Relic: The Brethren,#2 by Deena Remiel

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Published: 1/27/2012

Buy links: Amazon, ARe

Rating: Entrée












As a Savior member of the Brethren, Raphael’s sole purpose was to heal and after the last great battle between Good and Evil, Raphael’s powers were minimal at best. Feeling less than worthless, he is on a quest to find Serena Sikes and inform her of the demise of her youngest brother. Raphael is about to have a whole new set of problems thrust onto his shoulders in addition to his waning powers. Not only is Serena a dead ringer for Raphael’s late wife (whose memory was wiped from his mind) but she is also being chased by hired killers whose boss has mistaken her for the Goddess Sirona. Saving Serena and perhaps himself will take everything Raphael has and a little help from the Brethren.



Well Deena certainly had her "big girl panties" on while writing Relic. As much as I loved Trinity, I felt this book much more viscerally. It had a grittier tone, which I just ate up. While still retaining Deena's optimism, the main characters in Relic were just a tad meaner and darker. Especially Serena (yay!!), my girl could flatten some balls and not break a sweat. Raphael was unknowingly suffering the death of his first wife and had become an emotionless being who existed in a very grey world. When Serena, who has brought light back into his life is threatened, he is ruthless in his protection of her. Nothing is sexier than a pissed off, protective angel. This book is just a little deeper I felt because it dealt with several issues and not just one set of villains. I absolutely loved the complexity of Serena's character and how she deals with her quickly changing life.   

Raphael isn't aware of how truly damaged he is, nor are any of his fellow Brethren. I thought this gave a really unique twist to the story that played out beautifully. I absolutely devoured this book in record time. This romance had a very sensual feel and was at times bordering on animalistic (grrrrrr) which added just the perfect amount of zing to an already lovely story. The balance of elements in this book is truly a work of art. Heartbreak, hope, insidious villains and self discovery all play off each other in a wonderfully entertaining story that keeps the readers attention from start to finish. I am already anticipating the next book and have my fingers crossed on who will be the star of this one. This is definitely a "must read" series from a truly gifted author. Big kudos for yet another job well done.