Review: Dark Alpha's Redemption: A Reaper Novel

Dark Alpha's Redemption: A Reaper Novel by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After the big showdown against Death's sworn and scorned enemy, Bran is finally here. What can happen now that this is all over? But wait…there's more. Even if Death has found her happily ever after, she still has members from two elite squads of reapers who need their happily ever after. To my delight, this one features Bradach, a moody and taciturn reaper who was once a light fae. His past creates the hatred of all things dark. When he's paired up with Maeve, a dark fae, to find a missing dragon king and another fae ally, Bradach wishes to gracefully bow out of the duty.

Not one to shirk his responsibilities, Bradach grudgingly partners up with Maeve. Maeve is one of the most feared dark fae. She runs an empire as a legacy to her slain father. Her father may have been cruel and sadistic to others but he always showered her with love. This dichotomy between the good and evil in the same person is a theme Ms. Grant tends to use more oft than not. I like it. Most of her characters are neither fully evil nor fully good. This greyness shows more depth of character building as well as a more interesting and engaging character. Readers tend to feel more invested when they can see similar traits with a main character.
Including the character building, the world crafting continues in this series. Learning more about how the world works as well as getting closer to the end game of the Light Queen's demise is a mix of teasing and frustration. The little tidbits of what is to come keeps pulling me into this series. The frustration comes from the slow plot movement. It feels like it is being dragged out. Still, each of these book's focus is the a reaper finding their mate. The big showdown is but a small subplot tying the series together.

Whilst the overall arc is slow moving, the pace of this book is not. There are good highs and low with sexual tension and fighting action. The balance is nicely done and keeps a reader flipping page after page to find out how Bradach story progresses. The end is a foregone conclusion, it is the Bradach's grow and love journey which makes this book so enjoyable. This paranormal romance is recommended to readers who enjoy fae, magic and questionable divisions between good and evil.

*provided by Netgalley