little rushed at times. I could feel the bond forming between them and sparks do fly off the pages when they are together.

The events that take place in the plot will leave you devastated and delighted. Some major changes happen for all the Wyr not just for our leads. We are also treated to an exceptional flash back that explains what is going on with Graydon and Beluviel and how they got on a path they may not be able to change.

The events that happen in Shadow’s End will leave you reeling for their is no shortage of action, adventure, lose, longing and family love. All I can say is you will want a box of tissues handy.


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The hero had already been half in love with the beautiful Elven heroine before one night 200 years ago sealed in his love for her forever. Married to the High Lord of Elves and mother to his son, the heroine lives in a cage, one of which she created for herself. She married her husband because she thought she loved him, he married her for political game. When he bore a son with another woman, the heroine accepted the boy as her own and loved him more than life itself. Now, he's all grow up and making horrible choices, getting involved with worse people. When he disappears for a few days, she grows worried and risks her husbands wrath to track him down. That's where the hero comes in. He's always been enraptured by her beauty and her gentle iridescent personality is the light of his life. But the fact that she is unattainable is possibly the understatement of the century. Despite the knowledge that she could never be his, and the fact that her presence is an equal balance of pleasure and utter torment, he readily offers his help in finding her son. Together they track him to a seedy gambling hall before finding out he is in the company of a powerful Djinn. There, they are horrified to realize that things have gone from bad to impossibly worse. The son as indebted his soul to a Djinn, and the being now has complete control over the heir to the elven crown. As punishment for the hero destroying the gambling hall, the Djinn also has control over the hero and heroine as well. They are never to see each other again outside of social functions and if they break this law, the heroine's son will die. Heartbroken and lost in grief, they agree and part ways. Now, 200 yeas later, the hero has a vision of his own death. He's been acuminating evidence against the Djinn for 2 centuries, biding his time for the right moment to gain enough power to see him killed. He's never for one single moment forgotten his love for the heroine. He's thought about her every second of every day and now, he's finally able to see her again. Now a widow, the heroine knows her son is slowly losing his mind because of the bond he shares with the fiend. When the hero comes to her, telling her of his plan, she feels hope for the first time since that night 200 years ago. He's always been the love of her life and now finally they have a slim chance at the happiness that was always so far out of reach. I liked this story very much until the ending which kicked it into high gear and pushed it into love territory. The Romeo and Juliet theme was pretty evident and I don't remember reading about a more forbidden love affair then this. At some point near the middle I honestly had the sinking feeling that they would never get their happily ever after. That doubt was a welcome change of a pace from the typical romance when you know everything will work out fine. I was totally engaged in the torment both characters lived through and those few fleeting stolen moments when their love was permitted to shine through. I thought the end battle was totally awesome but freaking heartbreaking at the same time. The aftermath of that battle, and reading about the hero's grief made my own heart break in sympathy. He was such a lovely character. He was so kind and gentle hearted. He truly was the spot on portrayal of the Good Guy. And the heroine was just as deserving of the happiness she finally finds as she battles for the son's life all the while keeping a gentle and strong poise about her. Together they made for a lovely couple and you can check this off as yet another awesome addition to the series. ( )